Mascarada-Projects

In this page we will provide updated information on any project or activity related with Mascarada, as soon as it produces.

One of the most notable things we have found since the release of "Urban Names" is that many people ask if or when will we release a CD with older material. The fact is that after such a long time working on "Jade", it's already done, and we are ready to start the recording sessions. But "Jade" is a extremely complex work, and the most ambitious project we have ever undertaken; working on it has been exhausting, and in some way, the whole project has got a live of it's own, and we feel we are no longer in command of it. It's difficult to explain, but the whole work reached to a point in which thinks began to develope by their own way, making very difficult to retain control.

Many people have also asked us if we had any plans for the release of the older material on CD, a thing we have already considered many times.

After carefully considering all those things, we have decided to start a new project, called "A Blind Flock". It will consist on totally new versions (some only re-arramged, some almost totally rewritten) of some of the older tracks from our first two tapes: "The Tower (and other strange places)" and "The World Jones Made", along with some brand new material.

We want to stress out that we are not abandoning "Jade" by any means. We are still working on "Jade", and will release it as soon as possible, but probably it will be after "A Blind Flock". "Jade" is extremely important for us, and we want it to be the best we can do. We will just have to wait a little bit more, and meanwhile we will give you "A Blind Flock".

Juan Mares

Madrid, April 1999.

This is the "solo" project from Juan. It will be mostly a keyboard-oriented conceptual work. He is currently working in the whole history behind the music. Hopefully the studio work will begin early on June/July.

If you have had the opportunity of taking a look to the lyrics and credits inserts in "Urban Names" (the tape version), you have probably noticed that the next work from Mascarada, "Jade" is introduced.

But what is "Jade"? Those who have closely followed the work of Mascarada, will probably recall the long and elaborated epic-suite which usually was the last act in the band's live performances back in 1991-92. "Jade" is one of the best -if not the best- works ever created by Mascarada. Now, after nearly five years, the band has resurrected again that work and they are creating something totally new from it.

Jade is the first full conceptual work by Mascarada, it concentrates all the recurring thematics from the group's works: fear, war, human evilness, the helpless condition of the individual when confronting the society, lonelyness, love...Jade is by far the most ambitious project ever undertaken by Mascarada, and probably one of the most ambitious projects ever undertaken by a Spanish progressive band.

With the aim of giving you all the information on the Jade project, the past, the present, the history behind, and the progress of the working, we will soon introduce a new page.

Most of the writing and pre-production work for Jade is already over. Hopefully the band will begin the recording early in September. Stay attuned.