- Describe your sound in 3 words
Electronic meets flamenco
- You are mixing Spanish Flamenco guitars with Electronic elements. Tell us a few things about your creative process.
Nowadays, whenever an idea for a melody or chords or whatever comes to mind, I record a sound memo for reference; I do this on a daily basis.
I have a private studio in my home, which has been retrofitted to absorb sound echoing, and it is there where I take those ideas and develop the melodies and chords, transforming those sound notes into a simple piano piece and completing the core element of the song. After that, I take the tracks and convert them into the sound of various instruments.
Like other composers, I have a large collection of computer applications, plugins and sample libraries, but I don’t have any particularly special production processes or technologies. All I have are the ideas that come from my brain, and it’s a daily exercise trying to figure out how to bring those to life. Therefore, I pay attention to what I eat, the exercise I do, and the sleep I get. I research information on the newest medical science out there and do some trial and error to see what will allow me to output my maximum mental potential.
If I had to mention what kinds of instruments and hardware that I place a high amount of importance in, I would say it’s my monitor speaker, the Barefoot Sound MicroMain27 and my acoustic guitar, the Gibson J-50. These two pieces of hardware are the core of my inspiration and perform important duties for me.
- You were in a band but you also work in solo projects. What do you prefer between these 2?
The two things are totally different for me. Playing in a band is like a sport. You can represent a team play. Sometimes, a well achieved performance or chemistry between players is beautiful like an art. On the other hand, solo projects are purely artistic working where I have to concentrate on listening to sound materials, or I have to make a journey to the deep inside of my mind to get some new concept of sound structure.
- How different is it to compose music for video games?
The job of making video game music is now a craftsman’s job where “appropriate” music is required rather than something new or unique. The production methods of movie soundtrack and video game music have become homogenous year by year, and the characteristics of each composer are no longer differentiated. I resumed my activities as Dugo by releasing the “Recluse” EP, because I wanted to focus on original creative activities that are separate from the work of video game music.
- What is your favorite video game score ever?
117 from Halo 4 by Kazuma Jinnouchi
Last of Us by Gustavo Santaolalla
The two songs always move my soul.
- What moment in your career are you proudest of?
When “Lingua Franca” the first album of Dugo was released in 2017, I felt proud of it the most ever, because my career has always been a series of struggling on how I can release a solo album.
- You have been infected with COVID-19. How was that? Many artists suggested that the lockdown could turn out to be one of the most creative times. What is your opinion?
When I was suffering from a COVID infection, I was desperate to live by looking up the latest papers on the internet to find out how to recover all day long, listening to the experts’ opinions on YouTube. After I was healed, I started thinking that I should focus more on what I really wanted to do than before.
- If you could change anything about the music industry, what would it be?
This is a difficult question. Though I thought it for a while, there was nothing I want to change for now, because nowadays, there is a lot of opportunities for artists to be known to the world, thanks to a wide range of services on the internet. I can even reach such a great website like Secret Eclectic!
- One last thing we should know about you?
Dugo will release EPs regularly in the future. The next EP will have a slightly different musicality than “Recluse”. I will present different musical concepts for each EP, and I will hopefully release the album next year, so please look forward to it.
- Thank you!
Secret Eclectic 