Coffee break with Luke Garcia & Th3 Oth3r
The release of Luke Garcia and Th3 Oth3r’s track, ‘Amplifier’, quite literally helped amplify their career to never-seen-before heights, this year when it gained a spot on the coveted yearly Secret Weapons release on Innervisions. A friendship which has spanned more than 15 years since meeting in their current residency of Madrid, both Luke and Th3 Oth3r initially carved their successes individually, but have nowadays merged their talents together as a solid artist collaboration which has seen them gain even more success.
Dark, empowering and forward thinking: their production magic has not gone amiss from the ears of the scene, and over the past few years’ labels like Best Works Records, TAU and MoBlack records have become home to their releases. Since recording an exclusive set with us, we’ve been itching to get to know these two better and understand some more about their lives, both in and away from the music, and they happily agreed.
Hey Guys, how are both of you after this Corona period of things being different?
We have honestly gone through moments of very mood and more stable moments. It has been a roller coaster of sensations, some negative and others positive, but we are healthy, and health really is the most important thing.
What are both your views on the up rise of streaming during the Pandemic due to restrictions on events?
It has been an escape route for us personally to show new music. The majority of the artists who have been able to stream have done this as it gives us all the opportunity to continue connecting with our followers.
Throughout the Corona period did you both produce songs together, and how many songs have you worked on?
Yes of course. We have taken advantage of our home studio to work on five new tracks that we hope to see the light in 2021. Working on each one separately and combining ideas later is very enriching, both in the structures and in the final sense that a track has for each of us.
When and where did you both meet each other? do you believe the friendship bonds you both closer to each other?
More than 15 years ago in some recording studios in the centre of Madrid where Th3 Oth3r worked as a producer and I, Luke García, went to record a few times. From there arose a friendship and a musical relationship, both which makes us work together with a unique complicity.
As a duo, what do you aim to achieve from your songs, and are there any signature sounds which you end up using quite frequently, or do you go for something less common?
We always try to find emotion in our sound. Getting excited and travelling with our music is the best feeling a musician can have.
We do not usually use similar sounds in every song we produce, but if we look for something in common, it is always our structures and it is making us dance. Between emotion and fun is our music.
What has been your own favourite release to date as a duo?
Our favourite song is not out yet. It is a vocal track that will be released later this year (at the moment we cannot say more).
Did you both look up to any other DJs prior to your success or did you just set your own personal milestones ?
As DJs we have never really had a goal. We enjoy making music in the studio. That is where we set goals and milestones. We like to play live but we are passionate about spending many more hours in the studio. It is our comfort zone.
What else other than music inspires both of you to push through the boundaries, and how do you cope with family life at the same time?
We are two very similar people. We both have children, and that is where we work at our hardest every day. In the workplace, we are both sound teachers at two institutes and we have a recording studio, Rec Room Studio, along with another friend, and that takes up most of our work time from Monday to Friday.
Which Label were you most surprised in releasing music for?
Most definitely Innervisions. For us it has been a reference throughout our career as producers and after 12 years making music together, the great news came.
when in the studio together, what is your process for producing as a team in comparison to when producing alone? Also How long does it take to finish a track together and what makes it special to both of you?
For us, the work of a track is relative in terms of the time of preparation. There are times that we have done something incredible in one morning together or nothing has happened in five days separately. Inspiration does not understand times.
It is together that we feel comfortable and inspired. We both complement each other’s ideas, the percussive bases are almost always the work of Luke García, and the melodies and structures are the work of Th3 Oth3r.
We are very methodical and perfectionists, we never conform to the first (nor to the second, nor to the third... hehe). We prefer to release four excellent tracks a year, than six good tracks. We seek excellence.
Your track ‘Parameter’ on Sum Over Histories is one of the stand out tracks in my view, It offers a sense of euphoria with the infusion of synths and melodic sounds. what do you think about the track, and what does Sum Over Histories mean to you as a label?
In our studio we have and work on a regular basis with analogue synthesizers that we have had for more than 15 years. Those melodies and sounds so characteristic in our track “Parameter” that has now been released by Sum Over Histories, are born from those synthesizers.
Publishing music by one of our fetish labels such as the Frankey & Sandrino label has been incredible news when last year we were told that you loved the track (thanks guys). In the second half of 2019 there were several DJs who played it and it always had a massive response with that hypnotic sound.
Releasing on TAU, Innervisions and Sum Over Histories in the first half of the year is more than impressive. There have been so many great artists out there recently too, have you been impressed by this year?
We have many current references. We believe that friends like Howling, Echonomist, Santiago García, Trikk, Eagles & Butterflies, WhoMadeWho, Frankey & Sandrino, Amê, Adana Twins, EdOne, Biesmans or Toto Chiavetta ... and Chief Dixon are doing an impeccable job today ... It will always be a source of inspiration for us. There is currently a lot of talent that makes us really happy.
You’ve had a pretty busy past couple years in the studio, are you planning on releasing more songs together this year and are there any labels that you might have your eye on releasing with?
Last year for us was a very prolific year in the studio and this first semester too, thanks to this we have signed a few tracks and a super release that will be released at the end of the year and the beginning of next year... We cannot reveal more information, but they are 2 of our favourite labels, and two of the best labels currently, pure hype.
We really enjoyed the podcast you both made for us a few months ago, how do you mentally prepare for when both playing in a club in comparison to recording a podcast ?
We are both very methodical in our work but when it is time to get live, we make every effort to make a perfect musical journey where we look for harmony and groove combinations with dynamic and evocative melodies. We work the sets thoroughly every time we have a gig.
Which city would you love to play in the future together?
We would love to play together in Berlin. We want to have the experience of playing a 6-hour long set. It will arrive soon.
what advice would you give to people who are trying to get where you are now?
We have both a low profile as people and as musicians, it gives us even trouble to give advice, we work from humility but it has helped us a lot to trust ourselves, to believe that making a good sound, working tirelessly and in a smart way, a reward would come that would leave us satisfied.
easy questions now: What is your favourite pizza topping?
Luke García: Extra goat cheese.
Th3 Oth3r: Barbecue
Do you both support any sports teams?
Both of us Real Madrid, always.
Last but not least: how do you like your coffee?
Luke García: Latte Macchiato
Th3 Oth3r: Black Coffee