Contributing Writer
Rafa Treseiscinco is one of Central America’s electronic music pioneers from Honduras and is about to release his ‘Destinations EP’ out on Rainforest Music on May 31st. His musical taste has evolved over the years into what some may call an emotional rollercoaster. ‘Destinations‘ is a manifestation of Rafa’s travels throughout Central America, from the Pacific Coast of California all the way to the Jungles in Brazil. Rafa infuses his music with the memories and people he met along the way by capturing their essence through this final product. Read more about it in the full interview below:
Your ‘Destinations’ EP embodies your travel experiences from coast to coast. Which destination do you think had the most influence on your EP and why?
Definitely it was California. It’s where I spent the most time at, and with all the variety of the landscapes, and diversity of the people I shared with left a mark.
‘Destinations’ is very different compared to any of your other productions. Gearing more towards the deep house side of the spectrum, do you think you’ve found your niche with this style?
I think I’ve been working for years to find my sound. In the beginning I was just learning and experimenting a lot, so basically things would come out as I played around. I had no real vision as I could not make that vision come to fruition. Now I feel I’ve gotten to a point where I can come up with whatever idea is in my head or come really close to it. After many years of listening to and playing music, this is my preferred style. Finally I can translate it into my productions.
‘The inspiration for ‘Kavlo’ came from a trip to Nicaragua, which has an incredible energy with all its volcanoes.’
Your track “Kavlo” has a very futuristic and euphoric vibe to it. Which place among your travels inspired the sound for this song and what was the production process like for it?
The inspiration for Kavlo came from a trip to Nicaragua, which has an incredible energy with all its volcanoes. Kavlo is actually a navigation reference point for pilots in Nicaragua. It sounds complex but the production for this track was the easiest for me. I set upon creating something that wasn’t too heavy on the bass, a more paused sequence and I wanted to avoid the four-on-the-floor feeling [typically used in disco] by avoiding the use of straight up snares/claps. I worked on a very textured synth sound and when I finally came to something I liked, I just played with it a s much as possible and tadaa!
Parts of South America like Venezuela and Brazil are going through times of crisis at the moment. Was one of the intentions behind this EP to highlight the beauty of those cultures?
Yes there has been turmoil for a long time now. Even in my native country Honduras. To be honest, my inspiration for this also came mostly in California where I shared with a lot of Brazilians who have an incredible, positive energy. They’re so passionate about their culture. I listened to a lot of their music and it’s where it mostly came from. I heard a track with an amazing samba loop and decided to sample some of it which is how it all came together.
Do you have plans to continue travelling? Have you considered heading North to Canada for a fresh dose of inspiration?
My travels have stopped for a while now as I settled just last year in Madrid. New beginnings are always a challenge and without a doubt starting up a new life here has had its ups and downs. I’m now feeling settled and ready again to retake. Coming here has also given me a lot of inspiration of which I’ve put to good use. Canada has definitely been on my destinations list for a long time. I’m surely planning a visit as soon as possible. I’m always on the lookout for new inspiration, and have found that spending time in different locations is what helps the most, so that is a definite yes.
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