Surfing the infinite galaxy… 909originals chats to Lopezhouse about new album ‘Apollo’
Lopezhouse, aka David López and Carlos Cruz, have been crafting a complex blend of progressive house and techno for around a decade now, with releases on Dirtybird, Exploited, Diynamic Music and various other labels.
Since making their debut on Bedrock Records in 2017, the duo have released a slew of EPs on John Digweed’s imprint, including Sunburst and the Vostok EP, the latter of which was released in May of this year.
This past month has seen the release of Lopezhouse’s debut album, Apollo, released as part of the Quattro Artists project on Bedrock, alongside long players from Quivver, Captain Mustache and Satoshi Fumi.
Quattro Artists out now on @BedrockRecords 4 x full length albums from @Quivver @captainmustache @lopezhousedj @Satoshi_Fumi one deluxe Box set of 4 x CD’s / Digital / Download / Streaming more Info https://t.co/4TJF0GRJW4 pic.twitter.com/ZOCFoamozt
— John Digweed (@DJJohnDigweed) December 17, 2021
909originals caught up with them.
Your new album, Apollo, was one of four long players to be included on the new Quattro compilation. How did that project come about?
We’d actually been thinking about doing a new project for some time, and then received a phone call from John Digweed to create an album on Bedrock. That’s how we started working on Apollo.
How would you describe the album?
Apollo is a journey into our own space. Imagine travelling in an 80’s spacecraft, surfing the infinite galaxy. It makes more sense if you listen to it from beginning to end. Of course, it will feel different for each individual.
Bedrock is one of the labels that you have been most closely associated with since you started making music. How did you and John Digweed first cross paths?
We found out that John played our track Motorik in one of his gigs in Rosario, Argentina. We contacted him soon after.
I read somewhere that you draw your influences from a wide variety of sources, Krautrock, Kosmische, Pink Floyd, Vangelis, Devo as well as the likes of Kraftwerk and Orbital. In what ways is this variety of styles evident in your music?
When we start a normal production day in the studio, we don’t think about any other music in particular. I guess that all the music that has inspired us and continues to inspire, appears in one way or another through our productions. For example, the idea of ethereal guitars can be traced back to Mogwai or Pink Floyd. The same for the pads with Vangelis, I suppose that our music education is printed in our work.
You also like to blend analog and digital while making music, correct?
Yes we do! We love the guitar and bass atmospheres and we do it analog. Sometimes, we even introduce live drums on some tracks.
You hail from the La Mancha region of Spain, which isn’t as well known for its electronic music scene as Madrid or Barcelona. Has that changed in recent years?
Sadly it hasn’t. It’s difficult for any type music to grow when there aren’t even clubs to promote it.
Last year’s Sunburst EP was released during the pandemic, as was the recent Vostok EP. Did that period shape your approach to making music?
Yes, it did for this album, we wanted to do something that people could enjoy at home, because nobody could go out to the dance floor.
Do you think the pandemic changed anything about the wider dance/electronic scene? Or have things gone back to the way they were, pre-pandemic? Omicron variant aside, of course…
Yes! Everything has changed, not only with electronic music but with music in general, unfortunately things haven’t gone back to pre-pandemic times. We are ready to roll but can only wait and hope for the best. Maybe in 2022 things will change, who knows?
Best wishes for everybody in the new year. See you on the dance floor.
Lopezhouse’s album Apollo, part of Quattro Artists, is available now, at bedrockshop.com.
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