Ricardo Villalobos

Artist 02

RICARDO VILLALOBOS

Birth Place - Chile
Real name - Ricardo Villalobos

One of the original instigators of the microhouse and Latin-infused minimal techno genres, Ricardo Villalobos began djing in his native Chile in the early 90s honing his unique take on electronic music to create the original sound he is widely-revered for today. Villalobos’ productions also typify his Chilean roots and have been credited with breathing a fresh perspective into a flailing scene with key releases on Playhouse, Perlon, Contexterrior, Cocoon and his own Sei Es Drum label. Quickly gaining notoriety and credit amongst his peers, notably Sven Vath and Richie Hawtin, Villalobos soon joined rank and became a figurehead of the international electronic community, headlining festivals and clubs across the world.

Villalobos was born in the capital of Chile, Santiago, in the year 1970. However, at the age of three he moved to Germany with his family after General Augusto Pinochet overthrew the socialist government of Salvador Allende in 1973.

When Ricardo was around 10 or 11 he started to play conga and bongos. Though he loved music, he could never see himself as a musician. In the late eighties he began to make electronic music. From a very young age he has been a a big fan of Depeche Mode, even following their tours around Europe to listen to them. Villalobos takes much of his inspiration from Depeche Mode, as well as other artists such as Daniel Miller, Thomas Melchior, Baby Ford, Daniel Bell, Andrew Weatherall and the rhythmic sound of  South American music.

Villalobos began to play his music at parties while he was studying at university, but this was only for his own enjoyment. His first record was released on the German Playhouse label in 1994 and he began DJing as a professional in 1998, and is in present times regarded as one of the most important minimal DJs in Europe, alongside other talented chilean djs and producers such as Luciano (an occasional collaborator) and Dandy Jack. Villalobos is now a key member of Sven Vath's Cocoon family and regularly plays at high-profile Cocoon events across the world.

DJ Page