Tavo aka Gustavo Sandoval, is quite possibly one of the nicest people you will ever meet, and in the spirit of this niceness hes allowed me to share with you three of his new tracks! (the third will come after the interview as an incentive to read it, or maybe scroll downt the page like a cheetah who drank to much red bull.)
Jerome Ferry-JF Airlines (Tavo Jackin the Plane Remix) by Tavo
You can find this on beatport; under voch records!
James Curd-Be my Baby (Tavo Scratch the sh** out of this Remix) by Tavo
So now your tappin your feet and starting to hum along, into the interview! Here goes:
You really came to most peoples attention over here with the excellent black & tan remix but you had been mixing and producing along time before that?
A/ Well, I have been on this road for a very long time, club music and mixing have been with me since I was 13 and I started a DJ Career something around my 14th Bday. As for producing, there is so much to learn and I can't say I'm yet a producer, I'm on the way though. The fact that I release a few tracks don't really give me the confidence to say I deserve that title, but I'm working hard everyday to learn more and more about this and Hollywood (Black & Tan) was a great achievement for me, specially because people actually like it, I'm learning everyday and certainly there are many good tracks on the way!
I've heard about an epic world record mixing session can you tell me more about it all? how did that all come about? did you just wake up one morning and go "I want a world record"?
A/ I don't like to talk much about this but it's true. This was back in '96 and wasn't my idea at all. A radio Station called "La X" in Colombia, invited me to challenge the previous record they did with a fellow DJ, I accepted and gave my best. I think though that it was not a Record personally mine, many people was involved, doctors, DJs, friends and the People of Cali (Colombia) that cheer me up and kept me alive until the doctors said it was enough. I made 127 h 2min of Non Stop Mixing on Radio and no drugs or coffee were involved... a lot of ice though.
You've spent a long time in Asia. Do you think the experience changed you in any way or guided the type of music you play and make?
A/ Sure, Asia is awesome, lived there 7 years and I miss it now. Tokyo made me the International DJ I am now. The challenge of multicultural crowds was really exciting, it invited me to explore new styles of music and experiment with mixing. Then when I move to China, the things were very different, a new challenge, people is not that open to styles that are not commercial so I have to go with the flow, but in time I got a good reputation and beside getting some cool residencies I did 2 massive tours covering the must important cities of China... what an experience!
If you could take one thing away from Asia what would it be?
A/ Nothing, I love everything about it. I think people can't imagine what it really is until a visit, specially regarding China, there is so much we can learn from the living styles of the Asian people... we can tech them also a thing or two ;)
How did you discover electro swing and get into it?
A/ Well let me tell you this, the first Record I bought when I was a kid was "Swing the Mood" by the Mastermixers... since there everytime I listen to this genre it just makes me nuts! The truth is that I as many, heard a track here and there (who didnt play Doop Doop in the early 90s) but there was this TV commercial with
Upside Down by Paloma Faith as soundtrack, that made me realize there was a strong thing happening, so I start researching and Booom! in my face dozens of great producers and many really cool tracks! It hit me immediately, ok...here it is, this will be my first track... and Black & Tan was born!
Upside Down by Paloma Faith as soundtrack, that made me realize there was a strong thing happening, so I start researching and Booom! in my face dozens of great producers and many really cool tracks! It hit me immediately, ok...here it is, this will be my first track... and Black & Tan was born!
(in case you havnt heard them all)
Could you tell me some more about these tracks that i'm blogging? How do you come across your samples? endless Internet or record shop searching? or are they personal favorites?
Well for James Curd and Enzo Siffredi, the labels sent me the parts, I use just what I thought was compelling to my perception of the track and I put it together with my own arrangement. For JF Airlines is another story, the original is actually a Progressive track and from it I just used one vocal sample, the rest was made by me as I wanted to give a completely different twist to the track...and I think I did.
Finally what would you describe your sound as at least in the electro swing genre? You have lots of different genres of music, do you enjoy the diversity? or just feel you shouldn't be trapped in anyone genre? if so why?
I will describe my sound as "evolving" since I still on the very humble crawling stage of my producer career, none the less, I will say that my Latino roots make me create tracks with a lot of groove and with a techy line. I love tech House, its simplicity and its sound just make me crazy, you don't need vocals or anything, just a groove and a great bass line and you can express your idea to the maximum. I like diversity though I'm not quite a follower of commercial music, but as I always say, a good song is a good song no matter the genre. As for been trap, I will never be, my Latino roots an my trips around the world made understand that there is no limitations on music and there are many things out there that I dont even know yet... been trap within a music style will never be on my mind as it will be like closing your eyes in front of the ocean, I will miss so much!
And as promised heres the last track:
Tavo's currently down with the flu, so I hope you share my wishes that he get better soon! That makes all for this week. Look forward to a review of Swing Republics new album next time! I have to apologise that it might well not be next saturday, I'm stuck in the coliseum of gladiators that is the EU Parliament all week. I might therfore, have to buy you off with yet another swing mix (if anyones got any good ones send them over)
So have a good week folks, and keep swinging!
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