Can you tell us about your background and how you got started in music?
Hey guys my name is Ivan Lozano from Bogotá (Colombia) and many thanks for having me and let me share with you some words about my music and life. I’m from a small city called Ibague which is very close to Bogotá. I moved out to Bogota around 2001 when I started studying Sound Engineering and wasn’t until 2018 when I started making music seriously before that I was more into the engineering by recording and mixing music, booking, deejaying and throwing parties in differents bars and clubs in the city. As I told you Me and my music collagues were booking international djs that we loved and throwing parties in differents clubs and bars of the city; In 2014 We booked Mario a.k.a La Royale (back Then) Mijo (Now) who is an amazing electronic music producer from México. We became really good friends and He encouraged and invited us to tour In México for first time back in 2015. We played and hang out a lot with mario and his music partners from Electrique Music which was their Record Label. When we comeback to colombia We were inspired and decided to start making music seriously so there was when We established our record label called “Nomada Records” which is a house music label where we have released more and less 41 releases and 13 vinyl releases with different local and international artists such as Gari Romalis, Delfonic, Martin Georgi, Jonahlo, Felipe Gordon, Sofatalk, Last Nubian, Karmasound, ILO, Scruscru, Mangabey, 4004, Ferdinand Domes, Donnie Moustaki, Gledd, Nico Saav a.k.a Kabinett, Los Mekanikos, Mijo, Iñigo Vontier, Discoholycs, John Tareugram and among others By another hand at the moment I’m focused working and making music with my solo Project “Joint4Nine” and B-side Project “Rush City” alongside my good friend Jonathan Lopez a.k.a Jonahlo who is an amazing bassist player and producer . In 2021 We both established our record label “Ritmo Terco” which is an independent record label dedicated to pay tribute to the roots of electronic dance music, combining the old school gritty sound with a modern vanguard touch. We have released 6 Eps and 2 vinyl releases one from Rush City and another one from Jonahlo and now! We about to release next april 1st my first solo Ep with the label called “I’m Gonna Be Alright” and I’m pretty excited about it.
Who are your biggest musical influences? How have these influences shaped your sound and approach to making music?
This question is always too difficul to answer cuz there are so many amazing artists, musicians, producers and music in this world; too much people who are extremely talented and some of them are underrated. I’m always digging and searching for new artists and producers that can make my mornings, afternons and nights 24/7 for example a few weeks ago I just discovered two awesome musicians and producers from Zurich whi have released music in main labels such as Compost Music and Rumpelmusig; they are “Kalabrese” and “Kayyak” their music is Electronic and Organic at the same time and you can find Afrobeat, Jazz, Disco, Highlife, Dance, Indie, Post Punk and Hip Hop; they are very eclectic and experimental on their music.
Ok so let’s go straight to the point my biggest music influences are James Brown, Prince, Fela Kuti, George Clinton, Funkadelic, Bootsy Collins, Rage Against The Machine, Herbie Hancock, No Smoke, Donald Byrd, Gilll Scott Heron, A Tribe Called Quest, Larry Heard, Dj Pierre, LCD Soundsystem, Master At Work, Mr. G, Jovonn, Soulphiction, Maurice Fulton, Kai Alce, Detroit Producers (Moodyman, Omar S, Theo Parrish, Marcellus Pitmann). All these musicians and producers have helped me to shape my soul deep sound with Joint4Nine and our gritty oldschool sound with Rush City. At the moment I’m listening lots of punk, post punk, dance punk and grunge bands from the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s and I’m really enjoying It. You know It’s a new world for me cuz I was always a metal and un metal geek in my tennage so this kind of dance punk it wasn’t for me back in the day. So listening David Bowie, The Clash, Gang Of Four, Public Image, Delta 5, ESG, Bush Of Tetras, Joy Division, Andrew Watherall, The Rapture, Nirvana, Peter Bjorn, Donovan, Medium Medium and Meat Puppets are making my day 24/7 so in someway this music wil shape my sound hopefully.
What has been the highlight of your career so far? Do you have any good mtour stories to share? And what’s the worst job you’ve ever had?
As a dj there was a time between 2014 and 2018 that We were booking and throwing parties in Bogotá and Medellín. We were booking house, deep house un disco and techno artists that no one was dearing to book then. We played and shared decks with artists such as Psychemagik, Shit Robot, Moulinex, Xinobi, Munk, Kyodai, Zombies In Miami, Mijo a.k.a La Royale, Rodion, Los Mekanikos, Andre VII, Alejandro Paz, Bufi, Iñigo Vontier and Brame & Hamo. Those were definetely fun and learning times as a dj. As producer I had the chance to release my debut álbum last year in march 7th on Blur Records which is a nice record label based in Jena and Angola. I had released a couple of Eps with them before so we connected and they had trusted and promoted my music properly so around 2022 i had a bunch of demos and I realized that I could start working on an album with all these demos so I started making changes on some tracks, I did other new ones and tried to connect everything in a storytelling with intro interludes and outro. The final outcome was “Like The Summer Sun LP” a fourtheen track album where you can find gnres such as Deep House, Acid House, Broken Beats, Hip Hop, Breaks and Techno with a strong disco and soul music influence. I have had the chance to tour in México three times and always is an unique experience. I love that country; its people, history, culture, food and music is so inspiring.
Drink: Mezcal
Food:Tacos and Pozole
Cities D.F and Oaxaca
Friends Mario and El Ruso
Djs Mijo and Eddie Mercury
Band: Plastilina Mosh.
What advice would you give to make it as a professional?
Never stop learning techniques that will help you to improve your music and sound. Don’t rush your music process, take your time trying to find and develop your sound.
ONLY FOR DJS: How do you handle music requests? And what do you do when the equipment goes on strike?
If I like the track that someone is requesting and if I have it in my USB sticks I might play it otherwise I just say “I don’t have it so fuck off”. If you equipment goes on strike while you are playing just calm down; I kow that is stressful but is not your fault. There should be a sound stuff that have to help you to solve the problem, In my xperience; I remember that I was playing with my label mates in Medellín mand the headphones’ jack of the mixer was pretty detteriorated, suddenly the mheadphones Jack fell down inside the mixer and stop working and I remember that around one and half hour left to finish the set; so there wasn’t another mixer in the mplace and It’ was too late to find another mixer so I had to finish without an internal mixing, fortunately with new cdj’s you can see displayed the wafeform and bpm of the track so you can stand on the grid by eye and start mixing the track so that’s what we did and we could finish our set without headphones.
Describe your sound to someone who has never heard you before. And what would you do if you weren’t a musician?
My sound is dusty, punchy, deep, and raw. Well I’m not a musician, I’m a sound engineer with a little musical knowledge. If I hadn’t been a sound enginner; I would have been an electronic or telecomunications engineer
What is the most important music equipment invention of all time – and why?
For me is the Piano which is a highly versatile instrument capable of playing almost anything an orchestra can play. It can sustain pitches, creating all música styles and moods. The full sound is unmatched, giving it a unique space in the music world.
Your latest project is just gaining momentum, can you tell us a bit about it?
How did this project come about and what inspired you to make it?
How did you go about developing it and how do you think it differs from your
previous work?
Well as I told you before lateley I’ve been focused in doing music with my solo project Joint4Nine and my b-side project Rush City alongside my music partner Jonathan Lopez a.k.a Jonahlo. As Joint4Nine in last three years I have released music on label such as Forbidden Cuts (Discotexas), Sundries, Broken District, Ondulé Recordigs, Apparel Music, Apparel Wax, GLBDOM, Singely Recordings, Fate And Fiction, Blur Records, Morris Audio, Being All Here, Berlin House Records, Nomada Records, Ritmo Terco and Back Door Records. At the moment I’m workin on new music and trying to find a record label who is interested in pressing my music in vinyl. Joint4Nine alter ego was inspired by gnres such as deep house, acid house, techno, soul music, hip hop, disco and dance music. I just love that dusty deep unique sound that detroit house producers have; definetely that’s one of my main inspiration sources in my music. With Rush City; I met Jonahlo a few years ago when I released his music on my label Nomada Records. Since then We started sharing our vinyl collections and We started playing together in some local clubs and partiies so we realized that we have lot in common in music so We decided to start making music as Rush City, We have released music on Midnight People (UK), Yung Dumb Records (CAN) and a vinyl release “Cosmic Vibrations” and a couple digital releases on our label called Ritmo terco. Our music and sound have been shaped for gnres such as Italo Disco, Funk, Afro, Hip Hop, Tribal, Breakbeat, Bleep, Techno, House, Deep House, Electro, Acid and and all that amazing music that were produced in the 80’s and 90’s. Our music and sound have been heavely influenced by the old school gritty \ raw sound and we just add a modern vanguard touch on it.
Can you tell us about any upcoming projects or collaborations you have in mthe works? Are there any new directions or sounds you’re exploring in your music right now..
With my solo project “Joint4Nine” I’m about to release two new Ep’s and two new singles. Next april 1st I’ll be throwing “I’m Gonna Be Alright Ep” ;a four track release where my deep soulful house signature will let you get to know me better and travel deep into my mind. Next June 14th I will be releasing “Since You’Ve Been Away Ep” on Blur Records; This release is very special form cuz is featured for differents talented singers and rappers like Imaginary Friend, Milc, Lspeaks and Erick Rico; It will be a five track Ep where you can find gnres such as Hip Hop, House and Soulful House. The two new singles will be released on Inhale & Exhale and Fate And Fiction Recorings but I don’t have yet a release date for them. With Rush City we have a couple fortcoming Ep’s on Ritmo Terco in the next months.
ARTIST: JOINT4NINE
TITLE: I’M GONNA BE ALRIGHT EP
FORMAT: DIGITAL
CATALOG NUMBER: RT 006
PRE-SALE: March 18th
RELEASE DATE: April 1
ARTWORK: Jonathan Lopez
TRACKLIST:
- Be Alright (Original Mix)
- Where Were You When You Heard Acid? (Original Mix)
- Have A Dream (Party People In Da House Mix)
- Slappin’ Basslines (Original Mix)
Ritmo Terco welcomes proudly one of our label co-founders Ivan Lozano A.K.A Joint4Nine with his debut solo Ep “I’M GONNA BE ALRIGHT”; four track release where that deep soulful house signature sound of Joint4nine let us get to know him better and travel deep into his mind. Joint4Nine is a Sound Engineer and producer from Bogotá (Colombia) who has been releasing music in different labels such as Ondule Recordings, Morris Audio, Fate And Fiction Recordings, Masterworks Deep Cutz, Apparel Music, GLBDM, Blur Records and among others in the last 5 years. The release starts with “Be Alright” a classy deep house cut with a hypnotic vocal sample that goes through all the track bringing a positive melancholic energy, while the bleepy sounds and groovy drums let us dance imagining a better future. The second track “Where Were You When You Hear Acid?” is a brilliant acid dancefloor disco beat track with an ostinato bassline, a deep bleep melody and a dreamy spatial vocal. The third track is a homage and tribute to the late 80’s house music; “Have A Dream (Party People In da House Mix) is a hard house old school classic 808 rave track with an electro modern touch where the classic hip hop samples and funky drums of joint4nine leave their mark. Last but no least the release closes with “Slappin Basslines” a detroit house track full of funky soul samples, acoustic percussions and acid motif lines.
