Argentinian collective ‘Amancay’ is an oddity in today’s electronic music landscape. The 14 Argentines which contribute to the project present present a broad yet cohesive sonic range, somewhere between the dreamy harmonies often associated with the country, latin influences in the grooves and hard-hitting drums which light up clubs worldwide. We caught up with the guys a few days before the third instalment of the ‘Ficciones’ V.A, featuring an original creation by each of the collective’s members.
WWD: The collective is quite expansive, counting 14 members! Was everyone part of the project from the get-go? Did some join along the journey? Are there other members who work behind the curtain?
Big collective indeed. Some of us have known each other for several years because we became friends or shared online forums of electronic music, or gigs from bigger artists that we commonly liked.
We started the idea of Amancay after two of the guys jokingly proposed realizing a VA together. At that moment it seemed far-fetched. When we started, we were thirteen artists and after getting to know Nacho, aka Abuk, we gladly added him as our fourteenth teammate.
WWD: And how involved is each producer in the track selection for the V.A.? Does everyone simply come with a track or do you have back and forth about ideas?
The artist is always the one who decides what gets released but the group debates it if necessary. We want to tell a story behind each VA, so you will find all sorts of tracks inside that might be useful for plenty of moments.
WWD: How do you see the mission with Amancay? Has it evolved since its inception?
Our main goal with Amancay is to create a space where our members can release music without any boundaries or restrictions. Each artist has their sound design conception and Amancay is the perfect place to explore and test different shades of the same artist.
The idea is to keep improving the quality & slowly the quantity of the releases. 2024 is a year for expansion for us. The idea is to keep growing.
WWD: The sound of the collective is different from the typical Argentine progressive house which is so popular back home. How did all the artists find each other in this sound leaning more towards other melodic genres?
Argentina isn’t easy for electronic music artists that play and produce something different than progressive house, but luckily these last years have provided some space for a newer melodic underground sound which has grown a lot and continues to develop every day.
The Amancay crew, how did we get here? We are a large group of friends who share similar musical tastes and goals and felt the need to team up and show our way of doing things. We keep it slow, only releasing one compilation per year.
WWD: Where do you see the underground electronic scene moving towards in the next few years? Is it developing faster in some countries? Do you think Argentinian producers will continue to export themselves more to Europe or other Latin American countries?
We think the music industry is growing fast all over the world. Every day more & more young people are deciding to jump into the music business at an early age and this results in more artists, more releases, events and so on. Naturally, the underground music scene will grow as well. The US has been growing steadily, every year taking on more events due to demand. At least for now, we believe more people from South America will try to relocate to the Northern Hemisphere in search of more chances and a steadier income.
WWD: Can you give me a bit of background on the name of the collective ‘Amancay’? How would you describe your sound to someone who’s never heard you?
Amancay is the name of a flower that grows natively here in Argentina, especially in Bariloche, the snowy south. We wanted a name that contained a local note, so to speak.
Regarding our genre, that question has stumped most of us when asked. It’s difficult to define it in a single genre or category. We try to make something fresh, using everything we absorb to inspire us and take it from there. It has bits of house, techno, indie, afro. Melodies and harmonies can’t be left out as well. Amancay is a bit of everything.
WWD: Any projects coming up for the collective? Showcases, other releases?
The idea for 2024 is to release some more music and host showcases. Apart from the annual VA, we are planning some stuff. Stay tuned for the news…
Connect:
Buy the Ficciones III V.A. on Beatport
Contact: [email protected]