012 AND HOW DOES THIS AFFECT THE REST OF THE GIGS YOU DO OUTSIDE IBIZA, DOES IBIZA INFLUENCE PACO’S SESSIONS OUTSIDE THE ISLAND? In musical terms it doesn’t affect me much because since I started the NOW HERE residency I decided to focus a 100% on the musical style that NOW HERE represents. If I am the biggest artist of the brand, its flagship, I can’t do one thing in Ibiza and something else outside the island because that would get the audience confused. Since I started NOW HERE I decided to focus on one sound. It’s my brand, my identity and it’s the musical concept that I like the most and I don’t want to create confusion, that’s why for the last three years I’ve only dedicated myself to that kind of sound. IS PACO AT HIS BEST RIGHT NOW? That’s a difficult question because everyone says “yes” and I honestly don’t think that this is the best moment of my career in terms of music production. I’ve had moments when I was producing when I was much more creative and had much more time to be in the studio. Before I could spend a whole week in my studio and I had more time to experiment and try new things. It is true that people may say I’m at my best. I am not really sure, but I do know that I am mentally at the most relaxed moment and that helps a lot. Life experience - I just turned 50 and I have been in the business for 30 years - helps me not to have so many insecurities. For example, before, when I had to play at a festival, I would prepare at least a month or two in advance. Next week I’ll be in Monegros and I haven’t prepared anything yet, but that’s because I’m sure of what I have to do. MONEGROS IS THE HARDEST FESTIVAL IN OUR COUNTRY, NOT ONLY FOR BEING THERE BUT ALSO FOR THE STYLES OF MUSIC YOU LISTEN TO. YOU HAVE LIVED DIFFERENT TIMES/PARTIES/LABELS IN IBIZA, MUSIC ON, ENTER, NOW HERE… OUTSIDE IBIZA THERE WERE ALSO TIMES WHEN YOUR SETS WERE HIGHER IN TERMS OF BPMS AND OTHERS LESS. NOW THAT IN THE INDUSTRY IT HAS BECOME FASHIONABLE TO CARRY OUT MORE HARDCORE SOUNDS, HIGHER BPMS, ETC. HOW DO YOU SEE THIS NEW SCENE (IF WE MAY CALL IT NEW) “COMMERCIAL HARD TECHNO”? You said it: “if we can call it new”, because it is a recycling of something that already existed in the 90s, which is rave, la máquina, hardcore. In fact, the main reason why I have stopped playing techno for a while is because the techno that people like today is not the techno that I like. I like techno that’s a bit lower BPM, a bit more intelligent, where it’s not just speed and a kick drum. A techno where it tells you a bit more of a story, where you can see a melody and you can ask for a groove or some vocals. Although something that I have always been very clear about is that I don’t come here to give lessons to anyone. I am always the first one who wants to learn and if you look at NOW HERE I have a lot of new people, with new energy from whom I can learn things that perhaps people of my generation no longer transmit to me. Simply, if there is an audience that likes that music, those BPMs, let them enjoy it. I cannot, nor do I want to, judge something that I do not feel represented by and am not a part of. Since Marco left Amnesia in 2017, I’ve always had offers to replace him. But no. First, because I didn’t feel it, and that’s something you have to feel. I didn’t feel it was the right time to do a residency. And second, obviously, in the particular case of Marco, he’s my best friend, he’s one of my idols and mentors, I could never in my life do anything against him. No matter how much money they offer me. I’ll tell you something, NOW HERE was initially going to be held at Amnesia but Covid came and then Amnesia changed the rules of how we wanted to do things and I got the opportunity to do it at Hï Ibiza. It was the best thing that ever happened to me after my son and my wife. They are an incredible group of people, extremely professional, they look after everything down to the smallest detail and they make me feel that they love me. In fact, I’ll tell you an anecdote, before Marco started Music On, he and I had a meeting with Space to do our party and their real intention was to use us to bring in certain DJs. At Hï Ibiza that never happened, they told me “we want you, we don’t care who you bring in” and for me that was a driving force and a great motivation. FROM THE OUTSIDE YOU CAN SEE THAT LOVE AND PROFESSIONALISM. Right now I’ve just come from having a paella at my house with the whole Hï Ibiza team. For me they are not my bosses, they are my family, they are the people I want to be with. They don’t worry about how I’m going to play, they worry about how I am, how my family is and how my son is. Maybe other workers don’t have the same relationship, but with me they always show a familiarity that I really feel like that, like my family, like my people, and I will always fight and kill for my people. Always. IF YOU ARE READING THIS INTERVIEW TO A 19 YEAR OLD WHO WANTS TO BE A DJ AND WHO THINKS AND DREAMS OF HAVING HIS OWN PARTY IN IBIZA AND YOU CAN ONLY GIVE HIM ONE PIECE OF ADVICE, WHAT WOULD IT BE? My advise would be to have patience and just do your job. Strive about making people dance, worry about the weekend and when it’s over, start thinking about the next one. That way, thinking like that and working hard, opportunities will come. YOU ARE A CONNOISSEUR OF THE ISLAND AND ITS PARTY SCENE. WHAT CHANGES HAVE YOU SEEN SINCE YOU STARTED UNTIL NOW FOR A DJ WHO HAS HIS OWN PARTY? HAVE YOU HAD MANY PROPOSALS TO HAVE YOUR OWN PARTY?
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