I loved all kinds of electronic music during my rave days but the two genres that have stayed close to my heart are house and techno. I like the good electro house tracks that are floating around the blogosphere but you just can't beat a well-produced 4/4 groove. It was great stumbling upon Toronto production/DJ duo Nacho Lovers because I hear that same appreciation for timeless house and techno in their tracks and DJ mixes.

Andrew Ross and Scott Seewhale aren't new to the scene but as Nacho Lovers they have achieved a lot of success in a seemingly short period of time. Why? Because they're making the music they really want to make - whether it's trendy or not. But trendy people love them too - they've been signed to Fool's Gold.

There's a huge audience out there that flocks to pure quality and Nacho Lovers are on their way to DJing in front of that type of crowd all around the world. You can see what I mean tomorrow night at Wrongbar when they headline the next Rollin' party.

I spoke to Scott about reaching the 'next level', some tricks of their trade, and about how their name is kind of a hoax.

blogTO: Is Nacho Lovers your first musical project? What were you both up to before this?

Scott Seewhale: Nacho Lovers is Andrew's first production project although he had been DJing for a while before that. I have been producing for about 10 years.

What made you guys decide to start making music together?

We had an offer to remix our friends the Jokers of the Scene, and it went really well. So after the remix was done we just kept working together.

You guys seem to have reached the "next level" in a very short period of time. Are you surprised with the attention you've received thus far?

It's definitely been a great ride so far but I personally don't feel that we've reached the next level yet. The next level is Ibiza. : )

Do you have a consistent approach to remixing/producing (specific gear, any rules, etc)?

The ground rules we have sort of set are no sampling mp3's and no synth VST's. But any restriction is really just to avoid being inhibited by the the limitless nature of production.

Is it true that you guys live in a house full of vinyl records?

Yes! Its a pain in the ass!

You're spinning a vinyl only set Friday at Wrongbar. Are there tracks not on vinyl that you like to spin?

Rollin' was designed to exploit Wrongbar's wonderful Funktion One soundsystem, so we bring a lot of vinyl to the party. We also bring some CD's of the new new stuff that you can't get on vinyl yet. It's sometimes hard to wait up for vinyl releases nowadays, so a WAV file will often have to to do.

What do you look for in a track for your DJ sets?

So many things that are not easily describable, and a few that are: pacing, build-up, arrangement, bass, percussion, etc. A sample and a 909 never hurts.

How do you see yourselves fitting into the TO scene? You're not "electro house" but you seem to be coming up the same way those producers/DJs are. Are you looking to move on to the Footwork/Guvernment scene?

I think in the very beginning we felt like bastards of the TO music 'scene' because we don't fit with the electro dudes at all, but we're not historically that involved with the more traditional house scene (although we enjoy that stuff and respect the amazing artists that were around before us). The talent that comes to Footwork might be the best thing to attach ourselves to...it's hard to say. We feel that there are a lot of like minds to us in the city, but our tastes are so broad that those like minds may not be like minded to each other!

How much do you really love nachos?

I think we broke it down in another interview that we really just love cheese. I spend more on cheese than records sometimes...

What can you recommend in the cheese department?

Some old Quebec Cheddar always works. There is some good local Brie and Ricotta cheese as well. My sister gave me this amazing cheese last time I was in Hamilton for the holidays. It tasted like a Stilton but I don't think it was. Much as we love cheese I think we are about a a couple years away from really being able to indulge in it!

What do you like best and least about living in Toronto?

Toronto is nice because we can stay living near family without being bored out of our minds. And of course our friends our here. But it's February right now so I don't need to mention what sucks about living here.

What can people expect to see/hear/feel at Wrongbar this Friday night?

Rollin' is all about building a good house party vibe in a club with a great system. Expect to hear some classic house, some new techno, and everything in between.

Rollin'
Feat. Nacho Lovers, Dirty Dale, Colin Bergh
Friday, February 20
Wrongbar
1279 Queen Street West
Doors 10pm
Cover $5 before midnight

Call & Response is a series of Q&A's with bands/DJs from or playing in Toronto. Photo: Curb Crawlers.