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Representin' L.A.: An Interview with Ozomatli's Uli Bella

Music and multiculturalism have become synonymous with Ozomatli, who release their fourth studio album, Don't Mess with the Dragon, this week on Concord Records. Like all their albums, Dragon features an array of genre-bending sounds that are at once accessible, innovative, and instantly recognizable as Ozomatli.

We caught up with Uli Bella, one of group's masterminds, to talk about the new album and Ozo's experiences as cultural ambassadors, art gallery mavens, and future MTV provocateurs.

You guys are coming off some pretty huge performances at South by Southwest and the anti-war march in L.A. How'd they go for you guys?

These two months have been completely out of control for us. It started off with us going to India and Nepal, and that was a really crazy experience for the band. Then South by Southwest, which we rocked. Then to end it all off with being in our hometown and playing for something that means a lot more than just our individual selves and us as a group—to play something that's global just meant a lot.

You mentioned Nepal, and like you said, that was a pretty big deal. You guys were dubbed ambassadors of the U.S. on that trip. What was that experience like?

It was craziness because, particularly with Nepal, no one knew who we were. Yet, when we played, eight to ten thousand people came out just to watch the band. People were telling us that we were the first American band to actually rock it in Nepal. I'm like, "No fucking way, how can that be?" After years of so many people coming over there, and celebrities thinking they're the shit coming over there. For us to have that footnote is kind of historic.

You guys are on the heels of releasing your fourth studio album in the last 12 years. How does it feel to have "survived" the industry, despite not yet achieving true mainstream success?

I think for us it makes us feel two things. One is like, yo, we're here, and you can't stop us. We're rocking, making music, touring, without the help of you guys and all your fake bullshit. At the same time, a lot of us want to be on the radio. We want to use that as a stepping stone.

There's a lot of buzz about this new album, and the mainstream potential that it has; are you guys psyched or scared?

Nah, I hope it blows up on the radio! I hope it blows the fuck up! I hope that they start calling Ozo on TRL, because at this point... none of that shit can change us. At this point we've got a sound, and we've got a message... if you don't like it, whatever.

Does that mean that you guys feel like you don't have anything more to prove?

Oh no, we definitely have shit to prove. I think there are certain hurdles, like for example radio. These fools have always made it hard to convince them to play us, because they never know what station to play us on. I remember back in the day, a Spanish radio station would be like, "I love 'Cumbia de los Muertos'! But take out that rap in the middle."

About the new album, there's been a lot said about the inspirations that came from Tropical De Nopal, the art gallery. Who had the idea to go there and have a session?

Raul had a friend who owned a real nice gallery overlooking downtown L.A., and we were throwing around ideas and said, "Why don't we just set up at this gallery and make a thing of it?" We wanted to make it almost like an exhibition after awhile. So we all hooked up at this gallery, got a little corner and everybody kind of made up their own installation. All of the sudden these really dope graffiti artists from all over L.A. wanted to contribute work to it, so it turned into its own thing. Every day, we'd show up to this gallery, write music, and jam ideas.

Recently ARTISTdirect has been helping promote the music video contest for one of your new songs, "City of Angels," where you ask fans to shoot a video for the song. What comes to your mind when you think of Los Angeles? What is it that you wanted to capture?

Any way we cut it, we're from L.A. and we're gonna represent. It had been a long time coming for us to actually write a song about L.A. in a certain way that was really obvious. We wanted to make a song that could be an anthem for the town. Whenever I think of songs from L.A., I always think of Randy Newman. You'd be surprised how many songs are about L.A., but we just wanted to do our own thing.

That's one song off the new album, and on the other extreme is what I think to be one of the band's more edgy songs, "When I Close My Eyes." Was that a jam that turned into this pretty hard rock song?

Yeah. [laughs] Well, that song in a lot of ways is a tip of the hat to a lot of bands that we grew up listening to in L.A., that were very L.A.. Bands like Fishbone, Oingo Boingo. The Oingo Boingo influence in that song is huge, especially with the horns. So that in a weird way is another L.A. song, but you kind of have to dig on it.

Another interesting track off the new album, one of my personal favorites, is "La Segunda Mano." That song is sick. Whose voice is featured on that song?

We gave it to Martha from Quetzal to sing.

Have you guys ever thought about adding a woman to the band?

We've always had ideas of collaborations, but at this point, guy or girl, adding another body to the band is not gonna happen. [laughs] There's too many of us already, bro.

I've heard different members of the band refer to the new album as your best yet. What was the mission for Don't Mess with the Dragon?

I think with this record, we honed our songwriting skills a little more. Other albums we would just create, create, create, and just sort out the mess after. But with this one, we really tried to tailor certain things. For example, a song like "Can't Stop"—it's Ozomatli, but it's accessible enough for radio to play. Yet, on that same record we have a song like "La Segunda Mano," where I've never heard any band mix those sounds, ever. So with this record, it's a nice balance overall.

What are some personal favorites off the new album?

Definitely "La Segunda Mano." That song to me was like imagining if Afrika Bambaataa from Planet Rock showed up to a jarocho party.

You guys have always been regarded as an amazing live band, in part because of your interaction with the fans—the in-crowd samba, talking to fans after the show. Do you see the interaction thinning down with growing popularity?

I think being where the music industry is going, especially with the decline of CD sales due to downloading, the one thing that this band has—and it's old-school—is that we have a killer live show. There's nothing that can take that away from us. I think we're always going to be the kind of band that is in the crowd, walking around, talking to people, and thanking them for coming to the show. I think we've established our thing, and we're trying to play it by our rules, and hopefully the powers that be—whether it's radio or what—will give us a little love this time around.

—Eduardo Perez
04.04.07

Ozomatli's new album, Don't Mess With the Dragon, is available now in the ARTISTdirect Store.