From humble beginnings of making electronic music on his dad's Commodore Amiga, Gregor Salto has developed into a fierce house producer, and his blossoming relationship with his semi-namesake DJ Gregory is only adding fuel to the fire. Their latest collaboration ‘Canoa’ draws something from Gregory’s recent excursions in Angola and Brazil, and something else from Gregor’s ability to really break the mould when it comes to beats and basslines.
We caught up with Gregor to talk internships, production styles and how to handle rejection…
You're relationship in the studio with DJ Gregory seems to be going from strength to strength - why do you work so well together?
Maybe 8 or 9 years ago when I was still playing in small clubs around Amsterdam, I was already a big fan of Gregory. I was even forced to give myself the surname Salto ‘cause there was already a Gregor(y)’ monsieur Darsa. Then 3 years ago I played before him on the mainstage of this cool Dutch festival called Latin Village. I ended my set with a track I did with Chuckie, called 'Toys are Nuts'. This crazy croissant gave me his typical Gregory crazy look and asked me what the hell the track was. Imagine my happiness being able to tell him it was mine! So, he gave me his email and asked me to contact him.
I did…and the croissant never replied! A year or so later Gregory joins my girlfriends' agency Pow Deejays and decides to come and live in Amsterdam. Finally we get together and made 'Con Alegria' in one afternoon after spending 2 weeks trying to make a track that just didn't work.
I think that with a guy like Gregory it is hard to make a bad record. I mean, he's like a walking library on dance music. We're both crazy about tropical soul music and we share the love for house.
Cano has been really well received...tell us how the track came about? What production equipment did you use?
For Canoa we used a fragment from some old record he had brought from Brazil. I LOVE Brazil! I once went on a road trip for a month through Brazil and it was the best holiday of my life. I just didn't want to go home. Back home I would be alone in my studio with the music I had bought there and I would close my eyes to still feel a bit of that Brazilian vibe. I felt that way again when Gregory showed me this fragment of Canoa. I could almost see those women from the northern states in their big white dresses dance and singing to it, so we just had to use it.
We started creating a beat in Logic and I added some little chords. Then once the main groove was there, Gregory went home and told me this version wouldn't be loud enough for the clubs. I was a bit tired of almost being forced to only produce heavy-sounding Dutch beats, and decided to just finish it the way I’d like to play the song. Gregory still thought it was too soft and we even got together in my studio again to make a big room version. But in the end he agreed that the record was just fine the way it was, so fortunately we kept it that way.
How do you start making a track? What comes first (drums, bassline etc..)?
I don’t really have standard way of starting a track. Sometimes I have a concept…like with my latest release Horizonte. I just always wanted to make an 'Ibiza sounding' flamenco house track that I could play during those summer nights. Sometimes I just start with a beat, sometimes I create a whole groove around a vocal (like with Vem Rebola) and sometimes I write a lyric to an idea I had before to increase the song's potential, which is how it happened with Your Friend.
You started off playing classical piano...what first got you into dance music?
I got in to dance music once I heard Todd Terry's Can you Party at a highschool party. It was around that time when they were playing Big Fun, French Kiss and Pump Up the Volume. That was my introduction to house. I still love those tracks.
You worked as an intern for Café del Mar...is that the best way of getting into the industry?
I was studying in Madrid and afterwards I did my internship at Cafe del Mar's former distributor. It was a nice time, I learned a lot about the distribution business and got really inspired by the softer side of electronic music. I used to go out and listen to this colleague at the distribution centre, DJ Roberto Rodriguez, who had his amazing Sunday residency at a club in the centre of the city. He introduced me to music by guys like Joe Claussell, Jazzanova and Francois K. It was also during that time that I met my friend Dr. Kucho! and we did quite a few records together after that.
When I went back home to Holland I decided I wanted to dedicate myself to the soulful side of dance music, however on the dance floor I noticed the Dutch didn't really want to groove to the things I had in mind, so eventually I had to boost my beats a little, which fortunately worked out. However there is still a part of me that wants to do that softer kinda stuff. I think Canoa is a step in that direction although I definitely won't stop making heavier sounding stuff as well.
To get back to your question: I think the best way of getting in this industry is just by working your ass off. Unless you're extremely gifted or smart you'll just have to work long and hard. At least that's what I did :)
Canoa is out now on Defected Records.
