With a career spanning more than 20 years, Paco Osuna is one of the most renowned artists in the industry. His creativity, courage, and relentless search for new forms of expression are some of his principal and consistent virtues when it comes to making music. On the dance floor, he is lively, intelligent, and sophisticated, with a deep awareness for sound aesthetics.
He has devoted his career to growth, while simultaneously nurturing Spain’s electronic music scene. He is co-founder of Club4, one of the most emblematic clubs in Barcelona, creative head and owner of Mindshake Records and its events concept, and a partner in one of the most important bookings agency in Europe.
Throughout his career, Paco has performed at clubs, parties, and festivals of great prestige. The list is endless, from Fabric London to WOMB Tokyo, passing through Space NYC & Miami, Watergate Berlin, Movement Detroit, Awakenings, Ultra Miami, Sónar Barcelona, and Tomorrowland. From 2012 to 2014 he was resident for Richie Hawtin’s ENTER. In 2015 Paco Osuna became part of Music On, joining Marco Carola in residencies at Ibiza, Miami, and NYC. In 2016 he was selected to be an ambassador of PLAYdifferently MODEL1. 2017 was also an important year for the Mindshake showcases, in which Paco participated alongside the label producers with tours taking in European and American stages.
In the studio, Paco’s use of technology and the constant search for innovation has led to the development of his own musical trademark, coating the purest techno sounds with his most characteristic fibers: deep, dark and imaginative beats, always accentuated by his creativity.
We caught up with Paco Osuna to talk about his latest project, a Masterclass hosted by Aulart.
Electronic Groove: Hi Paco, thanks for joining us today. First, how did the collaboration with Fer BR, to create Project00, come about?
Paco Osuna: Hello all. It came about in a very natural way, Fer helps me a lot with the management of the Mindshake label and is a person with whom I feel very identified on a musical level. So we decided to join forces and create this alias. He is a very creative and hard-working guy, so I’m sure that little by little we will be releasing more and more material.
EG: What was the creative and technical process to remix the track Acting Kinda Strange?
Paco Osuna: Actually, it was very quick and easy, we really liked the original track, especially the groove and the vocals. So we added our touch in the bass line, in the percussion, and finally in the arrangements. That way we respected the original but we made it a little more aggressive than the original.
EG: Your label Mindshake has released over 70 references in its catalog and has hosted parties at events such as The BPM Festival, Dockyard ADE, WAN Festival, among others. What is the secret behind creating a successful record label?
Paco Osuna: I think the only secret behind Mindshake is hard work and the desire to create a label with its own personality. We focus the imprint’s musical line towards the feelings we want the music to transmit, we are not guided by fashion or names, we look for our own sound and we try to create our own musical personality. Regarding the showcases we use the same formula, we choose quality over ticket sales, we prefer the musical quality that DJs have to offer, rather than the number of tickets that their “name” can sell. I think it is important for a label to have its own personality in this industry.
EG: What are the next releases on Mindshake? How do you select the artists to produce for your label?
Paco Osuna: The truth is that given the amount of free time that we have now, in general, all of us who work in the electronic music industry, Mindshake has many releases in the pipeline. To name a few, we will soon release an EP of original Project00 tracks (so far we have only done remixes), EPs by artists such as Carlo Lio, Andres Campo, and Avision, as well as music from new artists. And later, in the summer of 2021, I will release an album 😉
Win an Aulart Masterclass with Paco Osuna, click here for more info.
EG: We have seen that you have launched a Masterclass this month, ‘My DJ Techniques’, what led you to do your first masterclass with Aulart?
Paco Osuna: Well, my motivation was the invitation of a great friend and person that I respect and admire. When Marc Marzenit asked me to collaborate and he explained the project in detail, I had no hesitation in carrying it out. He is a person with a very high level of demand and I knew that the result was going to be magnificent. I liked the idea of trying to open possibilities and techniques to new DJs by teaching the equipment that I use when mixing. Nowadays it is a bit forgotten what it really is the art of mixing, and if with the masterclass I can motivate new generations to improvise and take risks when mixing, if I can help them to get out of their comfort zone and be creative, that makes me be very happy.
EG: What special techniques will we find in the masterclass? What software and hardware do you present?
Paco Osuna: In the masterclass, I explain everything you can find in my DJ set, from mixing techniques to how to create intensity in a DJ mix, I explain the processes to do it by using loops, brakes, and all the components that I use in my set up. I teach my way to use software and hardware, all of them, Traktor, Ableton, Push, controllers, sampler, sound card, among many others.
“I can motivate new generations to improvise and
take risks when mixing”
EG: How do you envision the future of the electronic music industry for 2021? Do you think there is a light at the end of the tunnel? How do you think the scene will change/evolve next year?
Paco Osuna: There is always light at the end of the tunnel, even if it looks far away (laughter)… Well I guess 2021 will be a year of transition, where we will go through phases until we get back to what was the pre-covid scene, but we have to take it with enthusiasm and positivity, I believe 2021 will be better than 2020.
EG: If you could go back in time, to 2019, what party or event would you like to relive? What do you miss most about the old days?
Paco Osuna: There were many memorable parties in 2019! The truth is that I have always felt fortunate with the response of the public in my shows. Some of the ones I remember the most are the closing of Medusa Festival – we had a Mindshake stage – and the party that I hold every year at Club Space Miami for Halloween – Pacoween – in which last year I played more than 12hours with incredible energy in the club throughout all the set!!
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