Simply Ernesto

Ernesto Ferreyra can be described as mild-mannered and soft spoken. His music, on the other hand is anything but. Born and raised in Argentina’s second largest city, Cordoba, Ernesto Ferreyra began Dj-ing at the age of 15. After playing several clubs and parties, his young booth career became a full time professional one when he decided to move to Mexico in 2000, taking up club residencies as Rioma in Mexico D.F. and playing regularly gigs in different cities and beach spots all around.

Guided by a restless nomadic spirit, after being part of MUTEK.MX festival production team in 2002, he decided to move to Montreal and release his eager search of fulfillment through music production. His Latin origin soon rooted and merged with the innovative influence of his fellow Canadian artists. Folk rhythms, guitar and harp samples plus pre-colonial instruments got all mixed up with click tech-house vibes and soon converged into a sort of experimental electronic dance music.

One half of Chic Miniature, with Guillaume Coutu-Dumont in October 2005 they released the ‘Conexión Califa’ EP through Frankurt’s Raum Musik label. At the end of the year he joined the MUTEK_PANAM Tour that saw him playing live sets in Chile and Argentina alongside Akufen, Crackhaus and Deadbeat. Ernesto’s first solo release will come out under the label MUTEK_Rec early this fall.

Nowadays Ernesto spreads his time playing both as DJ and live act and working in his solo productions as well as the follow up to his shared project.

Tell us a about your home Cordoba & about how you began djing @ 15?

Cordoba is the second largest city of Argentina, it’s a place surrounded by mountains and rivers. Even if there are 2 million people living there, you still can feel that you are in a little town. It was there I started djing. Since the first party I went to, I had this fixation and passion for records and putting music. When I was 15 years old, I began to play in a discothèque for those under 18 on Saturday afternoons that were really fun! I remember putting a box under my feet because the dj booth was too high for me, even now it still happens sometimes!

What launched your move to Mexico 2000, that made djing a full-time career?

While I was studying International trades at university in Argentina, I was also playing in clubs during the weekends and working in a bank during the day. At some point, I realized that my life was more connected to music than anything else, so one day, I took off my suit, quit my job and I bought a ticket to Mexico where living off music is possible. There I met the director of the biggest booking agency in the city and happily for me, he was interested in representing me in his agency. Djing became a full time job.

Tell me about your work with MUTEK? You first were part of the production team of MUTEK (Mexico). Actually, you were behind its creation in Mexico. How did that come about and what has that experience given you?

The owner of that same booking agency and I became very good friends. We decided to come to Montreal in 2003 to check out the MUTEK festival. We both fell in love with it so we proposed to MUTEK.CA to produce a special Mexican edition of it. A few months later, we were involved in the production of the first edition of MUTEK in Mexico. It took place in Mexico City in December 2003. It was a really great experience and many new connections were made.

What brought you to Montreal?

The main reason I moved to Montreal is because I met a woman from Montreal, and got married to her!!!

You have your first solo release coming out on MUTEK_REC. What can you tell us about it?

Yes, my first release is coming out early this fall. I feel very happy to see that some of the tracks I’ve been working on for a while is going to be out there. It’ll be a mixture between my folk roots and some electronic beats.

You're also one half of Chic Miniature. Tell me how you & Guillaume Couth-Dumont hooked up & what if any productions can we look forward to from you both?

We first met in Montreal in 2003 and then spent some time together in Mexico and Chile. We got closer and shared many artistic views so we thought it would be interesting to make some music together. When I finally moved to Montreal, it was the first project I put my self into. We are now working on new tracks for some future releases and for our new live set. We are very happy to say that our next e.p. is going to be released on Musique Risquée ,Vincent Lemieux and Marc Leclair’s record label!!!

What turns you on most about electronic music?

What I love about that type of music is its constant movement and evolution. There are many many artists producing it in so many different ways and forms that there’s always something surprising me.

What are some of your upcoming performances - where can we see & hear you next?

You can hear me every Thursday at Laika, 4040 St-Laurent, and twice a month at Bilykun