Ignacio Arfeli on ‘Feel The Bass’ and working with record labels

One of techno’s most promising club prospects during the last couple of years has undoubtedly been Argentine DJ & producer Ignacio Arfeli – who recently returned to Volta Records for his new ‘Feel The Bass’ EP.

Now living in Europe, Ignacio’s productions have been both high quality and consistent, with record labels such as Terminal M, Respekt Recordings, and We Are The Brave recruiting him for his services.

His latest ‘Feel The Bass’ EP arrives via Victor Ruiz’ swiftly growing Volta Records imprint, and combines 3 new original tracks to mark his return to the techno label.

We got the chance to have a brief chat with the now Lisbon-based artist, where we spoke about his time living in Berlin, his approach to signing new music – and more. Read the full interview with Ignacio Arfeli below.

Hi Ignacio, we hope you’re well. What have you been up to recently?

Hello! First of all thank you very much for the space. Well, the summer came loaded with a lot of music. I’m working on new music in the studio at the moment, plus work for other artists and DJs as well.

You’re currently based in Lisbon? How is that going compared to your previous home of Berlin?

Being in Portugal was quite an abrupt change but today I see it as something positive. We had a problem with my girlfriend and it is that in Berlin it’s VERY difficult to find long-term apartments. Most of it is by connections and we know that if you are an artist then it’s still a bit more difficult (not only in Berlin haha).

So we decided to come to Portugal since my father has a small apartment here free and well, at the moment we are living here. We live one hour by car from Lisbon, in front of the ocean with a lot of peace, not bad really.

And what’s the club scene like in Lisbon, have you found any hidden gems yet?

I’ve played in some clubs in Lisbon and it’s a very different atmosphere from Berlin, but just as nice and energetic.

Nowadays I observe that hard techno has a very high prominence in the city but I have also seen events with peak time techno and a more “mainstream” techno if you want to say, this is the style of music that I like to play the most.

You recently returned to Volta Records to release your ‘Feel The Bass’ EP, how would you describe the three original tracks included on this one?

I would say that they are very energetic, modern tracks, with a lot of personality and something that I personally like a lot is combining darkness with “beauty”.

This EP reflects exactly that for me. Darkness and ”beauty”. You can find dark and aggressive sounds and effects but at the same time softer melodies and pads.

And was there no mention of putting remixes on the EP?

Victor and I believed that for this project it was not necessary to look for a remixer. Maybe for a future EP or collaboration will be some surprise.

You’ve also released on labels like Terminal M, Respekt Recordings, and We Are The Brave, what’s your typical approach to signing new music?

Well first I set myself the goal of focusing one or two weeks on making as much music as possible with two or three record labels in mind.

Usually after those two weeks I have about eight or nine tracks armed. Then I put together a folder and listen and listen and listen until I say OK, they are ready to be sent. I usually send around six tracks so that the record labels have a good margin of selection and ALWAYS exclusive music.

That is to say that if I select three record labels, I will send tracks to only one, and wait a month or two depending on how big the record label is and likewise with the other two in case my first option has been rejected.

And which other labels might we expect to see you release with in the near future?

There may be some surprises in the future, nothing can be said yet haha.

Thanks for answering our questions, is there anything else you want to add before we finish up?

Just thank you for this space and for supporting my music.

Ignacio Arfeli – Feel The Bass EP is out now on Volta Records.

40 Questions: Ramon Tapia