Words by Art Jefferson
Images courtesy of Illyus & Barrientos
To say that Scottish producers Illyus Brown and Ivan Barrientos are riding high with a wave of momentum would be a definite understatement. Better known as Illyus & Barrientos, the pair’s production have blossomed from Glasgow’s ever vibrant electronic scene to an international playing field. Having released records like “Do What You Wanna”, along with EPs such as Stranded and Need Me, their CV includes remixes of Gorgon City’s “Go All Night” featuring Jennifer Hudson, Lovebirds’ “Want You In My Soul”, Alex Adair’s “Make Me Feel Better”, “Joshi Mami’s “I Need Your Love” and more. Signed to Kevin McKay’s Glasgow Underground label, Illyus & Barrientos have drawn support from industry heavyweights Annie Mac, Danny Howard and dance music taste maker Pete Tong, who recently aired their After Hours mix for BBC Radio 1. With projects in the works for Defected Records and Red Bull Records, as well as a stream of shows this year, Illyus & Barrientos’ tide is only going to continue to rise.
I read that you two came together based on a suggestion from Kevin McKay. Had you two crossed paths on the club circuit before that point?
Illyus – Never. I only knew of Ivan’s music and had heard about him through a mutual friend (Rob Etherson, Mia Dora). Weirdly, I’m not sure why we never bumped into each other – and I can’t get rid of him now!
Barrientos – I hadn’t come across Illyus in the DJing circuit at all really, though I did come across his music a few months before we actually met. I heard his EP featured on SynthGlasgow blog and remembered thinking it was really decent, wondering if this dude was actually from Glasgow or not…
Speaking of Kevin, when did he approach you to with an interest in releasing material on Glasgow Underground?
Illyus – I started hounding Kevin about 2 years ago. I used to send demos and wait for feedback, even though I knew I wasn’t at a level to have stuff out. I valued the feedback and used it to better what I was trying to achieve. I had mates that had previous releases on GU and I wanted to be part of the GU “young team”. I remember this one tune I had sent to Kevin, he got back to me about 3 weeks later and was interested in signing it. My luck at the time, I had already signed the track to another label!
Barrientos – For me it was around 2012 when Kevin took a bit of a leap of faith and asked me to remix on the upcoming remix package of Romanthony’s ‘Bring U Up’. I obviously jumped at the chance, and I luckily did a pretty decent job of it which allowed me to do some more remixes on GU that included Walker & Royce and a few others. The remixes then sort of helped me work my way into writing a 5 track debut EP with Kevin which he then released at the tail end of 2013.
I understand that you two were exposed to various styles of music when you were younger, but at what point did you discover house music and decide that was the sound that you wanted to create?
Illyus – At a young age I always remember hearing Armand Van Helden and Daft Punk tracks, especially ‘You Don’t Know Me’ and ‘Da Funk’ – these tracks showed me a different way. It’s no secret I’m a massive Hip-Hop fan. REAL Hip-Hop. A few years back I went to see one of my idols, DJ Jazzy Jeff. It was a great night, a great show. The following week I got dragged to a Ferry Corsten gig, although free booze was the main reason I went. I didn’t enjoy the music but the main thing that I took from it, was that everyone was going nuts to Ferry’s tracks, whereas the week before Jazzy Jeff was playing other peoples music. I suppose that inspired me into making my own music where I didn’t need rappers or the need to play other peoples music constantly. Also, turntablism always pushes you to experiment with various genres and move you from your comfort zone.
Barrientos – To be fair, I was aware of big house music tracks when I was younger (people like Stardust, Daft Punk, Layo & Bushwacka) but it wasn’t until I was 17 that I really had my first “proper” exposure to house music. It was seeing Erol Alkan at Rockness, and walking into the Soulwax Tent and hearing him drop Roman Flugel’s “Gehts Noch” – and watching everyone absolutely lose their shit to it really opened my eyes to a style of music I hadn’t truly experienced or appreciated before. That was a great starting point for me, and then allowed me to get into electro house but also incredible artists such as Ricardo Villalobos and Luciano.
Considering that you two are each respected DJs and producers, how would you describe the experience of making music now as a team?
Illyus – We have fun as a duo, plus we bounce of each other. I have strengths that we utilise and Ivan has strengths that we use non-stop. We don’t get in each other’s way unless one of us does something unbelievably shit (it happens). I’m a geek about things that Ivan just pulls a funny face at, I just look at him back and claim that this geek thing is mine so, eh, stay of it!
Barrientos – I’ve always been a bit difficult to work with one-to-one, but working with Illyus has really helped with my creativity and my passion for writing music. Illyus is great at working with compressors, EQing and all that side of production, whereas I’m more inclined to the writing and musicality of the tracks we make. We’ve found a really nice balance and a pretty streamlined way of working which has really helped us finish tracks quicker than normal.
I feel that Glasgow has always had a really tight-knit underground scene for music. How would you describe the electronic scene in Glasgow at the moment?
Illyus – Just a great movement. Everyone gets on and knows each other, plus there’s always someone to lean on if you have a question about something. You just have to look at what Jackmaster, Harri & Dominic (Sub Culture) have achieved with their 2014 achievements. Optimo is always going strong and new producers like Denis Sulta, Mia Dora, Jasper James and labels like Dixon Avenue Basement Jams are all doing their thing. We have one of the best clubs in the world in the Sub Club, and other hidden gems like La Cheetah. Glasgow is a Bucket list city. Do it for a mad one.
You have been working hard on some pretty major remixes with acts like Lovebirds and Alex Adair. Can you give go into detail about some of the remixes that you’re currently working on?
Barrientos – Our remix list for this year is kind of getting out of hand! We’re really lucky and humbled to be getting asked by so many amazing labels for remixes, so we really jump at the chance to do them. Right now we’re sitting at nearly an album’s worth of remixes and it’s only April. Our remix list so far includes Lovebirds, Alex Adair, Above & Beyond, Ane Brun & NuDisorder, Joshi Mami, Five Knives, Eelke Kleijn, Listenbee, Purple Disco Machine and Anne-Marie (Rudimental). 7 out of 10 of those remixes are finished, currently working our arses off on the other 3 to get them finished…
You two have played a slew of venues. What are some of your top choice clubs that you enjoying spinning at?
Illyus – I loved the whole Space experience in Ibiza last year. As mentioned before the Sub Club is always a treat to play in, it has an amazing crowd.
Barrientos – I’ve really enjoyed the 2 gigs we’ve played at Fire London. I think it’s an awesome venue, room 1 is packed and has that sort of craziness, but room 2 you can really build a set and see people dancing instead of squished together like sardines. For Glasgow, I really loved playing at Saint Judes but I’ve heard now all the gigs there have moved to Keller Club – I really dig Keller Club, it’s got so much potential to be an amazing venue.
What are other projects are you working on for 2015?
Barrientos – We’re just finishing up our new single for Glasgow Underground that features vocals from the super cool Max Marshall, we’ve just signed a new record to Defected Records’ DFTD imprint and we have a big load of remixes coming out on Red Bull Records, Virgin EMI, Atlantic, and Get Twisted records. We’re also making our Ministry of Sound debut in April at the Get Twisted Records party with Tough Love, Roger Sanchez, Luvstuff and Jay Sharam. Plus our very first festival will be at Boardmasters in August! We cannot wait!
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