Ursula 1000 (aka Alex Gimeno) is back in a big way with his fourth album, Mystics. Instead of drawing from the same creative well as he did on his previous albums and multitude of remixes (Quincy Jones, Felix da Housecat, The Faint), the New York-based Gimeno wasn’t afraid to add a few more layers of dirty disco filth and beats to his sound and collaborate with the likes of Adam “Mocean Worker” Dorn and various vocalists and MCs. Big Shot caught up with Gimeno before he hits the road on March 6th to support his new album.

You’ve just released your fourth album, which sounds like a departure from some of your earlier material. What inspired this evolution of your sound?

Alex Gimeno: My sound has been evolving with every release as have my DJ sets. You get turned onto new things, re-discover older genres and it all gets mashed up into hopefully something fresh and progressive. I get people every once in a while who basically want me to keep remaking my first couple of records and stick to a kitschy ’60s groovy template, but that’s not me…never has been. It may sound crazy for an electronica artist to look to people like David Bowie as inspiration but Bowie always evolved and mutated like a chameleon but not in a band-wagon jumping way. It’s a good cue to take.

How did the process of creating Mystics compare with your previous releases?

This time around it was a lot more collaborative with the guest vocalist contributing, in some cases, from overseas where we’ve actually never met! Also, the live instrumentation, which has always been there, is now more up in the mix. The guitars are a little heavier giving the whole album a rockier feel.

What’s the significance behind the title?

I’ve always been into fantasy whether it’s in books, comics, movies, mythology, prog rock, you name it. Things like time travel, too. I don’t know. Just really turned on to creating something mystical and epic. I think it really comes across with the first song “The Wizard’ and the last song on the album, “Mystics.”

You’re joined by a host of guests on the new album, including Mocean Worker. How did these collabos become reality?

Adam Dorn (aka Mocean Worker) is a mate, and we’ve always talked about doing something together. I did a remix for his track “Shake Ya Boogie” last year, and when it came time to do something, I wanted to get away from the big band breaks sound he’s known for and have him channel his inner Bootsy Collins. He’s a tremendous bass player and a real funny guy, so I think it all came across pretty nice on our jam.

The road is calling you, and it looks like you’re going to be pretty busy over the next few weeks. How do you maintain your sanity on the road?

It’s a tough one but I’m lucky in that the promoters that I deal with are fabulous hosts who realize that your time is short in their city/country and want to make sure you have a great time. So the stress is cut short. But yeah, you create these intense relationships with fans and DJs that last for like a day or two and then off to do it again in another city. Pretty wild, but to be fortunate enough to take in all these amazing cultures is quite a treat. Plus, I’m a bit of a foodie so trying new cuisines is right up my alley!

Big Shot Guest Mix: Ursula 1000

1. Kraak & Smaak / “Squeeze Me” (B’More remix)
2. Act Yo Age / “Love Bounce Parade”
3. Dred Poet / “Could This Be Loved” (Bass Sick dub)
4. DJ Bang / “St. James”
5. Queen & Cuntry / “Don’t Stop Me Now”
6. Yusef & Loveys / “Fakers”
7. Ursula 1000 / “Zombies” (HiJack remix)
8. Ursula 1000 / “Rump” (All Good Funk Alliance remix)
9. Stanton Warriors / “Blaze” (Baobinga & ID remix)
10. Drums Of Death / “Ozzzy!”
11. Scottie B / “Mais Ela”
14. M.I.A. / “Paperplanes” (Scottie B remix)
15. RQM / “Miss Pacman” (DJ Chernobyl remix)
16. Sway / “Biggie At The Back”
17. Ursula 1000 / “Din Da Da Beasties”
18. Frederico Franchi v Gameboy Gamegirl v Killa Queenz-Sweaty Wet Cream (Ursula 1000 edit)
19. Tommy Vee & Roy Malone vs A Skillz-Strawberry House Jam Forever (Ursula 1000 edit)
The Who-Baba O’Reilly (SebastiAn remix)

 

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