Edwin Moses is one of the most distinctive bands in Spanish musical scene. Let's see why.

Pedro Vigil has a certain undisguised penchant for the black sounds that turned pop music from the XX century into something different, and better. We all know that gospel and blues are the roots of rock'n'roll, but white America also used these ingredients to create a neutral, innocuous music. Fortunately, Detroit, Philadelphia and many other focal points offered some attitudes and alternatives that displayed a wide array of sensations: now songs could be warm, silky, baroque, over-the-top; or everything at once. Vigil took up the challenge of recreating that sort of sound, with the added value of doing it not only miles away from its original epicentre, but also at the height of alternative-indie fever.

The plan was to create ambitious music that recreated the most delicate side of soul music, without sounding too contrived. Many Spanish outfits had previously introduced elements of hot, sticky funk in their compositions, but not too many dared to play with luxurious string arrangements, falsettos, root percussions, solid wind sections and complex melodies. With more intuition than experience and supported by an unquestionable knowledge of the grounds they were stepping on, Pedro Vigil and Luigi Navarro recorded “Baloncesto” EP in 1997; four songs that marked the beginning of a long-distance run; their creators defined these tracks as “four songs with good ideas, scarce resources and lots of excitement”.

At the end of the millennium, Pablo Errea joined the ranks of Edwin Moses to be the lead vocalist; this guy from Navarra fit perfectly in the band, and they started recording its self-titled debut album, which would see the light in 2000. The CD's booklet accredited the songs to an eponymous Chicago artist, in order to hide the band under an apocryphal smoke curtain. Some stated the name corresponded to a famous Olympic hurdler; some smart guys claimed to possess records of this fake soulman; and the laziest didn't care to notice an album that sold almost 6,000 copies in Japan. “I'll be around” -included in the soundtrack of Shunji Iwai's “ All about Lily Chou-Chou” film- stood out as a reference and a potential opening track of a future “best of” compilation.

The geographical distance among the band members and the complexity of their recordings meant a serious hindrance to play live, but the band kept on writing songs and 2003 saw the release of a second album, entitled “Love turns you upside down”. When talking about a new album, music press always use references in order to orientate the listeners; this new Edwin Moses album invoked the names of Curtis Mayfield, Marvin Gaye or Isley Brothers. A band from Gijón with a singer from Pamplona pretending to sound as Mayfield or Gaye? The ones that hadn't listened to them or seen them playing live could take them as pretentious nuts. But the astonishing “(I'm feeling) So much better” was a new endearing single, a three-minute crescendo that spoke for itself. The album production matched the intentions of the songs: it was ambitious and enhanced the catchiness of the tunes; that's why notorious English magazine Mojo gave it a maximum five-star ranking. A slow but firm promotion tour offered a seamless show performed by a sextet (guitars, bass, drums, winds and keyboards) that recreated on stage the meticulous work designed in the studio.

2006 will see the release of, Edwin Moses' third album. Its title (“The gospel african years of Jamal Nafsum”) refers to an Islamic conversion of their fictional alter ego. Japanese fans can't wait for it.