Roberto Lange (Miami, 1980), better known by his stage name, Helado Negro, appears on time with his curly hair. He wears a black t-shirt that pays tribute to jazz singer and John Coltrane’s widow, Alice. His constant desire to lock himself away to research and make music leads him to go to bed late and get up early, so, between sips of the breakfast smoothie that his wife has left on the table, he yawns a few times. He smiles cheerfully. His voice is soft, his tempo unhurried. It’s easy to relax next to him. Everything’s fine. Last February he released his ninth album, Phasor. Psychedelic electronics between whispers, a mix of voices like fragments of lives that intersect. Pure sensory and instrumental exploration. With this album he gave eight concerts in Spain last year and says that he is looking forward to returning, that he is waiting for proposals. After playing in New York, he now continues his tour of the United States. The next concerts will be in Marga and El Paso, on October 25 and 26, respectively.
Ask. Tell me about that collaboration with Pablopablo (Pablo Drexler, son of Jorge Drexler).
Answer. We met last year at the Pitchfork festival in Paris. Pablopablo opened the concert and then I played. I loved his style, there was a cool vibe and we connected well. He came to see me play in London and we agreed to meet in Los Angeles where we were both recording. As soon as we went to the studio the magic happened. We were looking for something, he on the drums, me on the piano. Normally in the first collaborations it takes a while for something to come out, it’s like a conversation, but things heated up immediately and in six or seven hours we already had the song: Far from more.
Q. Still promoting Phasorbut do you already have any idea what your next album will be like?
R. I am giving myself the freedom to think a lot, to listen a lot, to investigate. I would like to be able to share little by little with people the history of each song, so that they understand where it comes from, what it means. There will be more collaborations with other artists, for example, now I am composing with Reina Tropical.
Q. For many years he lived in Brooklyn, but in 2021 he moved to Asheville, North Carolina.
R. It was time. I miss New York a lot and it was hard for me to leave there, but it was necessary. I have lived in Miami, in Savannah, in Atlanta… I had been in Brooklyn for 16 years. I moved to Asheville because I love nature. The nature here is really amazing. I love going for walks. In addition, there is a lot of cultural vibe, a lot of music and a lot of musicians. Also many artisans. It is the most hippie city in the south.
Q. He studied animation, and for years he dedicated himself to making audio for films. At what moment did you decide to dedicate yourself completely to your music?
R. I never believed I could make a living from music, but starting in 2018 I started to quit my freelance jobs and focus on making music all the time. It was difficult, at first I thought it would be impossible to support myself, but little by little I managed to do it. The big push was in 2019, when I received two unexpected grants almost at the same time: the one from United States Artists of Chicago (someone anonymous nominated me) and the one from the Contemporary Art Foundation of New York. That encouraged me to continue and trust in what I was doing.
Q. A life experience that has influenced him musically and at the time of living.
R. From the ages of 8 to 19 I went with my family every summer and Christmas to Ecuador. I stayed almost four months a year in a town called Salinas. It was the 80s and the contrast between the lifestyle of Miami and that town gave me a huge cultural shock. Since then I have been very aware that people live completely differently. I think about that a lot, about the differences.
Q. One of his singles, LFO (Lupe Finds Oliveros)talks about the story of Lupe López who built amplifiers in the 50s and the North American composer Pauline Oliveros, known for the deep listeningbased on improvised electronics, ritual and meditation. Do you consider your music to be part of that trend?
R. Oliveros developed the practice of deep listening (deep listening) as a musical practice but also a way of living and that is what I did when I composed the song: listen to the sounds of my life, understand what is there, listen to what I felt inside and outside my head. When I discovered Oliveros I realized that I had been doing all my life deep listening without being aware of it. It’s very nice to feel those incredible connections with other artists.
Q. The other day he posted on social networks Sorrow and joy holding hands in my brain (The pain and joy of hand in my mind). Is it something that is reflected in your music?
R. Rush Guy explains very well that to feel joy you have to have sadness: they exist at the same time. It’s like the word saudadein Portuguese. I love that concept.
Q. Their music has an ethereal quality, it’s like stepping into a dream. Tell me about altered states of consciousness.
R. For me, listening to music is already a psychedelic moment because it alters the brain, it is not necessary to add any additional substance. Music is enough, it alters your body and brain. You start crying or singing or dancing.
Q. How does it feel to think about the cosmos?
R. I love the idea of everything returning to nature, I don’t believe there is conscious life after death. Our molecules will go to the trees and other beings and to the sky. I don’t believe there is reincarnation, but at the moment it doesn’t scare me at all.
Q. Is there a difference between the Roberto who goes on stage and the one who is at home composing?
R. I am a completely different person. Being on stage is my moment of catharsis: I feel like I can bring out everything that is inside me in a way that makes me feel completely liberated. But it is not a sustainable state, you cannot be like this all day.
