Mastretta (musician) facts for kids

Mastretta (centre) and band in 2007

Nacho Mastretta (born Ignacio Mastretta Rodríguez on May 9, 1964, in Barcelona) is a talented Spanish musician, composer, and record producer. He is known for his unique instrumental music and for working with many different artists.

Biography

Early Years

Even though Nacho Mastretta was born in Barcelona, he grew up in Santander, Cantabria. He started playing piano at a young age at the Conservatorio Jesús de Monasterio.

His first music group was called Las Manos de Orlac, formed in 1987. They played pop and Caribbean music. Nacho sang and played many instruments in the band. They released two albums: La Furia (1988) and Salud y Pesetas (1989). In 1991, he moved to Madrid. From 1992 to 1999, he worked as a sound technician at the famous El Sol studio. He also worked at Sala Maravillas, helping many local and international bands.

Instrumental Music and Success

Around this time, Nacho started creating his own instrumental music style. This style was very unique and different. An independent record company from Madrid, Subterfuge Records, liked his music. They used his style to start a new music section.

In the summer of 1998, he released an instrumental song called "Highballito." This song was part of a project named Música para un Guateque Sideral. "Highballito" is the name of a Mexican drink mentioned in a book by Ernest Hemingway.

His music became very popular with critics. In December 1998, he released his first album, Melodías de Rayos-X. This album featured instrumental sounds and also included vocals by Ana Belén. Even though Melodías de Rayos-X was not an electronic music album, the newspaper El País chose it as the best electronic album of the 1990s.

In 1998, Nacho became the official composer for Spanish fashion designer Jesús del Pozo's fashion shows. In 1999, he released an EP (a short album) called Música para el Desfile de la Colección de Otoño-Invierno 1999–2000 de Jesús del Pozo. By then, his music was also used in commercials for Volkswagen Polo cars and Bitter Kas drinks.

In January 2000, his second album, Luna de Miel, was released. This album was special because 10 different female singers added their voices to his music. Nacho wrote the lyrics with help from his brother, Fernando. The singers came from different countries, including Mexico (Julieta Venegas, Alaska), Argentina (Rubi), Italy (Beatrice), Cuba (Gemma Corredera), Sudan (Rasha), and Spain (Raquel Pascual, Irantzu Valencia, Cristina Lliso, Ana Belén, Ajo). The songs on Luna de Miel tell stories about women dealing with everyday problems, often with a touch of humor and sadness. Because so many artists were involved, only two live shows for Luna de Miel were held in Madrid in May 2000.

In February 2000, he released the soundtrack for Asphalt, a film by Daniel Calparsoro. This soundtrack was nominated for the Goya Award for Best Original Music that year. In May, he released the soundtrack for the short film En Malas Compañías by Antonio Hens.

In 2000, for the XI Semana de Cine Fantástico y de Terror de San Sebastián (a fantasy and horror film week), he released Bascombe. This CD single was inspired by Sci Fi films and included his versions of music from Star Wars and Mars Attacks!.

In 2001, Nacho toured across the American continent with Julieta Venegas. He also composed music for the film El Sueño del Caimán by Beto Gómez and the short film Desaliñada by Gustavo Salmerón. In November, he released Música de Automóvil, an instrumental album that showed his unique sound with a new, surprising twist.

He has performed at many international music festivals. These include Pop Komm in Germany, Arezzo Wave in Italy, Sónar in Barcelona, and festivals in Mexico and the United States.

As a Record Producer

As a record producer, Nacho Mastretta helps other musicians create their albums. He has worked with artists like Liquits, Tonino Carotone, Peret, and Josele Santiago. He has also remixed songs for bands like Fangoria and Titán. He has collaborated with many other groups and artists, including Renato Carossone, Peret, Los Enemigos, Los Planetas, Mercromina, and Pauline en la Playa.

Discography

Studio Albums

Singles and EPs

See also

In Spanish: Nacho Mastretta para niños