Interview with "Concret"- the most authentic Mexican music artist.

I first heard the name "Concret"  when he was blowing up a desert with his music around The "Mayan Warrior" art car on Burning Man 2016. Then we met personally in Tulum and since that time i'm watching how his musical career is growing and his unique sound is developing to a very signature one - with nothing else to compare. Diego is a Mexican-Italian DJ and producer, a man with big artistic and personal charisma. He is a great performer - his gigs such a pleasure to watch, always full of energy, giving so much of it to the crowd. His sound is hard to define by the style, it's very dramatic and flowing between genres of glitch, nu disco, techno, deep house, funk and new wave it's an explosive cocktail. I was lucky to catch up with him between his studio sessions where he is cooking first live show. This is one of the most inspiring interviews for me which not only clarifies his artistic vision, but also full of various explorations about music and beyond.

photo by Phantomography

- Let’s tell the story from very beginning, i know that "Concret" has been started as a project for New York's gallery as a part of your architectural master degree, how is it connected to your current musical career? 

I was finishing a master degree in architecture in Milan and my graduation project was devoted to the sounds of the city. I was going to present urban soundscapes to an architect audience. On this purpose i've started to work with Q-pha, he is a piano player and audio engineer, whom i met when i was playing in bands in Italy. I have a big musical background as a rock musician - a drummer. I proposed him to work with me on this project in response of sampling, looping, etc. 

That's how "Concret" started  - as the sounds of the city,  the "concrete things". I moved from rock  to electronic music because of architecture. And i moved from Milan to NY because i've won the competition with this project, then to Mexico city and i've started to use "Concret" name also as a DJ. "Concret" is an architectural project, DJ name and my future live project - it's a big box.

- Your roots are mixed between Mexico and Italy, your past is connected to Italy and your present is to Mexico... Which place do you associate yourself more with? What about your musical background? What defines your sound now?

I've started with punk, rock, then moved to new wave, and then started to be interested in electronic sound and industrial music, post-punk music, - that’s my origin. When i was 20 years old, i used to go to concerts, not to clubs. Maybe now i can tell you that i'm more into electronic music because of my job, i spent a lot of time listening to different types of music, i'm just taking a lot from each style - techno, house, ambient, and something from rock and punk as well.

- Actually yes, you have such a signature sound that i can't compare with anyone else’s. Your musical journeys have so many associations on the way, and it's hard to forget after. Can you open the kitchen a bit, what kind of "spices" do you put into your gigs to make it so remindful and special?

I don't know, maybe it's because of my past, coz i grow up with very eclectic, psychedelic, rock music - not with electronic. And also because it's the way I am - i like to be eclectic, to change ideas of the time. It's funny, coz now i try to be less eclectic, i could be even more, but i try to clean my mind. When i play i try to give at least one direction to make things not to look more ‘simple’, but to look more ‘clear’. 

- If we are talking about musical journeys, DJ is a person who leads the journey of many people around. Do you feel this power and this responsibility of shaman who takes people to a transcendent trip? What can turn regular party to sacred ritual?

Yes i have to admit that sometimes with people something magical happens! You are playing, giving the best of your inspiration and suddenly realizes that it's a big-big connection and i don't know why, maybe it's the music, or maybe it's "just because". 

When this happens, i feel that i'm a magician at the moment and everybody is a part of my ritual, it's a lucky day! Coz it's all about sharing. I don't feel myself special, in that moment maybe, but my music is more special, and it's special in this moment because of this exchange and this connection. That's why sometimes a set is just a flow, you don't even remember what you did play, it all was just in the right moment, that's not happening everyday and not by the reason of DJ’s work, full situation creates this flow! I feel this responsibility, I am happy and proud that i put my energy on the decks and can share with people not just my music, but create this great energy exchange!

- You are a part of the great Mayan Warrior art-community from Burning Man and i think that your sound perfectly represents MW's vibe. How did this union happened and how it is developing? What does MW means to you?

I'm very happy that this happened, and it was in a very natural way, i met Damian Romero (musical director of MW) when i had just moved to Mexico city coz i knew him from some common friends and i knew he was a director of Mutek festival. I was writing an article for Italy's magazine about the Mexican local musical scene, and decided to make an interview with him. We became a friends and after a while being in touch he invited me to play on MW in 2014. It was also my first year on Burning man, full experience as a first-time burner and as an artist. So i realize that my music and my style is good for MW and i felt this very deep connection with its community. After this our relationships with Pablo (owner of MW) and Damian developed in a very organic way. This union is a story of a friendship and sharing very enjoyable moments, i take MW as a family. MW is a great experience, great art car, sound system and community but as an artist i have to work on a full experience about what i want to be for the people. I like the thing that BM for me is a platform to grow up as an artist and as a person. But i don't want to think about  BM as a part of music business, i want to keep it more essential and more inspirational. 

www.soundcloud.com/mayanwarriorofficial/concret-mayan-warrior-burning-man-2017

- You’ve mentioned that you wrote an article about local music industry. What should people from Russia (and Europe) know about Mexican music scene?

I think that current Mexican and especially Mexico city's music scene is in it's very interesting moment. There are almost no worldwide famous names, but things happening locally are very inspiring. All young producers I have met are making very good quality music and they have proper things to say. From the people who are inspiring more by mumbatoon and reggaeton music (which i don't really play) to people who play more glitch sound, from deep house to techno. Every single genre has at least some local label and some artists who are still in the real local underground, they know how to produce and how to make music properly, so i think it's a good moment. I don't know if they can grow more internationally but at least what i can say - it's really inspiring that people know how to do their job. Let's don't put names and keep it generally.

- Can you introduce your own "Trafico music" as a label...

Is a funny story, it's another very natural flowing thing. I while ago i was making parties in Mexico city  with my partner, and at some point i said to him that i want to go one step forward, i want to do something for the industry, to represent new names and develop a music label. So i've started taking care of "Trafico music". The first years were like "Hey, let's put some music", without a specific direction, and also thanks to my DJ career, i've started to receiving music from people around the world, some of tracks were better than any others  you can download from the mainstream services.  It's still has so many things to do, but i'm really excited about what is coming up in 2018 because finally i have a clear idea about the direction the label is growing on. This year i've started to work with a label manager to help me to pay attention on every release i want to produce. Actually today i made a calendar and i have 8-9 upcoming releases this year. And i promise that every one of them has very-very-very special sound. This year "Trafico music'' will have a more defined identity and  i'm very proud of that!  If i have to describe how TM will sound this year - raw, minimal, sexy techno sound with very specific emotional path, but keeping it raw, without going to melodic techno. 

- I would say that your own sound is very dramatic, trippy, cinematic and storytelling. Imagine that you would produce the soundtrack for some movie, what kind of movie at could be? 

You are totally right! You are not the first person who said it to me, it's the best compliment i can have. My music and my sets are all about that. All i play is a visual way of playing, i create an atmosphere that is full senses, my music is "sountracky". Actually i did many soundtracks for small  projects of my friends - short movies, horrors, dramas. My second passion after music is art -  the possibility to visualize what i play is really important to me. I would love to make music for movies, maybe it would be an apocalyptic movie with a love-story inside to make more drama! One of the film directors with whom people do associate my music is Kubrick, he is actually one of my favorite film directors, and his  "2001: A Space Odyssey". In his movies i like the idea of geometry and layers: there are many layers in each image, you can see an epic part, an emotional part, intellectual part, there are always layers to read in his movies, so i like the idea that my music can be read in the same way: to have fun, to reflect, keep the emotional part and to rave! 

- I know that for the last month you have been working hard in the studio on some upcoming project, can you give us a teaser…

Me and Q-pha decided to keep a break from personal EPs for the next 6 months, i'm going to come out with some of new tracks, but most of it gonna be remixes and collaborations with other artists.  The producing job is very lonely, you have to work all the time with your own brain, and when you exchange the ideas with someone - it's more playful, more fun! I like to play and to produce with other people's ideas; this is something that refreshes your mind.

Now we are working on the live-show called CONCR3T/ XYZ, this project is very important for me and for Q-pha, because some of the tracks we've started to produce 6 years ago, some are not finished yet and to some we've put the new elements, so it's a long story and  full trip! We did a massive job to create this journey, simple journey that people can really appreciate and maybe some, who know our sound, can recognize some tracks, but at the end the idea was to create a solid show, not eclectic at all. It's 2 hours show: me, Matteo (Q-pha) on the keyboards  and DJ Soni Seron, she will be in charge of vocal effects and mixing, and also visual artist and film director Alonso V. Benton aka Error1322. He's been working and filming more than 1 year on the material for this show. It's all about the story of our relationships and friendship. So I am very excited to introduce this show to the world and the idea is to represent it not only to electronic music audience, but to people who like live music as rock, jazz, so potentially -  to everybody. And for sure as a DJ i will present this show to the venues of electronic music, but my goal is to make it more universal. It's a full performance of 3 musicians on the stage and 1 film-director behind. 

 I've grown up with concerts and i want to get back to it. Being a DJ is amazing, i'll never quit it. But live-show is not just to dance - but to listen and to experience special moments. This is what i've missed - to be on the stage with my drums, i'm one of the people who feel comfortable on stage, who perform as feel, giving the show on a high level. You are doing your job, its what your paid for and you are making people not just to have fun, but to enjoy this moment and give back this energy to you. As a drummer i remember the sensation of finishing the show - to be tired, exhausted, sweaty... Now i work on the stage twice a week, and these 2 moments must be full of energy, you must feel tired at the end, that's why i love to play long sets, as 5-6-9 hours, coz after that you start to feel your body hurting and it's good. I like to think that intellectual part of being a Dj is mixed with the physical effort. For me it's a challenge, not just to go to play 2 hours, get your cash and that's it. No, i want to go home really tired, because the rest of the week i'm pretty free, so in the moment i perform i have to take the responsibility to give the energy i have been accumulating during a week, it's an art energy, it's a complex way to express yourself.

- As a part of the audience and experienced party goer i must say - it's really felt. 

Thank you, this is what really matters to me - when i touch hearts and brains of the people that have been partying so long.When you can say something and at least have some response from people that are not just an audience - but people who write music, play music, dance, when they appreciate what you do in a deep way, it means at least you are doing your things well and this motivates you to go to a next step.

-What inspires you beyond music and art? Do you have a muse? What kind of muse it is (or it could be)?

Wow, this is an interesting question. I feel inspired by people who work hard on something and try to make this world a better place, really no bullshit. People that have integrity, compassion and sarcastic intelligence...and i have always been inspired and motivated by my parents and Greec poem "Odyssey" by Homer. And i would also put as a 'muse' Charles Bukowsky.

- My last question devoted to the party called "Closer" which took part in Tulum this January, where you took a role of art director. How was this experience, was it a first art-directing time, do you have plans to develop this party conception?

Thank you for asking, it was refreshing to be outside of a bubble of myself)) Being an art-director and working on event's developing, thinking on how to express to audience my idea of different music and local art concept is a great experience. In the past it happened to me to be an art-director of the events, even in Milan, in NY, in Mexico City with my partners of Trafico music. But "Closer" is more adult step, something that is growing up, in collaboration with promoters  of Caravan Gitane. We knew that Tulum might be difficult because of Tulum's vibes are more into big names/events and Papaya Playa Project is a huge venue for the first-time event. The ambitious idea was to make a new concept with more define line up, featuring talents from different kinds of music as DJ Three, Marvin & Guy, Öona Dahl, Telefon Tel Aviv. And other good thing of "Closer" was to invite Sabino Guisi, he is my partner from Oaxaca community artists (Zapotec Death Poems), to make all art installations for the event. We had some errors of course, but the joy of doing it was big and the response of people was amazing. So we will continue! 

I'm very proud to be a part of it, to bring Mexican local production in collaboration with my partners to make a very nice event at one the most big electronic music world's destination - Tulum. We have ideas of event's development and going to bring it worldwide next years.

https://soundcloud.com/deep-house-amsterdam/concret-dha-mix-337?in=concretmusic/sets/concret-sets

Give love, share the music!

#listento_concret