Formula Indie Sessions _ Interview with Kndi.Bot
KNDi.bot is an alternative pop duo formed in 2021 in Montevideo. It consists of Pandora Buquet and Nicolás San Martín. From its inception, the project has been conceived as a pop song laboratory, always integrating experimentation and frenetic eclecticism into its compositions, thus creating a sound universe that ranges from hyperpop, cloud rap and breakcore to alternative rock and punk, with some metal nods and atmospheres that will transport you to a wonderful emo-futuristic fantasy.
What is your earliest memory connected to music?
Nico: I remember my father playing the guitar when I was a child. I used to have a little toy guitar that I would carry around the house.
Panda: Dancing Macarena with my grandma. Later on I remember listening to Canciones para no dormir la siesta, an urugayan kid’s music collective.
How did your passion for creating music begin?
Nico: When I was about 11 or 12 years old a made a song on the guitar and I remember feeling awesome about being able to express myself in that way. From that it turned into a necessity.
Panda: By listening to early records of El Cuarteto de Nos and trying to imitate them by writing my first comedy songs at 11 or 12. Didn’t show it to anyone and I did it just for fun I guess.
What’s the story behind your current music project?
KNDi.bot: We knew each other from a music collective called Estampita Records and after that ended we decided we wanted to try something new, more aligned to what was going on with hyperpop, trap and electronic music.
Also using autotune to sing, which we had not explored until that moment. From that our interest has evolved to make something influenced by all that but with a more personal approach.
How would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard your music before?
KNDi.bot: Imagine 100 Gecs and The Cure had a baby and that baby went to a My Chemical Romance concert before moving to Uruguay and growing up there with legal weed. We are that baby
What is one thing you’ve learned that completely changed the way you make music?
Nico: It´s kind of a cliché but not being afraid of making the music I want to hear (and trusting myself in that) is something that is always on my mind.
Panda: When I discovered that music can be scary, make you cry and make you want to dance at the same time
What tools, instruments, or software are essential in your creative process?
KNDi.bot: Our songs are made in various ways but always assembled and arranged on Ableton Live, which we also use to play live. Apart from that we always come back to the electric guitar, whether it’s for composing or for playing live also.
Which indie artist or song are you loving right now?
Nico: I´m loving the new Open Mike Eagle record, Neighborhood Gods Unlimited. Also the new Eros White record, Estribillos Pop.
Panda: Juana Rozas from Argentina and Aimi Ra, a uruguayan rapper who just released a really good album.
How have your personal experiences influenced your music and artistic vision?
KNDi.bot: Our music is very close to our experiences, often reflecting our relationship with anxiety and depression, the frustration of making music in a small country, the south american queer and trans experience and being weird kids at high school.
What emotions or messages do you hope listeners take from your work?
KNDi.bot: We try not to be preachy or giving a closed message in our music but mostly we want people to have fun while also being able to think about serious topics. We constantly make references to internet, pop and meme culture in our shows by making fun cover songs and using samples that people can identify.
What’s the most important lesson music has taught you so far?
Nico: Music (and art in general) is a powerful tool to shine a new light on personal traumas and social issues. Not everything has to be fully serious or fully a joke.
Panda: Music can take you to places you never thought you’d go, meet nice and crazy people and have fun (and some money, I hope) while you make a fool of yourself at stage.
What is a dream venue or festival you would love to perform at?
KNDi.bot: We would love to play at Subculture Party someday. Also Mars or a space station would be nice 🙂
If you could collaborate with any artist, past or present, who would it be and why?
KNDi.bot: Probably 100 Gecs, being the original mayor inspiration for the project. Also the guys from Drain Gang, Dani Umpi (a uruguayan pop star) and Fama y Guita (an argentinian electro punk and comedy duo).
Where can our listeners follow and support your music? (Website,Spotify, IG, links)
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/intl-es/artist/3j2SrV1WtSEfAJ0xEzU0J0?si=xy3lms0ZTa-FnDXRWrtj0Q
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kndi.bot/
Looking toward the future, what’s your dream for the next chapter of your musical journey?
KNDi.bot: We are in the process of making our first record and we would love to play it as much as we can and travel outside our country.
What do you hope listeners will discover about you along the way?
KNDi.bot: That we do what we love and we love sharing it with people who resonates with that. We feel the need to change and try new things constantly, so we hope our listeners will be willing to be constantly surprised by us 🙂
