In the thirtieth installment of our interview series, we are honored to feature Byron Alvarado from Costa Rica.

Byron Alvarado is a DJ, Producer, Instructor of the DJ academy DJLab, Promoter of the TMPL project and one of the representatives of the powerful Groovy and Hypnotic Techno sound in Costa Rica.

He has shared the stage with international artists such as Ellen Allien, Héctor Oaks, Nastia, RIKHTER, Stef Mendesidis, Daria Kolosova, Fiedel, Cleric, Métaraph, MCMLXXXV, Vendex, Juan Sánchez and Die Arkitekt, and has released tracks on renowned labels such as: BPitch, NECHTO, PURE HATE 000, LABORATORIUM Records, Be Techno, WINKED, Denso Records, Set of the Day, COOLKIDZ, among others.

For this chapter of our interview series, we had an in-depth conversation with Byron about various aspects of his career, the electronic scene in Costa Rica, and several other fascinating topics. It turned out to be a very intersting interview. Read below.

Hello Byron, it’s a pleasure to have you in our interview series. ¿First of all, how are you doing, and where in the world are you taking this interview from?

Thanks for the invitation, my friend. I’m in my studio, a.k.a. my room, In Costa Rica, working on new music. (:

¿Do you remember when and how you first discovered electronic music?

Yes, of course I remember. It was in 2009, I was in school and I went with my classmate and his brother to a mall. My classmate’s brother wanted to go see some iPads that had just come out. Back then, I got to try it out and hear David Guetta’s album One Love for the first time. After that, I started discovering tracks, festivals, and sets on YouTube.

¿What’s the story behind your career as an artist? When and how did your journey as a DJ, producer, instructor, and event promoter begin?

My career as a DJ began in 2016, when after all those years discovering electronic music I was able to join DJLab, which helped me develop my skills and define my musical style. I went through mixing different genres, including EDM, House, Hip Hop, and finally found my place within Techno. In 2019, I took the Ableton Live music production course, which helped me even more to start defining my own style and sound by producing my own tracks.

My career as a promoter began in 2021 when I founded TMPL with my friends and started throwing during and post-pandemic parties within the restrictions at that time, creating a community and giving it a space that did not exist in the Costa Rican electronic music scene at the time.

Finally, my career as an instructor began in 2022 when I joined DJLab, but this time with the task of sharing my knowledge and helping new talent emerge within the Costa Rican DJ scene.

¿What do you enjoy the most — DJing, music production, teaching, or promoting events — and why?

Everything complements each other;

I enjoy DJing and promoting events because it allows me to create special nights for people, and there’s nothing like the feeling of making people dance, seeing them happy, and even bringing artists to the country that they’ve always wanted to see.

I also enjoy teaching because it allows me to help new talents fulfill their goals, and seeing how they make their way onto the scene and grow fills me with tremendous pride.

But without a doubt, I prefer the role of producer. I consider it a very intimate space that allows me to take my ideas out of my head and turn them into sound, to explore and create from scratch. In this field, I have experienced moments of sadness and happiness, and it always ends up filling my heart with joy. It is where I feel I can discover more and more of myself, which is why I consider it the most sacred of everything I do.

¿What’s the story behind TMPL, and where do you see it heading in the future?

TMPL was born in 2021 when I wanted to celebrate my birthday. For that day, I decided to hold an event at one of the venues that were available due to the pandemic. I put together the lineup with DJs I knew at the time who mixed in a similar style to mine. After that event, everything went so well that we got together more and more becoming great friends and decided to make it a series of events, which even led us to start bringing in international artists. Later, we created a community for people who wanted something like that on the national scene, which at that time was still in baby steps. It has since become a record label and a reference point for Costa Rican techno.

For the future, we want it to continue to be a space where people can feel and express themselves safely, where they can dance without feeling discriminated against. And where they can express their love on the dance floor, which has always been one of our fundamental principles. We also want to continue providing a space for new talent at our event called SOLAR. And continue creating memories for true techno lovers.

¿From your perspective, how do you perceive the electronic music scene in Costa Rica at this particular moment? Is there anything you would like to change?

The scene in Costa Rica is at its peak, in my opinion. Many new talents are eager to show themselves to the public. And a number of international artists are coming to the country. As an audience member, and perhaps from the outside, it may be perceived as a great advance, which is true, but along with that growth, major challenges have arisen, which I would like to put into perspective.

The fact that artists who are more trendy or have more followers on social media are now coming here is detrimental to us because their fees are too high for the national scene, forcing promoters to raise ticket prices. That’s really where my focus is, I would not like to see the scene that many of us have worked to build with love and specific values become something elitist that is only accessible to a specific group of people, which I feel misses the main objective not only of the techno scene but of the clubbing scene in general. This can also lead to problems such as unfair payments to national DJs, or even sometimes having to mix for free with the typical excuse of doing it for “exposure.” We need those responsible for organizing these events to also have time to pay attention to national talent and create decent lineups. There are many practices that have been carried out unethically for a long time and, believe me, depending on how this is managed, it can leave a good or bad impression of our scene on international artists who are dedicated to this out of a true love for culture and not just for money. In addition to the most important thing, which is to create a safe, inclusive space without segregation or class division.

My other point for improvement on the national scene:

As an audience, we must also understand that a party doesn’t need an international headliner to be an unforgettable date. All these international artists come to our country every month, but I believe that our real progress will come when we start to value and export more of our music to the world stage and become known for what is produced here. There are plenty of talented producers in Costa Rica who are not given the credit they deserve. I know that for many people, the best parties of their lives have been those where the lineups consisted solely of national artists. And if that’s the case, why not continue to support them by buying tickets without expecting guestlist spots, or listening to their material and sharing it with others? Let’s also be open to listening to new musical genres. It’s not just what’s trending or on TikTok that’s good; there’s a lot of hidden talent out there that I know will blow us away. 

Unfortunately, if we do not change the way we support these sectors, we may begin to lose these spaces that will always be the backbone of the national scene.

It fills me with hope to see certain people realize this and want to fight for change.

¿Who do you consider the key figures or influences that have significantly shaped your artistic journey and sound?

Here I must mention Adam Collins, who during the pandemic provided me with coaching and helped me trust the process I was going through at that time of discovering my sound, exploring, and developing a more established approach. I remember a phrase he said to me that I will always carry with me, which is: “Keep making weird sounds”.

I also want to give a special mention to Nastia, who during that same time, when I was unknown, even in my own country’s scene, took a chance on my productions and included me in her project Scary Beautiful, as well as her label NECHTO. This means a lot to me in terms of gratitude and respect for her, as I know that what she has done for me, introducing me to the world, she has done and continues to do with other emerging talents.

¿Could you share a particularly rewarding or memorable achievement that stands out in your career, and explain why it holds special significance for you?

I’m grateful to life because it has allowed me to create very special moments through music. I would like to highlight this year’s Transitarte Festival, where my b2b partner Particula de Dios and I were able to mix in a park in the capital, which was so crowded that even the streets were filled with people of all ages, from children and teenagers to our loyal ones and older adults, all enjoying themselves together. It was a very special moment because, even though the country has been going through difficult and complex situations, it felt as if techno helped us come together to enjoy ourselves, dance, and have a good time.

¿How does it feel to release a track on such a major record label like Ellen Allien’s BPitch?

It has been a dream come true that I don’t know when I will finish assimilating. Being part of BPitch has undoubtedly been the best thing that has happened to me in my career. For all the significance it has in the history of electronic music, for all the great artists who have passed through over the years, and also for appearing on a VA with artists such as ANNĒ, DJ T-1000, and Dr. Rubinstein, just to name a few. Seeing my name there, as part of their roster, fills me with pride and has fueled my desire to keep going. Not to mention the incredible treatment I’ve received from Ellen Allien and her entire team!

¿How do you usually prepare your DJ sets before a gig?

I always make sure I know my spot in the event. I mean my schedule, also knowing what kind of DJ is before me and what kind of DJ will be after me, or if it’s my job to close. Based on that, I prepare my playlists with the songs I want to play for sure, as well as songs that can serve as tools for certain key moments of the night, and I’m also increasingly implementing testing my demos at gigs. Then, I always like to arrive at least an hour early to talk to venue staff or the partygoers themselves. I like to create this kind of connection and understand the vibe of the dance floor at that moment, which helps me figure out how to run my set, since I don’t plan the order of my tracks. 

¿In your personal opinion, do you think it’s important for every DJ to become a producer at some point in their career?

I feel that wanting to become a producer must be a passion that drives you to do it, because I believe they are two very different jobs with different levels of complexity. However, my advice to everyone would be to dare to do it. The fact of creating something unique seems too interesting to me and can awaken emotions you didn’t know you had.

Being a producer doesn’t make you a better artist than others. I know DJs who are just DJs and they’re incredible. But also, producing your own songs and including them in your sets can refresh your approach.

¿What’s your opinion on artificial intelligence (AI) and how it is — or could be — used in music production?

I think it’s something we’ll never be ready for. It will undoubtedly surpass us as humanity at some point. But in musical terms, I think we can use it to separate stems and mix in a different way. Or it can also help us in cases such as when we want to edit or remix a song and can’t find the acapella, for example.

I don’t agree with using it just because we’re too lazy to create. In that case, it kills everything interesting about the creative process within art itself.

Thank you for your time. To wrap up, ¿what advice would you give to people who are thinking about becoming DJs or producers and pursuing it professionally?

Thank you for the opportunity, I have enjoyed it immensely. My advice is to go for it. The goal may take a long time, but be patient and make things happen. Sharing music is one of the most beautiful things in life. Try to create a community, draw inspiration from other artists, but don’t try to imitate them. Instead, try to create your own style. Always be open to improvement and to try new things and please never forget the most important thing, which is to enjoy it without trying to fit in, the right people will always come to you. Much love, Byron <3

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