Illyus & Barrientos

Two of the most exciting producers on the planet right now explode on Glasgow Underground


Interview by Dan Prince


Guys a huge welcome to  DMCWORLD…where in the world are you right now?

Illyus – Been out and about in Glasgow all day. 

Barrientos – I’m currently chilling in my flat in Glasgow City Centre…

https://soundcloud.com/illyusandbarrientos/illyus-barrientos-after-hours-mix-pete-tong-radio-1-280315

The first piece of music you heard this morning after rolling out of bed?

Illyus – the sponge bob square pants theme tune. TRUE STORY! Other than that…A few new tracks we’re working on. 

Barrientos – Popof – Words Gone Feat. Arno Joey. Nemone played it on Radio 6 this morning!

This monumental year just keeps getting better for you guys, this time we are all over your new single on Glasgow Underground. Please talk us through the history and sound of Chase Your Trip featuring Max Marshall…

Barrientos – This one was a bit of a tough record actually. We got a these vocals from Max and loved them straight away. There’s actually a bit more rapping to it, but we thought the “JD + & coke” hook was just so ridiculously cool. We really just wanted something that complimented the vocal that had a mean bassline driving it. Hopefully we got that nailed…

Illyus – as Ivan said it was a bit of a tough cause we had so many good vocal parts to work with. The idea for the bassline actually came about on the train heading to a gig. Once we got back to the studio we messed about with the idea so much and added various instrumental elements but in the end we decided a raw stripped track was the way to go. 

Rumours abound of a very busy summer ahead on the remix tip from you…what can you divulge?

Illyus – the remix schedule from December 2014 till now has been a bit nuts. I think we’ve nearly wrote 2 albums worth. Hard to believe that so many labels and producers are into our sound and want us to be part of their releases. One for sure we can’t just say yet but Purple Disco Machine is a confirmed one. 

Barrientos – The remixes have been aplenty so far this year but I guess we’re taking a little step back from it all. We’re only taking on remixes of artists we dig, and we’ve got a belter coming up but can’t reveal just yet. We also did a remix for a beautiful track by Embody.

Thoughts on the whole Arches closing fiasco?

Illyus – What a fucking mess man! Our city already partly suffers from clubs having to close at 3am and this just shows that our council wants to suffocate the industry even more. In the world of clubbing the arches has offered so much but that aside, what it has done for various other art forms has totally been overlooked. This mess had left the door wide open for other venues being at risk, the old yin’s that sit at the top of the council aren’t in touch with what’s actually going on. Instead of managing the issue they have taken the decision to give it a quick fix. 

B – Shambolic. I’m still seething about it. Yet again a city council, combined with a police force so incredibly out of touch decide to make a stupid decision because their draconian laws decree it. This has the potential to be the downfall for UK clubbing, and ironically the councils that profit so greatly (thanks to their high taxation rates in the leisure industry, including alcohol licensing) from venues like The Arches are going to see the effect of their incredulous decision. What bothers me the most is that there are pubs and clubs that harbor idiots that drink themselves to excess that culminates in violence week in, week out all over Glasgow. I would love to see how much it costs in policing, hospitalizations, and general cleaning up after a weekend of boozing. Alcoholism is a far bigger problem in Scotland than pill popping techno heads at The Arches is. Sorry. Don’t get me started on this bullshit.

And whilst we are on the subject of fuck ups, something you mentioned on Facebook…Ten Walls…?

Illyus – Ivan told me his Facebook likes have went up since then, what the fuck! I don’t get this Ten Walls thing, how can such a successful guy have these views? He’s traveled the globe doing something he loves, he probably has met so many inspiring people that love him and his music yet somehow his mind has remained so small. 

Barrientos – Ha! Just another bigot, shot himself in the foot, now desperately trying to claw his way back in. It’s getting a bit depressing reading about all these homophobes/racists/anti-Semitic twats in the press at the moment. Why can’t everyone just be sound?

What was the last club night you rocked when you said to each other afterwards, that’s why we do what we do…?

Illyus – Toolroom at FIRE! Aye we done a decent job. A gig when everything just clicked. 

Barrientos – Toolroom Live @ Fire, London. Immense gig.

The 3 big tunes in your box this weekend…

Illyus – 

1. Ashworth – Grain – The constant groove and energy of the tune is just massive. Does the trick!

2. Mia Dora – Un.Sub – We’re big fans of our Glasweigan mates and always play at least one of their tunes in our sets. If you haven’t heard this tune, take note of the cowbell trick. 

3. Tom Trago – Only Believe – Total mood swinger this one. I love the vibes and think the full production on this one is just beautiful.

Barrientos –

1. Slam Dunk’d – No Price (Robosonic Remix) – great funky vibes on this, it really gives any set a lift whatever the situation!

2. Andrea Oliva & Fritz Helder – Turn Off The Dawn – I’m such a huge fan of Objektivity Records, and I love Andrea’s stuff. This has the perfect combo of club beats and a gorgeous piano hook. Plus his new album is such an excellent piece of work.

3. Ron Carroll – 1987 I Like It – love this old skool feel, I’ve been playing everywhere the past month and it goes down so so well. Weapon.

Tell us about your studio relationship, who excels in what department?

Illyus – Yeah Ivan is a wizard at coming up with ideas then usually I start picking things out and get all geeky on it. We both like being involved in each other’s strengths as well, though, just for the simple reason that sometimes he hears things I don’t and vice versa. We both also enjoy digging out a sample or 2, our library is massive. 

Barrientos – I’ve always been a writer, and I love writing ideas. I can’t particularly get into the nit-picking aspect of mixing so Illyus gets to do that, and he loves it!

Ever had a fuck off argument about music?

Illyus – Nah, no big arguments though maybe you guys have just jinxed it haha. We have disagreements sometimes but that’s just normal, better than doing the yes man thing. In the end we find a way to make things happen and value each other’s opinions.

Barrientos – ha! Maybe not a fuck off argument, but we’ve certainly had intense discussions at 4am over a curry about music…

An album both of you own in your collection that you’d hide if we came round?

Barrientos – I have a Bruce Willis EP on vinyl. It’s so fucking bad that I actually really love it. Haven’t got the balls to play it out in a club… yet…

Illyus – WTF BRUCE WILLIS haha!  I have the original soundtrack album of the jungle book on 12inch…I have played the elephant tune and bare necessities out…YASS!  

3 bucket list adventures you wanna do in your lifetime…

Illyus – some sort of road trip on a continent, go to a World Cup match, Sky dive. 

Barrientos – Climb a mountain, visit every continent, and do a proper road trip through every country in South America.

Some summer gigs you cannot wait for?

Barrientos – Boardmasters, as it’s our first ever festival. We’re going for a few days so we’ll give a full proper party! I’m also looking forward to our gig with Cuartero in London end of this month as it’s also my 26th birthday and Illyus has some big things planned for me…

Illyus – I’m getting on the mic and getting everyone to sing happy birthday. Think I might have to do the full set myself that night… we’ll be having a few shandies. 

This year has seen some of the biggest DJs in the world really come out and speak their minds on social media. Some really interesting issues have been raised by your counterparts, just wondered what your thoughts were on some of the topics they have brought to the public domain…

– Seth Troxler at IMS Engage…“I’m seeing people float further and further away from the idea and the culture that we tried to create, and it really pisses me off.”

Illyus – Some people are just into what’s hot and move on pretty quickly but if it educates in some sort of way crack on. The culture I come from is hip hop and that has evolved massively. Most of my older mates who educated me talk about the old days and the culture now etc. but they always remain forward thinking. Elders in the 80s who were into disco and funk probably looked at the start of the house scene and went: “Look at these clowns”, and it’s the same now. Everyone is just going to create their own scene even when we’re long gone. 

Barrientos – I was still shitting my pants in diapers when this house music culture was created so I have no fucking clue what it was really truly like. I do agree there are more twats that are involved in this house music scene, but I guess that’s the price you pay when something becomes popular. It doesn’t bother me TOO much really, I do my own thing and I like to surround myself with good people who have the same ethos and it seems to be keeping me happy at the moment.

– David Guetta at Coachella…”My computer crashed… so I just had to put all my music in a random order on USB sticks… so old school”

Illyus – Again whatever you’re comfortable with, crack on and enjoy. I use turntables only but can use all formats (brcause I’ve more or less had to learn the hard way). Maybe with the dough he’s got be a bit better prepared and back shit up but I’m sure plenty of his fans were still ‘tapps aff’ and didn’t give a fuck. 

Barrientos – I think people need to chill out about vinyl/USB. So fucking what! I can DJ using turntables and CDJs. But I mostly use usb sticks now. I’m really sick of reading/hearing about this argument. It only seems to be bedroom DJs that get their panties in a twist about DJing methods…yank them out!

– Steve Angello and Carl Cox in Billboard…“The attitude is like, ‘we’re making great money, let’s milk it,” – a sentiment heralded by many who believes that dance music now moves at such a pace that no producer has any chance of creating a future classic.”

Illyus – Aye I really believe that if people think about the last 5 – 10 years you’d struggle to think of classic tracks being created. Music is so disposable this is why you see labels and up-and-coming producers flooding beatport, tracksource, what people play etc. with so many EPs. It allows them to get their name out and look like a constant feature that’s doing something. 

Barrientos – I totally agree. We live in an era of music where the songs we create are disposable. The output is ridiculous, and it makes it very difficult to break in as an up-coming duo. That’s why we prefer to work hard on our music and create something we love, instead of rattling out average throwaway tracks. Maybe people do throwaway our music but at least we try.

We pile back to yours after the club as the sun is rising. What is the Illyus & Barrientos Back To Mine 10 you spin us to keep the groove driving…

1.      First Choice – Love Thang (Genius of Time Rework)

2.      Soul Phiction – Min & Body

3.      Gene Farris – Move Your Body

4.      Hector Couto – Coming Back

5.      Krankbrother – Zipp

6.      Andy Hart – Epsilon Girls

7.      Cristoph – Reachin’

8.      Format B – Chunky

9.      Doc Daneeka – Paname

10.  Thugfucker & Tale of Us – Morgana

And finally, away from the remixes, what is coming out next from you two studio wise? 

Barrientos – Originals. We just want to write a ton of material and kind of see where we end up from there. We reckon we’ve got two gems sitting there that need finished off that are sounding ace. Also waiting back from vocals from an incredible artist… 

Illyus – We’re also waiting to hear about our DFTD release. Hopefully it all happens because the hook is catchy as fuck, if I may say so!

https://www.facebook.com/illyusbarrientos