Today we’d like to introduce you to Luis Barrios.
Hi Luis, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start, maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers.
My name is Luis Barrios, but everyone has always called me Luie. I’ve been making and spinning music since about 2009. I’ve always had an eclectic style for making music. Some people say it is too eclectic for my own good at times. I’ve always loved house music, and it’s been my forte. I’m inclined to more Latin rhythmic beats, and anything with lots of flavor. The language of house is massive, but I also produce and spin Techno, and love the groove equally so. I’ve had a few aliases throughout the years, such as (Luis Move it, This n’ That, Luie B). Fortunately, some of these aliases have been released on labels and have tracks on the markets. Luie Beat ultimately stuck as a stage name and a nick name of sorts.
As an engineer/producer, I launched in 2016. My career started with a focus on post-production and slowly but surely drifted back into music creation. I did the studio thing for a little, then did some production sound and post-production sound, and ultimately landed back at doing more focused work. I’m also an audio engineer by profession, currently audio-tech Catch One Nightclub, specializing in audio production. Additionally, I’m a part of SD Renegade and Techno Rebels Only events and lead their production team.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Oh yes, absolutely, smooth as the Grand Canyon. As a creative, there’s almost an eternal suffrage that comes with it. Society is based on infrastructures that had creatives and musicians as town fools. Our society isn’t meant for creatives to necessarily win and break away from the norms; however, modern day has made a slightly bigger space for creatives in the “norm.”
Something big that stands out to me is the massive plateaus you hit as a producer. I went to college in 2013 for audio recording as an engineer. Going into that, I was already producing full-length productions. Although I didn’t really know why I, for example, was putting a compressor on the kick and cranking the heck out of the output, I was just doing it from what sounded right to me and things you learn in tutorials, etc. Fast forward, I go to school and learn key things like why something louder sounds better to the human ear, how gear actually works from the inside, and, more importantly, the science behind audio production and recording. Things like that rattled my perspective for the better and, at the same time, caused one of the most soul-crushing plateaus I hit as a creative music producer. Once I learned how everything worked inside and out and knew the “rules,’ it was a brand-new ball game. It was technicality versus creativity. I was so hyper-focused on learning how to have everything “right” that my creativity hit a brick wall. Getting the music to groove felt foreign to me, and my productions were lifeless for my standards. I’ve struggled so hard to gain that creative mentality back. Coupled with switching from FL Studio to Ableton Live, Logic, and Pro Tools, it went from producing music on a fun, intuitive program that sounded good out of the gate (shout out to fruity limiter) to making music on a calculator. That’s what it felt like. I’ve spent countless hours trying to bridge the gap of the two–technicality and creativity–and am still working on it today.
Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am an audio engineer, producer, and DJ. With my productions, I’m currently working with 2 record labels: Groove-ism and Better Together Records. As an audio engineer, I’m generally responsible for sonic quality. Yes, there’s a creative quality to this, which is really where the magic comes in. I’ve worked hard and am still working to develop this further. As a producer, I take on a more creative manager role, and as a DJ, I curate vibes. What am I known for? The people that have been following me the longest know that I’ve had a certain “bounce” to my productions and DJ sets since I began. It’s a lot of Latin-based rhythms and influences. So much so that my friends would say, “Oh, that’s a Luie-type beat!” which is also kind of where my stage name comes from. What I’m most proud of is how far I’ve come from to where I am today. I’ve learned so much, and met many amazing, inspiring people, and I am excited for what is to come, through all the obstacles, I continue to chase my highest excitement.
What sets me apart from others is I try to keep my distance from hopping on trends and sounding exactly like the next guy because I tried that for a brief while, and it crushed my soul.
I try to nourish people’s creative energy as an engineer/producer, and a lot of the time, it feels as if I’m taking an almost psychiatric role to help develop ideas and complete processes. Not just anyone can be in these rooms while the creative process is happening, it’s something rather spiritual in my opinion.
Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
What I like best about our city [Los Angeles] is that we have literally anything and everything you want. There are so many cultures and people from different parts of the U.S. and the world, too. It’s a HUGE melting pot, and I love the diversity. What I like least about our city are the negative undercurrents of the underground scene experienced by the promoters, creatives, and, ultimately, the patrons. Don’t get me wrong, there are a lot of really good people out there doing it proper and I have a great respect for those people.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/luiebeat
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/luiebeat
- SoundCloud: www.soundcloud.com/luiebeat
- Other: Threads @luiebeat
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Listen to Better Together Radio #82: Luie Beat Mix by Better Together Records on #SoundCloud
Image Credits
Brian Gallardo
Norxsou Media
Wildtype
