INTERVIEW : Gordo
Gordo is one of those producers who manage to give emotional weight to dance music. His new album, Blue Velvet, is an absolute riot, a hallucinated block party reverberating through the night. It makes you nostalgic for the unadulterated bliss of getting lost in the moment, transcending in the urban heat of the summer. Channeling various influences - from his parent’s backyard happenings to the 90s New York scene - the resulting record encompasses an obvious love of old-school dance floor jams, filtered through a modern aesthetic which connects to social issues. I had the chance to ask a few questions to Serge Garcia, the mastermind behind Gordo’s fantasist sound. We talked about his influences, his creative process, and his work as a visual artist.
What was the first track you heard that made you feel like doing the music you’re producing now?
I don’t think there’s one track or artist but I would reference the deep house, Latin flair, and percussive textures of producers like DJ Duke, Pizarro, and Mystic Bill as examples of producers whose work and sound might reflect bits of my style and the sound palette I’m experimenting with. Although I don’t deliberately seek to emulate their work, I feel like my dance productions are indebted to producers like them (and many others of course) who worked in the late 80’s and throughout the 90’s and contributed to the nuances and shades of underground New York and Chicago house.
You’re part of a Berlin collective, you have a California driver’s license, RA says you moved to Sweden… Which places have influenced Blue Velvet the most?
I would say my work as a producer (and the new EP) is sustained by celebrating Latinx DJ culture in the US. I was born in Los Angeles where there are deep and often unexplored histories of underground dance music in Latinx communities- like in the early 90’s with the ditch party scene and other movements in underserved communities. I was too young to participate in the ditch parties however I often look back at digital archives like Map Pointz and other underground histories to get a sense of the tone and cultural significance of young Latinx kids organizing to throw illegal parties as a fun activity, but perhaps in a much deeper sense to create a response to feelings of alienation under oppressive living conditions that are connected to poverty, racism, and failing school system(s).
I relate to those feelings of alienation and living conditions so my work is very influenced by social contexts that inform music, film, and culture. I think they’re vital signifiers.
Could you tell us a little bit about the creative process behind the record? What were your desires when you started working on it?
The tracks were written over the course of a few years. I feel like the main ideas and direction for the music on Blue Velvet came together quite easy. Most of what I write also often comes together within a few hours or a couple of sessions. If I’m in a place where it becomes apparent that I’m overcooking things - during a session - then the track probably isn’t very good (or at least not to my ears). Music production is often a therapeutic activity for me, so the desire behind the work is often a need for momentary escape or distractions from daily life.
What were your influences for the record?
Terre Thaemlitz (aka DJ Sprinkles) is a big influence for me. I can’t say that she directly influenced the sound of the record (although her club oriented productions are some of my favorite tracks) but reading her book Nuisance and diving into the contexts that inform her work as an audio producer, writer, identity jammer, and queer philosopher has had a big impact on me personally and my relationship with house music and club culture. I was editing a short film I shot with her around the same time I was putting the finishing touches on the new EP so I feel like her influence is very present.
This is your second release on Red Curls, a label run by Pjotr (aka The Redhead Baby). What does working with that label represent for you?
Pjotr and I know a lot of the same people in the scene, so I think it was inevitable that we would connect. Once that happened and I started sending him music our collaboration became a fluid partnership. For me working with him and the label signifies my bond to DIY culture and finding possibilities to create and distribute work with little to no resources and visibility. I think dance music and club culture informs who Pjotr and I are and the spaces we navigate so it’s fun to make small contributions to the scene somehow.
After a bit of sleuthing online, I found Serge Garcia's wonderful films and stills. I’m curious to know if your work as a visual artist has influenced the way you produce music. Do you think of them as 2 separate entities, or 2 sides of the same creative coin?
I think my work as an artist (both audio and visual) is very much 2 sides of the same creative coin to use your phrase. However I think that my experience as a music producer informs my work as a filmmaker a lot more because I often have to rely on my familiarity with DAWs like ableton to create the sonic landscapes of the films I’m making because I don’t have the resources for a sound recordist or mixer most of the time (actually all the time). That basically means that I build the sonic landscapes and design from scratch in ableton because it’s the DAW that I’m most comfortable in. I would love to work with a sound designer and mixer but I do it all myself - such is the life of an indie filmmaker.
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