Interviews

As Razor-N-Tape continue on their crazy good run of high-quality music, we have another superfine release from Prince of Queens entitled the ‘Merida EP’. A varied collection of tracks all with a Latin base, merged with bumpin’ house and subtle techno. On the week of the release, we get the opportunity to talk to Felipe Quiroz about his forthcoming release, his love for Joe Bataan, and the music he turns too when looking for peace and answers.

Where are you this moment and how are you spending your day?

I'm in Brooklyn, at home, catching up on emails and listening to The Lot Radio on a rainy Thursday in NYC.

Where were you born and where are you based currently?

I was born on Bogotá, Colombia and I migrated to Queens, NY with my parents when I was 15. I moved to Brooklyn a few years ago and now I live and I am based in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn.

What do you love most of all about where you live, what keeps you there today?

I love NYC! Been living here for 22 years, it's home for me. I love the vibrancy of the immigrant culture, the diversity and just the incredible amount of interesting things happening any day. It's definitely not the easiest place to live but it's really hard to leave. NY all day baby!

What is your earliest musical memory?

Probably listening to my mom's tapes and CDs on repeat and pretending to be singing and performing. Once I figured out how to use the stereo there was no way back.

Is there an album that sticks in your mind from when you were a kid?

There is an album by a Spanish ballad duo that my mom really liked: -Ana Belen y Victor Manuel - Mucho Mas Que Dos”. I listened to that album way too much, one song in particular “La Puerta De Alcalá”, I was obsessed with that song when I was 6.

Who are your musical heroes and icons from the past?

Ohhhh that’s hard! There are definitely some artists that over the years have had and keep having an everlasting effect on me. People that transcend generations. I have been a big fan of Joe Bataan for many years, I’ve seen him plenty of times and met him a couple times. From his Latin soul days in the 60’s, to Salsa with Fania, to disco and early hip hop in the 80’s with Salsoul, to his new music in the 2000’s with Vampisoul,

He has given us so much music, and still keeps on giving. Other artists that I hold onto in search of peace and answers always are Sun Ra and Gil Scott Heron.

How long have you been making music?

I started playing music really young with my older brother when I was 8 or so. We used to play the “Band Game”. I begged my parents for lessons and a drum set. I started taking drum and percussion lessons when I was 9. I was really lucky as my parents were super supportive.

Are you a DJ too?

Yes! I LOVE djing! I started first as a musician playing in bands, then I started producing my own music on my PC with a cracked version of fruity loops and eventually I got into DJing.

Who do you think is making great music at the moment internationally?

Ufff, there is so much great music out there nowadays! Here in New York in the house techno scene my homie Toribio it’s been killing it with his parties and productions recently, bringing in a new era of Latin underground dance! Also Nicola Cruz form Ecuador, from his Latin downtempo electronica to techno his productions are great. Waajeed, from Detroit, keeps releasing incredible new music, his last album is AMAZING!

Where do you find the most inspiration when it comes to discovering new music?

I would say mostly from going out and hearing other DJs play, there are always moments of “Wow what is that??!!!”. Also going record shopping, I go to A1 and secondhand records here in New York and I always find something new I had no idea about. Discogs too, I’ve found interesting ways of using it to find a lot of new music.

What other projects have you been working on this year aside from the Merida EP?

I play bass and synthesizer with my band Combo Chimbita. We have released a couple of singles this year and did a national tour in the spring. We are currently working on our fourth LP.

How did you get involved with Razor-N-Tape Records crew?

I’ve been a fan of the label and bought many of their records over the years. I’ve seen JKriv play a bunch with different bands here in NY. But I got connected with them through my friends Monk-One and Eric Banta who run the label Names You Can Trust, which released my music before and music from Combo Chimbita too. New York music familia!

Tell us a little about your other appearances on the label.

I did a track for their annual Family Affair compilation in 2023, which features a lot of the artists on the label. In the spring of 2024, I did a remix for the Mexican artist Pahua, on a release that featured 8 remixes of her album. We got to hang out and meet and Razor-N-Tape did a live version of the remixes at their Joyful Noise parties at Public Records, which I also got to perform live last June.

Talk to us about the new EP and how the tracks came to life?

This record started to take form back in 2021. My partner and I Left NY for Merida, Mexico for 3 months after the pandemic. We wanted to escape the winter and the city. I took my sampler and a small synth, with a bunch of samples I had been recording from records, and I just started making tracks there. 80% of the tracks in the EP started from that time I spent in Mexico. When I came back to Brooklyn I fleshed out the ideas and added a bunch of modular synth stuff and it all kind of came together.

What was most important for you to convey through these tracks?

I love a lot of tropical, Latin vintage dance sounds and records but I also love deep house and techno, and when I DJ, I really try to bring these things together. So, I wanted to make tracks that would work in my DJ sets, with different tempos and timbres, make a record that you could keep on your record bag and work in different scenarios and vibes. I think this EP does that.

What are you most proud of with this release?

I’m very happy to be working with Razor-N-Tape, as a New Yorker working with one of the best in the city’s scene, it's super dope. I really liked how it all came together very naturally.

Also, I really love Alicia Coleman’s artwork, I think it really conveys the vibe of the EP.

What was the most challenging part of bringing the release together?

I guest the mixing and just saying it was “done”. I worked on this pretty much all on my own and with no time restrictions either, so there were definitely times where I would say ok that’s it, it’s done. But later I would go back and tweak something. I work better in crunch time, when there is a lot of time, I can get caught up.

Are there other musicians on this EP that you would like to shout out?

Not really.. I did this one all on my own, played bass and keys and programmed it all. I would shout out my Pioneer SP 16 sampler, what an amazing instrument!!

What else can we hope to see from Prince of Queens this year?

I’m already working on some new music, but I want to start DJing more and in bigger clubs. I really want to get some type of residency where I can DJ every month or so and do more extended DJ sets.

When you are not making music, what might we find you doing?

I’m on tour and on the road a lot with my band Combo Chimbita, but I also work on video production, you might see me on set ;-)

What drives you to create music Felipe?

It’s more like a natural need. I don’t know…… like I have to make some music. I don’t do music every day, but I’m always thinking about music, listening to music, and when I go to my studio and work on stuff, I just let go. I feel like we live in such chaotic, stressful times, sometimes to me, the only thing that makes sense in the world is music.

Check out the latest release from Prince of Queens.