JCL
Origin: None
Music is everything. I’m studying to be an audio engineer. I’m a DJ. I’m a producer. I can proudly say everything in my life is connected to music. My family doesn’t have a music background, but I took piano lessons when I was a kid. I used to watch famous DJs on TV and the Internet. When I got my first laptop, I started to make my own tracks. They were very simple loops and bad melodies, but I tried. I learned how to DJ and produce on my own by watching tutorials on YouTube and reading books. I worked really hard. I would listen to my iPod and pay attention to the sounds and structure of each track. I wanted to learn how a club banger was made. I was a bedroom DJ and I mixed for myself. I played at school parties sometimes and I learned how to read crowds. There has always been a strong electronic music culture in Mexico, but I think there was an explosion four years ago. I was just another boy in the middle of the crowd who was enjoying the music. Every time I went to these concerts, something inside me knew this was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. It was not because of the fame or the money. It was for the love of the music. When I started to study at my university, I learned a lot of technical stuff for my productions. When I had a residency at a nightclub, I realized how great it was to play a song and get everyone to start dancing. I was in charge of their night and I could make people happy with my music. For me, electronic music is a form of expression because of the energy it gives you and the mood it can put you in. I think it’s magical. When you feel sad or angry, you can put on a CD of your favorite DJ and forget all the bad things. When you are in a club or festival, you experience something that you can’t get anywhere else. Electronic music is a way of life. I really want to be part of this world.
Interview
Home Town: Mexico City, Mexico
Currently Living: Mexico City, Mexico
Origin Of Name: It’s an abbreviation of my complete name. I like it because it is simple and easy to remember.
Weapon of Choice:I always try to find something really strange that nobody has heard before. Then I add some energy to create something new.
Source of Power: Mark Knight, Jack Beats, Fatboy Slim, Dubfire, Destructo, Gorgon City and Giorgio Moroder.
What advice would you offer someone thinking about entering the Discovery Project competition?
If you are a hard worker and you think you have the ability, then try it.
Was there one particular moment in the recording or mixing process for your Discovery Project entry that made you feel like you were creating something pretty damn special?
After I processed the bass, added delay, and mastered the track, I knew it was the chosen one.
Are there any dots to connect with where/how you grew up to your musical output?
I live near an area that’s filled with deep house nightclubs (I’ve actually played at some of them). When I was a kid, my family had a weekend house in Tepoztlán. In the ‘90s and early ‘00s, there were a lot of raves there. I went to them as a kid with my older cousins. I was a six-year-old boy who was around a lot of kandi kids. Everybody thought we were strange because we listened to electronic music.
What do your parents think of what you are doing?
My mom has always supported me. She actually helps me financially with my career. She says I have to be the best at what I do. She has a job she really doesn’t enjoy and she doesn’t want me to repeat the same mistake.
What’s the strangest part of your job?
Sometimes, I wake up so inspired at 3 am. I turn on my computer and work late at night.
What’s the biggest misconception about being a DJ?
Everybody thinks being a DJ is simple. They think it’s just one guy who plays random music. But they don’t know that there’s a lot of work behind it. Nowadays, anyone can be a DJ with a cheap controller and a sync button. As for me, I think the most difficult part of DJing is reading the crowd. Anybody can mix, but knowing which song to play next is a skill you acquire over the years.
Tell me about your most memorable night out.
One Saturday at 3 pm, I was at my house and I received a text message from a DJ friend who asked me to play at his club. It was an all-white party. My friend Rossell, a famous Mexican DJ, was on the decks when I arrived. After he finished, the dancefloor was filled with people and all the attention was on me. People reacted so well to the first record I played. I mixed for two hours and nobody could stop dancing.
Do you have any memorable moments from past EDC’s or any other Insomniac party?
Actually, EDC Mexico is my first one. But I have always followed Insomniac on social media.
How does what you do for a living affect you on a day-today basis?
Well, sometimes I get so lonely. I prefer to go to my house to finish a track instead of going out with my friends to party. They get upset because I am busy with music and I ignore them.
What is your ultimate career dream?
I think my dream is to go on tour. I have never been in another country before, so the best thing would be to travel the world to play at some of the biggest festivals and clubs. Also, I want to have one of my songs on the Beatport charts. I think those are my two dreams.
Are you impulsive with your work or do you have a sketch in mind before you start?
I’m more impulsive because sometimes the things I plan don’t work out too well.
How, if at all, does listening to music figure into your creative process?
I listen to different song structures and styles to see what makes a good song. But I like to create songs on my own with no guidelines.
What’s the most important piece of gear in your studio?
I recently bought the new Roland TB-3 and my life changed. It’s too easy to make basslines with it and I can literally spend hours just playing with one arpeggio.
How important is it for you to experiment and take on the risk of failure?
I think it’s really, really important because you can learn a lot of things about yourself. If you take risks, you can achieve very big things in your career.
Do you have a list of people you’d like to collaborate with in the future?
Gorgon City: I love their style and it would be an honor to work with them; Jack Beats: I have heard almost all of their songs. There’s too much power in their productions; The Cube Guys: I love their Italian tech house. I think we could create something fresh and unique.
If we pressed Shuffle on your iPod while you went to the bathroom, what would you be embarrassed to come back to us listening to?
Roberto Junior Y Su Bandeño “El Coco No.” It’s a funny regional song from Northern Mexico.
What sound or noise do you love?
60 Hz or 80 Hz sinusoidal waves.
What should everyone just shut the fuck up about?
The people who can hate a person because of the music he or she makes. Most of them don’t even have a real argument.
What gets you excited when you think about the future of electronic music and club culture?
I’m happy my country is on the map now. A lot of DJs and promoters are watching and I hope it will help boost the Mexican DJs/producers. Hopefully a lot of them will make the DJ Mag Top 100.
When you look at electronic music and the surrounding culture, what worries you about the future, what do you wish would change or that you could change?
As electronic music becomes mainstream, I’m afraid it will become another business. The DJs are only concerned about the money and not the music.
What are your weaknesses?
When I speak in front of people, I get nervous. But I never hold anything back; I always say what I think.
Do you have a secret passion?
Scuba diving.
How would you describe your sound to a deaf person?
You can feel really low frequencies. Imagine the energy the low-end sound produces. It will make you want to dance.
Is success physical or internal?
Internal because success is something you create internally. You can be successful by planting a goal.
What do you remember about your first DJ gig?
In 2012, I was the resident of a small club near the beach. One day, a beer company told the owner he wanted to produce a festival there. He accepted the offer and asked me if I wanted to play. I said yes, of course. Two days later, they built a stage on the beach and the festival took place (only underground DJs). My set started at 7 pm and there were like 800 people there. I never played for that big of a crowd before.
What’s the hardest professional lesson you’ve learned thus far?
I worked at a famous club in Mexico City. I had a residency as a warm-up DJ and I met a lot of great DJs while I was there. But I had to leave the job because of school. When I left, I stopped getting booked there. I thought I lost everything. During the next eight months, I started to produce everyday in my room. It was painful at first, but it helped me improve myself.
Do you have a favorite all-time mixed CD or series?
Nope, I have too many. I would never be able to finish listing them.
Have something you’d like to get off your chest that we did ask you about?
I really hope EDC will be the beginning of a successful career. I have worked so hard and I’ve never had an opportunity like this. Nowadays in Mexico City, it’s so hard to find a place to play or people that will listen to your music. You need to have contacts and I don’t have those yet. But I have really prepared for this.
I want to thank the Discovery Project and the Insomniac crew for giving me this opportunity!
Winning Track:
Winning Mix:
