"The songs are alive and they speak to us" - Interview with Miguel López Mora - Digital 21 + Stefan Olsdal - 2018

Interview with Miguel López Mora – Digital 21+ Stefan Olsdal

We met for the first time after a Digital21 + Stefan Olsdal show in Berlin, Germany in 2018. Miguel is a kind, easy going and very talented Spanish musician based in Madrid. Now, we have the pleasure to interview him. Enjoy.

Concert review Berlin 2018

Interview by Anett Schwertner / Virginy for Placebo Anyway 2018

Placebo Anyway: Hi Miguel, we are delighted that you took the time to answer a few questions.

You are a musician, producer and visual artist which means you do everything by yourself. We also know that you are teaching at the School of Arts and Technology in Madrid. Being the busy artist you are, we were wondering how manage your time and pass your wisdom to the future art geniuses?

Miguel: To this day I give 100% of my time to the band. I quit teaching years ago, when I started with the band Digital 21 + Stefan Olsdal. Teaching was nice. I loved it, but if you one to give your best to something, whether it is teaching or the band, you need to dedicate 100% of your time and a 200% of your attention to it.

PA: Which of all those things take the most of your time and which are your sources of

inspiration?

Miguel:  All of them. I manage the time and work non stop. For example I work on a video until I get very tired so I change to music, in that way I can reset to go on... and by doing that you get your body to do more. Everything inspires me. From the daily events to what you listen to or watch, or feel... or the tools you use, or the instruments you play. Everything is a source of inspiration. The external stimulus and even more the internal drive... What you feel... that at least serves you as inspiration.

PA: Let’s travel back in time to your childhood. What did you want to do when you grew up as a child?

Did you always want to become an artist?

Miguel: I wanted to go to the stars. Travelling through space.

PA: You took part of the San Isidro Festival in Madrid. About 50.000 people came to the

festival concerts.

We saw you’ve enjoyed it a lot.

Surely it was a big personal success playing in front of so many people.

What do you take from this event?

Miguel: It was a nice show because we love Madrid. It was the closing-night of the Madrid  Fiestas (local party in Madrid). However, I enjoy every concert the same, whatever the dimensions. I always feel the music the same way.

PA: Through the years you've played in small clubs as well as festivals.

So, what do you prefer, a small more intimate audience or a raging crowd?

Miguel: I prefer theaters. I love playing in beautiful opera houses. They are unique, it is , as if, the music from hundreds of years ago would come out through the walls and got inside of you. And the silence is really special in theaters. It really is like the time would stop. It is a unique feeling that moment of silence in those places. Something that words can’t describe.

PA: In autumn you will go on tour to Russia. We had great moments discovering Russia

and over all Siberia during the Placebo tour some years ago. Are you looking forward

to this special tour and do you have any plans for cultural visits?

Miguel: Excitement, always. We are going to beautiful cities and I am sure that is going to be great. People there send nice messages us vía Internet, so we think they are going to be very special concerts.

PA: You've already worked with a lot of well known artists; is there still someone out there you would like to collaborate with?

Miguel: We would love to collaborate with many people but the songs are the ones who ask us who to collaborate with. The songs are the ones who tell you if they need an external voice or not. And they even tell you which voice. Just as it happens with the instruments and the arrangements. The songs are alive and they speak to us.

PA: Since 2017 you’re performing with Stefan Olsdal (Placebo). How did this symbiosis begin?

Miguel: We both have in common a craze for music and we wanted to created something together. A hybrid of a lot of things but something that we could build with our own personality at the same time and that would be special for us. Both live and in the studio. And we have been working on it for 5 years until we had it ready and in November 2017 we got our first album, we are currently recording our second one.

With Cuushe. She collaborated on the first album, in London
 during the recording in the studio. Photo by Eliseo Martín

PA: Why did you choose him?

Miguel: Because he breathes music like I do. With madness and feeling. We respect and admire each other. We enjoy a lot making music and we enjoy playing live even more. And whenever we talk about our music, or someone else’s music from centuries ago we are on the same page.

PA: Please describe Stefan's personality in 3 words?

Miguel: Light, emotion, friendship

PA: Has the audience’s attitude changed since then?

Miguel: The world is in constant change. In 15 minutes everything will be over. Some things change a lot, other things not so much but what stays the same is that we are all going to die.

With Julienne -from Saschienne & Fantastic Twins -  in Berlin. She collaborated on the first album. 

PA: You have successfully covered „Creep“ (Radiohead cover) and „Rusty Nails“ (Moderat cover).

Are there any other songs you would like to cover?

Miguel: Of course... when a song becomes part of your life it is nice to play it differently and enjoy it, making it more of your style. Enjoying the music. Flying with it is the most important because it is a race against death.

PA: Thank you again having you here with us for an interview

Miguel:  You are welcome. All the best.

Interview by Anett Schwertner / Virginy for Placebo Anyway 2018

And if you like to see Digital 21 + Stefan Olsdal live here are the upcoming tour dates:

Digital 21 feat. Stefan Olsdal TOUR 2018:

05.07.2018 – Gay Pride MADO – Madrid, Spain

10.10.2018 – Ekaterinburg, Russia
11.10.2018 - „Opera Concert Club“, Skt. Petersburg, Russia
12.10.2018 - „Pluton“, Moskau,Russia
14.10.2018 – Caribbean Club“, Kiew, Ukraine

Offical page: www.digital21andstefanolsdal.com

Facebook: Digital 21 + Stefan Olsdal

Photo credits: Miguel López Mora /Miguel Angel Torresano / 

Javier Alonso & Marina Sanz / Anett Schwertner

Interview by Anett Schwertner / Virginy for Placebo Anyway 2018

Translation and correction by Diana E.T. Foghin & Susanne C. Kessler 
Layout by Susanne C. Kessler

Spanish version / versión española