You’d expect a Latin duo formed in Switzerland, where they were raised by an Ecuadorian mother and Swiss father, the two brothers – Alejandro and Estevan – that make up Hermanos Gutiérrez, to have wildly eclectic taste in music. And you still couldn’t begin to dream of how diverse their ten songs that shaped me are.
On the occasion of releasing their superb new Dan Auerbach-produced album, Los Ojos Del Condor, the duo took a break from their current stint opening for their friend Jack Johnson to take me through their insane playlist, ranging from Guns ‘N’ Roses and Daft Punk to great Latin artists that span generations.
“Amores Hallarás – Rebajada” – Héctor Manito Bonilla, Los Corazas
“I picked that song because it was a reference when we were talking about the record with Dan Auerbach, who’s the producer on this again, and the sound engineer, Alan Parker. We just were looking for a quality of sound that we were trying to get. And we were looking for some songs that were available that were a reference. That, for me, has a cool quality of sound that i loved so that’s why I picked that as number one. It was setting the tone for me how we wanted to sound or get some inspiration for the sounding of this record.” – Alejandro Gutiérrez
“Dos Gardenias” – Buena Vista Social Club
“That song is from Buena Vista Social Club. And I remember when I saw that documentary, that’s a masterpiece from the sound and just from the visuals. And I remember when I watched that song for the first time seeing Ibrahim Ferrer. I didn’t know what Son Cubano was. I was in my mid-20s and I just saw it and I was like, ‘Wow, this is beautiful.’ He reminded me of our granddad. So, whenever we play songs in the studio, I always go back to when I was the social club, the way of how they recorded at the studio. It’s amazing. I think that’s the coolest documentary that I’ve seen so far.” – Estevan Gutiérrez
“Milonga Del Solitario” – Atahualpa Yupanqui
“I picked that song because it’s like a milonga from Argentina, super famous, popular musician down there. He’s like one of the stars. And I just love that he’s with his voice and the guitar. And it’s the music that my brother started to play the guitar, like the milonga, the folklore from Argentina. And we always heard that kind of music in our place at home. So, I think I grew up with that kind of music, with that sort of emotional music. I don’t know if you’ve ever heard a piece of milonga. They’re very melancholic and sad, but they really bring you to places of solitude and maybe some sort of humbleness. It’s a weird sensation, but I love Atahualpa a lot.” – Alejandro Gutiérrez
“Craziest” – Naughty by Nature
“I love 90s hip hop. And it’s something that maybe you wouldn’t think of me, but I really like hip hop. And whenever I work out, whenever I go and run, or even before a show, sometimes hip hop brings me that into that safe zone. I listened to a lot of different stuff, but hip hop is something that always gives me a good energy and I love it. And that’s a track that I really like because it’s such a good beat. It’s just a badass beat. And sometimes, I don’t think on that album, but on some songs, you can feel a bit of a hip hop beat in some songs of us.” – Estevan Gutiérrez
“Vasija de Barro” – Benitez-Valencia Trio
“That’s a song from an Ecuadorian band from the 50s. I don’t know much about that band but heard it for the first time while we were on tour for the first time in Ecuador. We’d been there a few times, but after like seven or eight years, I went back finally with my brother, and we had a show in Quito. And somehow, I heard that song and I loved the intro. And maybe, I don’t know, subconsciously, there’s some stuff that is on this record too, on “Canto Andino,” that comes from this idea. So yeah, I try to integrate it in our music.” – Alejandro Gutiérrez
“Voyager” – Daft Punk
“I’m a big fan of Daft Punk. That song is so cool. And in my 20s, I used to go out to house clubs. I really liked house and Daft Punk was played there sometimes. I always loved that. And there’s one song, “Voyager,” that has that melody. So that song really inspired the way I play the guitar sometimes when my brother has the lead and I play the melody or the rhythm guitar. I don’t know how, but that song really inspired me somehow. It’s always that melody part, yeah. So that’s why Daft Punk is really cool.” – Estevan Gutiérrez
“Yo Perdí el Corazón” – Los Kipus
“That’s a Peruvian band. I love it. It’s a bolero. It’s a woman and two male guitar players. And that song is so beautiful, man. Whenever I hear it, I turn it up and I’m in the middle between crying and laughing. It’s so cool. Maybe that was like five, six years ago. when I was digging into those boleros from Ecuador, Peru.” – Alejandro Gutiérrez
“Déjame en Paz” – Gustavo García Pantera
“We call him ‘La Pantera.’ He’s a Colombian salsa musician who plays the trombone. He’s from the 70s and that album is one of my favorite salsa albums, it’s so crazy, the sound of it. He has this, I don’t know what it’s called, the piano — if it’s a special Farfisa or harmony. What was it called? These piano sounds, Hammond. And so just the way the album sounds, it’s incredible. We met Gustavo and we’re going to work with him in the future too. So we’re very excited about that. And for me, that’s a really crazy album from the 70s.” – Estevan Gutiérrez
“Infinito” – Hugo Blanco Y Su Arpa Viajera
“I picked that song because I’m a huge fan of that label. It’s from Sonido Africa or Africa Sounds. They just find those crazy tracks that for some reason you can’t find them on 45s, but they’re like cumbia tracks. And that song has such a quality, such a raw sound of cumbia that for me, it’s always a go-to too. Man, the old stuff, when it doesn’t feel perfect or it doesn’t feel like perfectly mixed, sometimes it’s even cooler than all this stuff that is super clear and crisp. It’s a track to always remind myself, “Damn, the fucked-up songs sometimes hit you even more.” Sometimes the guitars are out of tune a little bit. The quality, you can hear it’s been recorded from a vinyl. So, it’s distorted or a little static. For some reason, that recording is not the best, but it has such a quality. It’s so cool.” – Alejandro Gutiérrez
“Don’t Cry” – Guns N’ Roses
“I’m a big Guns N’ Roses fan. I think I was 14 when my guitar teacher showed me the first rock song and it was Guns N’ Roses’ “Don’t Cry.” And I had no idea. There was no internet back in the time. I didn’t know what kind of band that was. I love the song and I never expected to. Because he showed me the finger picking part of “Don’t Cry,” it’s very easy, very soft. It’s not a rock song. And then the first time I listened to the actual song, I was like, “Wow, what is this?” And then I saw the cover of the album, and I got to know Slash and Axl. I became such a big Slash fan because he’s just such a rock star in his outfit with a hat and playing with no shirt and the cigar. It’s insane. So, I always like Guns N’ Roses, just as a band. They’re so badass.” – Estevan Gutiérrez
