24 July, 2020
on the cookie record #002:
Don Esquivel
Don Esquivel is a DJ and producer from Michoacán, Mexico who’s been fermenting in Mexico’s underground scene for over 10 years. Don’s passion for music began at a very young age when he heard some global underground CD mixes that his older sister often used to purchase.
He immediately knew that he wanted to be part of that world after he saw all the rave photographs and the feeling the pleasure the sonics brought to his ears.
He decided to pursue a solid career in DJing and learned how to produce music when he graduated from college, pre-his collision with the queer underground scene and community. When Don finally crossed paths with Por Detroit, his life changed; Don finally found his haven, a place where he could be himself, feel validated, and more pressingly, listen to music he adored throughout his entire life.
We asked Don if he could travel back in time, and if he had to pick a year to be trapped in forever, he responded, “1997 or 1998, when electronic music was really at the prime of its development in a wide variety of sub-genres, and (my favorite) the most iconic house bangers came to arise during that period.” Don also shared with us what he thought was the most under-rated sub-genre, that he’d like to see make a comeback, “I think lounge and chill-out music needs to make a comeback, I’d love to see more electronica and chill-out rooms in our modern-day raves.”
For On The Cookie Record #002, Don Esquivel recommends his top three records which have inspired him and made a significant impact on his musical productions.
He immediately knew that he wanted to be part of that world after he saw all the rave photographs and the feeling the pleasure the sonics brought to his ears.
He decided to pursue a solid career in DJing and learned how to produce music when he graduated from college, pre-his collision with the queer underground scene and community. When Don finally crossed paths with Por Detroit, his life changed; Don finally found his haven, a place where he could be himself, feel validated, and more pressingly, listen to music he adored throughout his entire life.
We asked Don if he could travel back in time, and if he had to pick a year to be trapped in forever, he responded, “1997 or 1998, when electronic music was really at the prime of its development in a wide variety of sub-genres, and (my favorite) the most iconic house bangers came to arise during that period.” Don also shared with us what he thought was the most under-rated sub-genre, that he’d like to see make a comeback, “I think lounge and chill-out music needs to make a comeback, I’d love to see more electronica and chill-out rooms in our modern-day raves.”
For On The Cookie Record #002, Don Esquivel recommends his top three records which have inspired him and made a significant impact on his musical productions.
Don:
Anna Cook was a DJ and producer from Chile, concentrated on raw hardware house music productions, with only a few releases, one for Art Room Records, a label from Aguascalientes, México, and the other for 100% Silk. This EP has three great raw house tunes, one of my favorites to be ‘Ice Mag Dich’, released in 2017 before her murder which occurred under strange circumstances, her death is still under investigation and most likely related to her sexual orientation. #justicaparaannacook
DON:
This is the first album released by the Argentinian Duo in 2004, Versatil? is an LP with 11 tracks of different moods, some songs are great for sing-a-longs like “Dios en la disco” (my favorite track of the album) or “Perfecto Radar,” this album is a perfect example of great execution and curation between the genres of House and Techno-Pop.
DON:
This track was a hidden gem on Latin music blogs since 2010 or ’11, if I’m not mistaken, until it was released by the label Huntleys & Palmers in 2014 with a great remix by the Argentinian artist, Ana Helder. The original song is still one of my favorite Latin house tracks ever, a great song to sing with your friends on the dance floor and is a lovely, energetic track by the Chilean artist.
Don Esquivel’s musical genres are house-and techno-oriented, with three EPs released, his most recent release for MuyMuy Limited. You can purchase and listen to Don’s EPs via his Bandcamp embedded below.
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