The 304th episode of our 12 Questions segment features producer Abity.
1. How old are you, where are you living and how long have you been producing and Djing?
Hi guys, first of all thank you for this oportunity to show us to the world and we’re pleased to have this interview with you 🙂
We`re Jóse Duque y Bruno Signorelli, better known as Abity both of us from Funes, a small town in Santa Fe province, Argentina that`s located 150 miles from Buenos Aires. We`re 27 yrs old and our relationship with music came from 13 years ago when we started playing and 9 yrs (ish) producing.
2. Where do your musical roots lie, what are your first memories of electronic music and when did you know you wanted to pursue it seriously? Are there any particular productions or artists from the past that really made you think to yourself ‘this is what I want to do.”
Our musical roots are strictly and directly connected with the progressive music, 14yrs ago we began to pay attention and admire djs such as Hernan Cattaneo, Sasha, Victor Calderone, John Digweed, Luke Fair and Paul Oakenfold, Danny Howells. Everything has ceased to exist regarding “interesting things” until the day we started our first lessons playing with vinyls with Argentine DJ Tomas Caturla. Since that day until today, the music never got rid of our life.
3. How difficult was learning to produce for you in the beginning? Did you take any Audio Engineering programs or production courses to help you out or are you pretty much self taught? And did anyone give any advice early on that really helped?
In our early days the production scenario was complicated since all we were doing was self-taught, our first approach to a production platform was with reason 2.5 quite hard to understand in the beginning, but as the time passed it taught us about sound synthesis, then we entered and experienced for some time the FL Studio which it helped us to become more extensive regarding sound quality as it’s a multi platform. After a while a friend showed us the Ableton Live, that have been the icon of our career since when we knew the platform facilities and advantages (we found that less complicated and very suitable to start our productions) It was love at first sight! haha
Then after several years we began our career as Sound and Acoustic technicians at the CETEAR institute in Rosario city And with a wider sound and musical image as international producers, we found the Logic pro x which it’s currently our fav. platform to work mixing and mastering, also to create our own productions.
An important person in our career as producers is Jona Prado, he’s our friend and master mind. An outstanding musician / producer that taught us the meaning of the synthesis, besides he gave us our first synthesizer. That’s why we are now huge fans of synthesizers.
4. What parts of the production process do you find the most difficult and what comes easiest for you? When you do hit a creative block what helps you through it?
Every process has its preparation and time. All of are very important when it comes for to create our track. The assembly of the track is what carries more time and care, so it is the most challenging process because it involves build climax, space and time on the dance floor when the song sounds. The base and music from the track after finding the right sound that distinguishes us might takes less time than the assembly but it is just as important as it. Everything has to go together and perhaps the more easier or faster is the final master.
5. What’s a normal day like for you? Do you have a job outside of electronic music? And what do you like to do when you’re not working on music?
A regular day begins checking emails and all the related to sphere of communication. Next is the best part, what more we like and takes most of the day, produce music. We take about 6/8 hours a day writingin addition to preparing a monthly radio show and our gigs. We also have some work recording, mixing and mastering to earn extra income.
In our spare time we like to play football and eating barbecue (yes, EAT! Because we rarely do) 🙂
6. Apart from electronic music what other genres do you listen to and who are your favourite artists outside of electronic? and do these genres or artists have a direct effect on your own productions?
Rock and alternative as Radiohead, Soda Stereo, Pink Floyd, Depeche Mode, Moby, Duft Punk, Atoms for Peace and Limp Bizkit among others. We were always big fans of electronic music at its very best, but it is quite evident that these artists have any effect on our productions. Just check this remix we did to a band of our influences.
7. What was the first and last physical (CD, Vinyl, Cassette etc) piece of music you bought?
The first vinyl we bought was Steve Porter – Drama Queen and last Echomen – Womb, we would have loved be able to buy vinyls but here in Argentina it became impossible to approximately from 2005 because of cost and customs restrictions.The first CD we acquire: Sasha – Globalundergound. Latest: John Digweed Live in Cordoba.
8. Tell us something about yourself that might surprise people?
Currently our life give us the chance to work out in what we really love, we had the pleasure to play music in the best clubs in Argentina since we were very young. Besides the love we constantly receive from the people, that make us so proud and absolutely secure to keep working every day to continue fulfilling our dream: to work in the world of electronic music.
9. Which producers in your opinion get consistently overlooked? NA
10. Which producers consistently inspire you? And where else does your inspiration come from?
In our race there is an endless number of artists appearing every day. Over the course of the time we developed and marking a style sticking to several artists like: Dousk, Dnox & Beckers, 16 Bit Lolitas, Wehbba, Eelke Kleijn, Dale middleton, Quivver, jody Wisternoff, Henry Saiz, Robert Babicz, Deep Mariano, Sezer Uysal, Derek Howell, Matt Rowan, Guy Gerber, khen and many more artists. Here you can hear what represents us http://classic.beatport.com/release/dynamic-soul/1712289
11. There are countless producers out there trying to find their way and create their own unique sound, what advice do you have for them?
We can tell you never stop looking for the sound that identifies you, it’s a hard work that takes many years to consolidate or achieve the perfect sound. The important thing is to do it with love, desire and effort. Create music that comes out of our inner being, which is a reflection of the best you have to give, because that’s what it is.
12. If the final DJ/live set of your career was next week what would your last track be?
When we perform our sets, What you hear is the music that we choose weekly or because we really liked or because we generated some interest and curiosity. When we work we heard hundreds of tracks and we never put together a set in particularly before an event. We play what the dancefloor needs for the moment that we are in the booth and yet is not so easy: every moment is unique and the key about “What should we play now?” is in the connection that we reach with the public at that time then if you ask me what would be our last track honestly we couldn’t give an answer with a particular name, but if I can give you a hint: It would probably be a track “a house specialty” Abity!
‘Dynamic Soul’ is out now on Stellar Fountain, you can purchase the release: here
