Daniel Rincon a.k.a. NAP / Ambien Baby is a Mexico City-based artist, founder of ISLA and co-founder of ACA – both labels of which have been a reliable source of swampy, chuggy and experimental dance music.
Daniel and I met at El Rio Hostel in northern Colombia last year, where he played a mesmerising set that will live long in the memory. He kindly agreed to chat about his career as an artist and the influences key to his development.
Hi Daniel, hope you are well. Can you introduce yourself and maybe explain what it is you do as your day-to-day?
My name is Daniel Rincón. I make music and DJ as NAP and I also have other collaborative music projects with friends such as Ambien Baby (with D Tiffany), La Fe (with Michael Red). SINNAZ (with SIM) and Dosis (with ZDBT). I also run the labels Isla and ACA (with Phran).
Can you tell us a bit about some of your favourite music and bands growing up, and also what led to your discovery of electronic music?
I first got obsessed with music through cassettes and burned CDs in the late 90s / early 2000s. At first it was punk and metal; bands like Eskorbuto, Cicatriz, Ministry, Iron Maiden Darkthrone, Discharge, Minor Threat. Electronic music was around me at this time through my brother (Daft Punk/ Paul Oakenfold) but it wasn’t until I was in my 20s that I got into it by my own volition. I used to work at a record store that specialized in psych and Krautrock. There I started listening to early electronic music; Kosmiche leanings of the Krautrock era and the electroacoustic pioneers of the 20th century. At the same time, I was running an after hours venue with some friends where we would book DJs after hosting early punks shows. There I started listening to some of the first techno, house and disco records. Mostly OG and classics from Trax, Strictly Rhythm, Nervous and Sleeping Bag Records. From then on I started collecting and obsessing over machine music in general!
What led to the creation of your label, Isla, and what are your future plans for it?
I started Isla as a way to share and promote the music my friends and I were making while keeping it in the DIY and punk background that I came from. I had bought a tape duplicator from a church in the outskirts of Vancouver and started making very limited tape editions from my studio. The point was to just create an archive in a personal and direct way. There was never a sound or approach to the label other than having it be loose and a reflection of the many sounds and creative approaches friends and I were into. The clearest mission was to never stay in one lane / sound… to always be changing and putting out different types of music. Since then the label has grown into vinyl releases and wider distribution but the outlook has stayed and will remain the same.
What led to your move from Vancouver to Montreal, and then Mexico City; and how does the electronic music scene differ?
My moves between Vancouver / Montreal / Mexico have been part of exploring new possibilities and interests. Canada will always be a home for me as I spent part of my teens and all of 20s there. I got into music and learned to do what I do from sharing community in these places but I was quite starved of my latin roots in these places. I visited Mexico early last year and it was such a fresh breath of air… perhaps something that I didn’t know I needed until I was there. This country and its people have been rejuvenating and inspiring in so many ways… moreover, it has been a beautiful way to reconnect with my latin roots while being in a place that is completely new to me as well. I’d say the scenes between these places are very different but perhaps too many differences to delve into here. I would just encourage people to come to Latin America and experience music outside of the rave / techno niche communities as it’s a continent that is incredibly rich in this regard.
You’ve had some great artists contribute to your labels, how do you go about finding contributors?
Quite naturally; Isla releases are always from friends and people that I know or have forged special friendships with before releasing their music.
I noticed cassette is quite a common medium for your releases – can you explain some of the reasons behind this?
Cassettes are a medium that’s quite dear to me. I come from making and putting out cassettes since I was a teenager. Likewise, they are a medium which are quite accessible to produce (over vinyl) and a wonderful tool to share the music in a physical way. The first Isla releases are all cassettes since I had a high speed tape duplicator and it was quite easy for me to produce them. After the first ten releases we had the opportunity to start doing vinyl so naturally I migrated to that format. The tape duplicator eventually broke and producing the tapes became more expensive so I stopped producing them. Although I would love to start making tape releases again for certain releases as I still think it’s a wonderful medium for certain projects.
Can you tell us the idea behind the mix?
I wanted to craft something polyrhythmic and groovey while focusing on the idea of stretching time and slowing things down. I’ve been loving the resurgence of funky hard groove techno and wanted to make a mix with this sound in mind while slowing down a lot of the tracks (by 10/15 bpm at least). In general, I’ve been enjoying a slower and more considered pace in my life and this mix has a bit of that. Stretched out rhythms with the long mix.
Who are your favourite DJs, producers and labels at the moment?
I love what’s happening here in Mexico. My favourite labels are Mexican Rarities and Talacha (please check out their websites and what they’re doing). Some of my favourite DJs and producers include Sonido El Pato, DJ Spur, Rosa Pistola, Joyce Musicolor, DJ Guccichotas, Talacha, Ultima Esuna, Alo, Tristan Arp, Irreal Veintiuno, Primordial Om, DJ Delfis, Loris, Turning Torso, Nico, Turbo Sonidero, Kumbia Net, Regal86, Elkeamo.
What plans do you have for 2023?
I’ll be finishing a lot of music, with a small EU tour in June and then chilling on the travelling and playing to focus on getting my visa to stay in Mexico.
Finally, a bit of an odd one, but I’d love to visit at some point, so what tips would you give to someone visiting Canada – places to visit, things to see, etc? 🙂
I would say go to British Columbia; Vancouver, The Okanagan Valley and the Gulf Islands! Camping in Galiano Island, going hiking in North Vancouver, wine tripping in the Kelowna valley…. Even if you just spend a couple of weeks in Vancouver in the summer… it’s an incredible time of year in absolute paradise.
Interview by: Timo Haschler and James Acquaye Nortey-Glover