FUTUREMAG × EARLY REFLECTIONS · SPECIAL FEATURE

Mario Eighta and VUH on Early Reflections and the scene they want to build

One left to build his name abroad and came back with a mission. The other carried the Maya language into his name so the world would know where he comes from. Together, they are Early Reflections. We sat down with Mario Eighta and VUH to talk about the echo behind their label, Mario’s new single ‘17’ and the scene they want to leave for Mexico.

In music production, early reflections are the first bounces of sound, the ones that arrive before the reverb tail. They last only milliseconds, but they are what tells your ear what kind of space you are in. It’s hard to think of a better metaphor for what Mario Eighta and VUH are doing right now: defining the space where the next generation of Mexican producers is going to sound.

But every story has a first chapter, and Mario’s starts with another name, another genre and a moment of frustration.

Before Eighta

Mario came from Groove Killah, a tech house project. It worked, but something didn’t fit.

‘I felt limited, because I couldn’t really express myself through groove. So I decided to make something more emotional, something where I could express everything I was feeling. Looking back, I think I’ve achieved that: every song I make has a big story behind it.’

The new name came from something as personal as his surname. Ochoa became ‘Ocho-a’, the eight went into English, and Eighta was born.

Where he comes from shows in how he sounds, too. For Mario, growing up in Mexico was a school he didn’t choose:

‘In Mexico it’s really hard to grow if you don’t have connections or money. So while others were playing gigs, I was polishing my production to the point of creating my own sound. I’ve realized people hear a song and instantly know it’s mine. I think that’s the hardest level to reach in production.’

‘While others were playing gigs, I was polishing my production.’

‘17’: The Number That Found Him

Mario’s next release brings three producers together: himself, Henri Bergmann and Miss Monique. Mario started the idea and sent it to Henri. They worked on it, but something was missing.

‘That’s when Miss Monique heard it and added the main sounds it needed. And that was it, it’s a bomb.’

And the title? Seventeen has always been his lucky number. He sees it everywhere, and it took him exactly that long to give it to a song. ‘I didn’t think about it, it just happened,’ he says, laughing. For now the track stays in the vault, and Mario is certain of one thing: the best is coming when it drops.

Supports, "Through the Shadows" and Argentina

Having Anyma, Solomun, Argy and Mind Against play your music could easily be a reason to brag about one name over another. Mario doesn’t see it that way.

‘I’m deeply grateful for every support I get. None of them means more or less. In the end, this is what I’ve been fighting for throughout these 18 years of my career.’

One of the tracks closest to his heart is ‘Through the Shadows’, his collaboration with Vomee. He had the vocals and the pianos, but felt he needed help to take it where he wanted. The answer came at Hï Ibiza, opening for Maceo Plex and CamelPhat.

‘That’s where I met Vomee. We became good friends, I showed him the idea and he fell in love with the song instantly. The rest will be history.’

This year took him to Barcelona, Egypt and Argentina. All three dates left a mark, but one weighs more:

‘I’d go with Argentina. The crowd there is very demanding and I was a bit nervous because of that, but they loved it.’

And from playing abroad he brought back a lesson that explains everything that came next:

‘Sometimes your own country doesn’t value you, to the point where you start believing it yourself. When you go out and realize there are so many people supporting you, following your career and singing your music by heart, it’s an indescribable feeling. I just came back to my country and I want to encourage Mexicans to support each other. That’s where Early Reflections was born.’

‘I just came back to my country and I want to encourage Mexicans to support each other. That’s where Early Reflections was born.’

EARLY REFLECTIONS

The name was designed to work on two levels: the technical one, from the studio, and the one that happens on the dancefloor.

‘We wanted it to have a double meaning: one from production, and one from when you’re at a party or listening to a track and it makes you feel something or makes you want to dance.’

That concept also drives the visuals. The label’s artwork and parties revolve around the idea of reflections, and it shows: Early Reflections has one of the most recognizable identities in the local scene.

So what does a demo need to make the cut?

‘We look for dynamism: a track that makes you dance and also moves you emotionally.’

VUH

Mario isn’t doing this alone. On the other side of the label is VUH, whose name comes from the Maya word for ‘book’, the same root found in the Popol Vuh.

‘I wanted to take our culture and our roots to the whole world, and what better way than with the name people would know me by everywhere. Book, because I believe life is a blank book and we write our own story.’

His sound, he says, is his way of processing life:

‘I want to capture the present moment: what I live, what I feel, what goes through me. My sound is how I digest what happens to me and turn it into something you can listen to.’

For VUH, Early Reflections is much more than a label:

‘It’s a space where passion for music becomes something that brings us together. I’ve had the chance to work closely with Mario Eighta, who I consider one of the best producers in Mexico, and learning from his vision every day is a privilege. It has also opened my ears to emerging artists and music coming from every corner of the planet.’

Does he agree with everything Mario says? For the most part, yes. ‘More than differences, what we have are complementary strengths that make our vision stronger.’

‘Life is a blank book, and we write our own story.’ VUH

What’s Next

The response from producers has been strong, and more and more top artists want to join the Early Reflections family. The next step is giving them a stage.

‘Our goal is to do showcases and give our artists a space. We feel that’s what makes a label attractive.’

For Mario as an artist, the next twelve months follow the same path: showcases in better venues and new countries, to keep expanding and keep attracting better producers.

EARLY REFLECTIONS SHOWCASES

October 17 · October 22 · November 6 · December 31 · Venues TBA

A Message to the Scene

To the young producers who want to build something like this in Mexico, Mario leaves advice that doubles as the label’s manifesto:

‘Focus on building something solid and high quality, believing in new talent and supporting it. That’s how you create a healthy scene, which is exactly what the Mexican scene is missing.’

And VUH closes the chapter the way his name suggests:

‘Life is a blank book. We write our own story.’

QUICK FACTS

Name: Mario Ochoa · Previous project: Groove Killah · Years in music: 18 · Label: Early Reflections (with VUH) · Next release: ‘17’ with Miss Monique and Henri Bergmann · Upcoming collab: ‘Through the Shadows’ with Vomee