Hellotrip: it has been quite a journey with the electronic music
Today we are happy to welcome Hellotrip!
Engaged with the sound texture, Hellotrip offers an unusual music selection across Techno, playing with the contrast between background and form as well as paying attention to the smallest details. He looks for driving the dance floor from introspective mental states to the most euphoric and emotional moments.
We talked to the talent about his experience in the industry and upcoming release "Beyond" on Suro Records. Check it out!
Engaged with the sound texture, Hellotrip offers an unusual music selection across Techno, playing with the contrast between background and form as well as paying attention to the smallest details. He looks for driving the dance floor from introspective mental states to the most euphoric and emotional moments.
We talked to the talent about his experience in the industry and upcoming release "Beyond" on Suro Records. Check it out!
— Hey, how are you? Could you present yourself for those who don't know you?
— I'm fine thanks. At the moment walking trough a new path in my life.
I'm an Electronic music producer and sound engineer from Colombia. I consider myself a passionate person about sound. The mixing of records helps me to pay my studies as Sound engineer and with time I got hooked on the dance floor music. I've been producing and mixing for 15 years, but with a long break from the Electronic music in between. And since almost 5 years I have been getting back in the topic.
I'm an Electronic music producer and sound engineer from Colombia. I consider myself a passionate person about sound. The mixing of records helps me to pay my studies as Sound engineer and with time I got hooked on the dance floor music. I've been producing and mixing for 15 years, but with a long break from the Electronic music in between. And since almost 5 years I have been getting back in the topic.
— How and when did you start your artistic career?
— Actually before I got into electronic dance floor music, I was just interested in the sound and the understanding of the hearing. This interest came from my early childhood experiences. I was about to loose my ability of hearing and just due to several operations I was able to keep that sense.
With time I got more involved in futurism, science fiction and electroacoustic music. When I was 15 years old, my best friend, Henry and me started to experiment with recordings and made small arrangements in a video game.
Later on I learned to mix with vinyl from an old High energy DJ located at my natal city, Cali. When I was 17, I moved to the Capital of Colombia, where the first year I won a Dj competition called "Clandestino" made by the older techno collective in Colombia - named Techsound. This gave me the opportunity to play in Clubs and Festivals all over Colombia, and live and share the Colombian music scene with international and national artists.
With time I got more involved in futurism, science fiction and electroacoustic music. When I was 15 years old, my best friend, Henry and me started to experiment with recordings and made small arrangements in a video game.
Later on I learned to mix with vinyl from an old High energy DJ located at my natal city, Cali. When I was 17, I moved to the Capital of Colombia, where the first year I won a Dj competition called "Clandestino" made by the older techno collective in Colombia - named Techsound. This gave me the opportunity to play in Clubs and Festivals all over Colombia, and live and share the Colombian music scene with international and national artists.
— What are you currently focusing on as an artist?
— Currently I'm focused on keeping a more stable type of sound. Usually I fluctuate a lot between generes and styles. So I decided to pay more attention to the kind of music that I'm producing and releasing at the moment.
Long story short… I am focussing now on bringing a determinated identity and stature to my sound and my artistic character. Besides that, I'm developing a new live performance in which I can include my current work and make it sound as dynamic as possible.
Long story short… I am focussing now on bringing a determinated identity and stature to my sound and my artistic character. Besides that, I'm developing a new live performance in which I can include my current work and make it sound as dynamic as possible.
— When did you realize you wanted to make your own tracks? And how did your style evolve?
— Well… actually I was always making "electronic music" that never sounded good, so I started to make loops for my gigs to play those together with my vinyl set. Then over time I found myself playing a lot of my "noise creation", every time more and more elaborated, up to a point where my friends and people in the essence recommended me to do something with it.
It took me a wile to achieve something "good". At that time I just had a pair of crappy computer speakers, an old computer and a small mdi controller, I owned some music magazines, but had zero formal musical background.
My sound evolves from my social context, in my natal city the underground partiers where funk / disco / electro. Later on I just started to grab the vinyls that I could afford and enjoyed listening, with time I realised that I had a funny but interesting selection of techno, hard groove and minimal in my bag.
So my productions also fluctuated from the most minimalistic style to the most over elaborate sound - back and forward. Hahaha this just made me more aware of how much my production style kept changing over time just like my early Dj sets.
It took me a wile to achieve something "good". At that time I just had a pair of crappy computer speakers, an old computer and a small mdi controller, I owned some music magazines, but had zero formal musical background.
My sound evolves from my social context, in my natal city the underground partiers where funk / disco / electro. Later on I just started to grab the vinyls that I could afford and enjoyed listening, with time I realised that I had a funny but interesting selection of techno, hard groove and minimal in my bag.
So my productions also fluctuated from the most minimalistic style to the most over elaborate sound - back and forward. Hahaha this just made me more aware of how much my production style kept changing over time just like my early Dj sets.
— Was techno your first choice between genres or you had a journey towards it?
— Actually not, it has been quite a journey with the electronic music. First I was obsessed with electro and funky House, which in the early Cali underground scene was played at the "Volta Volta" parties.
Later on I got hooked with techno, or what I thought was techno. I was building my vinyl set, without realising that I was looking for a minimal sound. I think the most influential artist of that time was Holy Ghost. Over time I found music from Sigardino, Marc Houle, Alex Under - and, of course Richie Hawtin, and so on…
But I've explored another style and generes during my sound journey. Together with my college of the university we created "The Redbox Landscape" one of the first live performances of drum and bass. Also with my best friend Lala Franco, we developed a live performance with instruments, groove boxes and voice EFX that was categorised as Electro / Post punk .
I have been part of the Triphop Project TISH, playing the keyboard, during the time I started of playing Deep and progressive house and mixed it with a bit of techno.
I found the most beautiful part of making music is learning, and letting yourself be surprised. I'm exited for the exploration, that opens your perspective in the creative process. But somehow I'm back on techno, back to the roots.
Later on I got hooked with techno, or what I thought was techno. I was building my vinyl set, without realising that I was looking for a minimal sound. I think the most influential artist of that time was Holy Ghost. Over time I found music from Sigardino, Marc Houle, Alex Under - and, of course Richie Hawtin, and so on…
But I've explored another style and generes during my sound journey. Together with my college of the university we created "The Redbox Landscape" one of the first live performances of drum and bass. Also with my best friend Lala Franco, we developed a live performance with instruments, groove boxes and voice EFX that was categorised as Electro / Post punk .
I have been part of the Triphop Project TISH, playing the keyboard, during the time I started of playing Deep and progressive house and mixed it with a bit of techno.
I found the most beautiful part of making music is learning, and letting yourself be surprised. I'm exited for the exploration, that opens your perspective in the creative process. But somehow I'm back on techno, back to the roots.
— You have a new release coming soon on Suro Records, what should we expect?
— I'm really excited about this new release and very grateful for the support of Marcelo de Marco. It's one of the hardest releases, if not the toughest that I've ever made. You should expect the sound of Big Room techno mixed with hard groove, a much mature sound including some of what I have learned and experienced in Berlin. The people can now find a connection between this release and the last one from SURO. "The conclusion", so I hope, will be beyond everything I have produced in the past.
— How do you like to approach making music?
— In an inappropriate way. The way that I produce music creates more problems than solutions. I will explain myself. Keep an identity sound, or some kind of a signature, is my actual challenge, but I always start from different points, ideas and an outsource mindset. This way it is more fun for me, but same time complicated to create a release.
Sometimes I record something or design a sound, then I put the ideas in "order" and I create a set of loops from it. Later I take pieces of it and mixe it with new ideas, or just complete it with some older Jams.
Another approach is that I record long Jams of drums or synths with analog or digital instruments and edit it after. Then I take the best shots and make it work for a dance floor track or in a musical context.
I use the same method of editing when I let myself go for entropy. The actual technology brings complex methods of creating rhythms and melodies, so I prepare a Ableton session of generative chains and let it run alone wile I record it. I step back as a curator, make a selection of what I think are the more interesting shots, and repeat the process over and over again until something makes let's my ear „click".
Rarely I imagine a song or the emotion that I will create in a track. In my humble opinion, it's more of an composition method, and I don't consider myself as a musician. But if it is the case I write or draw the ideas in my creative notebook and when it is time,I start to develop it.
Being honest I consider myself a reactive sound designer trying make dance floor music. I have fun doing experiments with the sounds, with the possibilities, the recording. I have fun making the edition time needlessly detailed, like in the mixing process.
Sometimes I record something or design a sound, then I put the ideas in "order" and I create a set of loops from it. Later I take pieces of it and mixe it with new ideas, or just complete it with some older Jams.
Another approach is that I record long Jams of drums or synths with analog or digital instruments and edit it after. Then I take the best shots and make it work for a dance floor track or in a musical context.
I use the same method of editing when I let myself go for entropy. The actual technology brings complex methods of creating rhythms and melodies, so I prepare a Ableton session of generative chains and let it run alone wile I record it. I step back as a curator, make a selection of what I think are the more interesting shots, and repeat the process over and over again until something makes let's my ear „click".
Rarely I imagine a song or the emotion that I will create in a track. In my humble opinion, it's more of an composition method, and I don't consider myself as a musician. But if it is the case I write or draw the ideas in my creative notebook and when it is time,I start to develop it.
Being honest I consider myself a reactive sound designer trying make dance floor music. I have fun doing experiments with the sounds, with the possibilities, the recording. I have fun making the edition time needlessly detailed, like in the mixing process.
— We know you are based in Berlin, how is to be a DJ in the world capital of Techno?
— Being in Berlin has been a whole experience for me. I didn't really plan to come here, life brought me here. Finding my place as DJ and person has not been as easy as in the past. The people here are amazing and the artists in general are so creative and devoted to do the stuff, so I always doubt whether I'm good enough among thousands of innovative music producers or DJ's, who really know more about techno history, development and artists in the essence. I could say that it has been a little bit intimidating but it's what motivated me to grow and learn more.
I learn a lot of "Der Klang der Family" and just direct from the people that have been here since the 90's feeding the essence. Using all your senses to understand the city and it's history, cultural development and how it influenced the growth of the music that moves my heart and feet, feels incredible, and that is how it feels being in Berlin.
I learn a lot of "Der Klang der Family" and just direct from the people that have been here since the 90's feeding the essence. Using all your senses to understand the city and it's history, cultural development and how it influenced the growth of the music that moves my heart and feet, feels incredible, and that is how it feels being in Berlin.
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