JUANMA (Bass, Vocals): There’s really no clear goal or message behind Prison Affair. It’s not at all thoughtful, more like… Idiotic.
If we delve deeper, there’s a combination of almost anthropological rhetorical questions about human behavior, especially when it’s restricted from freedom; the search for love, affection, and sex, that is naturally human. Although the concept of this entire project may come from personal reflections on this topic, it was never intended to raise awareness or provoke thought.
This is basic, simple entertainment, inapt for the enlightened. It’s clear that humor is a key element in the band, as is love; many of the lyrics can be metaphors for everyday life. There was no underlying intention behind our sound beyond satisfying our musical appetite and concentrating on some of our greatest influences, giving them a twist, and thus finding our own formula.
The band’s aesthetic is heavily influenced by graffiti and all things ignorant. Bold lines, minimalist style, childish yet caustic. I think it fits quite well with the band’s histrionic, cartoonish sound, and ultimately helped generate a brutal lore around the project, with its characters, locations, dynamics, etc. Prison Affair could easily go from being a band to an Adult Swim series.
We were actually introduced by the ex-girlfriend of Bicis (guitar); I knew her from the Barcelona music scene, and she knew I was a nerd, always locked away at home working on new musical projects… Bicis had recently moved to Barcelona and was eager to play, so she got us together and we started. We were also lucky enough to coincide in a musical niche that we were both interested in exploring. I had known Adri (drums) for much longer, around 15 years. I’ve played and continue to play with him in other projects, and we’ve known each other from the Vallesana punk scene in the late 2000s. He joined the band when we wanted to make the leap into live performances.
I think I’ve always had a background and interest in pop culture beyond Barcelona/Spain, and that has influenced me greatly, even though I haven’t been able to share that with many people here. But the two local scenes that have had the greatest impact on me were the Valles punk scene, a scene that has almost disappeared, of which I’d say there are no active bands left. A few survive with other projects that partially maintain the spirit of that scene, such as Sistema De Entretenimiento (formerly Leonor SS). It was a scene that drew directly from the most idiotic, nihilistic, backward, irreverent, provocative Spanish punk of the ’80s, and certainly with very little political content — like Siniestro Total, KGB, or Familia Real. The other Barcelona scene that, although I didn’t experience it fully, did leave its mark on me is the Oi! scene around 2000—with bands like Suburban Rebels and Ultimo Asalto, where the lyrics focused on fun, violence, and personal values. They had a more hooligan and scoundrel style and were less propagandistic.
Right now, I’m only active with Prison Affair and Brux. Brux is practically the same lineup as Prison, except we’ve swapped Bicis for Ivan. This project is more of a mix of Oi!, UK82, and post-punk. I also have Vitriol, a solo electronic music project (EBM, industrial, etc.) that’s currently on hold, but I plan to restart it soon. I’ve written a ton of songs for this project over the past six months.
In Prison Affair, there’s a more collaborative approach between Bicis and me. With Brux, it’s easier for me to compose on my own, although I collaborate a lot with Ivan, especially on arrangements.
Prison Affair has gone much further and reached many more types of people than we could have imagined. I still don’t understand it, but what the hell, live on. It’s clear that a band is killing it when everyone is talking about them, has big numbers, plays all the festivals, etc. This can give you a lot of good things, but it can also be a huge condemnation. Rather than dedicating more energy to Prison, it takes it away from me <haha>, basically because good opportunities come up and that leaves less space for other bands. But really, on a creative level, everything goes in phases. There’s time to work on all the bands, and time to rest from them too, refresh ideas and come back with fresh air.
That’s why success in itself, as we know it, doesn’t have to be satisfactory. I’ve usually settled for very little with my projects and had very low expectations, and everything that’s come my way has been more than welcome because it was never expected. So I guess for me, success on a personal level is achieving your goals, and if you exceed them… Well, you’re crowned.
I don’t know what I’m looking for in this life beyond gathering experiences and being at peace with myself. Honestly, playing live isn’t the part I like most about being involved in musical projects. What I enjoy most about concerts and tours is the experience of visiting places and meeting people. But unlike live shows, there’s something inside me that pushes me to keep trying new things in the fields of production and songwriting. I enjoy being locked up in my house composing, releasing new songs, trying and learning new things. Turning songs over, discarding them, reviving them, getting caught up in the process, listening to them on repeat with excitement, and then forgetting about them forever. I also really enjoy working on projects with different people; I’ve learned a lot, and it’s very enriching on a personal and creative level. They don’t always have to lead somewhere, but the simple fact of teaming up with someone with the same goal and mission and building together, each with their respective background, is something satisfying.
