DOSEM interview ahead of Origin Festival 2016
Dosem is a Spanish soulful techno & house producer/DJ from Girona. His version of deeply textured techno has won over the hearts and ears of house and techno fans all over the world. His tour roster is jam packed and his fans fly far and wide to see him perform live.
He chats to us about the Catalonia region, how running helps clear his head and spurs on creativity, his upcoming gig at Origin Festival here in SA, and the first releases to come off his own label Houstrike.
How has growing up in the Catalonia region influenced you, your music and the sounds you are most drawn to?
DOSEM: Very influential indeed, Girona had a very strong electronic music scene some years ago. We got two clubs: La Sala del Cel and Blau Club, both booking international artists weekly. Barcelona is very close to my city so I was often going there to enjoy the clubbing scene and attending big festivals like Sónar. I gotta say Ibiza is also very close by plane, so my friends and I visited the island numerous times during the summer. So my early influences were a mixture of Techno, Big Beat and soulful House from that time.
The track ‘Runnerpark’ off your album ‘Dosem: City Cuts’ has the most plays of all the other tracks on the album featured on Soundcloud. What was the concept behind the production of this track and why do you think it has gone down so well?
DOSEM: It’s a very honest track and the one that started the project. I like to put my headphones on and run through the parks and the deep forest around my city. There was one day where I had a big turning point in my life and I needed to clear my mind doing some outdoor running. When I came back home I took a quick shower and drew the first notes of that track. That was the beginning of the album. I’m happy many people connected somehow with the soul of it. That’s the magic of music.
What are you currently working on in the studio right now and when can we be expecting any new Dosem music to be released?
DOSEM: I’m preparing the first releases of my own label: Houstrike. It’s going to be a multimedia platform where I will be able to go beyond the music and also work on the visual aspect attached to it. I expect to release it in the first quarter of this year and you’ll find many different genres and styles of music inside, not just club music.
You grew up in the 90’s hardware synthesizer era. These days the soft-synths and plugins are really high quality. Do you still use outboard gear much or is it all ‘in the box’ these days?
DOSEM: At the moment most of my music is produced on a laptop. I was using some analog process to make my mixes more fat, but I stopped using that long time ago. At the moment everything in my workflow is digital. It’s quite amazing the quality of sound all the new plugins are able to create, I’m very satisfied with it.
You wrapped up a pretty good year in gigs at the end of 2015, what’s your favourite memory from the previous European summer season of parties?
DOSEM: My favourite memory is my gig at Sónar Festival, playing after the Chemical Brothers. That was fantastic! I had lot of fun playing in Ibiza last summer too. For example at Blue Marlin… it feels like a home for me and the parties there are great. But gotta say Reverse at Sankeys was also excellent in many ways. I did [make a lot of] new friends this year, can’t wait to come back next summer.
January was also a good month with a great party performance at the BPM Festival. From the video it looks like the party was on fire. Was the BPM Festival as special as it looked from the video footage?
DOSEM: It was. I had the chance to play at Suara and Stereo showcases. Both were fantastic with remarkable success. I’m proud of what they have accomplished and it feels great to be part of it.
You will be playing at one of the best South African festivals, Origin at the end of this month. It’s an outdoor event with the main stage being psytrance and the Beats Floor an eclectic mix of techno, house and other weird and wonderful sounds.
DOSEM: I know about it, I heard many good feedbacks about the festival. Can’t wait!
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a) Have you ever played at a psytrance festival before? What are your impressions of psytrance hippies?
DOSEM: Yes I did. I love the vibe and it’s usually a very inspiring experience because I have the chance to listen other kinds of music and talk with people from around the world following that movement. It’s culturally enriching.
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b) Do you prepare differently for outdoor gigs and club gigs?
DOSEM: I don’t prepare my sets, but I prepare the music. That means I listen to a lot of music during the week and drop everything into a folder ready to be played. Of course there are tracks that work much better on outdoor festival locations, but you never know until you’re there. I did many sets on big festivals with a club approach and the vibe was great too.
You participated in a fundraiser in Barcelona last year for Bridges for Music which was to raise funds for a Music school in Langa, South Africa. How much do you know about our country and are there any plans to visit some of the local producers in the townships?
DOSEM: I spoke a lot about it with Valentino from Bridges for Music, he told me many things about the country. But I think the best is to go there and experience it for myself, discover the culture and meet the local people.
DOSEM will be playing at the upcoming Origin Festival this weekend!
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