FJL [Interview]

Hailing from Rosario, the FJL first emerged in 2020 with a contribution to BC2's 'Novus' collection, a track which would tip him as a name to watch in the world of progressive house. Further successes would come across the next three calendar years, with key projects via Antrim's Or Two Strangers, Mango's Mango Alley and Madloch's Sound Avenue highlighting his resume, in turn earning the support of Above & Beyond, Ezequiel Arias, Hernan Cattaneo, Roy Rosenfeld, Khen, Mariano Mellino, Nick Warren and Simon Vuarambon, amongst others. With his latest Mango Alley vehicle 'Fixation' starting the year on a high note, FJL continues on an upwards trajectory with his Higher States debut 'Forgotten Angels'.

Progressive Astronaut caught up with FJL to learn more about the release of ‘Forgotten Angels’, his background, nightlife in Argentina, studio process, DJing, and more. Enjoy.

Hi Fausto, thanks for talking to us today. How has your start to the year been so far and please tell us something interesting about your day today?

Hello Friends, thank you for having me. I am really excited to be doing this interview.

It is Saturday today so I woke up at 8am, made some Mate, a typical infusion we drink in Argentina, and jumped into Ableton to keep working on various projects for this year.

Looking back on 2023 what gigs of yours have stood out and why?

I enjoyed all of my 2023 gigs, I love being on the stage. The one that stood out for me was Alma Producciones a few weeks ago with Joan Retamero because I was able to road-test many unreleased tracks in front of a large crowd. There were also more than fifty dancers performing on stage. It was an amazing Sunday sunset.

What’s a piece of music (not your own) from 2023 that had the biggest impact on you, and what makes it outstanding for you?

That is, without a doubt, ‘Kief’ from my friends Derk and Franco Giacusa, which was released on Circle of Life last year.

‘Kief’ received a lot of support around the world. This track was played in huge raves by some of the greatest DJs. This is a motivation for our group of friends-producers to keep working on our music to share it with the world.

For me, originality and having your own unique sound are the most important thing for a track to stand out.

What was the music genre you discovered first before you turned to electronic music, and what made you continue with the latter?

I grew up listening to my dad, who is a rock and jazz guitarist but works as an engineer.

Along with my mother, they took me to many band rehearsals since I was only months old. I owe it to them.

At my house, you would hear bands like Pink Floyd, Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, Steve Ray Vaughan, Eric Clapton, The Police and obviously Charly Garcia, Spinetta, Leon Gieco and many other Argentinian artists.

It was because of this that I started playing with instruments. At school acts I would always play the snare or bass drum, hats, flute or even piano. I loved going into music shops only to see the instruments, or with some luck, maybe even try them.

Some years later my parents made a great effort to buy me a guitar, then I started saving money to buy an organ, and later a bass drum which I used to take to football games on Sundays. I played with them for a while, learnt to use them and then sell them to use the money for something else.

This inborn interest in music, instruments, melodies and rhythms made me turn my attention to synthesizers, turntables, controllers and DAWs which allow me to keep creating sounds and combine them to create a new musical piece.

It is really beautiful.

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

I’ve been working from Monday to Friday until 4pm since I was 17 years old. I also studied a career at that time and graduated at 22.

Nowadays, when I get out of my job I get some training in the gym, go back to my apartment to get something to eat and then I split my time between sharing with my family and friends. We hang out a lot in Argentina, no matter the day or time.

Got to be honest though, many times I just get back from the gym and get into the studio until nightfall, then I cook my dinner and go to sleep. I wake up at 7am next day.

Some weekends I make plans, but most of them I devote to my musical career. I watch videos, masterclasses, read about producing or djing, work on my tracks or many other things related to my career. I can spend a lot of hours focused on it.

You’ve had a remarkable rise the past couple of years, highlighted by releases on Mango Alley, Or Two Strangers and Sound Avenue, if you had to pinpoint a track which started this amazing run of success, what would it be and why?

All of my releases have been important for me, not only as a measure of ‘success’ but I also learned a lot with each finished track and release.

The release where I first got support from great DJs and producers was on Antrim’s label Or Two Strangers.

That EP made me realize I was on the right way, and gave me motivation to keep learning and creating music for the dancefloor.

From that release on, every one has been key for me, and the upcoming ones will probably be even more.

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

Metropolitano in Rosario, Crobar in Buenos Aires, Forja in Cordoba, Proterillos in Mendoza, Almas in Entre Rios and there are many more events on the north and south of Argentina that are worth attending.

There are many very good local DJs to mention, lately my favorites are Simon Vuarambon, Ezequiel Arias and Mariano Mellino and I keep in contact with them thanks to the music. Not only are they great DJs but also very warm and kind persons.

When we ask most artists what is responsible for the popularity of progressive music in Argentina the overwhelming answer is Hernan Cattaneo, would that be your feeling also? And if so please speak on that, also to add to that, who else from Argentina inspired you when you first discovered the music.

This is a tough one… hahaha

I think Hernan Cattaneo has influenced the history of electronic music in general in Argentina, not only Progressive House.

He’s been into music since his childhood and made a career of it for more than 40 years.

15 or 20 years ago, electronic music wasn’t even in consideration in our country. There was a lot of prejudice over electronic music, some didn’t even consider it as music.

It has been a struggle of years for DJs, and they eventually overcome all the barriers and established electronic music in Argentina.

Progressive house particularly was and is represented by Hernan, to the extent that he managed to combine turntables and synthesizers with an orchestra, singers, musicians, DJs and producers in his live show ‘Connected’ in one of the world’s most important opera house, Teatro Colón, demonstrating the versatility of the genre to adapt to any situation.

Hernan’s story and career lead many Argentinians to identify with his tenacity, determination and passion. He never gave up.

One of the first artists I listened when I got into electronic music was Franco Cinelli, also Argentinian and from my city.

Being a progressive house artist would you say the genre goes through certain trends the way melodic house and techno does? And if so, how important is it to stay relevant with these trends?

Even though I know there are some tendencies on the world, at the time of playing live, I like to play something that inspires me to share it with the audience.

My tracks doesn’t follow any trend, they reflect what I would like to hear on the dancefloor on that moment.

You have a new EP ‘Forgotten Angels’ out now via Roger Martinez’s Higher States, tell us about the EP and how it represents your current sound.

This EP begins to show a small fragment of what I like to create when I am on the studio.

Ever since I started listening to electronic music, there are tracks and moments on live sets that I always remember when I get home: The intensity, energy, introspective ambience, strong rhythms with almost no melodies, just a repeating sequence or arpeggio, alongside a deep atmosphere. At that moment of the track it feels like you are inside of a nebula, following the movement of a bassline that makes you lift your feet off the ground, with percussions questioning and answering each other and make you want to join the conversation. The combination of sounds in the track ends up making you move your body.

That is what I look for in my tracks.

This EP has given me the chance to include a very emotional track for me which I haven’t thought of including first, but we decided with Roger it was a good idea. ‘Forgotten Angels’: melodic, inspiring, it tells a story of love and disenchantment, a failed relationship.

On ‘Night Creatures’ the melancholy turned into a great propeller, leading to an implosion of energy on the bassline, with percussion and noises marking the rhythm. Some synthesizers on mid frequencies for balance. It doesn’t need a Melody.

‘No Return’ takes you on a journey full of ethereal sounds and captivating atmospheres coming in and out, long delays and two modulated arpeggios.

It is made with love, I hope you like it.

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 your EP for Higher States.

My studio is actually my apartment living.

Right now I have a few acoustic panels which I installed myself, a 49 keys MIDI keyboard, a pair of 8’ Mackie studio monitors, an I7 laptop with Ableton 10, and DT770 headphones to check the mix.

Which one of the three tracks on the EP has gotten the most play in your sets and why?

I think Night Creatures is the one I played the most.

I’ve been able to blend it perfectly on my sets and enjoy the crowd reaction. The important part is to find the moment to play it, and I managed to do it.

I played Forgotten Angels to close a set once, it was one of the most emotional moments of my life.

Higher States has a reputation for quality over quantity, which is always an attractive characteristic for an artist, aside from that, what was it for you which made the label a good home for this EP?

My EP is going to be the 20th release from Higher States. The label averages only 4 releases a year. It is very selective with its releases and I feel privileged and completely grateful to release music here.

Roger visited Argentina in 2015 and I still remember that night in ‘Bahrein’ with a tracklist that started a phase of deep exploration of progressive house and the artists whose music he played that night: Robert Babicz, Navar, Cid Inc, Quivver, Pedro Aguiar, Guy Mantzur, Khen, Ziger, Guy J, Black8, etc. Roger had already released his EP ‘Downriver’ in Lost & Found.

Almost 10 years later I found myself making music, so I didn’t hesitate to write him, tell him the story and send the tracks.

Thanks Roger.

You’ve had quite a few impressive gigs to start your career, opening for Denis Horvat or Alex O’Rion for example, so please tell us your approach to DJing.

I started mixing tracks by the end of 2014. I was 18 years old at the time. I had already tried the guitar, piano and drums. I thought about buying an harmonica.

I wanted to try something new and I liked electronic music, so I saved money and bought a Korg Nanokontrol 2. I had a Genius speakers which sounded really bad but they were in my house and no one used them. I had to lock the power button with a pin to keep it on.

I mixed tracks every day on my room at my parents house. They didn’t understand what I was doing, but they supported me anyway.

Some years later I began to feel the need to share it and take it out of my room. I brought my equipment (which I was able to upgrade Little by Little) to meetings with friends, birthdays of parties.

But the decisive moment was when I started to make my own music which definitely introduced me to the scene.

Everything developed progressively, and that helped me to be prepared for what came. I spend most of my free time mixing and practicing.

Sharing the stage with Alex O’Rion on my city and Dennis Horvat on the biggest costume party in Latin America was the result of all those years of dedication, persistence, trying to get releases, not many, but each successive release was a clearer reflection of what I wanted to transmit.

Now that you’ve been on the circuit for a few years, how has DJing to larger crowds influenced your view of music as a producer?

After gaining a clear understanding of a DJ job and how the mixing works and its intricacies, I began to make music and realized I could make my own decisions, alone in my studio. Trusting my auditory memory and the taste I developed through years of listening to music and attending electronic music events,

The music I play is designed for the dancefloor, because I nourished myself as an spectator and I keep doing it.

Where do you source the majority of music for your gigs? Is it primarily from producer friends or promo mailouts at this point?

I get many promos and tracks from fellow Argentinian producers and friends, we give each other feedback. I also buy from digital platforms the music I don’t receive otherwise.

In my set, a big part are unreleased projects of mine and I mix them with everything else. But it also depends on my mood and the place where I am playing. I try to remain original with the selection.

How much prep do you put into the sets you play, or are they spontaneous for the most part?

It depends on how much time I have to select the music.

I always strived to keep my library clean and organized. When I prep for a gig, I analyze the context and create two or three folders sorted by intensity.

These folders are sorted by note also to mix harmonically. I load them on my USB with 40 or 50 tracks each.

But it is very relative, sometimes I only play for one hour and a half or two and I get to play many of my tracks if the context allows for it.

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?

In an outdoor event, on summer, in the mountains.

Cornucopia 17:00 – 18:00

Simon Vuarambon 18:00 – 20:00

Danny Howells 20:00 – 22:00

Guy J 22:00 – 00:30

John Digweed 00:30 – Whenever he wants to stop playing.

Current top five tracks in your sets?

Simply City - Sound Sanctuary (Original Mix)

Federico Campero - Absolu

Gorkiz – Smoke

Gux Jimenez - Addicted to the Underground (Juan Buitrago Remix)

Alto Astral, Nicholas Van Orton - Black Water (Extended Mix)

If you were not a DJ/Producer what do you think you’d be doing with your life? (Something not music related.)

I can’t imagine what my life would be like without music. I’d probably be working the same job I work now without a clear direction.

What’s something people do not know about you?

That I have a very fat cat

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

In the studio or surely I’ll be with friends, visiting my family, or traveling, seeing places and enjoying the moments that, when I am not at home, are often difficult to find.

What are some of your favourite TV series? Both all time and recently, what have you been enjoying lately?

I absolutely recommend watching Society of the Snow on Netflix.

Is an extremely touching, raw move based on a real story. It has a lot of teachings. After watching it I searched the interviews of all characters on Youtube to know their life story.

I learned how Little we need to be happy and how beautiful it is to be alive.

Apart from music, what makes you happiest?

My family and friends

What does 2024 hold for you? Anything you can share with us?

I want to thank immensely to everybody who’s been by my side and tell them they will keep seeing and listening to FJL for years to come because this is just starting.

'Forgotten Angels' is available now via Higher States: http://tinyurl.com/mvvd8dya