Pau Roca: "We are not aware of the power a DJ has when they get into the booth"

--- You've been an active part of Barcelona's electronic scene for over ten years, although it took you a while to debut with your own tracks.

--- I've been playing and making music for many years. From the age of four to 14, I played the violin, and once I was of legal age, when I used to buy records at the old Cd-Drome, Albert Salinas, aka Wooky, gave me some music production lessons. Back then, I made a lot of edits and versions of songs to play or give away on my Soundcloud account. In 2015, I released the track Garvey City on the first release of the Black Money label, and three years later, a record of pirate edits for Pleasure of Love. Until now, I hadn't felt confident enough to release a record of 100% my own music. It took me a while, but it was worth the wait.

--- You were practically a child prodigy of the city's electronic music scene. How has your evolution been over these years?

--- I really appreciate you calling me a child prodigy, but I think it's too much. Everything has been very harmonious and natural: from the first raves where I was invited to play, especially in Valencia, until now. I have thoroughly enjoyed every show and I plan to continue doing so until I die. We are not aware of the power a DJ has when they step into the booth. Having control over the emotions of 50 or 1000 people for a while is an indescribable feeling.

--- And regarding Barcelona's club scene?

There are excellent people in the city looking for new music, making it, good promoters... People make a living, but Barcelona is what it is, with its good and bad things. The laws do not allow many alternatives to the club circuit, and the local electronic scene is not valued. The authorities do not understand it as a social and cultural asset, and even the city's deputy mayor wants to close nightlife forever. We can't be in clubs, we can't organize outdoor events without being fined, we can't dance... At what point have we accepted this? When COVID ends, we have a great opportunity to change it, but I'm not very optimistic.

--- I've heard you talk about the importance of your father in your role as an explorer and music lover.

--- It's just that I don't understand life without my father. When we were left alone after the loss of my mother, when I was ten years old, he became, even more so, a reference. He has played instruments all his life and is passionate about music, with a special sensitivity that few people have. I was a just-enough student, not to say bad, but music was unquestionable for him in relation to me: it was always the first thing, without discussion. I owe my father a lot.

"I don't understand life without my father. When we were left alone after the loss of my mother, when I was ten years old, he became, even more so, a reference"

--- Totally. The album name is the same as the main track, and when I finished it, it was already agreed with Pleasure of Love, in full lockdown. I imagined the moment of happiness and explosion that we will experience when all this passes, hence the title. Finally, the album has come out now, when we are not exactly in a good moment, but I want to think that the day we can celebrate will soon arrive.

--- You say it's a work done in confinement.

--- I made a lot of music. Covid helped me lock myself in the studio and work without pressure, calmly and letting projects mature. Dino Soccio, head of Pleasure of Love, had been telling me for a long time that when I had original music of my own, he wanted to release it on his label, so I tried to close a package of tracks with a certain coherence. Together we ended up defining the album and he has been very brave, because, in the end, despite being a small label, releasing an album is a lot of money and hours invested.

--- House, Italo, Balearic... These are your trademarks and I understand that Euphoria had to go this way.

--- Labels are not important to me. Balearic? Perhaps the album breathes a certain hedonistic air, but my connection with Ibiza and Balearic goes no further than what everyone with a minimum of musical interest knows. However, I would have loved to share days and nights with Escohotado, José Padilla, DJ Pippi and DJ Alfredo in Ibiza in the late 80s.

"Covid helped me lock myself in the studio and work without pressure, calmly and letting projects mature. I made a lot of music"

--- Pal Joey is a legend and it's a shame because when he dies everyone will be tearing their hair out for not having given him the visibility and recognition he deserves. He should be playing all over the world! Bjork, Deee-Lite, Sade, The Orb... He has produced super powerful people, in addition to being responsible for house anthems like Hot Music. I know him because we brought him to play at Razzmatazz and since then I've had a relationship with him. I sent him the track of Euphoria and he told me he would like to do a remix with his voice and phrases. The result is beautiful.

--- Also related to euphoria and enthusiasm: at what point are your usual projects ---Bons Records and Líbido--- with the pandemic?

--- Bons Records is a label that is currently on stand by. After nine releases, it was time to dedicate time and energy to new projects, like Escola. But we will surely release music on Bons Records again, although I don't know when. About the Líbido party, at Nitsa Club, it remains to be seen what will happen. I'm not entirely sure and right now I'm only thinking about making music. It's my priority.

--- This year you started with Escola. What is the philosophy of the label?

--- Escola has been a salvation for me. I needed it. Bons Records has given me the necessary experience to launch a label like Escola, with someone I admire as a person and as a DJ like Breixo Martínez (formerly Abu Sou). The idea is to create a community with the label's artists and give them the opportunity to express themselves freely. We will release very interesting things.

--- Euphoria appears on Pleasure of Love, from Los Angeles. How do you end up making a record with them?

Since I released the edits record, they have been very much on top of me, asking for music and giving me critical feedback on everything I sent. As I explained before, during confinement we were polishing the record and everything has been very simple and natural. In addition, they have done a very good job promoting the record, so I am very happy.

Pau Roca is also responsible for the labels Bons Records and Escola, and organizes Libido at Nitsa Club

--- I'm not a Taliban either, I never have been. I play with vinyl because I love the format, I like to play the music I put on and there are records that only come out on vinyl. It's also because I'm a very disorganized person and a record bag helps me mentally organize my sessions. It's a shame that clubs and festivals are very poorly prepared to play vinyl and this is a handicap. I suppose that if I regularly played out, I would use more digital for practical reasons, but as long as I can, I want to continue playing vinyl.

--- The pandemic has shown us that perhaps it's time to go back to smaller things. Do you think club culture will benefit over large events?

I'm very pessimistic about this topic, although maybe tomorrow you'll catch me better. I live on a constant emotional roller coaster. This shit has changed the way we relate and I don't know how it will affect us. Value clubs and smaller things more? I hope so. I was born and raised in clubs and I don't understand a life without them. I hope many people think the same.