VIRTUS //
RAMIRO
LOPEZ
WITH A BLISTERING CATALOGUE OF RELEASES SO FAR ON SOME OF THE HOTTEST LABELS ON THE PLANET, SPANISH NATIVE RAMIRO LOPEZ IS ONE OF THE MOST FORWARD THINKING ARTISTS AROUND RIGHT NOW. WE CAUGHT UP WITH THE ODD RECORDINGS LABEL BOSS TO GET THE LOW DOWN ON TOURS, LABELS AND THE IMPORTANCE OF SOCIAL MEDIA IN MUSIC...
Hello Ramiro, thanks for taking the time to speak to us at Virtus, where in the world are you right now?
Hola! My pleasure. I´m at home right now, to be exact in my recording studio. I live in a small village here in Spain called Madridejos, Right in the centre of the country. It´s pretty quiet here which I love.
You recently toured in South America, was this your first time, what has been your most interesting experience so far and what's the next shows for you?
No, I've been playing around South America for some time now. I love it there. People are so full of energy and parties are always great. Every tour gives me many good things to remember. I´m going to be playing around Europe till the end of the year but I´ll back again to South America in January. We are working and scheduling already some gigs in Paraguay and some other countries I still can't reveal. Can´t wait for it!
Since the very first release on 'ODD Recordings' the label has gone from strength to strength which is showcased again in your latest amazing collaboration EP with Andres Campo, do you think it is important for the development of an artist to have their own label?
I think having a label is not essential for an artist´s career but in my case, has been something that completes me and helps me to express in a better way. You have the control of the music you release and make it work exactly as you want. I love that feeling of freedom.
The label has garnered quite a reputation online for being witty & forward thinking, especially when it comes to social media content, is this reflection of yourself and how important is having a strong social media presence in this modern age for a record label?
Nowadays, social media is very important to spread the music and keep people in the loop of what you are doing. There are too many options out there so it's better for you to have a good platform. Music is the key but bringing it to the people is vital as well. Odd Recordings have part of Both my partner Arjun Vagale and myself but I have to give also a big credit to Antonio (Adeartwork.) . He is not only the label manager but also running the socials, making the artworks and many of the ideas from the social comes from him. Of course we work like a team and we reach the decisions all together but Antonio is the main man on this area.
Your latest remix on Noir is absolutely huge, can you tell us a bit about your work process in the studio, favourite DAW, VSTs, hardware & process of building a track like that?
Thanks! Glad you like it. I work with Logic Studio since my very beginnings. Sometimes I use Ableton but I feel more comfortable with Logic. And I use mainly software. Native Instruments and Arturia ´s are my favourites. I have a Komplete Kontrol, Maschine and not many more stuff! Regarding the work process, I always try to start whenever I have a clear idea of what I want to do in my head. Kick is usually the first thing I put on the project. I make a loop and building the idea from there.
Which artists are you really digging at the moment and love to play their music live?
Many amazing artists out there. I’m loving Wehbba and ANNA , I think they are genius , always bringing fresh ideas. Very Inspiring. . I’m digging also all the stuff BEC is doing lately. Feeling very close to her sound. Michael Klein, Industrializer, Radio Slave with his new AKA SRVD, Thomas Schumacher, Pan Pot, Coyu,Truncate, Luca Agnelli, Andres Campo, are always in my bag. There are also lot of new producers that I love like WEX10, Frazi. Er, Robert S, Rudosa, Giovanni Carozza, I am Bam , Anfysa Letyago the list goes on. As I said, too many gems out there.
What can we expect from Ramiro Lopez in the future, release wise?
Next one is a 4 track EP on Suara. Will be out in December. For a long time I haven't released in the ‘kitties label. I will have another EP in Odd recordings in the first part of 2020 and already working on a lot of new stuff so expect many new materials for the next year.
We have seen you playing a lot of back to back sets, is that something you really enjoy & does it always work well?
I like to play b2b. It's something that brings me out of my comfort zone. I´m usually open to make an improvised b2b if I have good vibes with the other artist but normally I like to do it with colleagues whom I have a similar taste regarding music and similar way to play . Coyu and Andres Campo are very close friends also so I love to share decks with them.
If you could give one piece of advice to anyone starting a career as a DJ/Producer, what would it be?
Be patient, take risks making music, make lot of mistakes and learn from them and enjoying every moment playing and making music.
Away from music, what is interesting in the life of Ramiro Lopez? Do you have many hobbies?
Food and cooking is my second passion. I love it. I´m always excited about cooking for some friends or going to a new restaurants and trying new stuff. I love to learn new receipts and techniques.
Travelling is also one of my hobbies so It´s a gift to have the chance of discovering that many countries trough the music.
https://www.facebook.com/ramirolopezdj/
https://www.beatport.com/#artist/ramiro-lopez/43509
https://soundcloud.com/ramirolopez