Text: Zewx K
Taken from Urbe01, the electronic culture magazine
Mexican electronic music is waking up through a creative maturity period, these are the times when house made production is ready to rush out to the street.
The case of Vate is representative from an underground creativity that through years of search and experience converges with the accessibility to digital technology.
In this interview we meet the career and projects form this Mexican music at a moment where original proposals in the local scene are needed.
u01:: Since how long have you been in contact with music and what carried you to choose electronic music?
Vate: Everything started when my dad bought an Alan Parsons project. I stared curiously at the sleeve and it looked attractive to me; I was seven years old. I have been making music since 1988, since I was given a Yamaha keyboard. Since then I practiced -I have a good ear- and expanded my equipment. I also used to play guitar, but it wasn’t my best area. I was more attracted to keyboards and electronic music. I started with Alan Parsons, although his music is not necessarily pure electronic, but it relies a lot in it. In 1990, two years after the first keyboard I met Kraftwerk ad Front 242.
u01: How do you describe your experience towards the audience? have you presented your work? How do you develop in the scene?
V: I’m still new at this. The last thing I presented was ten years ago in rock bands at school; at that time we played covers. What does not change is that, as today, I played keyboards. I was very reserved then, I did very personal stuff. Until recently I began to publicize my work. I gathered the material and uploaded my music to Internet, from then on, I have received many opinions, good and bad ones, this means that plenty of people listen to my music; it is a very good motivation for me.
u01: Since when did you upload your music to the Net and what has been the answer from the people?
V: That is, exactly, what ‘s curious about that. Less than a week ago, I uploaded my music at MP3.com, and I have already got many good answers from the people. It is a great chance that I took advantage from since there is not so much opportunity at radio stations, I could get some audience in the Net.
u01: Do you have plans of making something at a professional level?
V: I did it before only for personal pleasure, that’s the reason for not exhibiting it previously, but the long-term idea has always been of producing something to show it to the people. I have checked options in order to record such as Opción Sónica, but I haven’t introduced my work because it needs to be complete and since I have just acquired more equipment, I want to take advantage of it in order to do something better.
u01: Are you familiarized with the electronic movement in Mexico; with its development, proposals, and influences? and, if so, what opinion do you have about it?
V: It has not been long ago that I began looking at that that because I was totally disappointed with the national rock, I thought that the music had run out of ideas. Thanks to Internet I could realize there is one true electronic movement in Mexico, maybe not such as big as in Europe or the United States, but it has a great potential here in Mexico. What is needed is better diffusion. The proposals exist, likewise the material and people in entire disposition to expand.
u01: As for your themes, do you have any specific motivation?
V: Sometimes it is a little aleatory, but with intention. I try to give it a certain tint to the theme. The creation comes from the coalition of many ideas and pre-conceptions. There is always something that I want to insinuate, depending on the song, of course.