Ruisort

b. Alvaro Ruiz, Chilpancingo, Mexico. Ruiz was apparently named Ruisort by his friends because of time spent playing keyboards in his father Eleuterio Ruiz Domingo’s band, which performed samba around the tourist bars and restaurants of the holiday resort of Acapulco. Ruiz also studied at the Johann Sebastian Bach School of Music. However, the musician reportedly had his head turned in the early 90s by Kraftwerk, the Orb, Detroit techno and the local rave scene. Nevertheless, Ruisort’s recordings still draw on Mexican music to underpin his electronica, which embraces Latin rhythms, Mexican drumming, and salsa alongside his more contemporary influences. Ruisort’s 2002 debut Acapulco Now! was the second Mexican album to be released on the London, England-based Certificate 18 imprint, following Panoptica’s self-titled debut, and Ruisort has had his music remixed by members of the Nortec Collective, Fussible and Terrestre. The album title references the epic movie Apocalypse Now, with the musician claiming ‘Acapulco used to be a wonderful place - huge hotels and real glamour. It’s still magical but it’s become like Saigon.’ Ruiz is reported to have composed the official theme music for the state of Guerrero, recorded tribute albums to children’s music composer Gavilando Soler, and scored soundtracks for dozens of Mexican movies.