Stevie G: 'It’s hard to describe a record so broad and rich and unique'
Estratos, aka Diego Joaquin Ramirez, has released his debut solo album.
It’s a self-titled album that has been years in the making and I cannot recommend enough to music lovers. is largely instrumental, but features vocals from Michael Mayo and Julia Easterlin on two of the standout tracks of a concisely put together journey through eight beautiful jams. There are some incredible grooves on here, but it’s a record that is free spirited and free flowing too, and operates outside any limits or constraints.
I was first introduced to a very young Diego when he used to play alongside his father, with Manu and his latino house band, who were a big fixture here in the 2000s. His Guatemalan father and Yaqui Native American mother meant that such an exotic background was always gonna bring incredibly diverse influences, and Diego was on the road a lot as a youngster too.
Now living in the States, he has worked with Melanie Charles, Kiefer, Wayne Tucker, Circuit Kisser and many more artists, including Carrtoons, with whom he appeared on NPR’s Tiny Desk series.
Asking him about his influences, he points to “Maurice Ravel, Tony Williams, Miles Davis, Jimmi Hendrix, Hermeto Pascoal, Aphex Twin, The Redneck Manifesto, Tool, Zach Hill (Hella, Deathgrips), video games, Hiyao Miyazaki and Katsuhiro Otomo”.
This will give you some idea about how the album sounds, and it might help it make sense. It’s hard to describe a record so broad and rich and unique, but I’m delighted to see it’s being received well too. He tells me that the reaction has been “better than I ever imagined. I’ve been added to a few really cool Spotify and Apple music playlists, but, most importantly, people I ire have been texting me saying they’re listening to it over and over, and it calms their anxiety when they listen. There’s no better compliment. I’m really honoured.”
Being a working musician in 2025 is not easy and I asked Diego about these challenges.
“You have to be able to do many different things well. It’s not just playing your instrument; You have to be savvy with technology and promotion, community building, stylistic versatility and diversifying income streams. I tour, record for people remotely, and teach private lessons.”
He is dying to play Cork again and he’s on the road with Pale Jay in Australia soon before some dates with Carrtoons and a possible tour as Estratos which might hopefully bring him home here.
I asked Diego about Cork, from an outsider’s perspective. “The scene in Cork has been integral to my own artistic voice. Growing up in the math rock scene in Cork has given my sound an edge over here in the states. Irish bands like Ten Past Seven, Rest, Waiting Room, and The Redneck Manifesto definitely still show up in my playing and music. The DIY recording scene in the 2000s put such an emphasis on original music instead of covers which really pushed me to grow, and I have Cork to thank for that.”
Finally, as a still young artist who has collaborated so much, who has been your favourite? And who should we look out for in the future?
Diego describes best, so I’ll leave the last words to him. “When I listen to it, it brings me back to that place of being young and in the clouds” (he partly composed GAMEOVER while flying on an airplane) “and looking over all these different terrains around the world and trying to soak in all that goodness.”
is out now.
Keep flying my man!
