Ricardo Villalobos (born 6 August 1970) is a Chilean-born German

electronic music Electronic music broadly is a group of music genres that employ electronic musical instruments, circuitry-based music technology and software, or general-purpose electronics (such as personal computers) in its creation. It includes both music ...

producer and DJ. He is well known for his work in the

minimal techno Minimal techno is a subgenre of techno music. It is characterized by a stripped-down aesthetic that exploits the use of repetition and understated development. Minimal techno is thought to have been originally developed in the early 1990s by Detro ...

and

microhouse Microhouse, buftech or sometimes just minimal, is a subgenre of house music strongly influenced by minimalism and 1990s techno. History Microhouse has its roots in the minimal techno, bitpop (both developed in the early 1990s), and house (dev ...

genres, and is one of the most significant figures in the minimal techno scene.

Life and work

Villalobos was born in Chile on 6 August 1970. In 1973 he moved to

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

with his family to escape the dictatorship of

Augusto Pinochet Augusto José Ramón Pinochet Ugarte (25 November 1915 – 10 December 2006) was a Chilean military officer and politician who was the dictator of Military dictatorship of Chile, Chile from 1973 to 1990. From 1973 to 1981, he was the leader ...

, who had seized power that year. When Villalobos was around 10 or 11 he started to play

conga The conga, also known as tumbadora, is a tall, narrow, single-headed drum from Cuba. Congas are staved like barrels and classified into three types: quinto (lead drum, highest), tres dos or tres golpes (middle), and tumba or salidor (lowest ...

and

bongos Bongos (Spanish language, Spanish: ''bongó'') are an Afro-Cubans, Afro-Cuban percussion instrument consisting of a pair of small open bottomed hand drums of different sizes. The pair consists of the larger ''hembra'' () and the smaller ''macho'' ...

. He began making

in the late 80s. From a very young age he has been a big fan of

Depeche Mode Depeche Mode are an English electronic music, electronic band formed in Basildon, Essex in 1980. Originally formed with the line-up of Dave Gahan, Martin Gore, Andy Fletcher (musician), Andy Fletcher and Vince Clarke, the band currently consists ...

, following their tours around

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

to listen to them. Villalobos began to play his music at parties while he was studying at university, but this was only for his own enjoyment. He started a label, Placid Flavour, in 1993 but this was unsuccessful. His first record was released on the German Playhouse label in 1994 and he began DJing as a professional in 1998. In 2006 Villalobos, along with

Richie Hawtin Richard "Richie" Hawtin (born June 4, 1970) is a British-Canadian electronic musician and DJ. He became involved with Detroit techno's second wave in the early 1990s, and has been a leading exponent of minimal techno since the mid-1990s. He becam ...

and Luciano, played to around 300,000 people at the Berlin Loveparade. At the end of 2007, 2008 and 2010, he came first in

Resident Advisor ''Resident Advisor'' (also known as ''RA'') is an online music magazine and community platform established in 2001 and dedicated to showcasing electronic music, artists and events across the globe. Its editorial team provides news, music and ev ...

's Top 100 DJs of the year. Villalobos has released several records on various notable labels, such as Perlon, Playhouse and :rpia:r

Discography

Studio albums

*'' Alcachofa'' (2003) *''

Thé Au Harem D'Archimède ''Thé au Harem d'Archimède'' is the second studio album by Ricardo Villalobos. It was released by Perlon on LP and CD on October 12, 2004. The album's French title, which translates into English as "Tea in the Harem of Archimedes," is a ref ...

'' (2004) *'' Sei Es Drum'' (2007) *'' Re:ECM'' with Max Loderbauer (2011) *''

Dependent and Happy A dependant (US spelling: dependent) is a person who relies on another as a primary source of income and usually assistance with activities of daily living. A common-law spouse who is financially supported by their partner may also be included ...

'' (2012) *''Empirical House'' (2017)

Compilations

*''Love Family Trax'' (2002) *''In the Mix: Taka Taka'' (2003) *''Green & Blue'' (2005) *'' fabric36'' (2007)

Singles and EPs

Remixes

References

External links

Biography at The DJ ListBiography at GTB
*
''Ricardo Villalobos: Sound brotherhood''
Interview (2009) at

Interview (2004)At home in Berlin with Ricardo Villalobos
{{DEFAULTSORT:Villalobos, Ricardo 1970 births Living people Chilean emigrants to Germany German techno musicians German DJs Musicians from Santiago, Chile Electronic dance music DJs Chilean electronic musicians