Articles - Interviews

DJ Ariel on Argentina, the Falklands and Celebrity Culture (interview)

“Celebrity events can be boring as parties because no-one is there for the music, but they can have their moments. In the early 90s, I was the main resident DJ at Browns in Covent Garden,I was very young and had just arrived in London, so everything felt pretty surreal. Prince was the only person on my dance floor once. He always used to give me a CD of his music to play.”

Playing to thousands of Argentinians as a teenage prodigy DJ, Ariel Belloso first moved to Europe in 1991, arriving in Ibiza where he debuted at Pacha. Going on to spin at almost all the island’s then big clubs, he next moved to London landing his first of many high profile residencies at the celebrities’ club of the day Browns. Confident and already highly experienced, he mingled easily with the tabloid stars of the day, he recalls.

“Another time at Browns Bjork asked me if I would let her play for a bit and I said, “Yes I don’t have a problem as it will also give me a break”, he continues.

“But I told her I needed to ask Angelo (one of Brown’s owners) first. I say to Angelo “Ang, Bjork wants to DJ! What should I say?” He replied: “Tell her to fuck off!” he chuckles. “So I told her ‘Sorry. You can’t play!”

“I don’t think she was offended though,” Ariel replies, when quizzed how Bjork reacted, “She was one of many different artists who used to hang out on my dance floor at Browns. Naomi Campbell used to pass me her Prodigy CDs to play too; she was very cutting edge, you see,” he laughs.

18 years on, many of Browns’ biggest celebrities remain stars though Ariel’s less impressed with today’s crop of fashion designer/ children of celebrities wannabe DJ contenders.

“Most of the time I don’t know who these so called celebrities are, to be honest,” Ariel confesses, “They haven’t done anything. No, of course they can’t replace real DJs.”

As far as his own career is concerned, he comfortably remains one of the world’s most popular DJs, spinning his own personalised blend of Cuban flavoured tech-trance-afro-house music to a loyal army of fans around the world. Renowned for playing marathon sets at long running big room residencies at the likes of Fabric and 90s house institution Bagleys, he’s quietly sold over 2 million records though only now is releasing debut artist album Camara.

“I am releasing Camará now because it’s finished,” he says, explaining its long gestation.

“I’ve devoted a good part of this decade to producing its sound, so it was important for me to complete it. There are many instruments played live on the album like the Rumba Flamenco guitars, live bass and percussion, which can take time to get right, and I’m a perfectionist, so everything had to be spot on. Nilesh Patel at The Exchange in Camden mastered it for me too. The sound is amazing. I am extremely proud of this album. No regrets. In fact, I am very thankful and blessed for all things,” he says.

Skrufff (Jonty Skrufff): Many dance producers often seem to release music different from the styles they spin: was that an option you considered?

Ariel: “I’ve always forged my own path as a DJ and music producer. There is something intrinsically my own about my sound, and I discovered it when I first got into Cuban music. The swing of Rumba is in my blood. I was two years into my Fabric residency and playing lots of my own tracks, when I had the idea of making a Cuban soundtrack album. Going to Havana to record vocals and instruments seemed like a fun thing to do. The material I recorded there fitted perfectly with what I was playing at Fabric, in fact Track 7 on the album, Hambre, was the backbone of my Fabric sets for 5 years. Camará is my sound.”

Skrufff: Sales of music are in freefall: how important were/ are commercial considerations for the album?

Ariel: “Sales are obviously a significant consideration, but not the be all and end all. What’s more important is that my album is out there and, because of digital, it will be available in perpetuity. I believe it will sound good for years to come.”

Skrufff: You’ve done various mix compilations yet haven’t done a DJ demo since 2006: why not?

Ariel: “You can’t really re-create the dance floor energy of a live set on a studio mix. And that energy is what my DJ sets are all about. I only record DJ demo’s when it’s necessary for me to make one to promote certain gigs.” 

Skrufff: The press release says the album ‘INCLUDES COLLABORATIONS WITH SOME OF LATIN AMERICA'S FINEST EXPAT MUSICIANS’ how much do you feel more attached to London- or Argentina: is returning to Argentina permanently an option you’ve ever considered?

Ariel: “I spend two months every year in South America; I’ve done the London - Buenos Aires trip over 50 times since I’ve lived here. I love Britain and its people, and I guess because I gave love, I got love in return. My English is nearly as fluent as my native Spanish and this gives me a deep understanding of both cultures. Especially when it comes to reading; I enjoy English literature more as it is so much wider and richer than Spanish. It’s probably the most enriching aspect of my life’s circumstance. I love my Waitrose and Selfridges too, and where else can you have a break, turn on the TV and find Catherine Tate and Ricky Gervais? I couldn’t live anywhere else but London.”

Skrufff: Argentina went bankrupt in 2001: how much were your friends and family back home personally affected?

Ariel: “My family was lucky because we had managed to buy property and didn't lose money in the banks. It’s not the first time Argentina has had a financial crisis. It is a Sub-Prime Country with incredibly rich resources and could easily be one of the 5 richest countries in the world like it was in the past. The problem is education and development.”

Skrufff: How concerned are you about the economic crisis for the UK: what do you expect would happen to life in London if a similar thing happened to the UK?

Ariel: “London is a world financial capital unlike Buenos Aires. The International Monetary Fund didn’t care about Argentina before or during the 2001 crisis. The same could not happen to the UK.”

Skrufff: Argentina suffered from a dreadful military dictatorship which saw thousands ‘disappearing’ in the 80s, how much did growing up in that culture impact on you as a kid?

Ariel: “The United States supported the military regime in Argentina in order to get rid of the Communists. The same military regime went to war with England over an insignificant bunch of rocks in the South Atlantic to draw attention from the shameful way they ran the country. Educated Argentineans did not want the war. We were pushing for the British to win and in that way to get rid of the “junta”, and that’s what happened. During the war I was a boy riding the streets of Rosario on the “Chopper” bicycle my dad proudly bought for me, wearing the Union Jack shorts my mother had made for me. Everyone kept saying, “You’re going to get killed“. I was like “Fuck them!“ Years later when I came to the UK I realized that my Chopper was THE English bicycle. I didn’t know that back then.”

Skrufff: Did you ever get attacked? (Then or later?)

Ariel: “No, I didn’t get attacked; I was only 13 years old at the time. In the years since though, I’ve had a few confrontations with the police in Argentina, usually because of their narrow mindedness and lack of integrity.”

Skrufff: How much more dangerous was Argentina- compared to London?

Ariel: “It wasn’t dangerous at all. The war only really affected the very south, but I still feel sad for all the people that died on both sides. Argentina can be unsafe at times if you don’t take sensible precautions, but you would probably say that to a tourist in London too.” 

Skrufff: Are there still people in Argentina who hate the English?

Ariel: “I’m sure there must be some, but not many, certainly none of my friends. Argentina is a nation formed mainly by Western European immigrants in the 19th and early 20th centuries, so there are many similarities. Argentina has the biggest Welsh speaking community outside Wales for example, and one of my hometown football teams is Newell’s Old Boys. How English is that?

Skrufff: What was the nightlife scene like in the 80s: how much did Argentina have the same acid house explosion?

Ariel: “The nightlife in Argentina is good; there’s a tradition of having great big purpose built nightclubs. Also it’s common practice to employ very young DJs as residents. I became a professional DJ at the age of 15, playing to four thousand people every week. Acid house didn’t explode quite the same in South America because there was no ecstasy. It never felt anywhere near as innovative as Europe.”

Skrufff: Why haven't more Argentinian DJs broken through in Europe, like you?

Ariel: “Talent isn’t everything. You have to learn other languages and adapt to a different way of life to stand any chance outside your own country. And work hard. Hernan Cattaneo is Argentinean and he started young too, and Alfredo also comes from Rosario, but he started DJing while living in Ibiza. Does he count? (laughing)”.

Skrufff: You started out in Europe at Pacha Ibiza in 1991: looks very quick- and easy- from your biog: how much was it really like that?

Ariel: “Yes it was that quick. Playing Pacha in Ibiza was my first ever gig in Europe only weeks after arriving. I played pretty much everywhere on the island that summer, including the Space Terrace when it was just a chilled out coffee lounge kind of area. Ibiza was not as commercial and structured then as it is today; it was more free and spontaneous.”

Skrufff: How much did being Argentinian hinder or help you?

Ariel: “It’s made no difference; it’s all about the individual. I am proud to be Argentinean though. It’s a small nation with a bit of class, original music and some interesting characters. There are no people of African origin in Argentina and for that reason Argentineans created the only style of Latin music that does not contain percussion, which is Tango.

Skrufff: You’re renowned for playing ten hour sets: how much preparation typically goes into a set like that? (how do you avoid playing the same track twice: does it matter? )

Ariel: “There is no extra preparation needed to play for 8 to10 hours, at least not for me. I play instinctively and choose what to play in the moment. Certain tracks might get played more than twice. When I started DJing professionally in the 80’s I played the whole night three times a week. Then came the two hour guest slot which I thought was a bit of a joke. In Europe I’ve only played 8 to ten hour sets at Bagleys in London. If I needed to take a break there, I had some 15 minute tracks I used to play. Playing a long set is not actually difficult, what is difficult is to make it work. My dance floor at Bagleys held 1,500 people.”

Skrufff: You’ve always played on both the gay and straight scenes, something few DJs manage: how easy is it to remain in both camps?

Ariel: “Musically, different crowds aren’t a problem for me because there’s a universality to my sound that transcends sexual orientation, gender or colour.”

Ariel’s album Camara is out shortly on MyDust Records.

http://www.djariel.com

Article by Jonty Skrufff (Skrufff.com)

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