We caught up with the rising Chilean dance music sensation to hear about his latest track, working with Jordan Shaw, and what he has in the works next.
Never wavering from his “quality over quantity” ethos, Santiago-born DJ and producer Sistek pushed himself to the forefront of remix royalty with his infectious, dancefloor-primed style. In his latest original release, “More Than Over”, Sistek teamed up with singer/songwriter Jordan Shaw to deliver an infectious, sun-kissed single that solidified his place in the next generation of pop/dance purveyors. Check out our interview below to learn more about how his Chilean background impacted the development of his sound, the collaboration with Shaw, aspirations, and much more.
The Knockturnal: Can you elaborate on your Chilean background and what the electronic music scene is where you’re from? Is there a prominent market for electronic music, if so, did it contribute to your drive to pursue a career in music production?
Sistek: Yeah for sure. The electronic music scene here is pretty young in my opinion, but growing quickly. There’s plenty of festivals (obviously not now) bringing amazing artists to our country and also giving rising DJs from the region to play great gigs. It makes me proud to think that a couple of years ago I barely knew anyone, whereas now, I know so many Chilean producers creating amazing music. It makes me optimistic about the music scene here.
The Knockturnal: You began to gain recognition with your smooth, tropical remixes a couple of years ago. Is there a particular remix that you hold dear to your heart?
Sistek: The remix of “Low Tide”, which I did for my boys XY&O is one of my favorites still. Listening back I low-key cringe with the mixing and technical aspects of it, but it’s such a vibe that I keep listening back. It’s also a remix which opened many doors for me and introduced me to amazing writers and artists I keep working with to this day.
The Knockturnal: Your latest single, “More Than Over”, sees you step away from the tropical house backdrop and into the dance/pop space. Do you see yourself experimenting with any other genres within the dance sphere in the near future?
Sistek: Hell yes! Especially now in lockdown, I started to suffer a loss of identity which made me try other genres and styles. My priority is always making the best song I can in every session, regardless of the genre. I’m excited because I’ve been working on so many different projects and nurturing my sound palette with so many different songs. In general, though, I think every artist should try to evolve, take on new challenges, and try something new.
The Knockturnal: On the topic of “More Than Over’, we’d love to hear about how the collaboration with Jordan Shaw came to fruition. Was this the first time you worked together?
Sistek: Yes, this was the very first time we collaborated. We met back in December last year in Stockholm for some beers and we have kept in touch ever since. It was a pity that we couldn’t jump into any studio sessions together, but once the world was in lockdown we arranged a couple of Zoom calls and made “More Than Over” on the first session. It’s always a challenge to work remotely, but Jordan made everything a bit easier as he was able to record himself pretty efficiently. After the first draft was done, we sat on it for a while; it was just a matter of nailing the production.
The Knockturnal: Having already nailed support from major tastemakers in the electronic space, I’d like to ask if there are any labels you have your eye on? Or rather, any label releases we should potentially look out for?
Sistek: Yes, absolutely! I have a lot of songs ready and I’m just trying to figure out what the best way to release them would be. Been working independently since the very beginning, and even though I’m loving the creative freedom I get, I’m still exploring other options. I want to aim for the long term, and I think at some point it will help the project a lot to work alongside a label with the same vision and commitment. Can’t say any specifics yet, but we’re silently making things happen 😉
The Knockturnal: What are your top 3 favorite electronic records of all time? Top 3 Latin records?
Sistek: This is a really hard question, I hate having to pick only 3 but I’ll do my best. So for electronic records, the Matisse & Sadko remix of Beating Of My Heart is one of my all-time favorite EDM songs. When Love Takes Over by David Guetta has to be on the list too. I know it’s not EDM, but Kygo’s remix of Cut Your Teeth is one of my favorites from him and was one of the songs that got me into producing.
For top Latin records of all time, my first mention would be Bacilos – Tabaco y Channel, an all-time classic for me. “Rayando El Sol” is a classic by Maná that I can never get tired of. And finally, to change the mood a little bit I would include En La Ciudad de la Furia by Soda Stereo (the MTV unplugged version has one of my favorite solos ever).
The Knockturnal: What’s next for you? Any big release plans for the upcoming year?
Sistek: I can’t say much more than … there’s a ton of new music in the pipeline. 2021 will be the biggest year yet and can’t wait to show everyone what I’ve been writing for the last couple of years.
Stay in touch with Sistek via his socials below:
FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | TWITTER | SPOTIFY | SOUNDCLOUD
