By the Zonagirante.com team @spinning zone
The Colombian electronic music scene is bigger than fans suspect. Each week, multiple events of varying sizes are held in the country's main cities, with the presence of some of the most important personalities in the genre worldwide. What has made it interesting globally is the conscientious work at the level underground which have been carried out by DJs and producers such as Luis Vargas (known in the industry as Sonic), with its consistency in organizing events, and as a record label in the recording and distribution of audiovisual material and the promotion of new local talents, who have performed alongside well-known world luminaries. Vargas has been working with Techsound for 20 years., its promoting company, and has decided to celebrate with a big party, the Techsound Festival. Figures such as the Americans have been invited to this event. Agent Orange y Doom Mekanik, the British Christ Liberator y Sterling Moss, the Argentinian Camila Villegas and Japanese Takeshi Sato, among other international guests, alongside an interesting selection of Colombian artists, including himself Sonic, Blue Kim y Magdalena. The date of this event will be April 17, The event promises 14 hours of music across three stages at a still-secret location. Here's our interview with Sónico about it:
What is the Techsound Festival all about?
We always wanted to create a massive event where we could take Techsound's events and sound to another level in terms of attendance, production, and overall experience, featuring the people and artists who have helped build our name and give it greater visibility. With the current boom in techno festivals, and as we celebrate our 20th anniversary, we felt it was the perfect occasion to do so, as we consider ourselves an important part of that development.
It's remarkable how much the techno scene has grown in Colombia, what is the reason for this phenomenon?
This is primarily because individuals, groups, artists, and organizations have been working on the issue from various perspectives, both artistic and business-related, for many years. It's not a coincidence.
Where does Colombian techno stand compared to other regions?
I get asked that a lot, and I have my perspective on it. From an artistic point of view, the scene has improved tremendously. We went from being a party scene with no local music production to one where artists are now visible on the world stage. We went from being off the map to being part of the global circuit. Colombia is now a must stop On the circuit when the players on that circuit are touring… Before, it was only Argentina, Chile, or Brazil. And not just with techno; Colombia is in the top 3 techno destinations in Latin America, but it's number one on the drum and bass, hardcore, and hard techno circuits—genres that haven't developed nearly as much as what's happening here.
Now, from the perspective of event production and quality, the level has risen considerably. If you compare it to the major European techno powerhouses, it's difficult to match, but I must say that our greatest strength isn't the festivals, clubs (of which there are hardly any), or even the artists. It's the crowd, the party atmosphere here. To give you an example: I often hear, "Wow! You play in New York! The party there must be a thousand times better!"... But it turns out it's not... New York is a very cool city, but it doesn't compare to the techno scene here... And this happens in many cities around the world, even in Europe. But you only realize this when you leave. In fact, techno party tourism in Bogotá is growing all the time. There's no sea, no sun, no scenery here... What there is here is a party, and what a great party it is! Right now, everything has reverted to how it started... The few clubs that existed have closed... More are about to close again... But the scene underground It's huge. There are groups of people partying at every "broken" venue. That's what fuels the scene and keeps it alive. Artists from all over the world know it; they've heard the run run Colombian techno... That's why they love coming here. Long gone are the days when they were afraid.
Why hasn't the event venue been announced in the promotion?
Well, we only released the official statement yesterday. But the legal issues here don't help us hold these events according to their nature, which is to go on all night and for many hours straight. We prefer to keep the location anonymous until the eve of the event to maintain discretion. The traditionalists don't like seeing 2,000 people dancing wildly to the sound of ultrasonic bass and overwhelming sound pressure.
