D’Wachman [Interview]

Very few Dj´s can captivate the new generations, and Jose Carlos is one of them, of this two or three Dj's of the capital that are provided with white letter to adapt his speech to the geo-musical peculiarities. His music is a soul and body simultaneously. Hypnotizes, wraps, and expresses with a refined taste and an exquisiteness endorsed for his 30 years of career, freeing sonic battles there where it is needed.

This week finds D'Wachman making his debut on Paul Hazendonk's Manual Music with the much anticipated 'We Will Never Forget That Never Happened', alongside remixes from Stereo Underground and Patch Park.

Progressive Astronaut caught up with D'Wachman to learn more about the release of 'We Will Never Forget That Never Happened', his background, electronic music in the Spain, DJing, and much more. Enjoy.

Hi Jose, thanks for talking to us today. How has the first half of the year been for you so far? And please tell us something interesting about your day today?

In addition to having played music in small clubs in Madrid where people forget about their phones and go dancing, mainly I have been working in other types of audiences and places. The musical atmosphere in restaurants where I can open myself musically and explore other styles than the ones I use in clubs. Being able to play disco, nudisco, vocal house and even garage makes me refresh and be ready to offer quality music in places I never imagined, really very enriching. Every day when dawn breaks I take a walk through the countryside with my dog, those two hours with him give me a lot to start the day with faith, and it connects me with life, I don't know if it's interesting but very rewarding

Let’s look back on the first half of the year. What is a track which has come out this year that has impressed you the most and why?

It's really very difficult, perhaps having been around for so many years to be surprised by something new, although it is true that now there is a lot of music that excites me, there always has been. I couldn't tell you a specific track but the sum of many makes my sets enrich and I really want to share them with the public in the clubs.

What was the music genre you discovered first before you turned to electronic music, and what made you continue with the latter?

I remember that in my parents' house they listened to a lot of Ennio Morricone, I grew up with the whole wave of the 80s, from Jean Michel Jarre, Kratfwerk, A Flock of Seagulls, David Bowie or Orchestral Maneouvres in the Dark. The sounds of synthesizers attracted me a lot and from the age of 11 I started buying vinyl, perhaps that led me to dedicate myself to music in every sense.

Take us through a typical day when you’re not travelling, what does a day in your life look like?

My life is very simple, I walk and share my time with my dog, I listen to a lot of music, I watch a lot of movies, I read a book and I use social networks.

You’ve been DJing for over 30 years so looking back on all those gigs which ones have been the most memorable and why?

I will never be able to forget my debut at the Sonar festival in front of 30,000 people, nor can I forget some sets at Metro Dance Club in Alicante, La Real in Asturias and of course many others at Space - Ibiza. We are talking about moments that are kept in the heart because there were no smartphones, the dance floor was connected to music and a special energy was created.

What is a track that reminds you of your early days DJing and what event/club do you associate with it?

It is very difficult since there are many hymns that had their place and moment, even before the one I am going to say, but in this complicated choice it would be "Felix - Don't you want me", the mystery of having a promo and being from the first in Spain to have it and no one had it, having that advantage to be able to share it with the public made it an indelible memory.

How did growing up in Spain influence your music taste and direction? Or did it not at all?

My passion for music awoke at a very early age, the curiosity to discover everything, the fact that my uncle was a DJ and he recorded tapes for me with everything he bought every week helped me to look and listen in a very broad way without thinking that being in Spain was something that would differentiate having more or less concern and love for music.

Who else from Spain inspired you when you first discovered electronic music? And what was it about their DJing or production which led you to pursue it yourself?

There is a duo called "Azul y Negro" that used synthesizers in their music, they were very popular and revolutionary in the 80s, they as a Spanish group I would say were the ones that also pushed my interest in this type of sounds. The first day I touched a mixer I felt a special magnetism, a unique sensation and since I was already connected with music and bought a lot of vinyl, that was the trigger for me wanting to continue learning, this happened when I was 17 years old.

What are some of your best memories from first going to clubs in Spain? Were there specific nights or sets that really made you feel you wanted to pursue electronic music?

The day I discovered "Rhythim is Rhythim - Strings of life" was the total click to everything I had been listening to in those years, all the English acid house, the sound of Manchester, the American hip house from Chicago, or the darkest techno who came from Germany. And it's not that there were or remember perfect sets, it's that in those years every song that was played was incredible and unique, mixing styles, and that was wonderful.

Fast forward to present day now, if you were a tour-guide for nightlife in Spain, what would be the clubs you’d take the people to see and what local DJs do they need to hear?

I would definitely go to Metro Dance Club, the energy in that place is unmatched, it is pure magic. Also some clubs from Asturias for their musical culture. Of course you have to listen to Oscar Mulero and Alberto Palacios, old school DJs who don't fail.

You have a new single ‘We Will Never Forget That Never Happened’ which is available now via Manual Music. Tell us a bit about the track and what sort of vibe you were going for on it. And how much play has it gotten in your sets and to what reaction?

When I make a song it is because I have to tell something, it is a conjunction of sensations that make me feel, it is like expressing what is happening to me at that moment. I tried to convey emotion, passion, melancholy, and it was not easy until I could be convinced that what sounded and how it sounded was going to express my feelings. I haven't tried it on the right dancefloor yet, to be able to put it on there have to be special circumstances both in sound and in public. I'm looking forward to hearing it played by some DJs who have received it and loved it. I would like you to pay attention to it too ;)

There are also great remixes from Stereo Underground and Patch Park, how involved were you in the selection process and why were these artists a good fit for this track?

At the moment I´m answering to your interview I have only been able to listen to Stereo Underground's rmx and I can say that it is terribly wonderful. He has taken the sounds he wanted to give it his personality, I think it is a spectacular job. At the moment we are waiting for Patch Park to send us their version. The choice of SU was because I follow their productions and it fit very well with the original track and I must be grateful that they accepted the proposal. As for Patch, it was a personal recommendation from Paul Hazendonk, owner of Manual, and knowing that he is an old school producer with a lot of experience, I have full confidence that he will complete a great release.

You’ve released on a number of labels over the years but this is your first project with Manual Music, what makes the label a good home for ‘We Will Never Forget That Never Happened’?

I thought Paul was going to understand my music. We have been in the business for a long time and although we do not know each other personally, we do know the career we have in the world of music. I didn't hesitate to send it to him first and the answer was immediate. I know it's on a good label and with a good professional.

Let our readers inside your studio for a moment, what is your current setup and what studio tools are featured heavily in your recent productions and more specifically on your ‘We Will Never Forget That Never Happened’?

I work with Ableton Live and plugins, here I make the sketch, the basic idea and then a sound engineer helps me so that everything sounds the best possible.

Going back to DJing for a moment, you carry a wealth of experience having been performing for so long, tell us your approach to DJing and how, if at all, has it changed over the years?

The main idea has been, is and will always be to tell a story, my way of working has not changed except that now we use other tools and they help me give personality to my sets, I still visualize the beginning, the middle and the end, everything has to have a beginning and an end, a meaning.

Can you tell me a bit about how your work as a DJ and performing for larger crowds has influenced your view of music, your way of listening to tracks and perhaps also, your work as a producer?

Listening to music from the point of view of a DJ is like doing an exhaustive examination of each song, maybe you quickly know if a track is going to work or not, imagine how many songs I have heard in my life. I have worked as a music selector in vinyl stores all my life and even built my own record label, shop, distributor, import/export Atlas Records. For me, the beautiful thing is being able to give the public my personal vision of life using music as a way to connect with the dancefloor. When making a song I don't focus on what's trendy to sell, I just want to get excited and try to get the public excited too.

How much prep do you put into the sets you play, or are they spontaneous for the most part?

I have never prepared a set, that is the magic, no one knows what is going to happen, and that is where the excitement and risk is to try to make each night special.

Current Top five tracks in your sets?

No preferential order-

Sasha & Sentre – “Glastacy”

D´Wachman – “We will never forget that never happened” (original & Stereo Underground rmx)

Around Us – “Reaching home” (Lemon 8 rmx)

Mikekon – “A groove in a basement”

Tal Fussman – “Every Rome wasn´t built in a day”

If you could set up an event with a line-up of five artists of your choice, who would you book and what set times would you ascribe to the artists?

From A to Z

Danny Tenaglia Derrick May Dimitri Kneppers François Kevorkian Laurent Garnier. It would start with Francois K to give us a lesson in disco and house, then to raise the temperature there would be Danny Tenaglia with his freshness and at the same time a little dark, then American intensity with Derrick May, then Dimitri to continue raising the emotions and to close Laurent Garnier to cry with happiness. When do we do it?

If you were not a DJ/Producer what do you think you’d be doing with your life? (Something not music related)

Possibly I would have been a basketball player, I spent many years playing and trying to imitate Michael Jordan or perhaps a soldier in the navy, he taught me a lot in mandatory service. Although I am now going to take the dog trainer course, I want to help dogs have a better life.

If you are not DJing, producing in the studio or socializing at clubs, where do we find you? And doing what?

With my dog, watching a movie or listening soundtracks.

What’s something people do not know about you?

I would like to share many things, more than you could imagine.

What TV series have you been enjoying recently and what are some of your all time favourites?

The series I watch are not in order of appearance, for me the right situation has to happen, sometimes I watch something fresh to compensate for the intensity that others can cause. For me, "Breaking Bad" is one point above many very good ones, "The White Lotus" seems like a great criticism of a sometimes disgusting society, "Ozark" simply spectacular, "Gangs of London" was amazing, "Snowfall" " & "The Godfather of Harlem" I love Forest Whitaker, and I also follow the "Power Book & Ghost" universe.

Looking back on your career thus far, what advice would you offer to your younger self?

Listen to a lot of music of all styles and from any era. Listen to classical music, that will give you background and knowledge.

What can we look forward to from you for the rest of 2024? Any releases or gigs you are looking forward to?

In autumn I will return to making music and for everything else, day by day, moment by moment.

'We Will Never Forget That Never Happened' is available now via Manual Music: https://tinyurl.com/4u5xfx3t