Hernan Cattaneo has been one of the greatest exponents of progressive house for decades, and his sets are recognized worldwide as sound stories, each one with a million details and textures that make each trip unexpected and unique. Currently, the DJ and producer is on the eve of a long-awaited return to Cordoba for his already legendary double appearance at Forja after a forced absence of almost 2 years.
EG caught up with the acclaimed Argentine artist to find out more about his performances at Forja, his recent Cercle Festival experience, what his show ‘Future Memories’ left him with, and much more.
EG: Hello Hernan! It is a pleasure to have you with us once again. Welcome. How have you been?
Hernan Cattaneo: Hey friends! How’s it going? Around here everything is very good – quite busy, many shows, many trips and very good plans for the rest of the year.
EG: Congratulations on your recent performance at the Cercle Festival! We really enjoyed your set. How was the experience?
Hernan Cattaneo: I had a great time. First, the place, which is truly spectacular: An aircraft and rocket museum at Le Bourget Airport in Paris where they have everything from a Jumbo 747, an Airbus 380, a Concorde, a Mirage, many World War II aircraft, old helicopters, and of course also the Ariane rocket that surely everyone saw in the photos and it’s crazy when you stand next to it.
My set was in the afternoon, so I made it quite melodic – I didn’t really know what to expect since in Paris I don’t have many followers, but luckily there were people who traveled to the Cercle Festival from all over Europe and danced with me throughout the set . In about two weeks they will present the complete set on their YouTube channel, so I’m looking forward to it. They are very detailed, so I am sure it will be great.
EG: And now a long-awaited return to Cordoba is coming, they must be very special weeks for you. What can we expect from this double presentation?
Hernan Cattaneo: The Cordoba shows in Forja with BNP are always very special and are among the best I’ve done in my entire career. The production, the anticipation that is generated, and the energy that the public brings are very difficult to find elsewhere, so I am very happy to be able to return after two long years. Ticket sales were record, and now we will do everything to hopefully bring two unforgettable nights like the previous ones in 2017, 18, and 19.
EG: You will also have an ‘Open Day: The Art of Mixing’ beforehand, at the Siglo 21 University Campus. What will this be about?
Hernan Cattaneo: It’s a long weekend and we know that many guys travel to Cordoba from far away from Thursday to Monday, so we thought it was a good idea to add another activity as a preview to these two great shows on Saturday and Sunday.
At Siglo 21 University we will give a talk together with Graziano Raffa, Soundexile, and Facu Carri where we will talk about topics ranging from how to manage a global race, how to prepare a set, how to do a good warm-up, or how to take advantage of the great advantages of Rekordbox.
“The Cordoba shows in Forja with BNP are always very special and are among the best I’ve done in my entire career”
EG: Between the Open Day and the Sudbeat Bootcamp with Aulart you fully entered teaching! How are the Bootcamps coming? What is this new facet giving you?
Hernan Cattaneo: Everything starts from the same premise which is to teach what we learned, share what we know and transmit the experience we have – The Bootcamps with Aulart are focused more on music production and these talks will be more than anything towards the world del DJ – Anyway, in both cases, the main idea is to help young people to advance their passion for music as we once did with the help of other greats in the industry.
EG: One of the last times we saw you was at your ‘Future Memories’ performance, which saw you in a completely new role, with another form of ‘control’ over the final sound. Did you keep digging into the world of live performance since then?
Hernan Cattaneo: After doing ‘Connected’ at Teatro Colon, it became very clear to me that I liked to look for other ways of sharing music beyond the DJ booth and a club or a festival.
During the pandemic, they always offered me to DJ with people sitting down and I wasn’t very attracted to that concept, so it seemed to me that if people couldn’t stand up, then something else had to be done and from there ‘Future Memories’ was born. The idea was to go to a mythical theater like the Gran Rex in Buenos Aires and do a live review of our productions with Oliverio and Baunder from Soundexile, and also take advantage of the opportunity and invite other musician friends to share the stage with us, more Sergio Lacroix, with a great staging that we all really enjoyed.
EG: Did that show change your outlook on studio production at all? Are there things from that show that you have incorporated into your recent productions?
Hernan Cattaneo: Well, everyone knows that I’m not a musician, but even so I have many ideas in my head all the time that are later reflected in the studio when we get together with my friends like Soundexile or Marcelo Vasami, Martin Garcia and many more.
I would say that mainly ‘Future Memories’ pushed me even more especially to think of music not only for the track as before but also for other scenarios.
“There are big shows on the way, like the 10th anniversary of Woodstoock 69, Tomorrowland, Barcelona, Ibiza, Mykonos, Burning Man, Stereo Montreal, and many, many more”
EG: What else can we expect from Hernan Cattaneo and Sudbeat in the coming months?
Hernan Cattaneo: I think Sudbeat is having a great year with high-quality releases and very good repercussions among DJs and the public. On the other hand, we are starting a collaboration with a clothing brand from Argentina and we are excited to be able to share our style in that area as well.
As for my career, summer is already beginning in the northern hemisphere, so there will be many months of non-stop touring, There are big shows on the way, like the 10th anniversary of Woodstoock 69, Tomorrowland, Barcelona, Ibiza, Mykonos, Burning Man, Stereo Montreal, and many, many more.
In addition to the DJ shows, during this year the production company Buena will publish the ‘Future Memories’ album recorded live at the Gran Rex, and my book ‘El Sueño del DJ’ will be translated into English with distribution in Europe, something that, of course, it makes me very happy.
EG: Thanks for your time Hernan! All the best to you!
Hernán Cattáneo: Thanks to you for your continuous support!
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