Photo by Dens Events
Juan Rico, the Asturian known in the techno scene as Reeko, has been DJing since 1997 although it was in 2002 that the world got a first taste of his production skills when he introduced himself professionally with a debut release on Sweden’s Emergence imprint.
While Reeko may be his best-known alias, the Spanish techno producer has made music and played under a series of monikers, as evidenced by his latest EP entitled Cubismo, released under his Architectural alias. Over the years Reeko has also been involved with a series of label projects, including Mental Disorder and Evidence, all before finding his home amongst the elite of Hispanic techno with PoleGroup.
In fact, Reeko was given the honors of compiling PoleGroup’s Unknown Landscapes: Vol. IV, a CD mix series of unreleased tracks, mixed and compiled by a member of the label’s roster. The Spanish producer and track selector has selected 22 previously unreleased tracks including work by label favorites Exium, Kwartz, Jonas Kopp, Pfirter and Oscar Mulero, as well as new faces on the imprint such as Reggy van Oers, DJ Hyperactive, Unbalance and Kangding Ray. The release features two tracks by Reeko himself, including “Basic Sentence” which is being premiered exclusively by 6AM today.
While Reeko’s brand of techno has gained him accolades and coveted gigs at some of the most revered festivals and venues throughout Europe, he has only played once in the United States so far when he headlined 2015’s Interface/Scene Movement Afterparty at The Works in Detroit. He is however billed for two shows in California to close out 2016, the first on the 30th of December in San Francisco by Robot Ears, and the second a RUSE and Vayu Sound warehouse shindig in Los Angeles on New Year’s Eve alongside UK’s Progression, Droid Behavior’s Subversive and a selection of other home-grown LA techno talent.
I had the pleasure of talking with Reeko ahead of his two stops in the States to discuss his involvement with PoleGroup, his work on Unknown Landscapes:Â and much more.
It was great to listen to the entire selection of Unknown Landscapes: Vol. IV from start to finish. What was the selection process you used to decide which tracks would make it on the compilation?
First of all, I considered how I wanted to build up the mix. I think it’s important to set some ideas so then it’s easier to choose the tracks. Then, I made a list of the artists I wanted to involve.
Afterwards, I kept selecting from the tracks I was receiving that could fit in the mix. I had to reject some great tracks in order to keep the coherence of the mix. I’m actually very happy with the answer of the artist that sent me their tracks because it wasn’t difficult to select at all. In many cases I liked what they first sent me.
Are there one or two tracks from the compilation you feel stand out in particular above others?
It’s difficult to highlight some, they all are good, but I have to