Interview with R-010

From Basspirit Magazine we interviewed R-010, Lucas Rojo, a friend of our family and an amazing artist wherever they are. Although it is not an absolute and widespread truth, normally every artist is attracted, in the first instance, by the idea of learning to play. mingle to then fully immerse himself in production. In the case of R-010, he fully immersed himself in production.

“It wasn’t a direct jump. The moment I started mixing, the pandemic hit and as such, DJing at that time didn’t seem to make much sense. That’s why I jumped headlong into production.”

“As time went on I got together with the guys from ID Plug who were all already super good at DJing. I realised that the only way to have an attractive product was to offer something different, whether it was learning to DJ on vinyl or figuring out how to put out a Live. The good and bad thing about Live was that absolutely nobody was doing it, I racked my brains for months trying to figure out how to get it done with the few machines I had at the time. It ended up working out well, I guess.”

“But I have a problem with vinyl, I would love to know how to play vinyl well. After all, they are a universal language. I get a healthy jealousy when I see friends playing records one after another in someone's house.”

His predilection for electronic music began when he visited clubs indiscriminately. At the age of 20, he developed a deep-rooted inclination towards Techno.

“Until you find a group with the same musical tastes, it is not easy to convince people to join you every weekend”

In the summer of 2019 he started producing electronic music, but he has been experimenting and investigating until, this past summer, he was able to find the sound he was looking for. In 2021 he had his first gig with Phase.ctv. You could say that it is from then that he began his professional career.

How would you define your musical style? From your first productions until now, what changes have you noticed on a professional, personal and sound level?

Currently, I'm very focused on pure dancefloor music. I'm looking not only to connect with myself and the audience, but also to create a general atmosphere in the club that makes everyone participate in that moment. I often resort to a sound in which I deposit a strong emotional content, through arpeggios, pads or chords that connect with people and make them understand the feelings I'm trying to express: joy, euphoria, nostalgia or more introspective feelings when the music is more serious with bass lines or more percussive sequences.

The big change I've noticed on a sound level is the approach to club music. NIM RUD, which is the first EP I released as a self-release, was Techno intended as music for listening or live performance but it was never intended as club music. I think that starting to perform at Phase.ctv generated in me the need to connect with the public and that is very noticeable in the production I've been developing in the last 7 months.

How do you make your productions? With what kind of machines?

Currently, for production I only use the Elektron Analog Rytm and the LXR-02 from Erica Synths, which are two drum machines that I use to design percussion grooves and make iterations between them to generate new loops. Although I do all the synth sound design on the computer, which is where I have the largest palette of sounds and, even for live performances, it is useful for exporting to the Octatrack.

Do you find it special the way you create music, while at the same time delighting and making clubbers dance?

I don't think he's special compared to other artists. The only important thing when you're in the booth is to connect with people and know how to create an experience, the way you do it is the least important thing.

How do you usually prepare for your performances? Do you have any special technique to keep things in order for the Live? Do you usually get very nervous before each performance?

Live is a project that changes over time, but it does have some foundations. It currently consists of three parts:

The first one is Rytm, where I have the main percussion (mostly 909 and lindrum). I create these patterns when I produce at home quietly on a daily basis like someone who does homework.

The second pillar is the LXR-02. Here I have bass lines and more digital percussions that help the main rhythm grooves and finish filling the percussion spaces. They provide all the noise that the rhythm samples lack.

The third part is the Octatrack, in which I have the main synth sequences that I prepare in 9-minute chunks on the computer and some percussion sequences with more human grooves, whether congas, brakes or whatever I find around there.

Improvising on the 4x4 of a 909 bass drum is all about these three pillars. The only important thing is to have an idea of the type of session you want to build and act accordingly.

As far as nerves go, YES, but I think that's the magic and the reason for doing this.

Where does your artist name R-010 come from? Do you have any other aliases?

R-010 comes from Rojo, which is my last name and how my friends have usually called me all my life. At that moment I thought that ROJO as a name artist wasn't going to work.

As far as AKA's are concerned, the truth is no, R-010 represents me completely as an artist and producer. I have done different collaborative projects in which we have adopted names for the entire group, such as Kalistepho for an ambient project or RCP for the Techno project with Judy. On the other hand, I have moved around different styles within electronic music such as EBM, Ambient, Noise or Postclub, but I would say that currently what I identify with the most is Techno in the truest sense of the word.

https://soundcloud.com/phase_radio/premiere-judy-dantza-iv-nrdr143?si=389695d94105461f9e5857fe88034363&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

What have been your influences in terms of artists and labels? What are your favourite labels?

At first I was influenced by artists from Northern Europe, especially from Northern Electronics and Posh Isolation or the Raster Noton label: Alva noto, Croatian Amor, Varg, the Empire Line, Samuel Kerridge or Vatican Shadow.

In 2020, when I started to focus more on dance music, I would say that my references par excellence are Surgeon, Regis, Jeff Mills, UR, Luke Slater, Blawan and Gaetano Parisio. On a more local level, I really admire the work being done by Pole Group and Hayes.

What styles of music and what groups do you usually listen to outside of electronic music?

Punk and Flamenco from yesterday and today. In punk there are a lot of national groups that I love like Finale or La Elite, and in flamenco there are the classics: Paco de Lucía, Camarón, los Chichos, Junco, las Grecas, Manzanita, Ketama, El pelos…

What clubs have you performed in and what groups have you collaborated with? Have you performed at any festivals? Will you be doing so soon?

I have collaborated mainly with Phase.ctv and ID plug. Currently, I am performing with Phase.ctv in Madrid and on tour with them in clubs like Gare, Lanna or Dabadaba. Phase.ctv is the collective with which I have grown professionally and I owe them my current position. I am very grateful for all the opportunities they have given me. One of the most special gigs I have had has been at Industrial Copera with the guys from T-Label <3

What are your next performance dates?

The next date I have is with Judy as RCP at the Madrid Flash Meeting of Phase.ctv in Madrid. It is one of the dates that I am most excited about because of what it can generate in the scene. We also have a date as RCP in Seville at the Sala Prisma.

Any recent and/or upcoming releases worth mentioning? What labels have you released on? Have you had the chance to release any tracks on vinyl?

Well, I just released a release on Phase.ctv and Hemisferio, which are the two labels I'm currently collaborating with the most. I also have a release on Globoff, a very special release because it's the first complete work I've released on physical media (cassette). I've also released VAs on Barro, Utopia and Lotura.

This year Phase.ctv is releasing a double collaborative vinyl between the Phase.ctv residents and the Heist Mode guys, which is a blast and includes two tracks I made with Tuber. In addition, at Hemisferio we just sent a vinyl to be mastered in which Laeddis, Judy, Not a Headliner and I appear, which I am very proud of. I think it will be a hit.

Another project that should be coming out very soon is a collaborative self-release with Bassywax (the first of many I think hehe). Also, I have a self-release waiting for this that should also be out before summer.

We always see you working hand in hand with Judy, your party partner, when it comes to productions and performances. How did you meet? How did this symbiosis between you both arise? Which of your productions would you highlight and why?

Well, we met the day he did his Live at the first Phase.ctv party at the Independance venue. When he finished performing, he stayed on stage without really knowing who to go with. Javi Chiconi, a friend of mine, caught him by the side and said to him: “Come here and dance with me.” Luke (me) and I loved your music." So I started to tell him that his percussion was razor-sharp and that it was the best. And so the friendship developed.

The RCP thing came about a bit because we had a similar sound and a Live based on Elektrons. Once you understand the Elektron language it's like playing vinyl and I guess we both missed that feeling I was talking about before, of seeing people playing records and understanding each other while playing. On the other hand, there's the influence of the British Murther Boys who were references for both of us.

As for productions, we believe that the magic of RCP is the improvisation of the live performance, we don't have two identical sessions. In that sense I would say that the last session at Lanna was absolutely amazing, I had never had such a good time in a booth.

We saw that you released a work on cassette, we were quite surprised and we value it very much. For our part, we have to say that it gives you more value as an artist. Why this release on cassette? What can you tell us about this feat?

The GOC cassette is due to the value we believe physical formats have as opposed to the digital format, which is more volatile. The idea that at some point someone's child or grandchild will find the tape in a storage room and listen to it is really cool.

Regarding the label through which the cassette was published, Global Offensive Corporation, do you have a close relationship?

Yes, I have a great friendship with GOC, they made me discover a lot of music that I had ignored until then. They sponsored me at the beginning of my career, I owe them a big part of being where I am and the sound I have today.

The writer of this interview, Paquitaplatos (aka Esterne Moog), had the opportunity to meet this young artist just when they were sharing the bill at the Dabadaba venue (San Sebastian) at one of the parties he organized. Phase.ctv. Today, he testifies before a notary that the things that R-010 prepares and rolls on the track are a Guinness Record. So much so that that night the heel-tapping was brown. 

We will keep you informed 🙂