Alfredo Garcia (Cosmic Conspiracy, Germany)

Hey Ulf, how are you?

-> Heyho, Jesse! Good so far...okay, a little bit strange,.., got drunken yesterday.


You’re relatively new to the scene, can you tell everyone who doesn’t know you a bit about yourself? What are your projects? What kind of sound do you try and push out?

-> Okay,.., my real name is Ulf and I'm from Hamburg, Germany. At the moment I'm travelling around New Zealand with a friend, but actually I'm studying in Hamburg and have to find a new oddjob when I'm home next week - bills wanna get paid ;-).
My own project-name is as you already know Alfredo Garcia (like the chopped off head in the film "Bring me the head of Alfredo Garcia" by Sam Peckinpah - so the name has no spanish meaning or anything like that...). Next to that I was working together with a friend of mine for a longer time before I left Germany to come here. You'll know him under his project name Day.din. So far we just did a few tracks together, but I hope that we produce some more over the next months...let's see. I didn't work much on my own tracks for the last 6 month, just because I had to invest much time in university stuff like exams and homeworks to come forward a bit. But when I am back from NZ, I hope that there will be a little bit more time than before my holidays.
The kind of sound I prefer at the moment is a little more housier than all the stuff I released so far,.., so perhaps you'll be surprised when you'll listen any future realeases.


So when did you first discover trance music? How did you first come across it? Who were some of your early influences in music?

-> The first time I went to a goa-party in 1995, but didn't even know that it was one....it was just a surprising kind of music I suddenly was confronted with...the next one was actually in 1998 and I was really impressed by this way of getting lost my mind into sound and a totally new experience to be at a party where no alcohol is available and everything seem to be so familiar and just nice and relaxed! After that my party-going-frequency grew and grew and so as everybody can imagine i got really addicted to this stuff...
The music I was used to listen to was mainly punk music like Sex Pistols, Ramones etc. or Ret Hot Chillie peppers and so on...but this changed over the last years as you can guess. As early psytrance influences I would name the whole german progressive stuff that was played around the parties at the years 1999, 2000 and 2001...such producers like atmos, bitmonx, haldolium, el audio, shiva chandra, feuerhake, space safari, s-range, native radio and so on..this was also the time when I was ready with my army-must-do-the-bloody-duty-thing, moved to hamburg again and got to know deniz (day.din). He was already djing for himself and on smaller privat-parties...so getting into listening more and more stuff was just logical!
At the beginning of 2002 deniz started to learn programs like fruity loops, logic and cubase...so I followed him at september the same year. The main experience that gave me the motivation to start was the native radio liveact on Fusion Festival 2002...that was really great, so I also wanted to learn the abilities to produce such things that have done those strange things with my mind...


The german scene has always been fairly independent of the rest of the world, in the way that it seems to follow its own path- what can you say about the modern sound of german music (particularly progressive?)

-> The german scene changed a lot in the last years, but I think that the times when ppl could make only products for the national market (and only fit the local taste) are over just because of the low sales and the loss of many more local based labels. The progressive producers in Germany that are still working since the millenium became much more open minded towards ie. housemusic and more international based influences in progressive techno music, just to fit their own taste and maybe also the taste of the now more international operating labels that solved their economical threats. Maybe one of the best examples for this developement is frank beckers aka space safari / beckers - free form as a label doesn't exist anymore and his personal taste changed a lot I guess, too,.., now I am really impressed by every release he is doing and i heard the rumour that he has got a contract with a major label - a subsidiary label of sony (I do not know that for sure...just a rumour) - congratulations, I must say!
For the next years I would expect that you can't even divide several types of house, minimal techno, progressive trance, tech house, electro and so on and so on anymore...the techno scene is growing in Germany, especially minimal techno in Berlin (Alexander Kowalski for example or all other kontakt releases), so I really hope that in a few years you don't have to think about if the track you wanna find is now belonging to techno or goa or anything else...


So do you get many gigs while you are at home? What kind of parties do you usually play at? What’s been a highlight so far?

-> At home I am not getting so much gigs at the moment...just because I do not make any regular advertisement for myself I guess. Being more on parties and talk to ppl and be "in the scene" - I was just too busy within university stuff to get along with that the last months. This year for example I maybe did 5 or 6 gigs in Germany, but I also played in Greece and Italy,.., and now twice in New Zealand. So I do not think much about these things at the moment...the first thing will be just producing, producing and producing again for the next months...then I'll see if some better releasing- and gig-odds will show up.
The kind of party I usually play on? I really cannot tell you, because there were really nice small indoor parties with 150 ppl and also an amazing 4000-ppl-outdoor festival in italy...so there is no real average, I guess.
A real highlight was the party in Thessaloniki (Greece) in february...it was organized by free frequency and they really did their job well!! Just to mention: Marios & Zoi (and Dio of course)..you all made my days there, thx a lot! Ahh, and a second thing to mention: Day.din, DerEinsPunkt, Benni Moon and myself will play on a free frequency-party in Thessaloniki again at the 12th of november...I am really looking forward to that, that'll be fun again!!!


How was the stay in NZ been? I hear you caught up with the antix guys and got a few tips!!!

-> Yes,.., really good until now...but I am sadly telling you that I have to catch my plane back home on sunday this week...so the time here was very short and I would like to see a lot more,.., but...! The country is great...nature and relaxing spaces are impressingly amazing. The ppl are very friendly and open minded. For sure you'll find here the same structural problems like in europe like decreasing loans and so on,.., but show me a country where you won't find such difficulties.
Yeah...meeting barton from antix was really good: that was like my parents would have got the chance of getting to know the rolling stones, I guess ;-) ! These guys are producing music which is really a favourite of mine and so it was great to see their studio and just ask some questions in technical things and look on their work for a day. And it was good to see the original arrangements of their last album and have the chance to ask specific things about details of the tracks...the "ahh, that's the way to do it"-thing! Thx again, Barton!


What about the Cosmic Conspiracy crew? Did they look after you well? What was the best party you played at while you were down there?

-> Yeah...CCR is a chapter of its own. Aviel is a great guy, who is the only one in the whole psytrance scene I met until know, who not just do what he tells you, but also does it immidiately...just amazing. So I didn't know him personnaly since my visit here in NZ, but only he was worth a visit,., thanks again, mirror-man!! To say something about his record work: He does a real good job and he tries to being non-mainstream and do his own thing! Good way...even if we both would sometimes diagree about certain traxx & tastes..but I like both releases done by him very much. He did only these two releases until now and the quality increased a lot just within these both. And I have to tell you that I heard some of the tunes he already released for his upcoming cds...and I am really looking forward to listen to the final work, especially to the ambient compilation "va partly cloudy" on which he is working at the moment...good luck, mate!
I would like to mention both parties I played at in Wellington. One was a little outdoor party in the near of Wellington in a small valley...great experience! Just friendly ppl and a really nice and relaxed party! The only thing was the rain, that started in the night (and felt until tuesday,.., arrghh!)...really wet! The other party was the "wobble", the monthly cosmic conspiracy label night in a little club in Wellington - that was also very nice and funny! (Greetings and thx to Pet & Sue for let us stay at their nice place, Couch for the great morning tea, Oscar and fellows for the nice sushi, lance for his patients, Dough for the greatest-view-ever atop of Wellington while sitting in a hot spa and last but not least - for sure - aviel for all!


So what did you get up to in NZ when you were playing at these parties? Did you like the country?

-> A hopefully good liveact to amuse the guys and girls here around,..., weird ppl with a lot of optimistic thoughts about the way of live - good to see that and get back some energy during my stay here (!), nice and friendly organizers and nice little and family-like party crowds. Small and just with a good vibration. Many things reminded me of the smaller parties in 1998 and 1999 when it was non-mainstream in Germany...great! For example I've never seen before where all the party guest got a really huge BBQ before starting the party - included in the entrance donation, just to mention a real advantage given by the organizers!
Yes, I really liked (and like) it here in NZ!


Next time, can we expect you over the ditch to Australia then? Haha! What did you think of the music in NZ? Did u hear much local talent?

Hopefully I can go to australia in the nearer future! I do not know if i cannot efford this as a holiday within the next year, but I will go to your country for sure! During this stay here there has been the possibility for playing at the australian earthdance for a while, but that didn't work out this time...shouldn't be! Let's see what the future will hold ready!
I heard a lot of music produced by local guys - sorry for not remembering all the names aviel told me, would like to mention all of them here but.... For my personal taste I really liked the dub stuff (Oscar - go for it!) and for sure the Cosm tracks (he is based in Christchurch, NZ). Look for it on the upcoming CCR-releases next year! For Australia I just would like to mention Russ (heyho, mate - want to hear more of your sound!!) aka tantrumz / sensum! But at first I think, he is almost so famous in Australia like Sensient or Freq - so no newcomer at all - and second I think you will know more of his music than I do...


Who are some of your favourite artists overall? Who inspires or influences you? What’s in your stereo at home?

-> Ohh, a lot! Okay,.., here are some names: antix, peter gun (!), matthew dekay, haldolium, dr. kucho, andre absolut, thomas penton, bitmonx, buzzmonx, fabio (fusi), ticon (new album, that's great!), deepdish, infusion, freq, sensum, beckers (space safari), d-nox,..., tiefschwarz, alexander kowalski, wighomy brothers, decomposed subsonic, frank martinique, der dritte raum, carp&thunder, miss kittin, john digweed, sven vaith,..., oh, man,.., a lot, a lot,..., vaishiyas, yahel, , and so on, and so on...! Any names I have forgotten, sorry for this, guys! Influences? Just the same as mentioned this moment - all I am listening to is also changing my taste and influences me,.., can't tell you anything else.


I see you collaborate a bit with the guys from Madurai- Day.Din, Radisnak etc etc- tell me a bit about what you guys have going? When can we expect some more music from you guys?

-> Hehe,.., actually it was my former roommate daniel and me who founded this thing called Madurai Inc.! It was just a little project of getting connected friends and ppl who produce music, organize little parties, maybe release a real CD sometime and so on. That included also Deniz (day.din), Michi (DerEinsPunkt), Andi (Radisnak) and Martin (Inspiraz), also Xenical is to mention there (coz it's deniz, michi and martin) and myself. So this label Madurai Inc. (until now only as a non-existing company with no buisness as you would call it) is the name under what we together are releasing all the tracks we don't wanna try to sell to a real-world label or whatever...if someone made a tune he don't think it will not getting a release - it will be mastered as good as possible and will be there for you on the net. These are promos with no other purpose than showing you what we all are doing...I hope you enjoyed the "releases" until now! Look for the next one. I hope to get some new tracks online available at several FTP-servers and other progs like dc++, soulseek and so on when I'm back at home!


What else is in store for Alfredo? Any album plans? Compilation releases etc? Any other collaborations we should know about?

-> Only the existing releases (BUY THE VA "CONTACT LENS" by Cosmic Conspiracy Records!!!!) and the already mentioned upcoming releases ( -> www.xenicalmusic.com) like "Flight Countdown" on Savva Records (Bremen, Germany) or Day.din - "Leave the world behind" on Millenium or also Day.din - "Your love" on Planet Ben Rec.! Anything else I have to look what future will bring - I will try my best to amuse you a bit ASAP!


What kind of things do you do at home, when your not making music? Do you have a day-job? What about hobbies or interests outside trance?

->Yes....as I already mentioned there was a lot to do for my educational things in this year, this was rather important for me! I am studying psychology in Hamburg and because of the educational standards and financial conditions for students getting worse and worse all over Germany, I will try to do my best to reach every goals as fast as I can...as you can imagine!
Beside that I can just tell you about human activities in what all of us are involved I guess,.., oddjobs, some parties, girlfriend, handle sidesteps in life and reality as itself, making weird stupid things no one knows what they are good for, going no- & everywhere, searching for something, meeting ppl (!), getting stoned / drunken / whatever and so on and so on...
Life, I guess! And sometimes just being here and listen to music. Good Music. Techno. Whatever.


Any last words before we wrap this up mate? Any thank-yous or people you want to mention?

-> Hmmm....good question...some. Greetings and Thanks to all people who I could mention in this interview, parents and sister for sure, Agent Stoney Melony, Solveig von Kracht und Uetzenpluetz, Deniz, Michi, Plus, Torben, Lucy, Frank (!) & Monique, Marko (!), Benni, Andre (Joyrider - Mental Arts), Andy Savva, Eric, Aviel again,..., everyone I am just not remembering - sorry for that, you know me!


Cheers man, look forward to hearing more of your music in the future!

->Thanks to you!