Cerouno makes music out of machines, nostalgia and video games

[CERO… Read Full Bio ↴Cerouno makes music out of machines, nostalgia and video games

[CEROUNO: CERO (Zero) + UNO (One)]

Considered the main promoters of the rebirth of New Wave in Venezuela, the band presented their first album with a free concert on February 20th, at a local Cultural Center. The album, named Atari Amor, was long awaited for by the followers of electronic music in the country, and counted with the production of Claudio Ramirez, renowned for his work with bands such as Chucknorris, Joystick, Los Paranoias and Todosantos. Atari Amor is available for Free through Fan Zinatra’s website, www.fanzinatra.com.

One of the first sounds played in Cerouno’s first album is a 1977 Atari 2600. The videogame swiftly melts with synth atmospheres, 80s new wavish drum rythms and sweet and sticky melodies. After listening to the 13 songs that comprise the album, it is easy to understand its name: Atari Amor.
Cerouno presented the album on February 20, 2008, in the Centro Cultural Chacao, with a free concert, in which the electronic duo made up by Javier Otero and Alejandro Suárez, was paired up with Kuamasi from Autopista Sur and Ricardo Suarez, from Los Donovans. During the show, the band gave the public the big surprise: there was no CD. In Javier Otero’s words, “In times in which the technology has advanced so much, selling a CD is becoming as absurd as selling a cassette. The music market has to adapt itself to the new reality, the CD is no longer culture.” That’s the reason why Cerouno joined Fan Zinatra and released the album for free through the site www.fanzinatra.com. The duo assures that this is also the best way to fight piracy: “Why buy a cheap bad quality copy of the album when we are giving it to you for free and with good quality?”, comments Alejandro Suarez, and adds: “The album is also available in CD-format: an archeologic treasure, available for those who really love us that much and want to help us record our second album, but we won’t make them buy the album if they only wish to listen to us.”

Atari Amor is the result of intense work with producer Claudio Ramirez, who has also produced renowned Venezuelan indie albums such as Aeropuerto, by Todosantos; 11 Cuentos, by Chucknorris; Lonchera, by Joystick, and also participated in the production of 3 songs of Hey, dónde están los Paranoias, by Los Paranoias.

Cerouno is considered one of the first bands in Venezuela who adventured into electronic music in band format, at the beginning of the century. Throughout their concerts, they have inspired many other projects and have become the main promoters of Electro and New Wave in Venezuela, thus, Atari Amor was a long awaited album by the followers of the genre.

The recording counted with the collaboration of renowned people of the Indie movement, such as Kuámasi (Autopista Sur), Ricardo Suarez (Los Donovans), DJ Naxxo and Jose Ignacio Benitez (Domingo en Llamas, Master Guru). The production work was long and detailed, with the object of catching the intensity and the particular feats of the Caraquenian duo. “Every Cerouno song represents a particular emotion and the most important and difficult part in the production was translating that emotion into complementing sounds”, comments Claudio Ramirez.

Since its beginnings in 2002, the band has played live in several Festivals, such as the Festival 100% Rock Venezolano, in Valencia, the Platanoverde street party, Por el Medio de la Calle 2008, and several concerts organized by Fundación Festival Nuevas Bandas, such as Festival Alma Mater and the Circuito Nuevas Bandas, and they have also played in the most important universities and concert rooms in the country.

In the words of its members, Cerouno seeks to produce from machines a sound that represents the soul of the band: a lifelong friendship and a lot of fun. Since its beginnings the band has been recognized for their unmistakeable style.

“It is both fun and sad, at the same time”, as many say. According to Javier Otero, the lyrics are also catchy, “because they’re very simple and loaded with pop sensibility, but have a much darker, not so superficial content.”

The songs talk about solitude and strangeness towards the world. They talk about love going wrong, about anger. They immediately contrast the catchy melodies and the 80s claps of the music. A perfect bittersweet.

“Cerouno started in a very natural way: the idea has always been to enjoy playing with friends”, says Alejandro Suarez. “But sometimes oyu’re sad for any given reason and, although you play happy songs that make you jump, what you sing is not so happy. So you part from sadness to try to become happy. In the end, you get to make your whole life become a party.”

Cerouno is:
Javier Otero – Synths, Rythms, Vocoder, Voice.
Alejandro Suárez – Bass, rythms, Voice.

Other Ceros and Unos:
Kuámasi González – Guitar and voice.
Ricardo Suárez – Guitar and voice.
Claudio Ramírez – Sound Engineering, programming and bass.
VJ Mute y VJ Rei – Videos and Visual Art.
DJ Alma – DJ in the band’s events.

Links of interest:

Cerouno Official Website (Spanish) – http://www.cerouno.com.ve
Cerouno MySpace – http://www.myspace.com/cerouno
Fan Zinatra Records – http://www.fanzinatra.com

Soy
Cerouno Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Soy el sol que se asoma en tu piel
Soy el canto del mar
Soy de lluvia una gota
Pequeño, lo sé, lo sé.

Soy la nube en la playa
Soy la sal en el mar
Soy la arena en la entrepierna

Te molesto, lo sé, lo sé.

Soy un sueño sin fin,
No te dejo dormir
El veneno en tu boca
Es que sepo tan mal
Al pedirte perdón,
Que te olvides de mí
Me falta valor.

Y yo soy el que adoras
El que te deja partir,
El que te deja perder

Y yo soy el que adoras
El que te deja partir,
El que te deja perder

Y yo soy el que adoras
El que te deja partir,
El que te deja perder
El que te deja perder.

Soy la nube en la playa
Soy la sal en el mar
Soy la arena en la entrepierna
Te molesto (te molesto)
Te molesto, lo sé, lo sé.
Te molesto, lo sé, lo sé.
Te molesto, lo sé, lo sé.
Te molesto, lo sé, lo sé.
Te molesto, lo sé, lo sé.

Te molesto, lo sé, lo sé.
Te molesto, lo sé, lo sé.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Cerouno's song Soy describe the singer's multifaceted nature in a romantic and sexual relationship. The singer claims to be the sun that shines on the other person's skin, the song of the sea, and a tiny drop of rain. The imagery of nature continues as the singer declares themselves to be the cloud on the beach, the salt in the sea, and the sand in the other person's nether regions. The lyrics display the singer's awareness of their impact on the other person, knowingly irritating them with their nature as the sand that can cause discomfort.

However, the song takes a turn as the singer describes themselves as a never-ending dream that doesn't let the other person sleep. The singer acknowledges their own toxicity by calling themselves the poison on the other person's lips. The song ends on a sad note as the singer begs for forgiveness, knowing that they don't have the courage to leave the relationship. Throughout the song, there's a sense of the singer's confidence in their identity, but also their vulnerability in love.

Overall, the lyrics to Soy are deeply emotional, describing the complexity of a romantic relationship with vivid natural imagery.

Line by Line Meaning

Soy el sol que se asoma en tu piel
I am the warmth that spreads across your skin

Soy el canto del mar
I am the melody that the sea sings

Soy de lluvia una gota, Pequeño, lo sé, lo sé
I am a small raindrop, insignificant but aware

Soy la nube en la playa
I am the cloud that hovers over the shore

Soy la sal en el mar
I am the seasoning of the ocean

Soy la arena en la entrepierna, Te molesto, lo sé, lo sé
I am the sand that gets stuck in your swimsuit, bothering you, and I know it

Soy un sueño sin fin, No te dejo dormir
I am an never-ending dream, preventing you from sleeping

El veneno en tu boca, Es que sepo tan mal
The poison in your mouth, it tastes so vile

Al pedirte perdón, Que te olvides de mí, Me falta valor.
When I ask for forgiveness, and hope that you forget me, it's because I lack courage

Y yo soy el que adoras, El que te deja partir, El que te deja perder
And I am the one you adore, the one who lets you go, the one who allows you to lose

Te molesto (te molesto), Te molesto, lo sé, lo sé.
I bother you (I bother you), I know, I know.

Te molesto, lo sé, lo sé.
I bother you, I know, I know.