Karin Basilio:”music is a very essential part of my soul”

Karin BasilioEducator, poet, producer and professional drummer, BASILIO Karin, emerged through her various talents. And what makes her different is probably how she jungles with all her talents.
Leader of a group named ‘Steel Pan Trio’, she still finds time to teach, produce and suggest feelings and emotions through her poems. All these qualities allow her to play with sounds, rhythms and images…
We wanted to know more about this versatile artist.

How you present yourself to TRIBUNE2LARTISTE Internet readers?
I’m just totally crazy about music and playing the drums. I would like to thank T2L for the opportunity to present myself, my band and our music to the readers. I feel very blessed to be the bandleader of a group, and to be able to play all kinds of music on the island. I love performing. That’s what I like the most about being a musician.

Given your artistic background quite heavy, we also realize that you are an educator and poet. You like playing with sounds, rhythms, why this diversity?
I also like reading books a lot, and when I was studying music in the States, I discovered that I got inspired to express myself in poetry. I write my poems in English.
What I love about teaching is that you can inspire others to develop their passion(s), and to go for it and live it to the fullest . When you’re teaching you also discover a lot about yourself, which I like very much.

It is obvious you are passionate about art. Why drummer?
Since I was a kid I loved to play rhythms with my hands on tables, and later with sticks on pots and pans. I know now that rhythm/ music is a very essential part of my soul.
Karin Basilio
You are the leader of a group, can you tell us about this group? Tell us, do men show some kind of animosity towards your leadership?
I know the 2 guys I’m playing with for a long time now. We’ve been playing gigs on and off with each other through the years. I admire them very much as musicians and as people. I feel very blessed and honoured to be playing with them. With them I haven’t experienced any kind of animosity as a leader. I’m very glad about that because it only gets in the way of the music.
As a side woman I have experienced some animosity, but as soon as people notice that I am serious about what I’m doing, and that I’m open to play and discuss things, the animosity will fade away.

Why have you chosen to be both independent, side woman and at the same time leading a group. Is it not too much for one person? How do you manage your calendar?
It’s because I love to play so much. When a band asks me to play with them and they’re playing good music, I’ll always try to schedule them in. Right now I’m focusing a lot on Q-Ra-Soul, on the Live CD of the group, and on my poem book, Both are scheduled to come out this year, that’s why I am not playing as much as a side woman these days.

How did you come to music?
I always loved to listen to music. Since I was like 11 years old. Music gave (and still gives) me a very special feeling, and it always told me that it is the reason of my being on earth

Why did you choose to do jazz and not Zouk regarding your Caribbean origins?
The hybrids in music have always been my favourite. That’s why I like jazz so much, because it’s very open. I like playing music with a jazz spirit, with a sense of improvisation and exploration. I guess that’s how I ended up playing Caribbean music with a jazz spirit, and playing jazz standards using Caribbean/Curasolean rhythms

In which groups have you played until now?
I played in a couple of dance bands in Curacao as well as in disco bands, jazz bands and R&B bands on the island. When I was in the States I played especially in blues, jazz and pop bands.

If you glanced over your musical passion, how your music is perceived by the public, especially the youth?
The youth likes our music a lot. It’s obvious that they enjoy it, although it’s not the kind of music most of them perceive to be playing. The sound of the steel pan attracts a lot of attention too, It’s an instrument with a very specific sound

How many records already in your assets?
The Live CD of Q-Ra-Soul is coming out this year