With all the attention taken up by reggaeton, there is a hip hop scene bubbling up in South America right under our noses. DJ Bitman is one of the biggest names in the hip hop scene from Chile, if you can call him hip hop (in South America, anything with a little soul is considered hip hop). His new release, Latin Bitman, is a breezy amalgamation of lounge, rock, hip hop, and breaks that is sure to satisfy.

Your previous work as Bitman & Roban was much more a group effort than this new “Latin Bitman” album. Why did you choose to abandon that stage name and release an album strictly as “DJ Bitman”?

Because Bitman & Roban is a project with a concept based on “robbing” or sampling. That’s where the name came from and the music that was recorded throughout three albums. Latin Bitman is something more composed and musical, but it is done in a different way than B&R.

The musical color can seem similar to B&R in terms of style, with Afro and Latin musical influences, mixed with electronica and turntablism, and guests invited to sing, but that is me, the producer of B&R. That is the music that I do.

Do you produce your work yourself?

Yes, I produce, compose, re-compose, play, cut, mix, record, etc

Can you explain your recording and writing process?

Basically my studio is my second house – I am there everyday, all day. Sometimes some of the day is spent with a sample, which might lead me to one idea that will completely replace the original sound and leave only its mood. Or sometimes, it starts with a rhythm that would inspire me to a certain danceable vibe. With more obscure ideas, I marinate with the sound for some time, then record it, edit it, add instrumentation and then see which way it will take me, if it will be sung or is instrumental, etc.

Do you pride yourself in not using samples on it? Why do you choose that route?

I love my role as a music thief, re-writing songs and using them almost as a piece of art like a painter would use a photo of something to make a new work. But it is also necessary to start from scratch, even if it ends up being similar to something already in existence. It it inspiring and it helps my music to have a different color.

This ‘Latin Bitman’ disc is going to be released to an international market where a sample is a lethal weapon. In Chile, I could sample anything and I have done that, but abroad it is much more complicated legally.

What makes the electronica/DJ scene in Santiago special as compared to its counterparts in North America and Europe?

There are people doing great things here, in distinct styles, artists like Sr. Coconut, Bitman & Roban, DJ Raff and numerous other hip-hop/dance DJs. It’s something particularly special now that we are part of the older end of this hip-hop generation. We are part of a whirlwind that has gravitated to many different styles from all over the world, especially with people that were exiled in Europe during the Pinochet regime. So while there is a mixture of cultures, there is also some loss of the roots.

You grew up in Arica, in the northern deserts of Chile. Can you tell me what that was like? How do you think it influenced your musical tastes and what your write now? Would you go to Santiago often or were you relatively secluded?

I was born and lived in Arica until I was 18 years old. Since then I’ve been in Santiago and now I am 32. Arica is desert and beach, which is a strange combination. It looks like a scene out of Mad Max, very solitary without stress or traffic. But it’s also not a paradise so it’s weird. At 9, I started surfing and still surf as often as I can. So I think that surfing and that whole surrounding culture was the biggest inspiration for my music.

Santiago is known for its love for hip-hop while across South America in Argentina, rock is much more popular. Why do you think that has happened?

I think there have been some good hip-hop projects that have come out of Chile, that were successful abroad. In Argentina, they are very nationalist and they love their own bands, they fill stadiums with them, but not here. I think Argentine rock bands have really enjoyed that nationalism and its role in their identity. They have received support from their people and have been able to tour outside the country. They also have a great rock musical history and great artists as well. I won’t deny it; in football they always beat us too.