on the record ~ dj qu


like anybody with an ounce of taste, i’m a big fan of nyc’s dj qu. the records he makes, and has made for around five years, on his own strength music imprint as well as deep vibes and jus ed’s underground quality, are buy on sight. few other people craft such dark and shadowy yet deep and seductive techno as qu. implicit is the word, because everything about his music seems hinted at and whispered rather than etched out and obvious.

most recent proof came on the excellent infect ep, with all three tracks made of melt-in-your-ears loops that evolve ever so slowly and subtly over the course of their hypnotising durations. the true mark of an individual artist is being able to recognise their sonic fingerprint without every production sounding the same, and that’s exactly how qu operates, often meaning the remixes he turns his hands to outshine originals. on the flip side, though, the man born ramon lisandro quezada is also happy editing jazz funk and ruff soul as on his recent reiterate ep. and there’s more on the way in the form of his undescribed ep, due imminently on synchrophone.

on december 1st, he trips over the atlantic to leeds, where he plays on the same bill as a newly invigorated alex smoke, currently riding high off his freaky techno ep, mu, for vakant, as well as the enduring poker flat boss steve bug, currently touring his latest polished full length. it’s all going down under the system banner at the sprawling rave space that is the unfussy but sonically spot-on mint warehosue. ahead of the gig, i asked him a few quick questions about the records which have shaped his life thus far… “sorry for being so general with my answers” he says, “but it’s the honest truth.” frankly, you’d expect nothing less…



 
 

first record you bought…

can’t remember unfortunately

last record you bought…

sadar bahar – ‘sole in the hole’

record you wish you’d written…

‘los conquistadores chocolate’ by johnny hammond

record which makes you happiest…

too many to mention

record which makes you saddest…

mainstream hip-hop of today

record you put on for sexy time…

dj qu – ‘secret place’

record you couldn’t live without…

my whole record collection

records which had most influence on you…

80′s house music

your own record of which you are most proud…

gymnastics album

current favourite record…

xdb ‘recago ep’

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published on November 22, 2012 5:01 pm.
filed under: features, house, techno

2 comments »

  1. john dracula says:
    November 27, 2012 at 1:13 am

    good interview but he rambles quite a bit

    Reply
  2. joe hallam says:
    November 29, 2012 at 4:09 pm

    You’ve got to give QU props for using his own record for “sexy time”

    Reply

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