It’s the house gangster calling it base…
Interview : Dan Prince
Welcome to DMC Ramon and congratulations on your ‘I Call It Base’ tune which has been absolutely smashing it of late. But before we get into that, let’s rewind for a moment. The world knows you are a producer who normally just lets his music do him talking, but you have such an incredible story behind you. Let’s begin with your father fleeing Chile because of his music…what’s the story there?
“My dad was making music with friends in the time that Pinochet was in power in Chile. Just playing around but after a while the music they made became more political like most of the musicians in that time and once the government got to know this they were put on the black list, and you know what this means…you have to leave the country asap! So they left the country with a group of people spreading world wide, my dad and his best friend landed in Holland and stayed there.”
Your father being a producer had a great taste in music. Tell the world some of the music artists drifting around your household you would be listening to whilst you were doing your homework…
“My Father wasn’t a producer at all he was more of a guy that just loved to make music with friends. Most music drifting around in my house was my family making noise.”
And this is my favourite bit, is it true you moved to Antwerp to become a jeweler and diamond cutter?
“Yes I did, once I finished high school in Holland I wanted to start a career in jewelery. I did it with a lot of pleasure but got hooked so hard on spinning the decks that i moved my career options into becoming a DJ soon after. First I got an after school job at the local record shop and this only provided more food for thought. I finished at school worked for a while for a local jeweller whilst still working in the record shop on the weekends until I realised that my love for music was bigger than my love for diamonds.”
It was whilst working in a record shop there that you began producing, what was your sound like back then?
“I started producing hardcore, like 145 bpm stuff under another moniker. I learnt alot in that time about arrangements etc. but most of all I just had fun and was exploring the world of making music. Also in the record shop I got to know lots of producers and DJ’s that showed me their vision on music, which helped me a lot to develop my own sound.”
The new single has veered away from the familiar sound of your productions, talk us through ‘I Call It Bass’…
“‘I Call It Bass’ began life as more of a play around, I was playing with classic samples and before I knew it I had the riff done, then I was like, “hmmm lets take it oldskool and made old chicago kinda beats”. While playing around with the microphone I came up with the phrase ‘I Call It Bass’. I started to develop on that and the end result was that I was dancing around in the studio and ‘I Call It Bass’ was born.
What is the current top 10 you are spinning…
1) Ramon Tapia – Elleonore’s Dream – Say What?
2) Hermanez – Little Helpers 79 – Little Helpers
3) Ante Ujevic – Lucid – Lophanta
4) Mark Fanciulli – Back To Front – Truesoul
5) Gel Abril – Provocateur – Be As One
6) DJ Hightech – In Music We Feel – Witty
7) Ali Borem – Usefull Dots – Root 50
8) Ramon Tapia – Intense – I’m A House Gangster
9) Gary Beck – Lodi – Suara
10) Kris Menace ft. Black Hills – Waiting For You (Dosem Remix) – Compuphonic
Two of you main influences are Quincy Jones and James Brown. What is it about these artists you love?
“The funk, the groove and especially the soul all the tracks they produced have. Really nothing these guys did is bad & I mean really nothing. I wish that I could be a ‘fly on the wall’ in Quincy Jones’ studio for a couple of days to see how they worked.”
I was reading through some of your old interviews and time and time again you would say you were not interested in setting up your own label as it was too time consuming – so what changed in 2012 to change your mind?
“After I released music on so many other labels , I thought it was about time to create my own imprint and to release foremost my own music and of course in the future also the music from other artists. It’s like a little baby to me that I cherish a lot and its great to see it grow in time. At this moment in time we are at release number 007 and counting…”
What are the release plans for Say What? over the coming months?
“First of all a new EP from myself “Elleonore’s Dream”, which includes a huge Christian Smith Remix and after that I have some more techno goodies coming up but that will be for after the summer.”
Where are some of the big festivals you are looking forward to this summer?
“Really looking forward to Summerfestival Belgium (Pacha Stage), Lief Festival and many more. The summer is looking great!”
Tell us about the new radio show you have launched…
“I’m hosting the show and we feature either mixes from friends currently releasing on Say What? or mixes that I am recording exclusively for the show. The show is broadcasted world wide through many FM stations and also via our Say What? podcast. It’s a great way to feature the music that I love as well as the music that is released on the label.”
Let’s talk about the Strictly Rhythm album project that you were behind. What was the idea behind that?
“Strictly Rhythm was kind enough to ask me to select and mix their sixth instalment of their “Strictly Rhythms” compilation. It features a selection of tracks from the legendary Strictly Rhythm back catalogue, with some exclusive edits and remixes from myself. I had a lot of fun making this one.”
Who are some of the producers from around the world you are giving high fives to at the moment?
“Sneak, Hermanez, Massimo Girardi, Dave Brody, Ilario Liburni , Loco Dice there are so many artists I high five that my hand already hurts!”
What has been your best DJing experience ever?
“To be honest there are so many great experiences, but if I have to choose one then it would have to be the last gig I did with Carl Cox for his Revolution Recruits tour …. OMG …the arena was ridiculous , the sound was amazing and I almost shit my pants from the feedback that I got from the people. A night to never forget thats for sure.”
And finally, what is the song that means the most to you?
“Ramon Tapia – Sweet Lullabye. Because that was my breakthrough track.”