From jazz to rock to “smart house music,” Guti’s rise has been an entertaining, thoroughly thought-provoking one. The Argentine producer and performer made his first musical waves as a classically-trained jazz pianist before morphing into local rock ‘n’ roll hero and then finally, in 2006, experiencing techno.
His kaleidoscopic education, also taking in South American folk and the Blues, stood him in good stead for the electronic dance initiations to come. A series of refreshingly open-minded techno tracks started to appear on clued-up labels like Unlock and Desolat (including Las Cosas Que NoSe Tocan) and when, in 2009, his slick Latin piano workout alongside Damian Schwartz, Salson, was licensed by Loco Dice for use on NRK compilation The Lab 01 the hype suddenly rocketed.
It’s undeniable that Guti’s electronic stock has risen dramatically in the past 18 months. Last year, lime-lit labels Crosstown Rebels and Wolf + Lamb Music touted huge Guti tunes including Every Cow Has A Bird and Hold Me Tight (alongside Visionquest’s Shaun Reeves) and now Guti is releasing his remarkably accomplished debut album Patio de Juegos, via Desolat. He’s excited, yes, but refuses to get carried away.
Hold Me Tight (Shaun Reeves & Guti Remix) - Pupkulies & Rebecca by khriztian
“People tell me that I have, like, blown up recently” Guti casually opens, “but I’m just doing my thing… doing the same thing I was when I started in jazz… being true to myself and not following any conventions. Recently I have been in the right place with the right people, or so it seems, but when I make music I don’t think about how much noise it should make, I just want it to have some heart.”
His new album has it in spades. Patio de Juegos, which aptly translates as ‘playground’, offers a series of sturdy house frameworks on which all manner of melodies, instruments, vocals and native Latino influences can mesmerically climb. There is quality, variety and real cut-through here, expressed best on tracks such as All The Girls, with its neat piano loops and powerhouse beats; Still Here, with its eclectic, jazz-juiced bent,;and My Whole Thing which, featuring singer Anthea Marie Nzekwu, conveys dreamy downtempo perfection.
“It’s weird, because I recorded a lot of this music some time ago and I’ve been playing it out in my live shows for about six months now, and yet for a lot of people it’s the new thing, I know” Guti confesses. “I’m really happy with Patio, the reaction in clubs has been crazy, really fantastic. I’m looking forward to Miami and seeing how it works there too.”
Guti is, by his own admission, a lightening streak in the studio, able to produce new music with the well-drilled efficiency of a car assembly line, but slightly more swerve ‘n’ verve. “I work quickly” he confirms. “Desolat told me to do what I liked for the new album, so I let go creatively and made something like 80 tracks in a few weeks. Then they told me open-mouthed ‘OK, can you make it like 14 tracks?’ which I did. But none of the music has the same routine; I recorded some of it in my big state-of-the-art barn studio in Buenos Aires, some tracks in a hotel room in Bucharest after a party, other tracks in Paris and Berlin. Every location and situation gave me different ideas and approaches which I then channelled. I think it shows on the record.”
What, then, are Guti’s wider feelings about electronic dance music? The European house scene, in particular, has come in for recent criticism about its supposed lack of variety and originality. “I think there are good musicians and bad musicians in every genre” he answers. “But, sure, the technology side of dance music is overrated; in most situations you really don’t need to be a genius to create something. Technology isn’t a talent, it’s a possibility. You can reach a really high level of competence with something like Ableton and do amazing things, but I’m not sure it sounds the same as music put together by someone who knows their notes, how to write music, how to create with heart.”
Guti, with all of his vast musical expertise, is soon to embark on a tour of the world, promoting the new record. As one might expect, his touring set-up isn’t the usual (and basic) DJ one; rather it’s a full on live experience merging turntables, laptops, customised software and good, old fashioned keyboards – a fusion, then, of technology and talent? “I try to do something different. Having the keyboards adds an extra element and means I can create an extra experience on the dancefloor” he says. “I love to play out; it’s always a fresh experience for me, and a fresh reaction from the people.”
Guti’s hectic touring schedule will take him to Miami next week, as well as to Movement in Detroit, SONAR in Spain, Asia, South America (naturally) and London. The show in London is part of a showcase for Desolat, the label’s first in the city since 2009, and will ‘soft launch’ new London super-club Pulse. “I’m really excited about that one; it’ll be great to be with everyone from the label” Guti enthuses. “It’s a big new venue right? I think we can do something really special to welcome it.”
Founded in 2007 by Loco Dice and Martin Buttrich, Dusseldoft-based Desolat has become something of a second home for Guti – figuratively and literally. “I live just four blocks from the Desolat office so, yeah, you could say I have close ties to Desolat!” he laughs. “But, seriously, they have supported me for a long time now, and given me the freedom to make the very best music I can. They’re a great team, everyone there is different but the quality remains high.
“Martin is Martin… he’s a humble guy; he respects what I’m doing and fully supports me which is an amazing feeling. He and Loco have a firm grip on Desolat, they know what they’re doing and the artists all feed off that.”
Guti is already thinking about the next steps of his rapidly blossoming career – a career hotly-tipped by established peers Carl Cox, Luciano and Seth Troxler. He has firmed-up plans for several EPs at the end of the year, and is busy mapping out “crazy” projects for the months beyond that. He promises, however, to remain grounded: “I have no interest in hype. I don’t pay too much attention to the rest of the electronic dance scene, in truth; I will simply carry on making records the way I like to make them. I like to think of it as ‘smart house music’, music with lots of layers, influences and emotions. It’s not about burning a club but really connecting with people.”
The people are listening...
Words: Ben Lovett
Guti’s new album Patio de Juegos is out now on Desolat.
