GUTI Patio de Juegos Interview

GUTI Patio de Juegos Interview

Argentinean-born Guti releases his inaugural album on Desolat - the label that has given his echoingly hypnotic jazz-infused house sound a stable platform over the past 18 months. 'Patio de Juegos', which translates as 'Playground', is a wonderful multi-genre journey that showcases lashings of his ever-present South American heritage infused with incredibly intricate and perfectly simple house structures that give the whole album its almost 'child at play' ethos that is rarely found in electronic music. His breathtaking live show has been spellbinding audiences throughout three continents, now it's our turn!

GUTI Patio de Juegos Tour:
Friday 16 September, Brown Alley: 585 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne, 3000 www.wearenovel.com.au

Saturday September 17th, Golden Cage: 16 Wentworth Avenue, Surry Hills NSW 2010

Interview with GUTI (Tobias)

Question: Are you excited about heading out to Australia?

GUTI: Yes! I am very excited to come to Australia. It's my first time coming to Australia, I have never been there before which is why I am looking forward to coming. It will be a whole new world for me.


Question: How would you describe your music?

GUTI: I am a pianist; I am not your usual electronic artist even though I have become one. My music has a lot of organic sounds and real instruments. I have a studio in my house and in the recording studio I play piano, conga and whatever I want in a recording session. My music is house, techno, funny, different and music - it is everything.


Question: Where did the name 'Guti' come from?

GUTI: That's my Mum actually; I was signed with my name but as my career started and I began touring I changed my name because of my Mum.


Question: Who inspired you to begin your music career?

GUTI: My Mum, my Grandmother - every Guti! Everyone from my Mum's side is super amazing musicians. My Grandmother is an amazing pianist and my cousins is the most amazingly saxophonist - everybody is really great; I am the black sheep (laughing).


Question: What music/artists do you listen to when you are not playing your own?

GUTI: Not electronic at all or house or techno. I always listen to the same thing, because I love it (laughing). I listen to Ray Charles, Oscar Peterson, The Rolling Stones and all other music - I listen to the same music because it is amazing and that is super inspiring for me. I respect Australian music; it is very inspiring for me in the club.


Question: Do you prefer to perform live or record?

GUTI: I love to record; I am first an artist and then a performer. I am touring the world really hard at the moment and I enjoy performing but then I come back for four or five days and I spend that time in the studio - five days without any sleep. I use that studio time to create 20 or so songs and I love that. I also am a performer and I love the energy from the crowd; now that I am performing more I am getting a taste for live shows so much - I am able to really connect.

If you asked me this question, six months ago, I would have said recording, because the studio is my house. Now I feel really good on stage because of my experiences and the festivals with big crowds. This year has been very amazing; I have performed at more than 20 big shows, worldwide.


Question: What inspires you when you're in the studio?

GUTI: Everything and nothing! I have no plan when I walk into the studio. I am like a kid which is why my album is called Patio de Juegos which translates to Playground in English - it is actually more like kinder playground! I am a kid in the studio, I run around from the piano to the violin and I'll be singing - I'll go from playing one instrument to another. I really have no plans and I think that is why every one of my songs is so different. If you see my discography it has a range from dance-floor, big song to super slow. I am working on my next record now that will be slow motion, it will be very lovely. I just make music as a rule; I make music all the time, it is a system for me.

On my iTunes, on my computer, I have 589 Guti songs; most of them are not amazing (laughing) but I never go backwards. I produce because I am a good songwriter, I can write music, and so I make one song after another song. I am learning as I make songs, I don't always go back to songs to fix them.


Question: How do you choose what songs go onto your album from the ?

GUTI: That's why I have management, they decide for me (laughing). I really respect my manager and I admire him because I am full of emotions and he is more calm and organised. Regarding my album there is 14 songs and I think we got in an argument for just one of the songs and at the end it was a song that I wasn't sure about it and we had a two week discussion about it, he was right. My manager knows so much and I feel like I am just a kid making music and I thank God that I have a manager to help me with these things.


Interview by Brooke Hunter