Bélver Yin – The ‘Monday Is OK’ Mix

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Music

Spanish shoegazers Bélver Yin became the stuff of myth over the years since their long-lost debut album Luz Bel – released back in 1991 – went AWOL.

Luz Bel was a quintessentially Mediterranean angle on slow, reverb and echo-laden atmospherics and despite radio play, a lack of distribution led to the album being largely overlooked. Disappearing into folklore and the annals of long-lost music geekery, it wasn’t until Efficient Space’s faithful reissue in 2020 that the album finally got the attention it deserved. New album, “Para Mi Madre.” is an intimate collection of recordings written by front man Pedro L. Ortega, it serves as a parting gift to his late mother, convincingly sounding like it could have been written back in 1991 to boot!

“The band’s sonic explorations shift from pastel hues to balearic nostalgia.”

With all that in mind, we thought we’d ask Pedro L. Ortega to put us together this week’s mixtape for a Monday… let’s get stuck in.

Listen and read the interview below:

Ransom Note · Bélver Yin – The ‘Monday Is OK’ Ransom Note Mixtape

Please introduce yourself… Who are you and where are you from?

I’m Pedro L. Ortega Sánchez and I’m from a beautiful city in the west of Spain called Salamanca.

Who are you:

I’m the founding member, guitarist and more of Bélver Yin.

Where are you:

I’m on vacation with my daughter and wife, in my wife’s town, Escurial de la Sierra, next to the Sierra de las Quilamas, about 50 km from Salamanca.

What are you:

I’m a railwayman, specifically in maintenance in the signalling area.

Where was the mixtape recorded?

One of these afternoons, in the break after lunch.

What does it look like?

One of these Salamanca landscapes photographed by Pedro Sáiz.

What would be the ideal setting to listen to the mixtape?

Anywhere.

What should we be wearing

Good speakers or headphones.

What would be your dream setting to record a mixtape: Location/system/format. I don’t have any preference.

Which track in the mixtape is your current favourite? Sorry, I can’t decide.

What’s your favourite recorded mixtape of all time? I could not tell you. I fondly remember playing music at a pub called Country and making my own mixes on cassette tapes.

What’s more important, the track you start on or the track you end on? Although it starts and ends here, It doesn’t mean that there aren’t many more wonderful songs left without entering, and with great songs you can always start or end.

What were the first and last records you bought? Well, one of the first could be the first of Iron Maiden, “Wheels of Steel” by Saxon or “Face To Face” by an Australian band The Angels. And the last thing I have bought are the latest records of Daughter “Stereo Mind Game”, “GIving the World Away” by Hatchie and the Brahms symphonies conducted by Kurt Sanderling.

If this mixtape was an edible thing, what would it taste like?

Fried eggs with chips and chorizo.

If it was an animal what would it be?

A horse.

One record in your collection that is impossible to mix into anything…

Any record can be mixed, but obviously it must be done with knowledge and professionalism.

Am I excited to dive into the challenges that i have lined up for the week?

Every day is a little life. and we should take advantage of it.

Am I looking forward to engaging with the people i am meeting or working with?

I want to be around someone I respect and admire and have someone who feels the same way about me.

Am I going to my dream job?

But can working be a dream? Although if I had to do it I would like to be an artist, something related to art, especially related to music, cultural programmer or owner of a record company.

Am I being compensated fairly for the value i bring to my job?

My main job that feeds me is working as a railroad worker, and no, I don’t feel valued, even though I like it as much as music.

Do I feel energised, rested, and confident?

You have to take advantage of every moment, regardless of how you feel.

If you were trapped on a desert island with one other person, who would you choose? How long would it be before you eat them?

To the president of the United States. It wouldn’t be necessary, we were going to be rescued quickly.

Your doctor says you need more exercise….what do you take up for exercise?

Meet friends to have some wine.

If you could travel in time…where in time would you go? Why?

To the time of Jesus of Nazareth and to really discover in first person his entire life.

What was the first electronic record you heard and how did it make you feel?

Possibly any Kraftwerk album my brother had. It was heavy at that time, so I couldn’t tell you what my feelings were about it.