We sat down with Fernando Lagreca, the Uruguayan-born, Barcelona-based maestro of analog-driven electronic music. He blends decades of sonic evolution into his latest album, TIME, released on his Beautiful Accident label. A prolific producer with a career marked by Beatport chart success and releases on labels like Sincopat and Renaissance, Lagreca is equally renowned for his electrifying live performances, gracing global stages from Sonar to ADE and clubs across continents. In TIME, he masterfully fuses UK-inspired arpeggios, techno motifs, breakbeat rhythms, and psychedelic flourishes into a rich, textured soundscape, evoking the legacy of acts like The Chemical Brothers and Leftfield while forging his own path. This album is a testament to his versatility and artistry, standing as a pinnacle of modern electronica.
Read our interview with Fernando and stream TIME below.
How did you become drawn towards the type of music that you’re making?
I believe it was something that started at my early days, mostly when I watched the news and sports magazines on tv, they used ‘electronic’ music as backing tracks, things like Jean Michel Jarre, Kraftwerk, Moroder, etc, all the TV news and sports shows used to include that tunes on the background and also on the commercial ads, so I kept fascinated with that. Then when I was 10-12 I discovered a more pop side, such as Duran Duran, New Order, Depeche Mode, etc, and after a while, all the acid tunes, early house music and the 90’s 🙂
What does your current software/hardware setup currently consist of?
I’ve got a good mix between analog and digital hardware synths and drum machines, love grooveboxes like Elektron, and synth brands such as Moog, Novation, etc… Also Roland, Nord. Apart from that, I am using Ableton Live as main DAW in the studio, along with plugins from Native Instruments (Komplete) or the Arturia synth collection and fx, plus some fx from UA, Apogee, T-Racks and Soundtoys.
Tell us about the inspiration behind and creation of your latest album, TIME.
The main inspiration was simply to make a stop in the path and pay tribute to all the music that was with me in the last 20 years, that’s the time in which I am living in Europe, after moving here from Montevideo, when I was born. Therefore, TIME can be seen as a sort of tribute for the last 20 years and a deep look into the next 20 or more years !
Outside of music, what inspires you?
I love to swim, make long walks by the beach and enjoy reading. I also love to read thriller books 🙂 Not sure if the thrillers inspire me to compose anything, but I am sure that relaxes me a lot, so that helps to empty my mind and be ready to get into the studio to work on new tunes.
What kind of relationship do you have with the internet? How does this inform your artistic expression?
I have been using the internet since the early 90’s. I recall using a ‘modem’ to establish the connection making a horrible noise like an old fax machine, and then using a browser called ‘Netscape’ or something similar to surf… Then I met some people in Montevideo doing what they called ‘Netart’ so I started to compose music for them, for art pieces called ‘Soundtoys’, using Flash and other web programming languages (not me, they were the programmers!), but all in all, I have been using the Internet both as for communication and browsing and also as a way of art, since the very beginning…
As a performer or as a member of the audience, what single show has been the most memorable for you?
As a performer, maybe one of my shows at Sonar festival, and as a member of the audience, I recall nice concerts such as the first time I saw Kraftwerk, Depeche Mode, Orbital, etc.
Any new or upcoming artists on your radar?
Usually when I am composing or working in an album, don’t listen to many other artists at the same time, so since I’ve been involved in the album for the last few months, I lost a bit of traction in regards of discovering new music, etc, but I just discovered a nice artist called Nau Leone which I can recommend.
Please suggest an album for us to listen to.
La Equidistancia from Leandro Fresco and Rafael Anton Irisarri, an ambient masterpiece.
What can we expect from you in the near future? Any upcoming projects or gigs in the pipeline that you would like to tell us about?
The next movement would be to prepare all the tracks of the album for its ‘live’ version. I am starting to work on it in the studio, prepping the tunes to be performed live, since I am working on some options for Summer festivals for 2025. Aside from that, I keep doing techno music for playing live in clubs and also making edits and tracks to be included on my techno DJ sessions.
Follow Fernando Lagreca:
Soundcloud – Instagram – X – Linktree
