Ricardo Villalobos, the name speaks for itself. He is an institution in the global electronic scene. Renowned worldwide for his poignant and enthralling minimal techno, Villalobos is widely regarded as one of contemporary music’s most influential and pioneering producers.
Ricardo Villalobos, the name speaks for itself. He is an institution in the global electronic scene. Renowned worldwide for his poignant and enthralling minimal techno, Villalobos is widely regarded as one of contemporary music’s most influential and pioneering producers. Underpinned by his mesmerizing artistry behind the decks, the Chilean based master is truly one of the most respected and revered names in our music generation.
After an absolute powerhouse performance in Melbourne last weekend he shares his modern day approach to performing ahead of this weekend’s Stereosonic appearance, “No matter if I’m playing in front of 20,000 people or 500 people the process is always the same. I’m hunting for something, the secret behind dance stories; I’m always following a rhythm formula. That’s why DJ sets haven’t changed dramatically over the last 20 years; it’s always a set of House, Techno along with different melodies and a few different things thrown in here and there”, he pauses and draws breath, “It always comes back to the rhythm formula, that’s the most important thing. In every track I play whether it has a melody or is very mono-tone the rhythm is the most stable thing. No matter the musical definition such as if it’s House or Techno this rule is always applied. It’s also important to be with the people, I see myself as a dancer within the people. We have to play interesting music because you don’t want to dance alone. You have to fulfil your role as an entertainer but always play for yourself.”
This golden rule has seen the name Villalobos claiming the top spots on numerous worldwide DJ polls, tour the world to critically acclaimed reviews, hold residencies at some of the world’s most prestigious clubs and release some of the most celebrated mix albums of the past decade. Not to outweigh his production capabilities Villalobos holds one of the most distinguished and eminent catalogues of all time. Since his amateur beginnings in the early 80’s, Villalobos has continued to refine, purify and perfect his production finesse. Over the past decade he has released some of the most remarkable productions of our time; including remixes of artists at the calibre of Plastikman, Beck and Shackleton, a wealth of globally revered singles and of course the reinforcement of his untameable and revolutionary full length records.
Returning to Australia for only the second time in his illustrious career, he shares his expectations and anticipations, “I haven’t been to Australia in about 8 years but I’m really looking forward to coming back. The last time I was there was great, the clubs were great, the people were extremely accepting and open to new music and the parties were all really enjoyable. It’s a very interesting place and I’m so glad I get to return, I don’t know why it took so long but I’m sure this time around will be the exact same as 8 years ago; we’ll dance, we’ll have fun and overall it will definitely be a really exciting time.”
Ricardo Villalobos [GER] is playing with Tiesto [NED], Calvin Harris [SCO], Carl Cox [UK], Major Lazer [USA] and more at Stereosonic 2010 at the Melbourne Showgrounds on Saturday December 4.
