Beto Cohen was born in Mexico, the son of actress and singer Malu Galan, he was destined to be involved in a creative environment. A slave to his passions has led him possessing an ingenious musical mind that has commanded him to be at the centre of the international music fist. Along with a place on the list amongst other esteemed DJ’s his solid productions demonstrate his distinctive style & approach. Described as tech, minimal, house, the lengthy production catalog Betoko holds up against his name has seen the releases championed & play listed by DJ’s M.A.N.D.Y, Gregor Tresher, Martinez, Steve Lawler, Dubfire, Sven Vath and Marco Carola, to name a few.
Betoko’s embellishment of his music personality gets deeper; now head honcho of his own label, OKO Recordings, he is part of the pioneering evolution of electronic magic adding high quality releases to the worlds track list, supported by some of the globes most highly regarded DJ’s.
We caught up with Betoko to talk about his recent release ‘ZeroOneZero’ on OKO Recordings.
Electronic Groove: Hi Betoko, thanks for the time today. Where are you right now and what are you up to?
Betoko: Hey guys! It’s always a pleasure. I’m in Mexico at the moment touring for most of September as it’s the Mexican independence month so every year we do a lots of parties in all the country with a collective called Born in Mexico. It’s super fun!
Electronic Groove: Can you give us some background on how you got involved with electronic music? Is there any track that comes to mind from those initial days?
Betoko: I’ve been making music since I was very young, I come from a family of artists so it was very natural for me. My older brother used to live in LA in the 80’s and every time he would visit us he would bring some vinyl and I remember a couple in particular, ‘Times Social Club’ and ‘Rumors’, it was like nothing I had ever heard and also a vinyl called ‘Breakdance’ which had some amazing breaks and electro tracks for breakdancing. Later on, I used to spend hours in the import section of my local record shop listening to the Global Underground and Ministry of Sounds CDs. There was not much else available in the electronic music section during those days.
EG: You recently released ‘ZeroOneZero’ & ‘Skream’ on OKO Recordings. What can you tell us about the production process behind it? Where was it produced?
Betoko: On ‘ZeroOneZero’ I wanted to have a beautiful melody in the break and have the rest of the track quite groovy with a dominating bass filtering up and down to give the track some special moments. On ‘Skream’ I wanted an electronic edgy sound that resembled a scream and that was the result.
EG: Does the environment influence the outcome of your productions? How about personal emotions?
Betoko: Yes, sure. I think it’s important to be in a studio or place where you are comfortable and where you have all the equipment to work. Nowadays I find very hard to make music on my laptop, even though I get some ideas done on the road but all gets finished and mixed when I’m back in the studio.
EG: Summer is almost over, what are your plans for the rest of the year? Any new projects in the horizon?
Betoko: I have a very busy touring schedule for the rest of the year. In the past few months I managed to spend some time in the studio to finish some music as I won’t have much time till next year. There are quite a few new EP’s and remixes coming on labels like Einmusika, Beatfreak, Tube & Berger’s new Zhen Records, Dear Deer, Bunny Tiger and my label OKO Recordings.
EG: Do you have any special gigs coming up?
Betoko: I’m really looking forward to playing at El Row Mexico in November, I love the party and of course being the first one in the country will be very special.
EG: Where is your dream club of festival to play at?
Betoko: I would love to play Glastonbury and Coachella.
“I’m really looking forward to playing at El Row Mexico in November”
EG: Can you let us know 3 of your favorite track on rotation?
Betoko: I love Armin Fonscha – Abajour, Cid Inc – Fear and Square and Adrian hour’s remix of D-Nox & Beckers & Santiago Franch – Radiation
EG: You’ve done some intense touring over the years, where should we go to enjoy a memorable dinner?
Betoko: If you want an amazing steak and wine, head over to Parrilla Don Julio in Palermo in Buenos Aires. I recently had dinner there with Tube & Berger, you will love it!
EG: What would you say is the best and worst of being an artist?
Betoko: The best of being an artist is to be able to do what you love and to touch people giving them a special experience, a moment in time to remember. The worst is being away from family for long periods, traveling for gigs can get very lonely.
Follow Betoko: Facebook I Soundcloud
