Tools of the Trade: Ramon Tapia

Tools of the Trade: Ramon Tapia

8 December, 2010 | 4.20AM

• Written by: Dan Cole
• Filed under: Music News: ramon tapia, strictly rhythm

It’s been a big year for Ramon Tapia, as the Dutch/Chilean producer has signed with Great Stuff and turned out high-profile releases for the likes of Snatch!, Mistakes Music, Yoshitoshi, Kling Klong, Craft Music, and more.

Now he turns up on Strictly Rhythm with a new EP, Year 3000, featuring two chunky, tribal-tinged tech housers; Strictly have also tapped him to mix the latest instalment of their Strictly Rhythms mix series, Ramon Tapia Presents Strictly Rhythms Volume 6. The result is a showcase of deep, jazzy, Latin-tinged (of course!) house music that’s heavy on his own productions and remixes, including collabs with Marco Resmann, Anton Pieete, and Kabale Und Liebe, and reworks for Full Swing, Ultra Nate, Mood II Swing, and Armand Van Helden.

We asked Tapia to school us his methods when he’s in the booth; read on for his answers.

To begin with, tell us a little about your DJ setup. What kind of system do you use?

I still use CDs, but I’m switching to Traktor now, as I’m tired of burning CDs—but I still have to get used to Traktor!

How do you organize your music?

I don’t organise that much, most of it is in a monthly folder as my sets are mostly quite diverse. I don’t have to select that much; it’s the same with my old record collection—everything is a bit everywhere but still I know where the tracks are if I need one.

How many hours do you spend preparing music for an average gig?

Depends how busy the week is, but I would say two to three hours a week.

Do you make edits of commercially released tracks to play out, or do you pretty much play tunes “as is”?

Yes I do!!! Some tracks have a bit too much of this or that, and then I just edit it out. It’s also good just to have an edit that nobody has, so it’s a big plus for your sets.

Do you typically bring only one or two major styles of music to a gig, or do you pack options for many different possible vibes, depending on the mood of the dance floor?

I’ve got a bit of everything, I never know in what kind of situation I will run into, or in which mood I will be in.

How much does your set vary in tempo over the course of the night?

I think it varies like 3 BPM, from 125 to 128.

Do you use loops, FX, etc.? Which ones? How often? How do you control them?

I’m still getting into the Traktor thing, so at the moment not much yet. Now mostly I use the loop function on the Pioneer CDJ 2000.

Do you record your sets?

It depends, but in general not that much. Most of the sets I prepare are in my studio.

Do you have any absolute no-nos when you play? Anything you absolutely won’t do?

I don’t do requests :)

When you’re headlining, what would you like to hear from the opening DJ?

Well, it’s one of the hardest parts of the night; don’t underestimate the power of the warm-up DJ, he can make or break the night. I would like to hear some music that gets the party going. Something smooth, not too hard, and not too fast in tempo.

What’s the worst thing that’s ever happened to you onstage (technologically or otherwise)?

Somebody trashed a full glass of vodka straight into my CDs when I just started playing the first track of my set.

Do you ever miss the simpler times, when all you had was a bag of records?

No I don’t. I already have some slight back problems, so it’s a relief to have 4 kilos with me instead of 32 kilos!

Share some good music with us:

Peaktime favourite

Sir James, “Special (Ramon Tapia Remix)” [Strictly Rhythm]

Luca Agnelli, “Desire” [Etruria Beat]

Opening track

Pete Namlook, “Subharmonic Atoms (Pepe Bradock Remix 2)” [Macro Recordings]

Track for when you really need to visit the bathroom

Tiefschwarz feat. Cassy, “Find Me (Guido Schneider Remix)” [Souvenir Music]

Closing track

Tones On Tail, “Go! (Club Mix)” [Beggars Banquet]

Ramon Tapia Top 10

Ramon Tapia Presents Strictly Rhythms Vol. 6

• (1) Comments
• (2030) Views
• Get Ramon Tapia on Beatport