Ricardo Villalobos - DJ Set

Ricardo Villalobos, DJ set at Essenza Club Siena, Italy March 3, 2007 (YSI link) (Sendspace link)

I think that I'd like to continue to put up some long mixes from celeb DJs, but without the sole focus on the BBC Radio 1 Essential Mix program. Sound good? Good. Let's start off with a three-hour set from the minimal superstar, Ricardo Villalobos. Villalobos is Chilean-born, German-raised DJ who has been one of the driving forces behind the minimal techno and microhouse genres. He's dropped releases on seminal labels like Perlon and Playhouse, has remixed everyone from Depeche Mode and Beck to Alter Ego and Rhythm & Sound and has a mix about to drop in the Fabric series. We're gonna get more into his music in the coming week and months, but I did want to put up one of his DJ sets to help people get a feel for this music and to ROCK YOUR WORLD MINIMALLY!

Villalobos delivers a three-hour set here from the Essenza Club in Siena, Italy on March 3, 2007. It's an excellent chance to experience a night out with the man in the club, known for his sets in Ibiza, London (Fabric) and his hometown Berlin. I think that you'll notice that this isn't a whole lot different from many of the mixes we post - an exploration of dance music. What strikes me most is how easily Villalobos keeps my attention despite the stripped down sound. This isn't bleeps and blips music, but rather this is a patient, trippy music, late-night music when things are getting darker and weirder. There's no Diplo genre-hopping, just house and techno.

I know that there's something overwhelming about dance music at times, the inability to know the songs, the lack of hooks and lyrics. As someone who spends many nights trying to get people into this kind of music, my recommendation is to listen for 20 or 30 minutes. Start from the beginning, or maybe at the 20 minute mark, then another day skip ahead to the midway mark at an hour and a half. For fans of Villalobos, minimal stuff or just great electronic music, what the hell are you waiting for!?! Download and enjoy.