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LISTEN TO MIX: download listen
ILYA SANTANA INTERVIEW
Hi Ilya! Thanks for sending the mix and taking some time out to answer some questions.
Please tell us where you from and how long you have lived there?
Hi, I'm from the Canary Islands and I have lived here since I was born.
How do you think living there has influenced the music you make and listen too?
I don't know exactly where I take my influence from because we don't have here a huge music
scene, I think it all came from my father who listened to new age, Psychedelic Rock and Disco
music since I was a child, and I grew up listen to all that music. When I was 7 or 8 I remember
that went to my father´s work and someone was listening Alan Parson´s “Mammagamma” ...
from that moment I knew what I liked!!
How did you get into disco music?
I really got in to the disco music when I met Daniel Wang five years ago, he was really
impressed when he came to my house and saw that I haven't got any disco records, so he
couldn't understand the music I made with no reference. Here was hard to get good music,
(this is a small island without any music culture) and he started to send me records of classic
disco almost every month, I could never thank him enough for what he did for me.
Have you been making electronic music for a long time and what kind of instruments do
you play?
Oh!, I love to play Keyboard, all kind of synthesizers in my virtual Studio, actually I'm really into
analogue synths like Kork MS20, Moog Modular V (I love to create new sounds) Yamaha CS80,
Minimonsta (is the Minimoog GForce Virtual instrument) also I like to compose with all virtual
orchestral arrangement like Strings, horns, drums and I love to play my Moog Etherwave
Theremin!
If you had to describe the style of music that you make to someone, how would you do that?
Well, I don't like put tags to my music cause I don't move ever in the same way and every track
is a mix of many different things, you make music to describe feelings, I let that everyone put
the name on it that they like.
How would you describe your production process?
I start to imagine a melody, this is how it all begins, later when I go to sleep I let my mind keep
do the rest of the process, in the next morning I have all the track done in my mind, I sit down
in my studio and choose the instruments for that project and start with the arrangement and
compose in my sequencer.
Your releases are all completely original productions, so how do you feel about the masses
of edits being sold at the moment?
I have an opinion about edits that maybe I don't like the most of producers that do it.
For me is acceptable an edit when you use only to play, I mean, sometimes a track have a part
that you don't like and you edit that track to be more effective on the dance floor, or only for
yourself, that´s OK, but don't take the work of other artists and profit yourself for doing nothing.
Anyway everybody can do what he like, but new and original music is what make the music
world have an evolution.
Your first record “Walking on a Crystal Sea” is still a big favorite of mine. How did it happen
that it came out on Danny Wang’s label Balihu, who is from New York?
This happened in the most simple way, sending an email.
In that moment he was living in Berlin (he still lives there) and I just discover his sound, in that
time i was´t producer yet, he inspired me and start to make music with my brand new
computer, some months after I had a couple of tracks, done with a free downloadable
software, sent to him and days after he request that we have to meet ... a month later he was
sitting in my studio of Gran Canaria teaching me about Synthesizers, it was amazing, I had
Daniel Wang that moved from Berlin to Canarias to know me.
He was in Canarias for a week, it was an incredible experience, in that week we decide what
will be the next “Balihu”.
Did the record open a lot of doors for you?
In fact that record open my all the doors that I have open nowadays, it all come from that record!
What about DJing, have you been playing records for a long time?
Yes, so I was Dj before producer, I was playing records 15 years ago more or less, I just had
to know how to made music to start to start doing it.
Do you get to travel a lot DJing?
I travel, yes but not all I wish, I think to take me off my island is a little expensive and things
right now aren´t good enough for clubs, I mean money wise.
What’s your favorite place to DJ?
Whatever place with music lovers.
Describe your dream gig?
I think that all my dreams come true about gigs ... I just wait that all goes more and more.
Is anything inspiring you musically at the moment?
Like I said at another time, music inspires me, the life and the love!
What were the 5 best tracks you heard today?
I'm listening rigth now to “Force Majure” of Tangerine dream, “In London” of Vangelis and
Neuronium, Some of “Peru”, “Pipeline” of Alan Parson and Demis Roussos with Alec R
Costandinos.
What do you think will make the world a better place?
That the human race dance to the rhythm of Love!!!!
Would you like to give a shout out to anyone?
To those that have the mind and soul open and still dream cause the dreams come true.
Tracklisting:
1) Paraglide- Peter Visti
2) Bad Pulse- Paded cell
3) Don´t turn it off- 40 Thieves
4) Dance Disorder-Ilija Rudman (Faze action remix)
5) Alan vs Gray- Hedford Vachal
6) Moon song- They came from the Stars I saw (Holy Ghost remix)
7) Hypnotic-Faze Action Dub
8) Curses- The deep end (Holy Ghost remix)
9) Only fools and horses-Spectacle wings
10) Balearic Incarnation- Dolle Jolle
Links:
http://www.myspace.com/ilyasantana
