Kick Fill [Interview]

Kick Fill is the new face of electronic music in Mexico, since young age he started collecting music, from downloading it online to creating his own vinyl collection Juan Carlos adopted a love for electronic music and made it his full time work becoming a DJ and producer. After graduating from audio engineering at SAE Barcelona he started his own collective DIP Music to push the underground music scene in Mexico City. Now at days he runs new label "Portal" in search of a new identity. Kick Fill recently released his 'You Are Only A Dream' EP via his label Portal Records and we caught up with him to learn more about the release, electronic music in Mexico, his label and more. Enjoy!

Hi Juan, thanks for talking to us today. How has the first half of your year been and please tell us something interesting about your day today?

It’s been great, working in the studio as usual this year, just today I finished another track for my first LP.

Let’s look back on the first half of the year, what gig of yours has stood out the most and why?

This year it’s been more about production, just a few local dates to focus on finishing all the left behind projects and the release of my first album in January that will mark a new chapter in my sound.

Now let’s look at tracks (not your own), what is a track or tracks which have come out this year that has impressed you the most and why?

Jose Rodriguez - Chien EP and that kind of sound, so I've been playing that in all my latest sets, this one came to my mind first, so it must be special haha.

How did growing up in Mexico affect your music taste and direction into becoming a DJ and producer? Or did it all?

I grew up in Oaxaca, which is really rich in culture. It's one of the most popular destinations in Mexico, surrounding culture. So I've always been surrounded by music, art, and so on.

What are some of your best memories from first going to clubs? Were there specific nights or sets that really made you feel you wanted to pursue electronic music?

I mean, I fell in love with electronic music from a really young age and I think my passion for it comes from not just clubs, but the music itself. But I started clubbing when I was in my early twenties and started going to Europe and moved there for a while. Going to the best clubs with the best sound systems and seeing DJs on a daily basis made me really want to pursue this career.

If you were a tour-guide for nightlife in Mexico, what would be the clubs you’d take the people to see and what local DJs do they need to hear?

Funk Club in Mexico City, Bar Americas in Guadalajara, Boreal in Monterrey or to a party in a tunnel in the streets of Guanajuato!

Take us through a typical day when you’re not travelling, what does a day in your life look like?

I’m in the studio half of the time, I usually organize or go for a walk with my dogs. I try to travel as much as possible though.

You have a new EP ‘You Are Only A Dream’ which is out now via your Portal Records imprint. Tell us a bit about the release and what sort of vibe you were going for on the tracks.

I made them during the pandemic, they were practically finished but I never thought about releasing them until a few months ago while I was revisiting old projects.

Which of the tracks has gotten the most play in your sets and to what reaction?

I like to play my own stuff, I always play my track Ascendo and the vibe always goes off the roof!

Let our readers inside your studio for a moment, what is your current setup and what studio tools are featured heavily in your recent productions and more specifically on your ‘You Are Only A Dream’ EP?

I use a lot of analog equipment, most of my tracks are 80-90% analog synths/drums machines plus since I studied Audio Engineering so all of my tracks are mixed and mastered by myself, I have some outboard gear for the process like a bus compressor and a tape emulator. My fav synths are the Waldorf Iridium and the Roland JP8080.

Let’s talk a bit more about your label ‘Portal Records’ which has been running for a year now. What led you to start the label initially? Was this your first foray into running a record label?

I wanted to release so many songs that I had collected during years and didn't want to be chasing labels. I feel like there’s so much competition nowadays that I don’t like to copy or compare my sound to others so I just went for releasing myself and having good support for being the first year.

Now that you’re a year into your journey as a label owner, looking back on your first ten releases, how has your approach to running a label changed? Or has it at all?

Now the sound is evolving and I feel like it will continue to do so as we bring in more artists.

Currently the label has been an outlet for your own productions, will you eventually sign other artists to the label and if so what advice would you have for them?

I want to bring in more artists in the area now that I have made some progress with the label and have something to offer them in exchange for their music. You know some nice features on platforms like beatport, gigs, and so on. Advice is always to reach out.
Current Top five tracks in your sets? Kick Fill - Day’s I won't Forget
Kick Fill - Who’s Laughing now? (Unreleased)
Josh Wink - The deepness Known Artist - ClubMix series Robert Babicz - Don’t Stop

If you are not DJing, producing or socializing at clubs, where do we find you? And doing what?

Climbing on the mountains or enjoying a beer on the beaches of Oaxaca.

If you could set up an event with a line-up of five artists of your choice, who would you book and what set times would you ascribe to the artists?

I would love to do one night with only live sets, dream line up with some of the artists that I feel would match my set at these times of the night:

Zombies in Miami (Live) 23:00 - 01:00
Robert Babicz (Live)01:00 -03:00
Kink (Live) 03:00 - 05:00
Kick Fill (Live) 5:00 - 07:00
Carl Cox (Live) 07:00 - 09:00

Looking back on your career thus far, what advice would you offer to your younger self?

Stay active, stay focused, and be nice to people.

If you were not a DJ/Producer what do you think you’d be doing with your life?

I’d be an insurance agent like my dad, haha. Or I’ll have an online business, I've always been good with computers.

What TV series have you been enjoying recently and what are some of your all time favourites?

I try to not watch TV, but I always get stuck on YouTube watching all kinds of videos before bed but the last ones I watched were Peaky Blinders and Black Mirror.

What can we look forward to from yourself and Portal for the rest of 2024?

I’m gonna release a lot of melodic techno every month and I’m releasing an album at the end of January, that's gonna be more hypnotic techno around 140 BPMs. So keep an eye!

'You Are Only A Dream' is available now via Portal Records: https://tinyurl.com/2s36cy9z