Barem interview: South America groove in my soul!

Barem interview: South America groove in my soul!

14 June, 2010 | 2.33PM

• Written by: Gorana Romcevic
• Filed under: Music News : barem, minus

In the first half of the last decade, when progressive was massively popular, just a few artists in Argentina dared to experiment with techno sound. After Richie Hawtin`s performance in Buenos Aires, audience became more interested in the new genre, and Mauricio Barembuem aka Barem, young minimal techno producer, got a new inspiration. After several successful releases in one year, his life began to change – he became one of the most perspective members of Minus collective! Today, crowd around the world show great reactions to his groovy minimal sound, and in this special chat, he reveled us details about his dream come true and announced his new attractive projects!

In the time when you were starting, Argentina was prolific ground for progressive, with many successful DJs from that genre. Was it hard for you to promote minimal techno?

They wouldn’t let me play in clubs, telling me that people are not gonna dance! Everything started with the festival, where Richie was performing at one big stage and DJ Sasha at the other one. When Richie started his set, Sasha`s stage got half empty, and everybody was freaking out! Things started to change, and it was cool to be a part of that process. That night changed our minds as well. I was going into really weird direction, but after that party, I`ve found better balance. I felt big power of that sound.

How the story with Richie started?

That night inspired me so much, that I started producing more intensively and released some tracks for a couple of labels. The second year, he performed again in the same festival, and he played some of my stuff. It was incredible! I didn’t even know he knew about me! When I heard that, I ran home as fast I could, burned my CD, grabbed him before he left and gave it to him. We stayed in touch and everything started.

After first releases, you went on tour with him, two years ago. What changed in your life afterwards?

Before mutual tour, I was traveling and playing on my own. His platform is already big, so when I released some material, it opened various opportunities. That tour changed my life, instead of sitting at home, I was going around the world.

Will you, in the future, become a part of some big Minus projects, like it was Contakt show?

Every year, Minus launches different projects. Contact was in focus two years ago, this year`s concept is the return of Plastikman. Richie took a long time to renew that story. He wanted to create something special, what no one did before, and he succeeded.  I`m not sure what Minus project is the next.

You are preparing a new live set with VJ from New York. How are things going?

I started my career as a DJ, and than on tours, I was playing live. Then, I missed DJing so much, so I went back playing records. I think that now is the moment to revitalize my live set, which I would play 10-15 times a year, in special occasions.  My partner from New York is incredible, very cool! Our plan is to create something that really matches, and to present it, maybe not in clubs but more on festivals.

Could you reveal us more details about that multimedia performance?

We`re gonna try to make it interactive, audience will communicate with us via I Phones, or any other compatible device. Using a couple of applications, people could send information to the computer, and control whatever is happening there. It goes a lot beyond of just playing records. I would love that audience become a part of it.

There is a difference between your early tracks, as Suki, which are more minimal, and the last ones, which have more groove and melodies. What caused that change?

At the beginning I got inspired by people like Richie, Magda, even Ricardo. They were making pure minimal at that point. Then I realized I`m also South American, there is groove in my soul and I want to present it through my music. I wanted change and I thought, maybe, that is the answer – my music to become more organic.

And before you started making electronic music, you had a rock band…

Yes, but that was not really serious. I played guitar. Speaking of that, I need to buy a new one, I want to start to play again.

Will you play some sequences for your tracks? 

I might but I`m not sure. I just wanna play it at home.

What else will you do during the summer?

This year is a World Cup, I`m going to South Africa, to cheer for my country!

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