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Bastian Bux is the consequence of reducing everything surrounding a DJ and producer to its essential element: the music. That is the intention of Bux: be stripped of all artifice and be judged by his work. His debut was 2015’s “Stay” EP in Suara, where four timeless tracks laid the foundations of what Bastian Bux means today: deep and emotional Techno, dark House and high class Electronica. Such was the success of the debut that, a few months later, he repeated in Coyu’s imprint with “Teardrop” EP, followed by his “Oracle” EP later on.
His most recent “Protest” EP was just release on Nicole Moudaber’s imprint Mood Records (embedded below). In just one year, his work have been supported by most of the underground’s heavyweights and his profile is gaining a remarkable place in the scene. After his summer residency in Space Ibiza and having played in the United Kingdom, Germany, France and Dubai, the future looks bright for this new up-and-coming, techno wonderkid.
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Sean Ritchie: Coming from Barcelona, Spain, describe the city and its atmosphere a bit. Where would you tell a first-time visitor to go to really see the city?
Bastian Bux: It depends, because Barcelona is getting super interesting, especially when you talk about the music scene. I think after the Brexit it’s been a really interesting time, because a lot of big artists are coming here. This means that more venues can now afford to book those big names. It depends, because there’s a lot of different clubs that the underground offers, but there’s also different offers for other kinds of music. There’s a lot of things to do when it comes to the nightlife.
Of course, I have to say, if you come to Barcelona you have to go to elrow, because for me, it’s the best party. It’s the best party here in the city, and I’d also say the whole country. Not only because I’m a resident DJ there, but to be honest, it’s the most amazing venue I’ve seen in the country.
SR: What about it particularly stands out?
BB: There’s a lot of things that make elrow different from the others. One of them is the daylight parties. It’s not the classic, dark vibe. It’s all open air. It makes the difference. It’s outside the city, really close to the Barcelona International Airport. It’s great, because during the day you can see everybody’s faces. Everybody is dressed up and there’s a lot of crazy things happening all around. It’s not only about the music, but about the atmosphere. It’s a unique vibe. It’s super hard to describe. The best way to understand is to live it.
SR: Sounds like a spot that has to be on my list. To bring it back a little, talk about what your initial interest and exposure to music was, and how you transitioned into wanting to be a DJ and producer.
BB: At the beginning I was not really interested [in] the music, I was more interested in the computers, and how everything works. But, my older sister, who is seven years older than me, started going out and bringing home CD’s from the clubs she visited. I started listening to them doing my homework, and I fell in love with electronic music. I tried to figure out how these cosmic sounds were made. It all started out from curiosity, I guess. I was fascinated, because when I heard pop or rock songs I could imagine a guy playing guitar and the drums, but when I heard the first electronic track I was like, “Wow! I would love to know how this is done.” I discovered how and fell in love.
SR: Amazing. Now, to fast forward, you just put out your “Protest” EP on MOOD Records. How special is that to be on such an esteemed label headed by “The Queen” Nicole Moudaber?
BB: It was amazing. It was super special, because I’ve been following Nicole since the very beginning. She’s been playing my music since the first EP, and has been very supportive with all my stuff. That’s why I tried to make something thinking into her sound. I was in the studio trying to make something that would really be great for her label. I sent a message to her through Twitter, I didn’t know if she would reply, but she did super fast. She told me that she loved the tracks. I’m super proud and happy about it. They do really professional work with the label. It was phenomenal for me. She’s an amazing artist, and super nice person. I’m super thankful.
SR: I’ve seen her countless times being so close to New York City, and she always puts on a crazy show. It’s really cool that you became associated with her and her label. So, to tie it into travel, how does music really fit with travel? How do they go hand-in-hand?
BB: It’s always difficult, because there’s not always time to work on music. I’m not the kind of producer that’s able to work on the road. I need some proper studio time. I’m trying to develop at least the early stage of the process while traveling, but more tour schedule is getting busier and busier. I’m super thankful for that. I’m more of the classic studio producer that needs to know [their] equipment and how the room sounds. When I’m traveling I usually just listen to music and make some edits for my live sets. For now, it’s a process where I’m learning.
SR: I can understand that. It takes some time getting used to working just on a laptop. One of our core objectives at SCP is to bring people together while traveling. Our theory is if people see and experience different cultures they’ll be more open and accepting of those people. That has a lot of parallels with dance music, the whole purpose of it is to bring people together as one. How special is it to travel the world, put on shows and bring people together to meet each other?
BB: For me, it’s probably the thing I like the most about traveling and the touring life. I’m kind of an introspective person. When I’m in my hometown I’m not this guy that’s always going out, meeting new people. But, magically when I’m traveling I’m more open to connecting with different people. The thing I like the most about touring is that I can connect with a lot of people through my music. Without the music I would never be able to connect with them. It’s a fascinating feeling for me to have an opportunity to connect with such a range of people from all over the world. It’s the most special part of my work. One of the most amazing powers of music to the ability to connect with different people all in a single place. You have to live and experience it.
SR: Everyone usually has a list of places that they haven’t been to, but still have to hit, whether to perform or as a vacation. What are a few destinations that you still want to go to? Why?
BB: I would say that the first one would have to be Japan, because I’ve always been a fan of the Japanese culture. I love the classical culture. I love the culture from the video games. I’ve also heard good things about the crowds inside the clubs. I’ve heard that they are really open minded. They don’t have an idea of what you’re going to do, and they’re super open to whatever you want. I’ve never been there and would love to visit someday. Then, I would say Australia. I’ve heard a lot of great things from there. I’ve travelled all around the world, South America, United States, Asia and all around Europe, but I would love to go to Japan and Australia.
SR: When you do have some down time and are looking for vacation, are you looking for a serene beach, in the middle of the city somewhere or even up in the mountains?
BB: If I have some free time, what I love to do is to sleep, man. When I have free time I love being with my family and friends in my hometown. I enjoy the time with my people. Maybe because I’ve been traveling and touring for the last 12 years. I was playing, making music and touring with another name. I’ve spent all of my adult life traveling. I’ve missed some special moments with my family and friends.
SR: I can only imagine. That’s really cool to hear you cherish that. Lastly, to wrap this up, when’s the next trip or show planned?
BB: Next week I’m playing in the South of France, also in Italy. I’m going to the UK. Before I was only really traveling within my country Spain, but now things are getting interesting all around the world. I know what I’m doing in the next few weeks, but if you had to ask me about the next month I’d have to check my calendar again.
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For more on Bastian Bux visit his website:
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