In October 2005 I had the chance to interview Javier Martin Balsa of the Spanish band Ultraviolet.
Here are the questions:

Javier, please tell me something about yourself.
Where are you from and what's your occupation, family, etc.?
Javier:
I´m 25 years old and I live in an small place outside Madrid. I work in a store selling digital cameras, mp3 ... and some stuff like that. I spend my time just playing music and with my beautiful girlfriend. I live just a normal life.

Ultraviolet has shorter wavelengths than visible light.
What are the reasons for naming your band Ultraviolet?
Javier:
It's as simple as this; Ultraviolet is the name of my favourite U2 song. It was on their album 'Achtung Baby', that's it.

There are some exciting electronic bands in Spain, e.g. Silica Gel, Estatuas de Sol, O.B.K.?
How would you best describe the SynthPoP scene in Spain?
Javier:
Well, there are a few bands here that play electronic music, O.B.K. is the most popular. I think they are the only ones that can live off their music, but I don't see any similarity between OBK and Ultraviolet. I think they are softer than Silica Gel; I think they are closer to Erasure or Estatuas de Sol. But the important thing here in Spain is that the companies or the radios or the industry don't put their trust in new sounds. In Spain you can only hear Latin music and bands from other countries. But there are a lot of fans that love SynthPoP music.
Depeche Mode are coming to our country and they are going to play two nights in Madrid and also in Barcelona.

In your notes to the album song 'Dreaming' you wrote, that it's difficult for you writing songs faster than 120 bpm. Why?
Javier:
I don't know. I want to make faster tracks but they always sound poppy to me. But 'A New Day' was written in a very bad period of my life, and all the songs I wrote for the album are very sad I think.
I'm writing for my next album right now, and I will work with a producer to change the sound of Ultraviolet a little. I hope to write faster tracks. I love fast tracks, but it's hard for me - it is like singing in major keys.

You specialize in writing romantic ballads.
Do you have any examples you try to emulate. If yes, who are your examples?
Javier:
Well I always write about something that touches me in some way. Like I said before 'A New Day' was written in a very bad period of my life, and maybe that is the reason why I write ballads.
I don't think that all my songs are ballads. I think that 90% of the songs talk about rejection, about not being free, about love, but sick love. It is closer to hate than to love.
My examples??? I don't know! I listen to a lot of different music. I love the lyrics of U2, The Cure - or why not Depeche Mode. But I don't think of them when I'm writing music.

What are the sources of your lyrics - own experiences or fiction?
Javier:
Most of them are my own experiences, but there are songs like 'A Million Miles From Home' that talks about something that happened to a friend. Other songs talk about what happened to other people, films or something I read.

You did the song-writing, arrangements and production yourselves.
Please describe your steps or production.
Javier:
Well I use Cubase SX and Reason 2.5. I work with a PC and with a lot of virtual synths. They are very easy and very fast to work with, because you have a lot of sounds in one place. But I always begin with some loops that inspire me. Then I start to write the first lines of the lyrics followed by the adoption of the voice. If it works I continue to include the chorus.
I work little by little, as in the past I used to finish the song and finally add the vocals. But then something regarding the vocals doesn't fit. So it was hard to start the song again. Easy work J.

'A New Day' is your debut album and it's released by A Different Drum (USA)
Why did you release your music on A Different Drum?
Javier:
The first time they contact me by mail I really was surprised. I didn't believe it, until I had the CD in my hands, and everything was like a dream. Is great to work with somebody that loves music as much as you do. If in my country the labels were like ADD there would be better music playing on the radios.

How important is this album for you?
Javier:
Well, there are twelve songs, and every song means something to me. They are a part of me and always will be. But I think there are a lot of things that are more important in life than being in a band, having money and playing in front of a lot of people.

How are the feedbacks to your debut?
Javier:
Well, the people love the sound of the album. I receive a lot of mail everyday saying good things about the album. The best part is playing live. When the concert ends you see if the people love the songs or not. And right now the people are giving me great feedback.

You are not a pure studio band.
What significance do live-gigs have?
Javier:
I know it is strange for people to believe that the sound of Ultraviolet is made by one man. I have always joined rock bands with four members or five - and always there are bad moods, things - something that makes it very hard to create music. So I started to write songs on my own. I don't want musicians to make songs, but I need them to play live. But I have to say that I have very good friends that are musicians, that help me in the live shows. I enjoy playing live a lot. It is a great experience to see how people are touched by your songs.

During live gigs, you are supported by additional musicians.
How do your songs differ from the album tracks which are basically electronic?
Javier:
They do not differ that much, but they have a rockier side. We include electric guitars and more voices, also visuals that help every song in a very special way. We are going to introduce live drums for the next shows. I want to sound fresher.

Finally, a very personal question. You mentioned the assassination of the 11th March of 2004 in Madrid.
What are your experiences regarding this dastardly attack against the inhabitants of Spain?
That day I woke up very early in the morning and saw my mother in front of TV. She said to me "Somebody has exploded three bombs in Madrid, there are like 70 people dead". I started to watch TV and it was very hard to see your city attacked. At the end of the day there were 192 people murdered.
The only thing I understood that day was that violence always comes back to you, war brings war.

Thank you Javier for the interview.
Now enjoy some snippets of Ultraviolets first full length album "A NEW DAY".

• Dreaming
• Sea Of Purity
• Overcome
• Everlasting

To Listen all album songs and different remixes visit www.Ultraviolet-music.net.

The copyright in these sound-files is owned by Ultraviolet, Madrid - Spain. For all files I got the exclusive authorization of Javier Martin Balsa. All sound-files are only for private use. Any commercial distribution and copy is prohibited.

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