Blur The Technicolor
Hailing from Santa Ana in California, Blur the Technicolor (aka Blur) started to produce and DJ in the summer of 2007. His influences have ranged across the entire spectrum of dance music. His music has been featured locally (Sept. 2008 issue of OC Weekly) and internationally (June 2010 issue of Future Music Magazine UK). Blur has come a long way into finding out his true calling. His humble beginnings in fidget, breaks, electro-house were great times but his love of deep-house and techno is what defines his DJ sets and original productions today. Armed with a selection of deep, groovy, hard hitting tunes, Blur is now ready to unleash his brand of deep-house and techno upon the masses.
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Music has taken me on a long interesting journey. I have been hooked on music since the first time I heard White Zombie on the radio and The Future Sound of London on MTV. I was in grade school when I realized how much wonderful power music had. Unfortunately it wasn’t until my early teenage years that I was finally able to save up enough money and buy myself an electric guitar. This particular event started a whole new era of self-expression. Whether I was depressed, angry or jovial I was always able to express myself through my music. Writing music or simply jamming out helped me get through a lot of bad days and experiences. After all these years, it is only natural that my music has matured with me. It is something deeply personal for me that I take seriously.
Interview
Home Town: Santa Ana, CA
Currently Living: Santa Ana, CA
Origin Of Name: Blur is a word that I would always use to describe a hard night of partying when I was younger. Blur The Technicolor made sense to me because I felt like my nightlife was comparable to one big blur of old, silly Technicolor cartoons.
Weapon of Choice: My open mindedness on track selection. Mixing deep house, tech house and techno according to my mood is essential to expressing what I am feeling at the moment. This way every mix has its own mood and identity.
Source of Power: Music has always been a major influence in my life. All the different genres of music that I love encourage me to refine my personal sound and vision.
Was there one particular moment in the recording or mixing process for your Discovery Project entry that made you feel like you were creating something pretty damn special?
The whole recording and mixing process was very inspiring and special for me. The concept of Escape From Wonderland being a Halloween themed festival was definitely something that sparked my interest in the Discovery Project. Halloween is my favorite time of the year! I love to write music that has a darker edge to it because it gives me a sense of sinister freedom that I love to embrace. I think that my Discovery Project entry is special for this reason.
Tell me about your most memorable night out.
As both an artist and fan would be Escape From Wonderland, 2012. Being able to play for Insomniac after enjoying so many of their events was a dream come true! I met so many friendly artists and the Insomniac/Discovery Project peeps made me feel like family. It was one of the best times of my life.
Do you have any memorable moments from past EDC’s or any other Insomniac party?
My most memorable moment would be from EDC 2007. The first time I walked down the main entrance into the LA Coliseum gave me such an overwhelming rush of excitement and euphoria. Nocturnal 2007 was also a special event for me because I was able to see the Chemical Brothers play under the LA skyline. It was such a beautiful experience.
What is your ultimate career dream?
To travel the world and share my music to people that are willing to embrace it and bust a move to it.
Are you impulsive with your work or do you have a sketch in mind before you start?
I always try to have a sketch in mind before I start on an original production. It never seems to work out because my mind wanders off. It really is random, I could be working on some hard hitting techno and then randomly start working on something more soothing and relaxing like deep-house within a couple of hours. With DJing, I love to take listeners on a journey. I like to start off with groovy and sexy deep house and move my way into more rhythmic tech-house and then really switch gears with some techno. There’s a lot of emotion involved and it is the way I express myself the best.
How, if at all, does listening to music figure into your creative process?
Listening to music is essential to my creative process. I love music! Anything from 90’s shoegaze to underground black metal inspires me to get in the studio and start writing music. The last song that made me drop what I was doing and go into the studio was “Vibrations” by 2nd Sequel. There is some genuine emotion on that song that got me hooked and inspired.
How important is it for you to experiment and take on the risk of failure?
Very important. Experimenting is crucial to creating art and I consider music production and DJing to be an art. Failure is pretty humiliating but it is a very humbling experience. I embrace failure no matter how humiliating it is because you learn not to repeat the same mistakes…plus you can laugh about it later.
If we pressed Shuffle on your iPod while you went to the bathroom, what would you be embarrassed to come back to us listening to?
It would probably be “Gatorade” by Yung Lean. He’s some teenage rapper from Sweden. His lyrics are kind of ridiculous but the beat produced by Yung Gud gets me groovin’ every time it plays.
What do you remember about your first DJ gig?
I remember that my first DJ gig took place in some random backyard party. I was extremely nervous because I knew that the attention was all on me. I got drunk to calm my nerves which resulted in the mix getting train wrecked a couple of times. Only one couple danced for a few minutes and everybody stared at me the whole time—it was pretty embarrassing. People were also asking me to play something they can dance to… this was way before the current EDM explosion so they wanted me to play hip-hop/top 40 which I never play so everybody went inside the house and left me outside playing to myself.
What’s the hardest professional lesson you’ve learned thus far?
I used to be a very shy and introverted person. One of the hardest lessons that I learned is that communication and people skills are crucial. It has made my life easier because now I have no problem meeting people and having conversations with them. Choosing this producer/DJ path really broke me out of my shell.
Do you have a favorite all-time mixed CD or series?
It would probably be Sasha & Digweeds’ Renaissance Mix Collection.
What advice would you offer someone thinking about entering the Discovery Project competition?
Be yourself. I think that it is crucial to find your own sound. Do not to stray into the abyss of “trends” because then you are sacrificing your artistic integrity and the potential to stand out.
Winning Track:
Winning Mix:
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