Electronic Groove: Hi Gil, thanks for taking the time to answer a few questions. Tell us a bit about your musical background and how you got interested in dance music?
Gil Montiel: Thank you! It’s always a pleasure chatting with you guys. Well, I started playing drums since I was 6 years old, later on I played on a couple of bands where I had the chance to play more instruments. One of the bands I was part of was a little more inclined into an electronic indie/rock genre where I got the opportunity to play around with “Reason”. After that I started to create my own ‘’beats’’. I could literally spend hours non-stop on the computer. At some point I knew I had to take my skills to a next level and that’s when I decided to go and study at SAE in Barcelona, Spain. I lived there for almost a year and got to experience probably one of the best times of my life (2008 – The good old days). I remember my buddy Miguel Puente was living there and he invited me to a Kompakt showcase at this venue called Nitsa Apollo. After that night my perception and approach to electronic music changed, and from that moment on I felt it was more than obvious that I would continue to make music for a long time.
Electronic Groove: Describe a normal day in the life of Gil Montiel?
Gil Montiel: I spend most of my weekdays in the studio. I enjoy sparing a couple of hours to go hiking and breath some fresh air, after which I hit the studio with my producing partner Daniel Cantisani. We spend days and nights mixing and mastering for other artists and labels, and not as much time (unfortunately) on a duo live project called “Art in Otium“… Hopefully, we will soon have some new and exciting music coming out. Here’s a download free remix we just finished for ‘Timeless’, a James Blake track from his new album.
Electronic Groove: Tell us about your Live performance… Do you play all original material, or do you like to mix it up?
Gil Montiel: My Live set is all original material. I enjoy creating a new live session for each show. I like the challenge of expressing something new for each crowd. Usually it takes me around 2 weeks to do a whole live set, always starting from scratch. At the moment I perform with Ableton Push and Livid DS1. Lately I’ve integrated a live instrument, but I’ve been moving towards a more ambitious setup.
“I believe warm ups are some of the most challenging work you can do as a dj”
Electronic Groove: You’re resident at Casa Morelos, one of the most exciting and vibrant clubs in Mexico. Can you tell us about the experience so far?
Gil Montiel: Well I got to say that I feel really lucky. Casa Morelos is the perfect place to work on my craft, especially with that Funktion-One sound system. It’s great to do the warm ups for top artists with different styles. It’s challenging but I really enjoy it. I believe warm ups are some of the most challenging work you can do as a dj. You need to learn how to read a room since the beginning and to create a vibe from zero with lots of patience and attention to details. It could be one of the most pleasant feelings. And of course I have my own nights as well, where i get to play 4 – 6 hour sets.
Electronic Groove: What are some of your favorite DJs at the time? Are there any producers we should pay attention too?
Gil Montiel: What I’ve heard and really liked in this past couple of months (In no particular order) are Ben UFO, Erol Alkan, Dj Harvey, Konstanin, Roman Flugel, and Leo Leal… and hopefully I get to hear Ricardo this summer. On the inspiring production side there’s Bob Moses, David August, Kink, and Leafar Legov.
Electronic Groove: You were recently invited to play at Get Physical & Listed’s Ship of Fools alongside M.A.N.D.Y, Doc Martin, and Dj Three. How was the experience of playing at this iconic MMW event?
Gil Montiel: It’s always inspiring to share an experience with such great artists and musicians that I’ve been following since my early stages. Get Physical and Listed are both guarantees of quality sound and good vibes. Here’s my live set recorded on that day.
Electronic Groove: We are grateful to work with you in various projects as well as having you in our artist roster. Should we share some of the new plans?
Gil Montiel: The whole EG team is like family, I can honestly say it was perfect timing. It’s such a cliché but I believe things happen for a reason and in its right moment; there is so much to do, so much to achieve and to accomplish. I’m just so happy to be part of it. All I can say is that EG Records is coming, and it will be massive.
Electronic Groove : What are the summer plans for Gil Montiel?
Gil Montiel: Travel as much as I can, Play live sets, and collaborate in the studio with new artists.
Electronic Groove: Any new music coming up?
Gil Montiel: I have an EP coming out with Mr. Chris (Inxec) on Edu Imbernon’s label Eklektisch. Also, I’ve just finished an EP with my buddy Inkzvolte, and it looks like Eric Volta and LUM are making a remix. I’m really excited, can’t wait to hear how’s that going to come out. There’s also an EP on Atish’s new label Manjumasi so stay tuned!
