Interview with Jonny Enright from Grupo X


Q: It's been almost six years since Grupo X released their debut album. What happened in the six years and why did it take you so long to come up with a second album?

Jonny Enright: The last few years seem like a blur, with one thing and another. When X-Posure came out were really working hard as a band, touring and promoting the album and EPs. In the summer of 2001 we started recording the follow up album at a studio in Hoxton, North London, and things were going really well; in fact we just about finished five tunes. Then I became a father for the first time and, not surprisingly, the project stopped for a while. After a while we got back into recording, but it was a bit more of slow process, due to lack of money and time and the guys in the band being busy with other projects.
Anyway, to cut a long story short, at the end of 2003, brimming with ideas, Jimmy and myself had a writing session up in Yorkshire, where my family now lives. We got most of the remaining tunes done and booked '60s analogue-based Toe Rag studio in East London to record the band. It was like stepping back in time. Even the 'phone was from the '60s (and I don't think the toilets had been cleaned since the '60s). Aside from the conditions, we had a few really good sessions with engineer Ed Deegan and I think we really captured the live sound of the band.
By the end of 2004, Simon Edwards (our bass player) had taken the project by the scruff of its neck and remixed the tunes in his studio and given the tunes a veneer and punch that had been a bit lacking. We felt we just needed a couple more songs to get the album right, so we went into Ed's studio (Gizzard) in East London and finished off the recording, apart from a few overdubs, which we did at mine and Simon's as well as some flute at Finn's.
So that's the story. Although it's been a long, drawn-out process at times, we're really pleased with the final result. And we promise to be quicker with the next one!

Q: Please tell me something about the group's history. How you've met the group members, how you came to be called Grupo X and what's your motivation and the musical vision you share.

Jonny Enright: Grupo X came out of Jimmy Le Messurier's successful UK 11-piece salsa band La Clave, formed in the mid '80s. I joined the band in 1991, whilst still at music college. We were really busy, playing three or four times a week in the UK and making regular trips around Europe. We used to get asked to do weddings and parties from time to time, so Jimmy started a cut-down version of the band called Hijos De La Clave (Sons of La Clave). We got together a good repertoire of classic salsa; tunes by Eddie Palmieri, Ray Barretto (RIP), Mon Rivera and the gigs went down well. Jimmy had his hands full with La Clave, so I offered to run the band.
We got asked to do a gig in Richmond Town Hall (this was in 1996). The booking agent didn't like the name we had (she was a bit fussy) and asked me to find another, so I said "Grupo X." It was a bit tongue-in-cheek; the idea was that we were this new mysterious band, when in fact we were all from La Clave. So that's how we became Grupo X.
After we'd done a few gigs as Grupo X, I started to take the band a bit more seriously and began writing for it. We'd been playing together for so long (in one shape or form) that we had a really good natural groove and understanding. We were all into the same kind of music, Latin and non-Latin and we were really good mates. Not a bad basis to start from!
By about 1998 we were starting to get club gigs up and down the country in clubs like the Underground in Leeds and the Toucan in Cardiff. The scene was quite new and fresh and people wanted to hear good live bands. We found we were going down really well with our audiences. They liked our groove and found us good to dance to. We were still essentially a salsa band, but we'd started to get into boogaloo and Latin Jazz. It was a matter of finding what style suited us as a band and what went down the best with the crowds.

Q: Who has influenced you musically and who of today's musicans keep influencing you?

Jonny Enright: My biggest influence musically is my dad. He's a classical pianist and I grew up with the sound of him practicing and composing at the piano for hours on end. He taught me piano, harmony and theory and wrote loads of trombone and piano pieces for us to play. And he taught me how to bowl leg spin.
Apart from that, I'd say that my biggest influences are Manny Oquendo y Conjunto Libre and Eddie Palmieri. I'm a bit of a Libre nut. I love the groove of the band and the depth of the music. I'm really into Jimmy Bosch's majestic trombone playing and I've learned a lot from him.
I like the swing, power and harmonic angst of Eddie Palmieri's music. I love the La Perfecta stuff from the '60s with Barry Rogers' inspired trombone figures.
Away from Latin music there are so many influences, but off the top of my head: Louis Armstrong, Miles Davis, James Brown, Fred Wesley, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, Beach Boys, Beatles, Bob Marley. I've also taken a lot from the artists I've been lucky enough to work with from Reggae, Soca, Jazz, Soul, Salsa, etc; too many to mention, but I've learned something from them all.
At the moment I'm listening to Los Van Van, Ursula Rucker, Van Hunt, and a bit of D'Angelo (though not all at the same time).

Q: Lisa Millett is featured as lead vocalist on six songs this time. Is she a regular of Grupo X now? And how did you meet her the first time when she ended up singing Brand New Love on X-Posure.

Jonny Enright: Lisa and I have been friends for ages. We first met in the early '90s when we were both studying music in London. We used to sometimes play together in a funk band along with Grupo X's guitarist Olly Drew, doing JBs songs, etc with a group of mates. In the mid-90s we both played in a great band called Freeloader which also featured Olly on lead vocals.
Then when Grupo X started recording X-Posure, I asked Lisa to sing on a track (Brand New Love), so we recorded it in a mate's studio in a tiny room in a flat in Hammersmith, West London. I think it was done in mainly one take and she absolutely sang her heart out. Lisa's a regular with Grupo X; it's great having her on stage throughout the set and the audiences love her.

Q: With the sound present on Food For Your Latin Soul I'm sure you really rock the house in a live performance. What can one expect on your concerts?

Jonny Enright: 90 minutes of raw passion (and that's just Olly). We love performing together and that feeling translates to the audience. We've worked together as a unit for so long now that the groove is rock solid, with a lot of subtleties inside it, born from years of musical experiences. We've done a lot of descarga sessions (kind of organised Latin jams) as a band and there's always an element of this in our shows, with improvised breakdowns, solos and backing lines.

Q: X-Perience would be the natural choice for a first single and I think it would also work great with different remixes. Do you plan to release a single at all? And if so how much do you like the idea to see your music cut to pieces and put back together again?

Jonny Enright: We're planning to put out a vinyl EP towards the summer, fingers crossed, with remixes by Rich Medina and Bobbito Garcia, plus more. I'm all for someone I respect musically having a go at our tunes, especially if it increases our profile as a band!

Q: I guess Loft Recordings is your own imprint. Do you plan to release other artists's music as well? And would you license the new album to a major label or do you prefer to have total control of everything?

Jonny Enright: I've no plans to release anyone else's music at the moment, but I won't rule it out for the future. I'd definitely license the record to a major if we got offered a good deal- I've got a family to support!

Q: Speaking of major labels. What do you think of the music scene these days? Where do you see the failure of major labels that keep lamenting over declines of sales.

Jonny Enright: I didn't appreciate how much the scene has changed until I started to promote our new album. The majors seem more than ever to be just going for acts that are safe and guaranteed to sell, so most of what's released is boring and bland. Their marketing is so sophisticated and all encompassing that it's really tough for anyone else to get a look in.

Q: You also offer your albums as CD for sale on your website. How come you don't offer the music as audio files for paid downloading?

Jonny Enright: It's something we must get onto, you're right. However, you can buy Grupo X tunes on Itunes, Napster and various other download sites now.

Q: Most major labels these days only produce copy protected CD nowadays. Food For Your Latin Soul isn't (luckily) copy protected. What do you think as an artist who makes money with his music and personally as a music lover of the restrictions record labels try to impose upon their customers?

Jonny Enright: Well I can see why they're worried, because it's so easy to get music for free these days, but I'm not sure if that's the right way to go about solving the problem. I think you've got to give people more credit; real music fans will continue to support and buy good music, whether they download it or get the CD/vinyl.

Q: Will Grupo X tour the continent as well to promote the new album?

Jonny Enright: I really hope so! All I can say at the moment is keep checking grupo-x.com and myspace.com/grupox for news of our gigs.

For more infos visit grupo-x.com, myspace.com/grupox and read my review of Food For Your Latin Soul.