The mild wildness of Delorean

MANILA, Philippines - Just as time travel is a distortion of time in which people — like Doc Brown in the iconic Back to the Future trilogy — hyper-imagine themselves into another age, Delorean’s sound is no different from the state-altering euphoria their fans tend to give into.

Based in Barcelona via the surf town of Zarautz, Delorean is composed of Ekhi Lopetegi (bass/vocals), Igor Escudeo (drums), Guillermo Astrain (guitars), and Unai Lazcano (keyboards). The band employs an Ibiza-inspired slant to dance music, as heard in hits like Deli and Stay Close. Layered with piano-house keys and mid-‘80s Balearic beats, their songs do deliver on the promise of a coastal feel Filipinos are sure to vibe out to.

Here, frontman Lopetegi gives us the early word on all things Delorean and what to expect come August.

YOUNG STAR: The Philippines was colonized by Spain for over 300 years. At the risk of sounding belatedly bitter, what are your thoughts or expectations on re-invading the Philippines for Manila Design Week in August?

EKHI LOPETEGI: Well, that was a long time ago! We’re actually pretty curious about it; we heard there are lots of Spanish last names and words all around, even though Spanish is not anymore the main language. We hope to have a very good time rather than invading anything!

Can you walk us through Delorean’s past?

We’re from the Basque Country, in the north of Spain. We all grew up here and knew each other since we were teenagers. We played in different bands and finally decided to start Delorean. It starts to feel that Delorean is pretty much what we’ve done since our “teenagehood.” 

Why the name Delorean?

I don’t know. It’s just a name. No meaning, no pretensions, just a name that somebody dropped. We thought “Well, it sounds okay,” and here we are.

Can you describe your sound in your own words?

We play pop music with a heavy dance music inspiration. I think that’s pretty accurate. 

What made you decide to go from punk to dance music?

Well, as you grow up you simply want to open up to new stuff and you do research on the things that you like the most. I think there’s a moment in life when you just realize you have to be opened to any kind of musical references and learn music itself. It’s pretty natural. In our case, we found dance music one of the most inspiring branches of popular music. 

What effect do you think coming from Spain has on your music?

Subiza: Delorean’s third album “Subiza” received a well-deserved label of Best New Music by Pitchfork last year.

I think we can’t really know. I don’t think it makes us a lot more different than any other kid in the world stuck to his computer and listening to Western music of any kind and from any source available. I don’t think there’s really an essential difference because we’re from where we are. There are maybe small local traits that feature our music somehow but I couldn’t really tell you which.

What have been your musical influences?

Even though it sounds lazy I’d say we just care about music. There’s always something that claims your attention in the songs you hear, no matter if it’s something like Anthony Moore or the last radio hit, there’s always something interesting in the music we hear, something that it’s worth caring about and thinking about. But to be more specific, in the last year we listened to strongly melodic stuff. (On) one side we’re interested in classical pop tunes. We like songs like Right Down The Line by Gerry Rafferty or any Fleetwood Mac, with strong hooks and perfect structures. On the other side, we’re into piano or organ chord-driven dance tracks. I think we’re very much into immediacy in music, into strong and clear ideas. 

What’s the craziest thing that’s happened on tour?

Well, losing the keys to our van in Vancouver and struggling to get to Minneapolis in time for a show! Those were the most insane hours I’ve spent on tour. 

Aside from Manila, where else do you plan to hit up?

We’re playing shows in Spain, places in Europe (Ireland, London, Sweden), Colombia, doing festivals and stuff like that. Busy summer! (But) we plan to stop touring in September.