As DJ Chus prepares to be ushered into the hallowed hall of the House Masters, Defected's Ben Lovett takes a look at the Spanish producer's formative years and examines the impact his productions have had on the global house music scene...
Chus L Esteban took his first professional strides onto the dancefloor at the end of the Eighties in home city Madrid. He was just 16, playing acid house at local joint Alien – part of Spain’s prominent disco-tech group Kapital – before, in 1992, landing a seven-year residency at major Portuguese club Kadoc, and in 1994, securing a regular slot at Madrid’s first house venue Teatro Kapital.
Impressive momentum in the DJ booth would lead to important long-term friendships with producers David Penn and Pablo Ceballos and, in turn, a thriving studio career, heavyweight record label (Stereo Productions) and serious global profile. It’s no surprise, then, that this later this month Esteban, DJ Chus, becomes the 16th incarnation of Defected Records’ House Masters compilation series – a prestigious, truly authoritative account of house’s biggest moments, each series release dropping re-mastered, full length, DJ friendly versions of their host artist’s chosen work. Previous ‘masters’ include Louie Vega, Kenny Gonzalez, Blaze and Dennis Ferrer.
“It’s a pleasure for me to be part of this [House Masters]. I’m proud to be awarded; it feels like a promotion or something. Like a solider getting an important medal,” Chus begins. “I really enjoyed the compiling process, going back to my older tracks and having great memories. It was a nice challenge to edit and re-master them, and give them a new lease of life.”
But whilst the new record revisits classic Chus moments El Amor (2001, with Joeski), That Feeling (2002) and Dreams (2004, his remix alongside Ceballos of the Kings Of Tomorrow), there are more recent moments, too, such as Back 2 NY (2009, with Rob Mirage), Canoa (2010, his remix of DJ Gregory & Gregor Salto with David Herrero) and Libres Para Siempre (2011, with Cevin Fisher and Penn). On top of that Chus presents exclusive 2012 edits of Inner City (Future) and Reboot (Enjoy Music).
Has the prestige of being involved with all this changed his outlook on what comes next? As a ‘master’ is he feeling any more pressured to deliver future 4-4 perfection? “I’m so proud about where I am; it’s like wow! But I’m always growing as an artist, step by step... learning from those around me, striving to do it better and then actually doing it better. I have no fears; this isn’t a competition. There are, of course, bad moments but they make you stronger.”
Competition, however, is a word that inevitably rears its head in clubland these days where Spain is concerned. Where Chus, in the first flushes of his career, was something of a one-man band according to international onlookers, today he is surrounded by a wealth of high-profile domestic talent. Spain has embraced huge electronic revolution with many exciting new producers at its vanguard; some predisposed to criticising what has gone before and often still dominates.
Most comments, in fact, relate to Spain’s commercially-driven reliance on the same solid but unspectacular tech-house sounds, and express a passionate desire for the country to start setting its own clubland agendas rather than following those of Europe.
“There is a historical legacy to contend with” Chus points out. “Because of Spain’s rich folk musical traditions and its isolation following decades of military dictatorship [the Franco years, 1936-1975] the people here have always preferred music in their native language and Anglo-Saxon music has not always been appreciated. This explains why soulful, vocal house has never been popular in Spain and why progressive and tech-house have dominated. The Spanish electronic scene has always been more influenced by European tendencies, from the Eurobeat of the 1980s to the current techno and tech-house.”
That said Chus is no musical sheep. As his long, advancing career attests, he has never followed any stylistic path other than his own. The Iberican sound is booming case in point, seeded by Chus and Ceballos during the 1990s and rapidly nurtured into a worldwide phenomenon. Describing Iberican is no easy task, suffice to say it fuses Chus’ house upbringing with Ceballos’ techno one – a smartly-swung, constantly adapting amalgamation infused by both Spanish and Portuguese culture, as well as Afro-Latin hustle, dense tribal rhythm and slick, soul-stirring New Jersey deep.
“Iberican is the meeting point of several different cultures; the boundaries of which crossed into a very special global sound supported by artists and producers all over the world” Chus says. “The Iberican sound is our benchmark, a modern vision of tribal tech-Latin and Balearic house which everyone can recognise when they hear it. It is highly distinctive!”
Enough so that Chus continues to hold his own domestically and internationally, and can afford to assess his fast-rising compatriots without even the tiniest bead of sweat. “Names like David Herrero, Danny Serrano, Uner, Coyu, Edu Umbernon, Los Suruba, Wagon Cookin’, Rober Gaez and Nacho Marco... they are all super-talented and will lead our country to a prosperous future full of quality music. The newer names like John Talabot, AFFKT, Damian Schwartz and Pional also have huge fanbases and are prepared to take responsibility for our industry which bodes well for everyone. Spain is an endless source of talent!”
Can Chus imagine any point in the future where his brightly burning star might wane? “As I say, this music of ours isn’t a competition. Music motivates me every day; it’s the most powerful drug. And the support of my family – my wife and daughter – also gives me life. There are many artists, musicians and entertainers today but, first of all, we are all just people with the same goals – we want to make our dreams come true. I think everyone can have their own style and can learn and take inspiration from one another. Working like that builds to better things; we have to help one another to make our scene stronger.”
Quite recently, throat pains forced Chus to shift himself from the chaotic club music whirl straight to hospital. The visit wasn’t necessarily work-related; nonetheless it raises questions about the increasingly hectic lifestyle of today’s DJ-producers. And, certainly, it has given Chus precious time to reflect on his current itinerary.
“My career is very, very intensive” he says. “Nowadays, DJ-producers are like pilgrims, constantly moving and with little time to properly rest. You’re in an automatic pilot mode for the endless studio sessions, marathon DJ sets, countless office and record label work, and then looking after the social network sites.
“It’s very demanding physically. Usually I have gigs every week, from one side of the world to another; with that comes the flights, the waiting around, airport food, different time zones and jet lag... I try to sleep as much as possible, eat well and exercise but it’s never enough.”
The toll, alas, on Chus’ body won’t be letting up anytime soon. Aside from gigs scheduled right up to the end of 2012, Chus has new studio projects planned with compadres Abel Ramos and David Penn – the three are currently producing an album as The New Iberican League - not to mention new releases planned for Stereo.
Chus launched the Stereo imprint alongside Ceballos and mutual friend Carlos Calico back in 2002 as a platform to fully extend his Iberican vision. Rapturously received debut cut The Strong Rhythm (by Chus & Ceballos) paved the way for similarly-fashioned gems That Feeling, Iberican Sound (Chus & Ceballos), The Rhythm Of Life (Muzzaik), Dibiza (Danny Tenaglia) and Harmonica Track (Chus). The rise of Stereo over the years has complimented an amplification of Chus’ remix and production work for other influential labels including Strictly Rhythm, NRK, 2020, Red Melon and Toolroom; not to mention artists Madonna and Yoko Ono.
“I’m extremely happy about the New Iberican League stuff; the first songs are great” Chus offers. “And Stereo is still my best kept treasure; it has become a respected and recognised label attracting top DJs and producers and outstanding new talents. I’m really proud of, and passionate about it. I’ve been in this industry for 25 years now it is very much a way of life; I’ve made so many good friends around the world, played thousands of amazing gigs, worked with all sorts of inspirational people. I don’t think there’s anything I would or could have done differently in my career.”
What advice then might ‘master’ Chus pass on to electronic’s eager young bloods? He is well placed to give it. “They should follow their dreams but that means working hard, being constant, keeping their feet on the ground, and trusting their hunches,” is the reply. “I still follow that advice myself. My long-term goal is to keep working hard on Stereo, and involving myself in the projects and music I love... following my dreams. I’ll work on as far as I can. I love music.”
Words: Ben Lovett
House Masters DJ Chus is released by Defected Records on April 23 in both double-disc and download formats - check out the rest of the series here
