People taking the initiative is always welcome in a time where being bland leads to being cool. So, when someone puts out a product on a culture that’s in a creative limbo, we get to see its ups, downs, and all-arounds. With The Electro Wars, director and creatvor Stephen Vasquez wanted to capture the essence that is electro culture–from the skimpy skirts to the tightest jeans and the most distorted sounds humanly possible to manipulate. With an upcoming screening during the 2010 Winter Music Conference in Miami, Stephen took time to elaborate on his film and his origins of being a electro “warrior.”
URB: What inspired you to make this film?
STEPHEN VASQUEZ: I’ve been a filmmaker, professionally, for almost seven years, but I’ve been a storyteller my entire life. The current electro scene is vibrant, full of energy, different personalities converging in one place, different sounds and cultures co-mingling; someone had to document it, and if I didn’t think of it someone else would have eventually. The scene itself lends itself to storytelling.
URB: You interact with many producers/people in the scene. Who surprised you the most and how so?
SV: No one really surprised me. I’m not judgmental and I always knew in the back of my mind that there was more to these DJs than having a good time and making people go apeshit. That’s what they sell and present to us on the surface, but there’s always a method to everyone’s madness. I knew there was a substantial purpose behind the movement.
URB: You shot a lot of footage for the film. How much live footage was left on the cutting room floor?
SV: Let’s just say I have enough footage to trump [George] Lucas as far as Special Editions are concerned.
URB: What brought you to the electro scene in the first place?
SV: I was first introduced to Electro in 2004 at a dingy club called The Annex. I remember being immersed by the hipster scene at the time, and as I sat back and downed my two dollar PBR beer, I heard a track from The Rapture, later that night I heard The Faint for the first time and that was it for me… I was hooked. A year later a small band by the name Death From Above 1979 broke up and one of the band members subsquently followed with an electro outfit we would later come to know as MSTRKRFT, bands were dropping their guitar picks and picking up Serato. Shit got wild after that.
URB: What do you think is misinterpreted by outsiders in terms of “electro”?
SV: There are many misconceptions when it comes to the term “electro.” The argument made frequently by many of the artists I interviewed is how electro is an indescribable genre because it has many derivations. There is no central core to the genre–it stemmed from other dance music genres–this makes it one of the most unique music genres in the world and, possibly, of all time.
URB: Who is your favorite electro artist and why?
SV: My favorite electro producers at the moment are the Crookers. They embody everything that blog-house represents. They made a name for themselves remixing an up and coming rapper [Kid Cudi] and seized the opportunity and made themselves a household name–all the while creating new and innovative electro bangers, branding themselves not only as remixers but as versatile producers.
URB: How long did the film take to make and edit?
SV: The film’s production lasted over a year and so did post-production. I was editing as I went along, so ideas kept springing up. The film took its own shape organically, but there was always an “A” and “B” plotted.
URB: What was the best moment of shooting this film?
SV: This is a toughie. There were a lot of classic moments shooting, each one distinctively important for its own reason; as a whole the entire experience was amazing from beginning to end. I love the music and its participants, I didn’t see this as work. If I had to single out one particular event, it would probably have to be the day of the Justice interview. There was a lot of hype and build up going into it and the expectations were high. I was denied the interview on several occasions but there was no way I was going to sit idly by while Justice played in my hometown and not get that interview. As my partner Carmine states in the film: “It would be an injustice not to have Justice in the film.”
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