ERGO SUM Discography Ergo sum (1997) Mixolidio (2000) Members featured in the album Ergo sum (1997) ALEJANDRO TEFARIKIS - Guitars SEBASTIAN IGLESIAS - Bass JUAN DANIEL RÍOS - Transversal flute SERGIO MENARES - Drums & marimbas PAU SAÑARTU - N´Djembe, Pau - Havach and aerial percussion Members featured in the album Mixolidio (2000) ALEJANDRO TEFARIKIS - Electric and acoustic guitar SEBASTIAN TORREJÓN - Electric bass JUAN DANIEL RÍOS - Flute SERGIO MENARES - Vibraphon, drums and synthesizer GONZALO MUGA - Drums, vibraphon and synthesizer Ergo Sum is born in the year of 1994, as a product of the meeting in Santiago de Chile, of two old friends. Alexandros Tefarikis and Rodrigo Godoy. While Alexandros had been studying and composing rock in electric guitar, in Antofagasta, Rodrigo studied Classic guitar in the Conservatorio de Musica. The union and the musical understanding were inmediate, only with two acoustic guitars, begin to be born musical ideas based on the common past, that little by little where giving form to wich would be the first compositions of this period. It does not spend to much time, when due to the nessecity of shaping a band. Sebastian Torrejon y Pau Zañartu merged to the group in bass and percussion, respectively. Creating therefore the first stable formation of the group. A surprising comunication and energy is obtained since the very first rehearsal. It is as well as the group begins to prepare a repertory to perform alive. At this time the first presentations in different places are carried out from the city, making an impression to the audience with the quality of the compositions and the interpretative strength. The most important locations were: Colegio San Esteban, Bradford School, La Maissonette and The Festival Alcantara. (with the participation of Isabel Opaso, in Oboe, and Santiago Correa, in voices. (. And in the Hyatt's art gallery. They emphasize in this fruitful stage of creation, songs like.... Amistad (whose name makes reference to the bond of union between this friends). Alegria, Circulos de Cristal, Laberinto and the powerfull Rodrigo Godoy's Adrenalina. In 1995, is gotten up to Ergo Sum, the great German Flute player, Daniel Rios, who contributes new sounds, taking the band to another dimension. Thus, it is begun to work in the preparation of the first demo, work that included 8 songs recorded at the Magna Studios, of wich emphasized the classic and majestic composition Arakay, created by Alexandros Tefarikis in a very special time of his life. For this recording, it was invited to participate the violinist Elsa Brown, one of the most outstanding soloists interpreters of our country, that at the moment is perfecting her studies in Germany. A new stage in the live presentations of the group soon begins. Playing in different cultural centers from Municipalities and also some pubs. Time in wich the band invites to participate the violinist Diego Fontecilla, in replacement of Elsa Brown, an Cristina Foller in the Trumpet. In the earlier 1996, Rodrigo Godoy, guitar, and Pau Zañartu, percussion, leave the group for personal reasons. Ergo Sum, continues as an alectroacoustic trio, with a great interpretation strength, beginning a new step , composing a big amount of songs and iniciating a great tour of presentations. The most important where: Pub La Rosa (they played like a steady band during the whole year), Pub Cari;o Malo in Concepcion, Universidad Las Condes and Pub Delfin Verde, in companion of the great Jazz Band " La Marraqueta ". With the desire of fusing the acoustic with the electric sounds, the idea arises to incorporate a drummer and persussionist. " It was necessary to develop a heavier sound, but without forgetting the classic and acoustic origins of the band ", pointed Alexandros. It is thus, as Sergio Menares, joined the group, classic contemporary percusionist. Member of the percussion group of Universidad Catolica. With this new conformation, the band is concentrated in practicing and playing with sights to the recording of their first album. Memorable presentations, took place in pubs like, Tasca Mediterranea, Cari;o Malo and in the Jazz Club of Santiago and also in Valparaiso. . Thus, in the middle of 1997, Ergo Sum, begins the recording of its first homonymous independent production in the Procort Studios. Long months, with intense sessions, testing different sounds for every song, delayed in completing it. Besides the stable formation of the group of that time, also participate the old percussionist of the group, Pau Zañartu. Finally, the first production begins to see the light...... The launching of their first album, took place in the Centro de Eventos OZ., with the participation, like an invited musician, of the great percussionist, Gonzalo Muga, in Marimba. It begins the independent distribution of our first album in the most important record stores of the country. During 1998, Gonzalo Muga, became a permanent member of the group as drummer and vibraphonist, alternating roles with Sergio Menares. Ergo Sum begins to find its definitive sound ( or at least, as it is until today ), taking a totally electric sound; mixing the purest weight of rock, with the fusion of eastern ethnic music and some shades of ancestral Latin American sounds. The virtuosity of each of Ergo Sum's members, declared in the interpretation of instruments of so various tones and shades ( vibraphone, german flute, electric guitar, sinthesizer, drums and bass ), and the originality of the compositions takes the band to a particular and unique character within the scene of national neon progressive rock and without doubts international. Allowing to the group's great reached potential, the band propose themselves as a goal, the consolidation in the national rock. In the Balmaceda 1215 Festival, where they performed as a guest band, with Chancho en Piedra and Santo Barrio. This was first of a series of great concerts that closed this stage in an spectacular way... The presentations of the band continue with the Expo Música 1998 event, performance developed in a very particular way, whose anecdote relates Alexandros: "I was at the fair, and I arrived at Fancy Music's Band, so I can test a small pillow, 'Marshall Aniversary', 150 watts. Allowing to the group's, great reached potential, the band propose themselves as a goal, the consolidation in the national rock. In the Balmaceda 1215 Festival, where they performed as a guest band, with Chancho en Piedra and Santo Barrio. This was the first of a series of great concerts that closed this stage in an spectacular way....... The presentations of the band continue with the Expo Musica 1998 event, performance developed in a very particular way, whose anecdote relates Alexandros: " I was at the fair, and I arrived at Fancy Music's stand, so I can test a small pillow, 'Marshall Anniversary', 150 watts, with two Cellestion boxes 4x12...... When I begun testing the equipment, without noticing, in only a few minutes, a lot of people came by listening to my improvisation.... they were all very happy, an incredible atmosphere surrounded us. After that magical moment, the director of "Punto Diez", fair producer, (he remembers me from my participation in the Ibanez Tour 1998, next to Paul Gilbert); So we immediately coordinate Ergo Sum's performance, in the principal stage, next to |Los Jaivas|, Congreso, Joe Vasconcellos, U.P.A., and Mandracula. A bit time later, the band performed in La Escuela Moderna de Musica and in the Campus Oriente of Universidad Catolica. Alexandros, next to his friend, Anibal Elgueta, co-producer and designer, worked for about 6 months in the gestation of this great challenge, obtaining the patronage of several of the greatest companies of our country, such as, General Motors, Shell, Almacenes Paris, along with the Ministerio de Educacion, and Via X ( cable tv. channel ).. Trilogia became, in the first and more important event of neon progressive rock made in Chile. Besides Ergo Sum, also participates |Tryo|, from Viña del Mar, one of the most important of the national and international vanguard. And also Fulano, internationally recognized troughout its race that extends for more than 20 years. This event marked a landmark in Ergo Sum's carrier and demonstrade the great work capacity and materialization of great projects, hand by hand the stuff in charged, led by Alexandros. Outside the great success in the welcome of the audience who absolutely filled the capacity of Teatro Providencia, the event was endorsed by an excellent critic from especialized mass media from the country. From this great production, it would be taken for the second album of the band, all the powerfull material recorded live by Ergo Sum. Paralelly, the group had begun the recording in " Santuario Sonico " next to Juan Pablo Quezada " Prabha ", sound engineer; of the songs in studio that would compose the new production MIXOLIDIO. In this new album, we workd with a view to obtain a first level material in the sounds matter, as in the creative aspect. A total of 12 tracks were included : Nuevos Tiempos, Laberinto, Amistad, Rosauro, Tonada de la Soledad, Power I, Power II, Clasicoide, Power IV, Sobre las Monta;as, Sindrome Mixolidio, y Rompecabezas, ( plus 4 bonus tracks live and in studio, that will be possibly included in the second edition. ). We can also emphasize in this new album, the participation of two outstanding national musicians: Cristian Crisosto ( saxophonist and composer of Fulano ) that recorded the saxos in Laberinto, and Alfredo Molina, who recorded the Trutruca ( Mapuche's traditional instrument ), in Tonada de la Soledad. " The production became an excellent quality, work, we were all very happy with the final results....... Alexandros pointed up. The german flute player, Daniel Rios, after finishing the recording, undertakes a professional trip to the United Arabian Emirates. Inmediatly finished the recording stage, mixes and masterization, Ergo Sum, now a quartet, plus the team of people that worked in the Trilogia Event, began to develop a series of presentations with sights to the launching of their second album. One of the most important ones before the launching properly so, constituted " The First Encounter of International Contemporary Rock ", next to |Tryo| and |2112|, from Buenos Aires, Argentina. Once again, important forces were added to this iniciative: General Motors Chile, Shell, as sponsors, Radio Futuro and Rock Axis in the diffusion. At the end of year 2000, the launching day is about to come.... Daniel Rios arrives from his journey just in time for the presentation, takink quickly his roll as the german flute player of the band, he also learned the new adjustments created for the songs. The launching took place on December 20 in La Batuta Discotheque. For the launching, the people in charge of the artistic production were; Alvaro Menichetti and Anibal Elgueta. Anthony Thomson, sound engineer, obtained a great sound that night. As production assistants, Carlos Opaso, Ivan Droguett, and Cecilia Argando;a, and we must also thanks, Daniel Clover, from Bacardi Rum ( cheers!!! ). Mike Stern, an important jazz fusion guitarrist, have the opportunity, in his visit to our country ( in the beggining of 2001 ) to hear and talk about Rosauro, one of the most important tracks of the last Ergo Sum's production. The article was published in Zona de Contacto ( El Mercurio journal ). Rosauro, is born from an adaptation, from one of Neild Rosauro's ( director, composer and percussionist ), most important composition. At this moment he works as the principal of the Miami Music School. When he camed to Chile, he had the opportunity to hear his song adaptation made by Ergo Sum and inmediatly led us his authorization, pointing out that it was one of the best versions that he'd ever heard. In 2001's summer, Ergo Sum is rehearseling its new repertoire, for the next series of concerts that will begin on April 1st in Teatro Providencia; hand by hand with the mitic progressive rock band Camel, from England. In May, they will be performing in the Escuela Moderna de Musica, and in June, in La Batuta Discotheque. They are also working in the internationalization of the group, with real posibilities of being part of the important mega-events of neon progressive rock " Baja Prog " in Mexico and " Near Fest " in California U.S.A., Plus several international projects, that will take place in Chile, possibly " Trilogia II " Information: www.ergosum.cl