Photo by: Ungano & Agrodimas
Meet Jorge Balarezo, a Brooklyn transplant via Peru with a taste for dark techno and a sharp eye for aesthetics. This month he launched Comfort Radio, a mix series built into a stylish online zine filled with interviews and original portraits of the featured artists (his first guest is New York producer Total Fitness). He also runs a fashion and art direction consultancy called Shvpe, and designed the zine's gritty, unpretentious look to reflect some of the same values that bubble through in his music.Below you can listen to the title track from 1999, a three-track EP he dropped last month via Hungarian label Attaché. It's a cinematic tech-house stomper with a robust bassline and a dark, almost paranoid edge. Listen to that below, alongside an interview with Balarezo himself.THUMP: Tell us about your online zine and mix series.
Jorge Balarezo: Comfort Radio is a by-product of my aspirations as a photographer, as well as being intrigued by the day-to-day lives of underground techno and house people in New York specifically. I feel like there is a component missing from the editorial content associated with these artists, which is the most kind of pure "who are you, really?"-type questions that I like to ask. I want to be able to expose true personality.The site has a really distinct sort of analogue aesthetic. What made you go with that, from a design perspective?
I couple the interviews with some very intimate portraits using an old instant Land camera, which gives the whole thing this very real, lo-fi feal that i'm really attracted to. I believe the media we are exposed to everyday is super modified and everyone just kind of sees right through it, so I thought—why not go at it in the most raw format as possible? Also if you're to think of the techno underground and late night life, the first thing that comes to mind is this gritty, noisy aesthetic. I think my music also communicates that quality, a bit dark, ominous and real.Where do you like to party in New York?
When I go out I like to hunt down the really late night parties—like Unter. The people that go there are usually the most legit and real. I want to be surrounded by people who aren't afraid of the darkest, hardest techno. That's when I feel like my night was worth staying up. I also love Bossa Nova Civic Club, for the same reasons. Their clientele is one who isn't afraid to listen to something new and weird.Who are some of your inspirations—both visually and musically?
Visually I love the work of James Victore (graphic designer) and Raf Simons (fashion designer). These are both people who aren't afraid to embrace what comes naturally and challenge themselves to create something new every time.I think one of my most engrained musical influences has been South American folk music—everything from Andean to Afro-Limeñan, which I grew up listening to. As far as contemporary artists, I have grown super fond of Recondite, Nicolas Jaar, and a lot of stuff that's been coming on Drumcode Records (Adam Beyer).Who else do you have lined up to guest on Comfort Radio?
Next up is Volvox She's been killing it lately. You don't see enough women in the techno territory and I hope that I can feature as many females as I will feature men. After that look forward to seeing more from artists like Peter Fonda (this will be a live performance), Cry Baby and Curses. I also will be running a series called "technophiles" which will involve creatives and visual artists who are into techno and house, and not so much DJs or producers. It's going to be about the lifestyle that surrounds the music more than the music itself.
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Jorge Balarezo: Comfort Radio is a by-product of my aspirations as a photographer, as well as being intrigued by the day-to-day lives of underground techno and house people in New York specifically. I feel like there is a component missing from the editorial content associated with these artists, which is the most kind of pure "who are you, really?"-type questions that I like to ask. I want to be able to expose true personality.The site has a really distinct sort of analogue aesthetic. What made you go with that, from a design perspective?
I couple the interviews with some very intimate portraits using an old instant Land camera, which gives the whole thing this very real, lo-fi feal that i'm really attracted to. I believe the media we are exposed to everyday is super modified and everyone just kind of sees right through it, so I thought—why not go at it in the most raw format as possible? Also if you're to think of the techno underground and late night life, the first thing that comes to mind is this gritty, noisy aesthetic. I think my music also communicates that quality, a bit dark, ominous and real.Where do you like to party in New York?
When I go out I like to hunt down the really late night parties—like Unter. The people that go there are usually the most legit and real. I want to be surrounded by people who aren't afraid of the darkest, hardest techno. That's when I feel like my night was worth staying up. I also love Bossa Nova Civic Club, for the same reasons. Their clientele is one who isn't afraid to listen to something new and weird.Who are some of your inspirations—both visually and musically?
Visually I love the work of James Victore (graphic designer) and Raf Simons (fashion designer). These are both people who aren't afraid to embrace what comes naturally and challenge themselves to create something new every time.I think one of my most engrained musical influences has been South American folk music—everything from Andean to Afro-Limeñan, which I grew up listening to. As far as contemporary artists, I have grown super fond of Recondite, Nicolas Jaar, and a lot of stuff that's been coming on Drumcode Records (Adam Beyer).Who else do you have lined up to guest on Comfort Radio?
Next up is Volvox She's been killing it lately. You don't see enough women in the techno territory and I hope that I can feature as many females as I will feature men. After that look forward to seeing more from artists like Peter Fonda (this will be a live performance), Cry Baby and Curses. I also will be running a series called "technophiles" which will involve creatives and visual artists who are into techno and house, and not so much DJs or producers. It's going to be about the lifestyle that surrounds the music more than the music itself.