Spanish techno supremo Ramiro Lopez has been at the forefront of techno for almost 20 years now. From what started out as just love for electronic music quickly developed into a serious love affair with techno, with Lopez starting DJing and production himself. The rest, as they say. is history. We had the chance to catch up with the Spaniard, as he currently tours India, to discuss his upcoming music, his love for India and much more. Read on.
TBB: Hola Ramiro. Thank you for taking out the time to talk to us. How are things?
Ramiro: Hola! All super here. I´m right now at the Mumbai Airport , waiting for my flight to Hyderabad to play tonight at the second gig of the tour.Excited about it. The first show in Mumbai was wicked!
TBB: You’ve toured India once before. How does it feel to be back again?
Ramiro: It´s amazing! Last time I was here was a great experience. I met lot of people and had a lot of fun. Crowd here is very enthusiastic. This time it’s going to be even better. 5 gigs in 5 days is something big. I feel grateful and lucky about it.
TBB: You started DJing back in 1996, and it’ll be 20 years in 2016. How has your journey been so far, from the time you started out to the current day?
Ramiro: You know, time flies! I remember when I bought my first vinyls , turtables and started to DJ with my brother. I’ve had awesome experiences and learned a lot during these years. Now I´m living what was just a dream back in the beginning.
TBB: How does the rest of 2015 look for you? Any new singles or EP coming up?
Ramiro: It´s gonna be hectic. I have some surprises coming out after the summer. First one is my second EP in Carl Cox´s and Jon Rundell label Intec. 3 techno tracks I can’t wait to make you listen to.
Regarding gigs, I still have 2 months of gigs in Ibiza and all my agencies are working hard already for the last part of the year. ADE, Europe and some new exciting tours on the pipeline, looking forward.
TBB: Which artist(s) do you reckon have been big influences on your development as a musician over the years?
Ramiro: First contacts with electronic music was throw people like Faithless, Chemical Brothers or Moby. Then was all about techno following artists like Jeff Mills, Ben Sims, Cristian Varela, Oliver Ho in the beginnings but soon I discovered also house-y sounds from Xpress2, Peace Division, Inner City and of course the “Iberican Sound” from Chus & Ceballos. Carl Cox, Sven Vath, Adam Beyer, Richie Hawtin are also great models to learn for me.
TBB: Any collaborations with Arjun Vagale in the pipelines?
Ramiro: This year I’ve been focusing on developing my own solo stuff so I haven’t done any collab but it is something I have in mind for sure. Working with Arjun is always cool, I think we team up perfectly together so expect some new stuff in the future.
TBB: What’s your creative process while being in the studio? Is there a particular sound that you go for or do you let it build and then tinker with it?
Ramiro: I tend to work with concrete goals in my mind. I like to take some time and think what I wanna do before I switch on the computer. Its easier and more effective for me this way . Then I start to build the idea up, trying always to do something special and take it one step forward.
TBB: Other than electronic music, what others genres and artists do you prefer listening to? Any particular favourites?
Ramiro: Whenever I´m not in the studio I love to listen to Jazz, Bossa nova: it always on in the background meanwhile and cooking, reading or chatting with friends. I’m not a connoisseur though. I usually play Jazz radio and enjoy random music.
TBB: How did you get into electronic music? What’s your story behind it?
Ramiro: I got curious about it when I discovered some electronic Radio shows. At that time I was too young to go clubbing but when I turned 18 and went to a club to see some DJs live, I fell in love with this, bought my first vinyl’s and basic equipment and started to practice. After some years playing, I tried the production and my world changed. That completed my circle to be able to express myself.
TBB: What’s your take on the entire EDM boom that’s been prevalent in the industry for a couple of years now? Is it a good thing or a bad thing?
Ramiro: In my opinion, Its not a bad thing. I see it like a way of introducing electronic music for many young people. Lot of them discover house and techno after this and become strong supporters of our movement.
Q.10 What are your Top 3 #Bangin tracks at the moment?
- Joseph Capriati – This Then That (Coyu remix) – Drumcode
- Arjun Vagale – Are You there – Octopus
- Slam, Gary Beck- Pressure Lights – Soma
With Mumbai and Hyderabad done, catch Ramiro Lopez at the following cities
Date: 7th August, 2015
Venue: F Club & Lounge, Chennai with support from Praveen Achary and Gautam
Date: 8th August, 2015
Venue: Summerhouse Cafe, Delhi with support from Kohra
Date: 9th August, 2015
Venue: Euriska, Pune with support from Oozeundat
Leave a Reply