Going Locos with Desolat's Hector

Image: Hector 

Hector is a pivotal component of Loco Dice's Desolat crew, and the Mexican native currently has the world at his feet, with gigs across the globe and more releases than we can keep count of.

Hector has recently taken his musical involvement to the next level by launching his own parties under the name Vatos Locos. The party signals a new journey for Hector, but despite his expanding work load he continues to churn out some of the strongest electronic records, spanning from funky techno to the darker side of house, all completed with a mature edge. 

As one of the truly hard working individuals on the circuit, Hector is striving to create a more exciting terrain within the house music scene by championing up-and-coming talented individuals, whilst continuously executing his own sets with precision, and topped with infectious energy (check out the video of him in action below). 

We caught up with the man himself ahead of his UK double whammy on Saturday 4th April with gigs in both Edinburgh and Birmingham. 

So where abouts in the world are you now? 

Berlin at the moment actually. I moved to LA for five months because I had an America and South America tour so I was based there but for the summer I've come back to Berlin, so I'm back in Europe. 

What are you up to in Berlin currently?

I'm just catching up with meetings at the moment and I'm in the studio because I was getting behind with that sort of work. I'm also making all the preparations for my event Vatas Locos. Just really busy working with that. 

You've had some really great artists join you for Vatas Locos. How do you decide who plays with you?  

I always have my good friends play with me and it's always people who I really admire and whose music I support. 

There's a real mixture of people and we don't have any 'I'm better than you', we're all just there for the music and for the party and it's been working really well because at the end of the day it reflects on the vibe and the people. 

So what can people expect from the parties? 

The music fits together, it's like a variation of styles but there's always a good connection between every DJ and that's what I like and what I want to put out. People play their own style and their own music but they know each other or know of each other. Its always good to get them together and you can feel it with with the music and with the crowds.  

Hector - Live At Vatos Locos, Canibal Royal (The BPM Festival 2015, Mexico) - 17-Jan-2015 by Bestlivesets.Com on Mixcloud

Is there any chance of us getting treated to a Vatos Locos party in the UK?

Yeah it's on the agenda. Next up will probably be Sonar, and after Sonar we'll do something maybe in the UK. So we'll see how we get on and then we'll move to the next step. 

You'll be playing alongside Desolat boss Loco Dice at two events on Saturday 4th April, one at Birmingham's Rainbow Venues and the other at Edinburgh's Nightvision. What are your previous experiences in the cities? 

Birmingham is always amazing, I remember maybe ten years ago when I started going to The Rainbow, that was my first experience of the city and I love to go and play there because the people are really up for it. Edinburgh, I have played there once before, but it was really great as well. 

What is it like being part of the Desolat crew?

Well it's been almost four or five years now I've been with them, it's been really good, we're like a family. We're brothers and sisters and we all go and play together and spend time with each other. It's great being part of the label. 

With the Vatos Locos parties kicking off in America, plus your temporary move there, you must have grown to love it over on that side of the pond. What is it that you like?

I love the crowds and the clubs. For me it was something new because I'd never played there before up until about two years ago, that was the first time I went to play, so it was a new market for me and I'm still exploring the whole underground scene and it's been really good. To live there, the quality of life is amazing, living in LA is super cool.

America seems to be EDM crazy at the moment, did you still find there was a strong underground scene there too? 

Yeah obviously there is a huge market for EDM at the moment, but the underground scene is there. There's a lot of clubs in New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Boston, that are really cool and I really respect what they do.  

What does summer look like for you? 

We have a residency now confirmed over in Ibiza. I can't tell where but you will all see in the summer. Then of course I've got Sonar. It's going to be a really busy summer. 

Hector @ DESOLAT MIxmag DJ Lab (Cue Bar), ADE - 19.10.2012 by Eat My Beats on Mixcloud

Could you tell us a bit more about your upcoming releases? We know you've got some lined up for 2020 Vision and Leftroom.

The one on Leftroom is one exclusive track for Matt Tolfrey's compilation for Fabric. Still waiting to hear if we're going to get some remixes or if it's going to be a white label.

2020 Vision, well Ralph Lawson is one of the people I respect the most and I did a release with them a few years ago and it's such a great label, it's always good to be part of them. Also there's another UK label called Decay and also 1trax which is where I released my CD compilation live from Tokyo.

I've just finished in the studio and I have another ten tracks, so you know, there's a lot of output. 

Are there any up-and-coming artists we should keep an eye out for that you rate?  

All my boys that play for Vatos Locos like David Gtronic, Randall M, Javier Carballo, Chad Andrew. I get them on board because they've got really good stuff coming out and 2015 is going to be a boom for them. 

So it acts as a platform for them?

Exactly, I mean it's all about support, it's great for exposure and it's a way for them to express themselves and put their music out there. For me, I love to share it with them because I support them and they support me.

Last up a hypothetical question, you have the power to throw your ultimate Vatos Locos event. You can alongside anyone from past or present. What venue would you pick, who would join you and what track would define the night? 

Wow, good question. It'd have to be an open air venue, for sure. I would probably choose Mexico somewhere next to the Mayan ruins, that would be the place.

I'd play with Dubfire, and some good friends like Carola. Wow, what track to use? Maybe because we're at the Mayan ruins, 'Knights of the Jaguar' by DJ Rolando (listen above).

For more on Hector including his upcoming gigs, click here. 

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