Today we’d like to introduce you to Robert Martinez, Nick Camacho, Fernando Fajardo, Enrique Chiang.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Robert, Nick, Fernando, Enrique. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Three of us (Robert, Nick, and Enrique) have been playing in different bands together since our teens. We met after joining a performance group called the “Music Technology Ensemble” (which specialized in innovative electronic/digital instruments) that was directed by Dennis Mauricio at Hilltop High School. After our last group disbanded, and several years just focusing on our personal lives, we began writing music as a new group. This new incarnation was a conscious effort to write music with a “funkier” approach, so we adopted elements like sample pads, vocal effects, and synths to help convey this. We jammed extensively on ideas for some months but eventually had to address a huge void: we were missing a bass player. A friend, Andre Elias suggested Fernando Fajardo, a musician that both he and our guitarist Nick attended college with. We invited him to a rehearsal where right away he began playing covers by Daft Punk and The Whitest Boy Alive. We had instant chemistry and it was immediately apparent that we were finally complete. For the next few months, we kept getting together to structure jams and began forming a set. A friend and mentor Luis Lopez booked our first show at The Merrow in May of 2015, and that’s how our journey as Nite Lapse officially began. Since then, we’ve had the fortunate opportunity to play some amazing shows all over San Diego as well as Tijuana. After playing a string of tribute nights, we able to the raise funds to record, and in 2018, we put our first E.P. “Ride With You.” Nowadays, we’re eager to put out new content and are constantly improving our set, and are currently in the writing stages for a new record.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
At some points yes and at others no. It’s always a struggle when your headcount is more than two as far as scheduling is concerned, and there’s 4 of us. Making time to rehearse can be a challenge because of the schedules our jobs require, but we try our best to make it work. Just surviving in this day and age and paying the bills can take a toll on our window of availability. Sacrifices are made and plans are often canceled, but whenever we get in a room together and play, we are reminded why it’s important to set that time aside.
Nite Lapse – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
We are a fully live band who write and perform original music. We take elements of electronic music, disco, and funk to produce our sound. During our live performances, we utilize technology such as sample pads/triggers, synthesizers, as well as vocal and guitar effects. Although we have this electronic approach, we set ourselves apart by playing our sets without the use of a click (metronome) or backing tracks. We definitely aren’t ruling those resources out in the future, but we feel like at this time it sets us apart, especially within our genre. None of us have any type of formal musical training (although Nick and Fernando did study music production), so we are constantly sharing music with eachother, dialing in small details and nuances, and improving on our collective chemistry to master our craft.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
Our proudest moment was when all our efforts came into fruition, and we finally put our debut E.P. “Ride with You” last year in 2018. It was definitely DI.Y. in many senses. We raised the funds to record by performing a string of Strokes tribute nights and selling shirts. We tracked everything after hours at a studio called Signature Sound. We researched and reached out to visual artists before landing VFXfreek to design our cover. Our friend Andre (who introduced us to Fernando) helped us mix and produce. We even organized our own release party that not only had other live acts, but also featured visual artists, DJ’s, and food vendors. It was an amazing night that really gave validation to all our hard work.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/nitelapseofficial
- Email: nitelapse@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/nitelapseofficial
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nitelapse/
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3TUjcZdj5ZH0WffiBy0DLn?si=oX2_GRAOTwKl6Ik_F9KnFg
Getting in touch: SDVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
