TSC Behind The Decks | Hector
Born and raised in Mexico, Hector’s life was consumed by music coming not only from his mother country but from overseas too. The lure of beat drew him to seek pastures new in London, where a job at the iconic Phonica record shop was to prove a pivotal moment in his career. It was here that Hector met Anja Schneider and Loco Dice, both of whom would later give him jobs on their esteemed imprints Mobilee and Desolat respectively.
In 2015, Hector has flipped the script to help others by pulling together some of the most talented and underrated producers and DJs and forming the Vatos Locos crew – the crazy ones – who came of age at BPM Festival in Mexico by throwing one of the maddest shows at this mega event. It’s a family affair, but with no egos and a democratic approach to rocking the spot – if you make the grade in the studio and on the decks then you’re as respected as the rest of the crew, regardless of who you are.
Hector continues to produce for a range of imprints; collaborating with both well-known artists and newcomers rather than starting his own label. His thirst for playing the biggest clubs and festivals around the world is unrelenting, as is proven by his latest residency at Marco Carola’s Music On at Amnesia, Ibiza. In addition he performs at festivals like; Time Warp, DEMF, Kazantip, Awakenings, BPM, Hideout and Sunwaves, alongside club sets for Tokyo’s Womb, Space Miami, Fabric London and New York’s Output.
We had a chat with Hector during this year’s edition of The BPM Festival Portugal, and here is what he shared with us.
Hello Hector and thanks for having us for this interview. Where are we catching you and what are you up to?
I’m just at home in Barcelona, about to go for tacos! Haha 🇲🇽
What do you remember about the moment you fell in love with electronic music and DJing? Fast-forward to today, do you still love the same things about it, and if not what has changed?
I just remember thinking what is this? I wanna be involved in this somehow. Nothing has changed, I’ve gotten to play with my heroes over the years and that’s cool.
It’s been 4 years since the launch of your label ‘Vatos Locos’. What was your idea and motivation for establishing the label in the first place, and how do you see it all going forward, now that you have also launched 4 sister labels?
VL Recordings has a certain sound. People know our tracks when they hear them. The new EP coming from Mahony and Floog and a special appearance from The Martinez Bros will be bomb. We started sister labels VL LTD and VLACK so we could still put out music but different sounds. VL LTD is vinyl only, you won’t find this stuff online, we have people like Satoshi Tomiie releasing soon. VLACK is my special techno imprint and we’ll be releasing a very special project on this label next year. Watch out..
Your VL crew is known for being more of a family affair, and as you like to put it ‘no egos, no genres, just quality music and events.’ The parties you have thrown so far have been very successful, and have seen the crew gigging across the globe. Why did you start doing your own events, and what do you believe is the key to the VL events success so far?
I started my own event because I found a like-minded group of people who are now my friends that wanted to just play quality music non-stop. When we play even if it’s a big festival, it’s like we’re just having people back to an intimate after party and that’s the vibe we want to create, no egos, just dancing!
In previous interviews you mention that you never prepare for your sets- you freestyle. Do you have weapons of choice for the different times of the night, warm-up, peak and closing?
I like to play as many VL Recordings tracks as possible and I’ve been hinting a few of my new techno tracks all summer which have gone down very well.
You played at The BPM Festival 2019 last weekend, with whom you have developed a special relationship over the years, and even launched your ‘Vatos Locos’ output with a showcase at The BPM Mexico, a few years ago. How did your affair with The BPM Festival begin, and what do you remember from your first ever gig there?
I remember us just doing this crazy party on the beach with Dubfire and that’s where the crazy ones was born.
Hector at The BPM Festival Portugal 2019 (photo copyrights Gemma Parker)
If you could describe The BPM Festival with one word, what would that be?
Familia
The BPM Festival recently announced a new destination – Costa Rica in January 2020, and you have already been confirmed for that debut event. How excited are you about being part, once again, of this new chapter for The BPM Festival? Can you tease the fans if they can expect a Vatos Locos showcase?
Well 2020 will be the fifth anniversary of Vatos Locos and BPM is where we first started the party all those years ago. Costa Rica will be our first show of the anniversary tour and we’ll be inviting some old guests from years gone by.
What more can we expect from you and your Vatos Locos crew/label for the remainder of 2019, and anything worth mentioning already for 2020 (releases, remixes, events)?
We will finish out this year with a Vatos Locos party at ADE, and a mini USA tour. 2020 will be our 5th anniversary and we’ll have some major shows and a compilation inviting old and new friends of the VL family.
Thank you for the interview Hector, and see you at The BPM Festival 2019! 🎉
😉
Connect with Hector on Facebook and SoundCloud.
check our best moments from The BPM Festival 2019
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