Playground magazine

Kresy is another artist emerging from the ever more fertile fields of Spanish electronica. Behind the mask is Alejandro Rodríguez, a young Asturian producer who has become one of the new great hopes of Barcelona imprint Hivern Discs (home of John Talabot, Aster, Pional and other explorers of the depths of house and techno). Although many first heard of him through “Many Man”, on which he reconfigured 50 Cent in a deep-house style, Kresy is no rookie in this game; he made his debut over five years ago with a series of releases on the Multi Vitamins label, with a sound on the intersection of minimal and slow house. However - with “Lords Of Percussion”, his brilliant EP on Hivern - his music reaches new depths and levels of ambition, suggesting a more than likely point of inflection in his career. Inspired by, as he explains, “Cleopatra, Egyptians, snakes and Conan the Barbarian,” its two original cuts combine the legacy of Detroit and Chicago with a spell-binding cosmic spirit, drenched in jungle-like psychedelia. With the 12” about to be released, Kresy gives us a mix as an extension of a record he defines as “dark, sensual, nocturnal and emotional”. Nothing more, nothing less.

How did you get involved with electronic music?

At the FIB, in the nineties. The first things I loved was French house, breakbeat, drum’n’bass and all that stuff that was fashionable back then. I didn't start liking techno until I heard Kevin Suanderson's “Faces & Phases”. I still play it in my car.

We understand that you have been in a few bands before. What made you decide to become a dance music producer?

I've always played different instruments, but due to a lack of confidence, I suppose, and maybe laziness, I never actually learned to play any really well. And when I couldn't find people with the same musical tastes as mine, well, that helped, too. Later I started DJing, and before long I was playing around with Ableton Live.

You've just released your first EP on Hivern. How did you get in touch with them, and what does being signed to one of the most internationally respected Spanish labels mean to you?

I don't remember, really, I think it was through MySpace, I must have sent them a couple of tunes they liked. About being signed to the label, well I'm psyched. In the time I've been in contact with them, they've released some pretty exquisite records, with spectacular artwork, which has had its effect among some of the most demanding sectors of the scene.

“Many Man”, your contribution to the compilation “Hivern A l'Estiu”, surprised many with its fusion of deep-house and a 50 Cent a cappella. How did that track come about?

It just happened; I did it in no time, really. I opened an old track I had started some time before that, I stripped it of everything except the rhythm and started trying out some a cappella samples I had lying around. The first one I tried was the 50 Cent one; it fit perfectly so that was that.

“Lords Of Percussion” presents a sound incorporating elements from Detroit techno with Chicago house, from a cosmic viewpoint. Which producers would you say have influenced you the most?

When I was doing the EP, I was listening to a lot of cosmic stuff from the eighties; in fact I sampled some congas from one of those tracks. When I'm making music I let myself go with the sounds I'm using, rather than think about how others make or have made music. During that particular track I was thinking of Cleopatra, Egyptians, snakes and Conan the Barbarian.

“Lords Of Percussion”

When you're in your studio, do you follow a fixed pattern or do you improvise as you go? Could you tell us how you work?

I usually start with a beat - any beat - then the bass and then I come up with a melody that sets the mood for the track, which is the most important part. Usually I have to change the rhythms and the bass according to what other sounds I use. I have a keyboard to control the machines and I record using MIDI in Ableton, trying out ideas with loops.

We understand you're obsessed with analogue machines and hardware. What's your favourite piece of equipment right now? And which machine have you always dreamed of having, but haven't yet been able to get?

Right now my favourite machine is the Elektron Octatrak. I use it even to sequence other synths. Regarding the equipment of my dreams, the truth is that so far, every time I get obsessed with some machine, I end up getting it. I'd love to have a midified Roland TB-303, though I'll settle for its clone, Xoxbox.

You're from Asturias, in the north-west of Spain, a place usually associated with the hardest varieties of techno, when it comes to electronica. Could you tell us what the scene is like over there? Is there any?

There are some places where you can DJ, but to be honest it's all gone down quite a bit. The public - out of financial reasons or lack of interest - only attend the big parties taking place every two months or something, and sometimes not even that. It's a pity, because there are a lot of DJs in Asturias, and many of them are really good.

Do you play live? Do you prefer lives or DJ sets?

I DJ regularly. I think I've done like three live shows, one of them with the Ableton and the other two using just hardware. Right now I'm preparing a live set with the Octatrack and some other machines. But that will be for a special occasion, because in general, the people don't care, so I prefer to play good tunes by my favourite producers instead of taking any risks playing my own music.

How and where did you record this set? Is there any idea or concept behind it?

I've been playing these tracks out for a while now. I wanted the mood to be a bit like “Lords Of Percussion”: dark, sensual, nocturnal and emotional. It's what I like the most.

What are your future plans, musically and non-musically?

The main idea is to continue preparing my live show and release some more music, hopefully on Hivern.