Ricardo Villalobos and His Crunchy Techno Visiting Tech-Heads

Many music critics have been talking lately about a stagnation in dance music, claiming that there is nothing particularly new or unique. Such 'critics' simply do not know about the existence of the musician and DJ - Ricardo Villalobos, whose music stands on the border of techno and house genres. The current popularity of 'soft' techno and 'crunchy' house can be largely attributed to German musicians and DJs who are actively promoting a fresh sound that is gradually conquering the house dancefloors of Europe. Labels like Kompakt, Forcetracks, and Perlon are currently producing the most relevant dance music. However, Villalobos' work stands out even among the masters of the techno-house scene. His tracks always feature barely distinguishable, mournful vocal inserts, a highly emotional melodic line, and crunchy percussion where there is almost no drumming. His tracks live and breathe in a completely different way compared to the rest of a similar music scene. This is perhaps because his musical interests go far beyond contemporary dance music. For example, he equally enjoys listening to krautrock and psychedelic rock bands like Can, Tangerine Dream, and Kraftwerk, as well as the works of prominent figures such as Baby Ford, Plastikman, and Daniel Bell. Ricardo's long-awaited debut album 'Alcachofa' was released last year, where he attempted to fully reveal himself as a musician. This album showcases Ricardo's roots in tracks like 'Waiworinao' with its melancholic guitar riff, or 'Theogenese' with its swinging funky Latin-American rhythms. Of course, techno tracks like 'Bahaha Hahi,' 'Easy Lee,' or the real hit of 2002, 'What you say...' are also included. Villalobos even pays tribute to his youthful fascinations with Depeche Mode and B12, dedicating the track 'Fool's garden' on the album to that music. The strange title 'Alcachofa' only seems strange at first glance. 'Artichoke (Alcachofa) is my favorite vegetable,' reveals Ricardo. 'It is very good for the body and helps the body fight the excesses you indulged in at the last party. You eat it gradually, leaf by leaf, and if you do it slowly and continuously, it will bring many benefits to your body.' The same goes for his album, where with each new track, new elements and variations come into play, filling the space between techno and house music. Following the teachings of krautrock, all tracks on the album are more than seven minutes long, and Ricardo says that this benefits DJs. 'Like psychedelic rock, these tracks are long and resist any shortening, like different versions for radio stations. Our lives are so compressed and stress-filled that we have even forgotten how to walk slowly. In clubs, we escape from everyday reality, and I tried to embrace one of the forms of escapism through this album. My music is intended for free-thinking DJs who appreciate the joy of playing such long tracks.' Ricardo himself is puzzled by musicians and DJs who try themselves in genres that are not typical for them. 'I don't understand it when house musicians make albums filled with ambient or trip-hop. I understand that when we're not spinning records, we listen to different music, but I think there's no need to demonstrate your musical breadth. If you want to change your music, then just remove the bass drum and let the rhythm do all the work for you. After all, we are a product of clubs, and we must reflect and convey that atmosphere correctly.' Although Ricardo seems to not fully adhere to his own opinion, as he recently stated that his next album will be pure pop music. 'It will be pure electronic pop music, and I will try to reflect the mood of the music I started with. However, it will have nothing to do with club music, and I will probably release the album under some pseudonym.' Ricardo is not only a talented musician but also a very talented DJ. His talent can be judged by his mix 'Taka taka,' which was released last year on Sven Väth's label, Cocoon Records. Together with Sven and Richie, he was a resident at the 'Cocoon' parties held last year at Amnesia club in Ibiza and recently received an offer to become a resident at the prestigious London club, Fabric. 'I don't want to be a star, or anything like that, hyper-successful,' he adds. 'I just always find myself on the path I am on now.'

March 4
Techno-Thursdays with Anton Kubikov
Flenmatichnaya Sobaka (GUM, 2nd floor, entrance from Alexander Garden)
Entry: 200 rubles