Dear readers, we are pleased to offer you in this article an interview with a composer and multi-instrumentalist, member of the Progressive Rock band Ekzilo. We welcome Jose Ruiz.
Hi Jose, it’s a pleasure to have you among our pages, how are you?
“Hello, first thank
you for this interview. I’m very happy because the time has come when our second album will be released, which has been a very laborious work both in the production and in the recordings of the album, but in the end, everything has come to fruition.“
You are a composer and multi-instrumentalist, how did you get into music?
“Music appeared in my life when I was very young, I have played the guitar since I was six or seven years old, and I have been playing both flamenco and electric guitar. I have moved in both worlds, and I believe that both have been complementary and fundamental to my musical training.“
With the band Ekzilo you compose and play different types of guitar, how did the band and the choice of this name come about?
“At first, the band came about because I had a lot of compositional ideas and I wanted to do something different, an album like the culmination of a lifetime full of music and dedicated to music. So, at that time, it all started with several musicians from the area who joined the project, and I also started looking for collaborations, and little by little what the band is was forged. Various instrumentalists have passed through it, they have been changing until they reach the current line-up that I think is the key to this second album.
The name of the band Ekzilo means exile or banishment, this name comes from Esperanto, and well it was about looking for something that identified the band, because in a way we came from different musical styles and we entered a new world of prog that we all liked but that in other formations we had not been able to carry out, and that at the same time
sounded singular and different.“
You play a mixture of Experimental and Progressive Rock, how did you get into these sounds and what are your sources of inspiration?
“Ekzilo’s music is a melting pot of musical influences, at first the songs are composed with a fixed idea and different trends are contributed, the truth is that as a reference you cannot avoid having the great progressive groups, but we also have influence from folk music, both from our area and from Europe.“
The new album âQuantum Phase Transitionâ is due out on April 18, 2025, how would you describe this work?
“On the new album there has been a lot of laborious work. From 2020, when the first album appeared, until today, in 2025, it has been five years where we have not stopped searching, composing, recording and recording again, in short, working on this album. In it, you can clearly see an evolution both in the musicians individually, and in the band as a conjunction, it has also occurred in the creation and in the execution. I also think that the production has made a leap in quality and the final sound is what we were looking for from the beginning.“
As you are the main composer, what themes does this new album deal with?
“A clear difference with the first album is that there is an evolution in the style, it is more defined, also because of what I have said before. As for the songs, more voices have been introduced to the songs than in the first one and the theme of the songs is very varied, but the instrumental songs, even if they don’t have lyrics, always have a meaning, in them there is a concept that we want to convey, this peculiarity we already had in the previous album. In general, the songs on the album talk about human beings, their existence and their role in the world.“
Intense instrumental textures intertwine, how does the creative process of your music take place?
“The band is mostly an instrumental band. On a basis and a compositional idea, the different musical structures are developed. Then we work on harmony, in the end everything must fit with the first compositional idea and reach the result that was initially in our mind. At the same time, things and sounds that we did not expect, wonderful, that can take us to other paths, but it can also happen that we have to discard ideas until we find the key. Overcoming both rhythmic and harmonic musical structures must always be one of the goals to follow.“
The album comes with a beautiful cover created by Iago MĂ©ndez, what does it represent and what does it mean to you?
“Iago MĂ©ndez’s work is incredible, after presenting him with the idea of the album and the concerns we had on this album, he has made a spectacular work that fits perfectly with what we want to convey in this album, and we believe that it is very important that everything, the songs, the cover, the production and the graphic design are like a circle, where everything fits. Our current label Astronomy Recording Music with Javier Miranda has been fundamental in this, to make everything fit. As in the musical compositions of the album, the search of the human being, his existence in the world is what this cover reflects.“
You have already released two singles, do you plan to release more to anticipate the album’s release?
“On March 21 Patibulum will appear, which is the song that opens the album, and on April 18 the album will be released, perhaps we will reveal some more songs, but we want it to be tasted little by little.“
This is your second studio album, how does it differ from the previous one, which will be reissued the same day?
“In all bands there is usually a beginning, a seed of something that begins and evolves, in short, I believe that music is like any other creative or artistic process, logically we have a lot of love for the first album, it was in the top prog lists when it came out, it arrived and united us with our followers and it is fundamental to understand our music, that is why it has also been republished and will be relaunched, so that those people who do not have it or those who want to delve into the universe of Ekzilo can do so.“
The self-titled debut album will be re-released on the same day, what have you added compared to the original version?
“The previous album sold quickly, and we know that there were many people who could not get it, but also the reissue of the first album will contain a live version of the song La Buhonera.“
Many of your fans and our readers are wondering if there will be a chance to hear your music live, do you have plans in this regard for the near future?
“These last few months have been very intense working on what is the final recording for the release of this new
album, and in recent years we have been playing live in different parts of Spain, in venues and festivals, with the previous album. From April 18, which is the official release date, which coincides with the start of the live season, we will be back with the fans who I think are the basis of any band.“
Do you have any particular memories or anecdotes you would like to tell us about your live experiences?
“Well, there have been many anecdotes, since after finishing the first album in 2020 we already started working on this second one, and in five years they go a long way, from songs that we have recorded and re-recorded over and over again, from members who come and go in the band, and well, all the experiences with you that in the end is the best. Knowing that what you have done that has cost so much effort, is liked, that the people who follow us are there waiting for us is essential. In the end it becomes a family where life is shared.“
Music is constantly evolving, how do you see today’s scene in your country and more generally as far as Prog?
“The truth is that we are not living in the best times for music, the artificial prevails, the speed to sell more and quality is lost, digital markets sometimes do not play fair and benefit a few and new technologies such as AI endanger creators, and
this is a handicap to be considered, but you have to keep fighting, you have to keep believing in what you do, music with the disappearance of the physical format has had many problems in recent years such as live concerts, the irruption of easy music so to speak, of a fast and very mediatic consumption, of expensive advertising campaigns, Also so to speak, it is creating a problem for musicians and for people who enjoy and live for music, and understand it in another way as something sublime.“
What advice would you give to young artists approaching music in a more sophisticated genre such as yours?
“Well, to young musicians I tell them to always try to improve themselves at all times and not fall into the easy stuff, not to fall into the fact that music is a business, music is something more, in the end all the work and study, the sacrifice that one takes, because it is rewarded in one way or another, not always in the way one thought at the beginning and above all that they believe in what they do.“
You also play Flamenco guitar, do you have other projects in which you propose more traditional sounds?
“Yes, I play flamenco guitar, because since I was a child I liked it, I have also dedicated many years professionally to flamenco guitar, although now I am focused on the band and on the possible tour for this second album, because we like to prepare live concerts to give them a vision, to create a show. The flamenco guitar is one more element, an important instrument because it is included in the contribution I give to the band and perhaps it gives it something different from other bands.“
Do you have any other activities or artistic passions outside of music?
“Apart from all the music I listen to from different styles and artists, my passion is also reading, I am a fervent reader, and well my two passions are both music and reading. I dedicate many hours a day to both.“
I thank Jose for the interview, wishing him all the best for the release of his new album and the continuation of his artistic career.
“To finish I would like to thank you for your interview, the support you have for all the bands and music, since we are all important to move this forward. Greetings to all and I hope you enjoy this second album by Ekzilo, âQuantum Phase Transitionâ“
Pre-Order âQuantum Phase Transitionâ on Bandcamp: https://astronomyrecordingmusic.bandcamp.com/album/quantum-phase-transition
Pre-Order the album âEkzilo (Expanded Edition)â on Bandcamp: https://astronomyrecordingmusic.bandcamp.com/album/ekzilo-expanded-edition
