Monday 7 November 2011

Slash Dot Dash Interview: Roberto

Roberto has been causing ripples around the techno world for a while now. His music has found it's way into the hands of techno big wigs like Chris Liebing, Ben Klock, DVS1 and many more. Releases on Artform, Outland and Affin Records have helped catapult him to the realm of one of London's brightest new stars.

After the big success of last months Void, we got together with Roberto for a chat about all things production, DJ'ing, how he got into it and what's coming next.


It’s been a busy couple of months for you, what have you been up too and what have been the highlights?

The last few months have been pretty crazy for me. I have been out on the road DJing a lot which I really enjoy. I have played in Bristol at the Artform label party, London for VOID, Amsterdam (ADE) for Outland recs and WetYourSelf at fabric. The highlight for me was getting a chance to play at WYS alongside Chris Liebing and Terrence Fixmer in Room 2 at fabric. It was a dream come true for me! I am now looking forward to getting back in the studio over the next few months though.


Your biggest release to date has been the ‘Logical Progression’ EP on Artform Records. How did that come about?

I was DJing in Liverpool with Jamie Anderson. We got chatting and he said to send him some of my music. I made the track shortly after I came back from Liverpool and I can remember laying on the bed listening to it in the spare bedroom of my house. I remember thinking I had something something special. Shortly after I sent it to Jamie he rang me up and said he wanted to sign it to his Artform label. From that point on I have been working closely with Jamie. He has really helped me by giving me the confidence to believe in what I am doing and develop my own signature sound.


What were your early influences to get you into DJ’ing and production?

When I was at school, a friend introduced me to drum n bass. I was instantly hooked! I was really drawn to the breakbeat rhythms and huge baselines which were non existent in the pop music you would hear on the radio and tv at the time. From that point forward I started buying vinyl records and practiced mixing. Once I had got up to speed with DJing, I wanted to create my own music so I started playing around with Cubase. I still use the program today.


How do you go about making a track?

I tend to start with the drums and build a hook around the rhythm of the drums. Sometimes I might find a sample and build the track around that. It really depends on the vibe of the track I'm making.


Your music has found it’s way into the hands of some of techno’s best names, how does it feel to have such support for your work?

It's an amazing feeling when somebody you really respect supports your own music. It's the ultimate complement. I've been very fortunate to have artists who really influence me pick up on my stuff. Hearing people like Steve Rachmad, Ben Klock and Terry Francis play my tracks in clubs like Fabric and Berghain was pretty special!


What does the rest of the year and 2012 hold in store for you?

I've got another ep coming on Artform which I am very excited about. More material coming on Affin including a track on the Affin 100 compilation. I have done some remixes for Artform, including Jamie Anderson's legendary track 'Inova' which I am really pleased with. There will also be more material on Outland. I want to carry on DJing, but I am also developing a live show which I want to take on the road in 2012



For more info on Roberto, his upcoming gigs and releases and where you can buy all his music head over to his Facebook Fan Page or for updates you can follow him on Twitter

No comments:

Post a Comment