Who´s the Dj

Esta vez TGUrbana se conecta con Click Track Lab en Portland, Oregon para presentar una entrevista con Apolinario Ancheta, Dj y productor principal de este concepto que combina arte (pintura, fotografia, visuales, etc) y musica en un solo espacio y noche que llaman Labworks, la entrevista la he dejado en ingles para manterner el leguaje original de las respuestas.
Les dejo parte de su nueva produccion Riviera para descargar o escuchar en linea.

  Riviera original mix by Apolinario Ancheta uploaded as promo by rockwool

*So tell me how do you approach music production? Why producing your own music?
That’s a tricky first question! I focus on the bassline first because that’s what will
carry the track. Next I’ll work on the kicks and snares so I can start to get the
rhythm down and build off of it with some hats and claps. I usually don’t refine
those early on in the process because I want to focus on the hook. Bassline and
hook, the two most important aspects to me when listening to a song. After
those are established I’ll go back and refine the kicks, hats, etc and add some dynamic
sounds and effects to round out the song and make it ready for an audience.
I started producing because of encouragement from other djs/producers that I’ve
worked with in the past. They have all repeated that in order to gain more exposure,
the only real way is through production. I completely get it, there are so
many dj’s now (and really good ones) that if you want to stand out, you have to
be recognized for the type of sound you produce.


*Why and when did you started djing?
While backpacking around SE Asia and India for a year in 2000/2001 I had met
some Swiss and German guys that I hung with for a couple of months. They
really are the ones that I can thank for introducing me to electronic music. After
returning to the US, I bought my first set of used turntables and mixer and started
messing around. We have a great dance record store here in Portland and I really
didn’t know what type of music that I liked, the guy helping just gave me a huge
stack of various genres to go through and I dug in. I walked away from there
with some deep house, drum and bass, trance, and a couple of really cheesy pop
remixes.
I stayed in touch with some of those Germans and they kept sending me mixes
from artists. I got a mix of Michael Mayer’s set from Detroit in 2002 and a random
mix of Tom Clark who were both really spinning minimal at the time. It was
at that time that I really started to feel the German sound and focused my own
taste based on some of the labels and artists from there. Although I moved away
from the minimal sound, even now 85% of my sets are German-label music.


*How is the scene in Oregon, what music is people into? We have the idea that no matter where in the states there is a strong electronic scene, is it true?
Not entirely, Portland, (Oregon) has been traditionally an indie rock city. We’re
only 1 million people and the electronic scene is relatively small compared to the
larger cities. Having said that, there are very focused club and outdoor events
and the local dj’s are some of the best in their programming and mixing. Most
everyone supports one another and it keeps all of the dj’s on top of their skills
and music knowledge. I can’t think of a better place to be from a technical point
of view.
Electronic music went through a rough period in the first part of this century here
in the US, but has really started to reemerge in a positive way. The raves were a
bit much and what I like now is the more mature aspect of the parties that happen.
The really great parties are the ones where people are there for the music
and want to meet people who also share that passion. There are plenty of shit
parties where the dj thinks they’re the best and the crowd is only looking to get
drunk or high, those can be fun once or twice but then it fades.


*Where do you get your dj name from?
It’s my actual first and last name. Most people assume that I’m Spanish or Latino
by heritage, but my father is Filipino and it throws them off since I’m so white.


*How was the festival you recently played, where you involved in the organization part or just as a dj?
It was an amazing festival, it was on the furthest northern point of the Continental
US on an Indian Reservation that belonged to the Makah Tribe. Four stages
from noon until 6:00 am with dj and live acts of all focused on electronica. I had
no part of the organization of the event, was only booked as a dj with an excellent
time slot from 1:30-3:00 on Saturday night. The crowd had fun, I had fun, so
it was great all around. I always have respect for organizers who pull off large
scale events because of the time, energy, and logistics involved.


*3 of your favorite: producers, djs and labels
I think I can do a favorite 3 producers, but it’s difficult:
Tom Clark
Steve Bug
Guido Schneider
The labels that I play out the most are:
Upon You, Safari Electronique, Moon Harbour, Highgrade, & Fear of Flying. I really
enjoy Damian Lazarus’ label Crosstown Rebels, it’s got some new sounds that I
dig and have been trying to mix those tracks on when possible too


*How will you release your tracks, many djs start their own label nowadays, have you thought about it?
No. Although it’s much easier to start your own label than before, it still takes a
lot of commitment to get a new label known and marketed. It’s not a direction
that I want to take at the moment. I really want to focus on my own original releases
and direct them through other, better known labels. Well established labels
are more particular about the arrangement and sound design which forces a
producer to be the best they can be. If it takes me longer to get something released
on a bigger label then I think it’s worth the commitment for my career and
fans.


Muchisimas gracias a Apolinario por darnos su tiempo y parte de su nuevo material. Pueden visitar su sitio www.clicktracklab.com o su perfil en RA.com o en Facebook