But if one thing has driven his myriad professional endeavors since the beginning, it's the love of sharing music — pure and simple.
An unwavering passion for crate digging and a penchant for those more esoteric, cosmic grooves have seen this West Coast native emerge as a revered selector and tastemaker among discerning international listeners. And Hogge brings the same deft curatorial hand to DJing as he does to his esteemed ESP Institute imprint, a global touchstone for genre-bending experimental dance fare from the likes of Tornado Wallace, Young Marco, and
Ahead of Thursday's highly anticipated Miami debut at the Electric Pickle, we caught up with Mr. Lovefingers himself to chat about the roots of ESP Institute and his evolving quest to push
New Times: How did ESP Institute first come about? Did you already have a concept in mind for the label before you set out to launch it?
Andrew Hogge: Yes, it was very deliberate. I'd been doing
"Eclectic" is probably not an apt enough term to describe ESP's catalog, since so much of the material you put out defies genre or categorization altogether. What
Honestly, there is no format. I trust in my instinct and don't listen to anyone else. Some of the music that comes my way is already perfect, yet with others I get deeply involved in writing, mixing, and production. If there is no personal connection to the music for me, then I can't include it in the family we're building here. I never release music based on what's going on outside, and certainly not for financial gain. I believe in art, and while some releases are more lucrative than others, that doesn't necessarily say anything about the music but more the listeners and their context.
As a DJ and simply a music lover, what turns you on musically the most? Are there any specific sonic ingredients you look for in records when you go digging?
Drums and rhythms are first, then melody. If there is no obvious melody, that's fine as well, but
So what's going on with ESP next? Any forthcoming releases we can look forward to?
We're focusing on albums for the moment. We have
We're looking forward to your Miami debut on Thursday. What can we expect? Do you have any special tricks up your sleeve during this summer tour?
I always have a very mixed bag. I try to keep things interesting and dynamic, so I don't really play
Camp Cosmic presents Lovefingers. 10 p.m. Thursday, September 22, at the Electric Pickle, 2826 N. Miami Ave., Miami; 305-456-5613; electricpicklemiami.com. Tickets cost $10 to $20 via residentadvisor.net.