Friends since childhood in Córdoba, Nacho Varela & Cruz Vittor, have always been in search of expressing themselves with a very clear objective: to reach all corners of the planet with their music. Their productions are nourished by progressive, melodic, organic, afro, and deep house sounds. Depth, hypnosis, and liberation are concepts that could define their sound, but they go further. They have taken their music to some of the scene’s most respected labels: All Day I Dream, Anjunadeep, TRYBESof, Shanti Moscow, and Sudbeat.
Photo credits: Pablo Alonso
We met up to chat with Nacho Varela & Cruz Vittor after the release of the new single ‘Midnight Mirage’ on Melorama, their change of aka, the influences of social networks, and more.
EG: Hello Nacho, hello Cruz! It’s a pleasure to have you back at Electronic Groove. Congratulations for continuing to advance with Melorama Música in these two years. How would you describe the experience of co-running your record label so far?
NVCV: Hello! Thanks for having us back. The truth is that it is quite a challenge, an outsider might think that it is quite easy until unforeseen events begin to appear. For each release, we have unique art and visualizers, so for several months we have feedback from the designer for the development of the piece. Luckily as the launches go by we get more oiled and it starts to get a little easier. It helps us understand the industry from another vision and how some things are handled that perhaps as DJs we would not take into account.
EG: From an artist’s point of view, how do you feel about having the creative freedom that running your record label provides compared to working with other labels? Is it difficult to know how to navigate that “freedom” in terms of distinguishing which ideas are worth pursuing and which are not?
NVCV: Working on your label gives you the freedom to release music that you think fits the label’s style. Not all the music we make fits perfectly with the Melorama concept, some songs are made with the sound of the label in mind to have artistic coherence. The idea of having one so we can express ourselves freely, always knowing which song is worth releasing. Sometimes you know from the beginning that the song you are making fits perfectly with the sound of the label and sometimes not, since we have been experiencing quite a few sonic changes for some time and we are not sticking to a single style, so you have to have the bad judgment
with our music.
EG: And in terms of artistic vision, how would you describe the musical identity that you are building through Melorama Música? What criteria are important to you? What do you take into account when “closing” a launch?
NVCV: Melorama’s musical identity is still under construction, although all the releases so far have a progressive imprint, the idea in the future is to open the panorama a little and reach other sounds. The common denominator of all of them is that they are designed for the dance floor, rich in melody, grooves, and the authenticity of the musical piece. We close releases that resonate with us and have the potential to move the audience.
EG: Your recent release ‘Midnight Mirage’ had a great response from the musical community with a sound different from previous proposals. Would you say that this is the starting point for a new sound paradigm or how would you define it?
NVCV: We are in a constant sound search, we are quite restless and that means that we are always trying new sounds. Our release on Melorama has shades of progressive house, but with many things that may remind us of sounds from the 80s and 90s, iconic drum samples like the 808 and 909. Lately, we have been releasing things from house, tech house, and afro house without losing our essence. That means our productions don’t sound 100% like a particular style. The search is endless if you are curious and don’t stop at just one genre.
EG: Is there a particular moment that stands out as a turning point in your artistic development? How would you describe your artistic evolution since you began your career as a duo until today?
NVCV: We don’t know if there is a single turning point, we could name the support received by two DJs that we love like Hernan Cattaneo and Lee Burridge. Also some productions like ‘Todo Homem’, ‘Fluir’ or ‘Kush’ have given us exposure and connected us with more audiences.
Musically we have changed a lot since the beginning, from the productions to the DJ sets. Today we are much more solid, with quite clear objectives. The search for different nuances makes the process more fun and perhaps is what defines the journey of doing things for both love and enjoyment.
EG: More than 2 years have passed since you decided to change your name from Artfaq to Nacho Varela & Cruz Vittor. Could you share with us the reason behind this decision and how you think it has impacted your artistic identity? Do you think it served to identify or differentiate your new sound?
NVCV: The main reason was the change in sound, Artfaq was more progressive house-focused, and we were looking for more organic things. We began to approach the project with a different head and in search of something more natural to accompany what we felt at that moment.
One of our first releases under the aka NVCV was the launch on Shanti Radio which gave us access to the genre and people began to know us with a new name and sound. At first, it was difficult for us to get the new aka, we had to put together an identity almost from scratch again, many people don’t know that we were Artfaq and when they find out they are surprised (laughter).
“At first it was difficult for us to get the new aka, we had to put together an identity almost from scratch again, there are many people who don’t know that we were Artfaq and when they find out they are surprised”
EG: With the ever-growing popularity of electronic music around the world, have you noticed any significant changes in the scene in recent years that have impacted your creative approach or way of working?
NVCV: The evolution of the electronic scene in recent years has been exponential, now and then a different style becomes fashionable, and that at a certain point impacts your career. It is up to each individual to follow the trendy sound or not. We believe that you have to remain flexible and open to new influences, it is always positive to be permeable but without ceasing to be yourself.
EG: Social media plays a significant role in promotion and interaction with fans today. From your perspective, are they a beneficial and/or harmful tool in the development of an artistic career? Do you think social media has a more positive or negative impact on the music industry?
NVCV: Social media is certainly a powerful tool, but also quite overwhelming. We try to use them in a positive way to connect with our followers and share our music without getting to the point where it demands too much of our time. Nowadays you can generate an artistic career based on social networks, the point is whether it is positive or not. There is not just one way to “get there”, there are different paths. In the case of us, music comes first and then we complement it with social networks, although to tell the truth it costs us a little.
NVCV: The sounds we chose for the mix are the same ones we have been playing for a while now, focusing mainly on making the people who are going to see us dance and have a good time. Maybe some are surprised because they expect us to do a progressive house and organic house set, and for some time now we have been closer to house, tech house, and afro house. Surely some love it, and others not so much, but it is part of our evolution.
EG: You recently participated in the EG After podcast presenting a mix with music focused on afterparty sounds. How do you feel playing with these more post-party sounds? Did you seek to convey something in particular in this selection?
EG: How would you describe your vision for the future of your career and Melorama, what can your fans expect in the coming months?
NVCV: For now, Melorama has some confirmed releases, such as Eze Arias, and we are going to begin to open the field to other artists who are already confirmed but who we will announce in the future. We believe that the vision of other artists will help shape the sound of Melorama. On the other hand, from NVCV, we have some confirmed launches and dates throughout Argentina.
EG: Thanks for your music, guys! From EG we wish you the best with Melorama, in its upcoming dates and future releases.
NVCV: Thank you very much friends, we wish you the best too.
You can listen to and download Nacho Varela & Cruz Vittor’s new single ‘Midnight Mirage’ here.
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