Band: Pulsar Interviewer: Julie Johnson Date: 2-12-06

After the breaking up of Monitor (Roberto Alvear´s former project), he decided in the year 2005 to do a solo project called Pulsar, an electropop/synthpop band born in Ecuador, South America

GC: Hello, how are things with you lately?

Pulsar: Hi, great! Everything seems to be going just fine with my new project Pulsar, I´m currently working on my debut album; hopefully it will be out around November or December 2006.

GC: Since your breaking up of Monitor, what new benefits do you feel you have now with your solo -project Pulsar?

Pulsar: Well, more money after the shows, j/k, Monitor was a synthpop duo where I used to sing and do some of the programming along with keyboard player Alfredo, now that I’m alone I enjoy freedom, but sometimes I miss somebody else’s opinion.

GC: Do you feel you will ever do a group project in the future?

Pulsar: I´m not sure about that, but right now I’m working on songs with guest musicians for live shows, a friend on synths, Jean Paul on drum pads and synths and Angelo on bass, guitar, and synths. As a matter of fact some of them will play in a couple of songs of my album.

GC: How is this type of music looked upon in Ecuador, South America?

Pulsar: Like about 5 years ago the only music people knew was Depeche Mode, Erasure and Pet Shop Boys. But right now is totally different, a lot of famous synthpop acts come and play in South America very often like Anything Box, Erasure, Elegant Machinery, Cause & Effect, Depeche Mode, etc and thanks to bands like them that people are paying attention to bands like us in countries like Ecuador or Peru for example.

GC: Can you tell us more about who you are as a musician?

Pulsar: I started more than 15 years ago as a keyboard player, then after a while I became a singer, and finally thanks to the 90’s technology I became involved with synths and samplers, physical and virtual stuff mainly.

GC: Can you give us some more details about some of your favorite songs that you have been working on?

Pulsar: Well, most of my songs are done in demo versions, I got at least 15 songs that I will record in studio, but I will have to choose 7 or 8 original versions for the album along 7 or 8 more songs in remix versions done by many friends around the world.

GC: How do you go about the song writing process?

Pulsar: Most of my songs are like stories that I imagine. Sometimes I can make 5 or 6 lyrics in a day and sometimes I take about a month just to make one single lyric for a song.

GC: I am sure you have many influences, but how do you shape your influences into your music and make it your own?

Pulsar: I guess that everything you hear at least once in your life could be an influence in the process of creating music; I listen to different types of music, not just electronic stuff.

GC: What was your musical highlight from 2005?

Pulsar: An interview and live show on TV, I did vocals and a friend played an electro acoustic guitar, I wanted to do something unplugged just to prove that Pulsar is not only about machines but about of feelings and emotions, lots of people calling to the studio sending messages and stuff, it was something very nice.

GC: Do you sing all in Spanish or do you try some English?

Pulsar: Only Spanish songs so far, but pretty soon I will begin to work on English songs, as a matter of fact I might appear this year on an electro compilation that’s gonna have only English songs, also 2 more compilations with Spanish song and my album hopefully.

GC: What would you like to forget about 2005 musically?

Pulsar: A lot of human and technical mistakes on live shows, LOL!

GC: What is in-store for Pulsar in 2006?

Pulsar: One of my goals like I’ve said before is to finish my album, I already got 3 songs completely done and I’m currently working on more songs with a French producer known as People Theatre, all this songs will have many remixes, so that’s why it’s going to take a while for the album to be done. No live shows until next year because right now my main concern is the album, also the compilations I’ve mentioned.

GC: Anything else you would like to add to let people know about Pulsar?

Pulsar: Yes, synthpop and electropop is not something that existed in the 80s and that is dead now, it’s a musical style that has been around for a while and will go on for many years, Please support the scene, visit sites, download new music, go to the shows, buy the albums of a lot of great bands out there such as Nouvelle Culture, People Theatre, Forestate and Celluloid from France, Chinese Theatre and Null Device from USA, Dossiers Secrets and Side Effects from Argentina and a lot of Spanish bands in a wide variety of styles, if you are interested check out this band sites.

www.neoplan.com.ar and www.synthlog.com

Virtual radios:

www.infusedradio.net and www.synthetika.org

and finally my 2 favorite sites:

www.pulsar-ec.com , and www.graveconcernsezine.net

Pulsar: Thanks Julie, it has been a pleasure..