DJ Ron: Yes. How are the European crowds different from the US crowds?
Hec Romero: Big, big, big, big, big difference. It's like dance music over there is the culture, they grew up on dance music, while here we grew up on hip-hop, R&B and rock and roll. So unless you really love it a lot, dance music's not in out blood here in America. Dance music, they just live for it out there, it's what they do, it's what is happening there, the culture. So yes, there's a big difference, they appreciate it more.
DJ Ron: Undulation, the name of the album, is that going back to the whole Saw wave thing like in a wave undulating…?
Hec Romero: That's right, absolutely, totally. I mean even if you see the artwork you see a kind of a wave thing. The front cover of the album has this kind of weird graphic that's like a wave that's moving. So the artwork is very minimal feeling, it's designed by one of the best graphic artist companies in the UK called Designers Republic. They're an award winning design company and they came up with the whole concept. They created the soft font and the whole look of the label. We spent some time and money on it for sure, really wanting to make it special.
DJ Ron: How did you chose the songs for it?
Hec Romero: We sat here for a couple of nights and drank some sake and some beer and just kicked it, just as simple as that. We put on a couple of records and it was a natural progression, it just flowed. Actually, there was sometimes it was like oh, maybe that doesn't fit. It was difficult because at the time we had about twenty-three records on the catalogue, so all these records that we would love to fit in by you only have eighty minutes to work with, because we only did a single CD. We wanted to compete in the market and right now there's too many CDs out there that are too expensive, the double CDs cost too much money. We said let's just do a single CD and mix it together and promote it that way. That was it - it just flowed, it was like yes, this works, this works into this and it was great, it was good fun.
DJ Ron: Talking about the mixing, did you two mix it together like record to record or…?
Hec Romero: Yes, I did a couple, he did a couple and we kind of just meshed it all together. At the end Satoshi did a little engineering and studio work on it for sure, just to clear it up a bit. The mixing part of it was all natural, there were no tricks in that because we want to represent how we play out in the clubs and stuff like that. He did some overdubs that made it sound really special and added some sampled things. He's so good at that stuff when it comes to the studio part and it enhanced the set a little bit more.
DJ Ron: One last question for you.
Hec Romero: Yes.
DJ Ron: When you last played out, what was your biggest record that you played? Like one of your own and one that's not your own.
Hec Romero: OK, I would say the one of ours for sure definitely is Echo Men, its one of my favorites right now, that's really starting to make some noise at home.
DJ Ron: The Cure record?
Hec Romero: Cure, yes. And maybe one that's not ours.. I get stage fright when I am asked this because I can't even picture the records in my box. It's like I draw a blank, but hold on, there is one classic record that I love to play, I think it's "Symphonic Tonic" by Street Corner Symphony. It's a record that I never take out of my box. It's been in my box I would say for about five years now and it's a party record that really rocks. It's and import from the UK, a great record that I support big time. If you ever get a copy I think you might enjoy it.
DJ Ron: Is there anything else you want to say to the people out there?
Hec Romero: Thanks for all the support and all the people that come out to the parties and support and buy dance music. It's a beautiful thing what we're into and together we're growing and making dance music even better in America. That's my goal to make this thing bigger and better in America for sure.
DJ Ron: Buy it, don't download it?
Hec Romero: That's right, absolutely. Or if you download it, pay 99 cents <laughing>.
Special thanks to Dennis Wheeler for arranging this interview.
