PUBLISHED October 20th, 2015 05:40 am | UPDATED May 18th, 2020 04:29 pm
The world music scene has been growing in Singapore and we’re incredibly thankful to collectives like Tropical Temple and Kilowatt Soundsystem, as they’re constantly sharing the other side of the music industry with us. And over the F1 weekend, CE LA VI managed to bring Los Angeles DJ/Producer Jose Marquez to Singapore – it was a total blast. His mission to fuse his love of world rhythms with the dance floor was definitely accomplished!
Apart from dancing, we managed to snag an interview with the humble Jose Marquez about his musical influences, his favourite track of all times and the most challenging part of being a producer.
Hi Jose! Tell us, how did it all begin for you?
I got a late start with music as compared to most, having started DJ’ing in college, but I haven’t stopped since. I’ve always had an interest of the production side to music as well, but slowly took my time to learn and when I was confident enough in my music, I started to put them out for free downloading on a blogsite I had. Eventually these free downloads of my tracks got into the hands of some major housemusic labels that I still work with today
Who or what influences your music?
The music I make today are influenced by the music i grew up listening to, such as Afro & Latin artists like Celia Cruz, Tito Puento, Ray Baretto, Fela Kuti and Manu Dibango. On the house music side, I’ve always enjoyed and played music by the likes of Joe Claussell, Louie Vega and others. There are just too many to name!
What was your first record you bought?
Hmm, good question. Some of my earliest vinyl buying recollections were records like India – Love & Happiness and Duke – So in Love with You. These were clubs anthems in the early 90’s and I just wanted them for my collection even though I wasn’t even DJ’ing yet.
Which other countries have you performed /put parties on?
I’ve been blessed to play my music all over the world from Paris, Athens, Melbourne, Kenya, and now Singapore!
Out of all the tracks in your crate, which one never fails?
People like it when I drop some of my own tracks, so I always make sure to play a couple of my remixes like Bang the Drum by Sister Pearl and Joe Arroyo’s La Tortuga.
Being a producer, what part of the production process do you find the most challenging?
For me, finalizing a track is always the hardest. I always feel like it’s never complete, like there is something else I can do, add, or take away. I’m my own biggest critic (laughs)!
What’s you favorite track / record / album / mix set of all time?
Wow, i have too many tracks that i love! But at the moment in time, I’m listening to an album entitled “Cambucha” by Milton Cardona. It’s a beautiful, spiritual, and a deep Afro-Cuban/Latin Jazz album, one of my favourites that is always on repeat.
When all the partying is over, how do you like to chill out?
Nothing beats chilling on the couch with my wife and son with a huge bowl of ice cream and watching animated movies!
Tune into Jose Marquez’s SoundCloud for good times:
https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/217895388