Chus + Ceballos Interview

A Spanish duo know for pioneering the ‘Iberican Sound', Chus + Ceballos' rough and tough tribal vibe has already found them a home this year on labels from Toolroom to Tronic, as well as their own . With over a decade's worth of experience behind their studio productions, their magic remix touch has also been requested by everyone from Carlo Lio to Madonna.

Appearing at Egg presents on Friday 22nd alongside countryman Wally Lopez, we caught up with the alliterative pairing to find out more about their story...

More info and tickets here.

Can you tell us about how you got into electronic music. What was Madrid like when you started out and DJs and producers and how does it compare to now?

CHUS: “I got into the music through my father, who was a music lover and a vinyl collector. He was passionate about music since he was a kid and started DJing when he was only 15 years old.” 

CEBALLOS: “I got into the music through my school friends. We formed an electronic band when we were only 15 years old playing in a few local bars. Madrid was very interesting in the '90s, a very open-minded city with a great night life. The electronic music community of DJs and producers was very small, most of us were friends and we would try to collaborate with each other to learn more about music production and DJing. There was no internet back then, so most of us were self taught. Thanks to that big group effort we all put the Spanish electronic music on the map. That was the beginning of Stereo Productions and the Iberian Sound.”

When do you meet one another and decide to start working as a duo, rather than going it alone?

CEBALLOS: “I used to bring my demos to Chus, He was the resident DJ at one of the first house music clubs in Madrid, Teatro Kapital. After a few years of being there, we coincidentally both quit working with our old partners at the same time, so we decided to give working together a try. Our sounds and backgrounds were a bit different back then so we really didn’t know what to expect, but from the very first moment in the studio the magic happened and some of the tops labels like Defected and Yoshitoshi were interested in releasing our first productions right away.”

For those that don't know, can you explain the Iberican Sound? What are its roots?

CEBALLOS: “We found the word ‘Iberican’ to tell people when we started who we are and where we come from, since there was a very interesting and unique musical movement happening in the Iberian peninsula (Spain and Portugal) when we started making music. Our sound has continued to evolve over the years, but it is a fact that we stay true to our essence and the Iberican touch that still identifies us, in which the percussion and rhythm elements of our style (Yin/Yang) are inseparable. It is important to have an identity and to be true to your principles. With that solid rhythmic base that identifies us, we also consider ourselves music lovers and we like different styles. It's something you can hear in our sets where we will move from deep house to techno easily.”

How long have you been running Stereo Productions for? Who are some of the main artists and what kind of DJs do you have supporting your releases? Are there any forthcoming releases in the pipeline? How about plans to follow up your debut album?

CEBALLOS: “We founded Stereo in 1999, but the first vinyl records were released in 2001, and since then hundreds of relevant artist have been part of the label. The last years we have released music from Joseph Capriati, Danny Tenaglia, Dosem, Technasia, Mark Knight, Yousef and Henry Saiz, among many other amazing talents. We put out a large variety of music and most of the top artists from house to techno have supported us with the likes of Richie Hawtin, Marco Carola, Hot Since 82, Adam Beyer, Carl Cox, Joseph Capriati, Paco Osuna, Seth Troxler, Jamie Jones or Joris Voorn to name but a few.”

Chus you were part of Kadoc in the '90s and have a massive hit with 'The Nighttrain'. What were some of the highlights of that time? How does the size of the current electronic music scene now compare to its '90s peak?

CHUS: “Kadoc was the first electronic music club in the Portuguese Algarve. I was the resident DJ and I had the chance to Share the booth with some of the greatest talent of that time, and nowadays legends, such as Carl Cox, Deep Dish or Danny Tenaglia to name but a few. It was a very inspirational time in my career, everything was new and exciting, a discovery time for so many things going on. 'The Nighttrain' was a single that my friend David Penn and his band did for the club. It was my introduction to the music production world, really great times! The '90s were an explosion of electronic music, a very prolific and unique era and the beginning of the industry that we know today.” 

You're playing at Egg alongside Wally Lopez, who is a very, very funny man. How long does your relationship with him go back? Would you say you share a similar sound?

CHUS: “We have been crossing paths with Wally for over 15 years. We started at the same time and have collaborated on many occasions, The first release on our label Stereo, ‘The Strong Rhythm’, had a remix from Wally Lopez & Doctor Kucho. I won't say that our sounds are similar but they're definitely compatible and we always have fun playing together.”

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