Techno is, at heart, passionate music, and to truly succeed in the world of techno an artist has to be passionate beyond reproach. As such, it’s no surprise Cristian Varela has enjoyed massive success across his extensive career, culminating in his recent retrospective documentary, Music, Passion & Respect.
The feature film begins with an understated chord pad and a profound quote from Varela which unequivocally explains his passion for what he does.
[In Spanish] “I’ve learnt many things, but the most important by far is that my profession is not only what I do best, but what I was seeking to do with my life. Being capable of bringing joy to thousands or hundreds of thousands, or millions with something you have created is something that’s just awesome; a spectacular feeling that you just can’t describe.” – Cristian Varela
Cristian Varela sought nothing more out of life than to make people smile, and he has been doing so for nearly three decades. Getting his start from humble beginnings in the his home country of Spain, Varela always knew music was his path. At first he was studying the intricate art of classical music until his brother introduced him to the electronic side of things, and he’s never looked back.
In general conversation, Spain is not considered a hub for dance music like Germany or the United States, but Spanish artists with true passion and respect for the craft like Varela have been subtly guiding generations of younger DJs and producers since techno was introduced to the world. Hence why international legends like Carl Cox, Joseph Capriati and Paul Kalkbrenner all contributed to a documentary on Varela’s career.
Varela was one of the first Spanish DJ’s to be booked internationally due to his adept 4-deck vinyl-only sets. He’s enjoyed releases on labels like Intec and his own Pornographic Recordings for which he’s curated cuts from the likes of Regis and Mark Broom. Varela’s list of accolades is so extensive that he was able to produce an entire documentary feature about them, and we were lucky enough to speak with him just following the film’s release to see what he’s getting up to; with passion and respect.
Hi Team, pleased to be with you guys so early…Â 6AM!!
So appropriate! Where in the world are you right now?
Now in London working very deep in my new album.
Weâre super excited about the release of your documentary âMusic – Passion & Respectâ. Can you tell us about this project?
Music-Passion-Respect is one of the most important projects in my life because itâs all about my first 25 years of career in the music world from 1991. The most exciting and unexpected feedbacks from my best colleagues and friends in the industry really touched my heart very deeply.
Whatâs the story behind the title?
The main concept itâs about to inform the new generation of electronic followers about the beginnings of Techno Music in my loved country Spain and the influence of our sound in the rest of the globe.
Why did you decide to make this documentary?
My manager and the whole team thought really important to inform about the Spanish electronic scene from the starting and my influence.
How long did it take from inception to completion?
The producers and all my team have worked very hard during 3 years to compile all the archives, media, flyers, photos and all the material from other artists like Carl Cox or Chris Liebing… who collaborated with me for this amazing documentary.
There are some very established figures from the industry that feature in the film (Carl Cox, Chris Liebing, Luciano, Joseph Capriati etc). Are you close with all of these guys?
No doubt they are not only my colleagues who grew up together with me from the beginning of the ’90s but very good friends from many years ago! The huge learning mood between each other to create the sound of today as a legacy for the new generations of producers and DJs, make me very proud.
Tell us about your label, Black Codes Experiments.
Now Iâm focused in UK where I have my residency in one of the most prestigious clubs in London (Studio Spaces-E1) where Iâm also working as promoter with my old label Black Codes Experiments created in 1999 with collabs from good friends like Regis, Mark Broom, Ken Ishii, Tensal, P.E.A.R.L, Takaaki Itoh, The advent… or my new label partner and great producer Ian Axide. Mainly touring in Europe.
Youâve been working in this industry for almost thirty years now. How did you get into it?
My Big brother was DJ before me and he introduced me to the amazing electronic music when I was studying classical music. My inspiration is coming from diverse musical genres between the classical music (mainly the Barroc period), composers like Haendel, Bach or Vivaldi and groups like Kraftwerk, Front 242, Nitzerebb, Split Second or Depeche Mode and Aphex Twin.
Crazy but special combination!
You must have seen a lot over the years! What are some of your biggest career highlights?
My residency in the most important club in Madrid ATTICA in 1992 and my first events as a promoter: Epsilon, Phrenetic Society…with names at that time like Regis, Surgeon, Ken Ishii, Laurent Garnier, Francesco Farfa, Chris Liebing, Cox. My first productions in Sony Music and one of the biggest English labels at the period Primate Recordings in 1999. Of course my first appearances in big events like Love Parade- Berlin, Paris, Zurich and big festivals like I Love Techno, Dance Valley, Shockers, Impulz, Nature One or Awakenings….
What are some of the biggest challenges to maintaining a career in music for such a long period of time?
Withour a  doubt, it’s my passion for the music and the respect for all my colleagues who grew up together with me from the beginning of the ’90s and the huge learning mood between each other to create the sound of today as a legacy for the new generations of producers and DJs.
For our readers that would love to see Cristian Varela live in action, will you be touring in the US any time soon?
We are planning now a Black Codes Experiments event in L.A with my friend, Producer-DJ and promoter Luis Miranda! We will keep you informed, nobody should miss it!
Finally, what can we expect from Cristian Varela for the rest of the year?
Black Codes Experiments tour. New album. New live show. New Releases on great labels coming very soon!!
Cristian Varela’s Music, Passion & Respect Documentary was released on February 28, 2019
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