Alongside his remarkable contribution to the series, we sat down with Horacio Cruz who shared his thoughts about his career, inspirations & aspirations!
- Hi Horacio, we are glad to host you on Paradox. Can you introduce yourself to our readers?
It is a pleasure for me to share this interview with you.
I am Horacio Cruz, born in Granada, in the south of Spain, a city with a lot of charm and musical tradition. Above all, I consider myself a music lover, and passionate about what I do.
- You’ve started your career several years ago, what have brought you to Techno?
My first steps in music were with the drums, playing in several local bands, I also composed some pieces with the guitar, but in the mid-90s I began to get to know electronic music in depth and what caught my attention the most is the possibility of being able to work alone on the entire creation of patterns.
A group that attracted a lot of attention at that time was The Prodigy, those songs with electric guitars and so much energy motivated me to start my first solo productions.
Around 1997 I started practicing as a DJ with vinyl, and techno was the style that caught my attention the most because of the rawness it had and the possibility of creating with 3 technics turntables.
- Talking about you artistically, how would you define the music you’re playing?
As a producer I have worked different styles, with various pseudonyms, but as a DJ my style has always been defined during these 27 years, techno between 137 and 143 bpms, and if I had to put a label on my sound, I would say it is darkgroove.
You’re the founder of an artistic structure called Circus Nation. Why did you choose that name?
Circus Nation is a large-format festival that I created in 2006. The first edition was held in a bullring that reminded me of the Roman circus. My intention was to create a place where music, techno and high vibrations take center stage.
This year we already have 4 stages, a capacity of more than 15,000 people and there is a giant stage that is a huge circus tent, giant statues like in the Roman circuses, etc. We like to take great care of the setup and create a unique atmosphere.
- Can you tell us a bit more about that project? How and when did it start etc…
Circus Nation is held once a year, now I am also working on a new brand that I created, DOMO, these events are held approximately every 2 months, and the musical style is between techno and hardtechno, this year we have a DOMO stage within Circus Nation and it is having a great reception.
- The Spanish techno scene is for sure one of the most prolific ones. Can you give us an overview of its evolution in the past 20 years?
Spain has always had a great love for techno, perhaps in my region, Andalusia, a little less so, but I have been working on this for years, and I can finally say that Techno is now a reference here as well.
Now perhaps we are experiencing the rise of extreme sounds, hardcore, hardtechno etc… but techno never goes away, it always lasts.
- On your early works you’ve been collaborating with another good Spanish artist, C-System. Do you plan a future collaboration with him again?
Yes, Chema is a friend, partner and like a little brother, we will surely get back to the fray soon. Years ago we did live shows like Morfogen, we have sometimes been tempted to return, surely not too late.
- Any plans for a live PA in the future?
Yes. I am in the process of restarting my live PA. In 2019 I have decided to stop for no other reason than my ego to be completely honest. A big part of my identity is djing and for some reason promoters were focused solely on me as a producer and a live act to the point that my bookings were 80% live and 20% dj. Often I had to hear “I didn’t know you are a DJ”. I consciously lost a lot of gigs because of my decision to stop playing live, which I was ok with as it was important to me to establish the balance between djing and live. But now, people are slowly forgetting that I have ever played live, so It is time to go back to live with a new setup and me and my wife are even planning an AV live project for the future.
- What are your connections with the French Techno scene?
Recently I was performing at a club in Paris, Nexus, I liked the energy of the people, I have always believed that there was a good underground scene in france, i hope to return soon.
- Any projects on the production level?
In September the 8th reference of my label x erie is released on 12″ vinyl, with two tracks of mine, another from Uncertain and Luis Miranda, I am also finishing the hard work of a double ep by Horacio Cruz with 8 tracks that will be out in a few months .
- How did you build the mix for Paradox?
It is an exclusive set for you, I have recorded it in my studio, where I have a large vinyl collection, I have used 2 x Technics mk2 1200, 1 CDJ2000 and a Djm800 mixer, with a bit of oldschool sound, I hope you like it.
- What can we expect from you and your different projects in the near future?
After summer I return with performances in legendary clubs that count on me every year, and new places that are always coming out, I am also focused on my label x erie, in my vinyl store Tech on records that is selling like never before since the I opened in 1999 and working hard on the two event brands, Domo and Circus Nation, Domo has several collaborations in other cities this year and does not stop growing, I can say that I am a lucky person.
It has been a pleasure to share this time with you, I send you a big hug to the paradox team and your entire community.
Thanks a lot Horacio, we hope to see you very soon somewhere, keep the good vibe on!
Love and respect