Sol Ortega is a DJ and producer from Buenos Aires, Argentina. In 2016, her first artist/DJ residency took place and her career started heating up from that point forward. To date, Sol has performed at many of the best event spaces and festivals around the world. She’s shared the booth with many pioneers in the techno space, she produces her own music, and is the co-owner of Detroit Classic Gallery, a music academy and record label she manages with her colleagues. We recently had a chance to interview Sol Ortega about her journey as a DJ. Check out what she had to say below about her journey!
Who were your mentors/teachers, and what aroused your interest at the time of your artistic creation?
I think I decided to start exploring my creative self when I met Magda, who was working a lot with Richie Hawtin at that time. I was already a huge fan of Plastikman, and she was actually the first woman I saw making and playing music. She truly inspired me and boosted my desire to become an artist. Not long after experimenting with other type of sounds, Robert Hood and Detroit Techno came to my life. I would say that this is when I really began to form my artistic identity and ended up being what I am today
How do you incorporate “art” in your life?
Art is what saved me many times. It is both my meditation and discipline that comes in many different forms, depending on how I’m feeling and how I need to express myself. I always felt like a foreigner in everything, and it wasn’t until I started creating that I really felt I was a part of something.
What motivates you to be able to lead a career as you do?
It motivates me to think, in the first place, that together with all my colleagues I am helping the [Electronic Music] scene grow, and carry less social stigma. And on the other hand, this life took me to places and made me feel emotions that were either unfamiliar or majestic, and that’s priceless. Today I feel proud of myself after struggling so much, and that’s why I think this is the way for me.
Is there something else that moves you within the artistic world? Perhaps a more intimate side of you that we do not know..
My family always encouraged art, especially music. I feel I have been attached to music my whole life. I used to spend a lot of time writing lyrics and inventing melodies, because I was inspired by the amount of music I listened to. My mother used to wake us up with music, and dad taught us a lot about it. When I was around 11 I started studying guitar, and two or three years later I was already interested in DJing. So I really feel it has always been there and it’s a part of me.
What are your biggest marketing challenges?
To be honest, I’m a big mess when it comes to that. I think my biggest challenge is to be connected to social media most of the time. I had to learn how to deal with it, and adapt some ideas to these new ways of promoting our stuff, which hasn’t been easy at all. I think I found my way by being myself and sharing what I feel, but following certain “rules” such as the schedule or language. I think the audience that follows me ends up being more loyal and following me for what I do. That’s exactly what I want.
How would you compare the Argentine electronic music scene to the European scene?
In relation to the European scene, I feel that what we lack in Argentina is to stop relating electronic music as a dark place within the artistic spectrum. This will lead us to be able to organize better parties, at better venues and offer better experiences for the attending people. I could add the lack of physical places to actually carry this out. Apart from that, nothing else I think. We have the talent, the desire, the need, and a great artistic vision.
Which Artists / Producers / DJs do you recommend from the electronic music scene?
I have many. But some of them are Session Restore, Lydia Eisenblätter, E110101, Cucarafa, Forello, Confidential Recipe
What advice do you have for people who are interested in doing what you do?
I never thought my music would actually inspire someone, so it feels weird and sublime at the same time. When I first started doing this and showing myself as a DJ, I felt alone and underestimated many times, and felt like dedicating the time that I dedicated to it didn’t make any sense. But I didn’t allow myself to quit, and I’m here now. So what I have to say, from my experience, is: keep going and keep doing. You’ll come to feel that you are a part of something wonderful if you are genuine and passionate about what you do.
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