Stazam [Interview]

Stazam is an unpredictable artist, he does not fit into any particular style, his concept of music is continuous expression, renewal and freedom of movement. The sense he has of music is like a continuous journey through all the rhythms and frequencies for the circle of electronic music, whether it be Progressive House, Techno or Melodic Techno. Producing for the better part of a decade, Stazam's creations are ready for impact in your dj set and dj mix with emotional chords and leads, magic atmospheres as well as mood setting pieces and some vocals, all created with original elements and sounds developed with synthesizers and plugins. Having earned the support from a broad selection of electronic music tastemakers including Adriatique and Fideles, we now catch up with Stazam to learn more about his unique vision, studio process and much more. Enjoy!

Hi Jorge, thanks for joining us, what is your current state of mind and what was the last piece of music you listened to?

My current state of mind is acceptance, I have done a lot of self-inquiry work in the last few years which has led me to unperturbed emotional states in the face of the polar events of this Physical Plane. The last song I have listened to is Arteon (Dealing with God) - Aether seems to me an extension of the artist's soul and I recommend watching his live performance playing this track among others.

How has your year been so far and what are your plans for next week?

My year has been abundant in creativity, and fruitful in productions. I have managed to establish a balance between work in the studio, and disconnection. The key is in that. The body wants some things, the mind wants others and the Soul needs experiences, so I have tried to align them so that they all contribute and we are One. I try to avoid control and planning, in the last few years I live in the present moment and everything comes naturally so rather than a plan I can tell you that in the next week there will be music, meditation, sun, nature and Acceptance.

Do you consider yourself a DJ or a producer first and which one do you like more and why?

At the beginning of my career I was more of a dj, I accumulated vinyls, I recorded sessions and I was up to date with what was going on in the scene, I played on the radio and in some clubs, I participated in contests..... when I was very young. The producer facet was very green and although I released tracks, the level of production was low. Now I consider myself more of a producer, that intimacy that gives you the studio where you are alone and the music for an awakened person who no longer needs an external recognition, but creative expression (Soul) and inspiration (Spirit) fills more the oil lamp. I think the producer brings out what's inside him, and the dj shares it to the world.

You have an interesting artist name, how did you decide on Stazam, does it have a special meaning for you?

Yes, it does....and I appreciate this question. about 5 years ago I hit rock bottom and what brought me out of there does not belong to this world.in gratitude and out of solidarity with the rest of humanity I decided to show it and share it..... a word came up.......Path........ I translated it into all languages trying to come up with a valid artist name.....and I saw Stazam, so the meaning of the name is that there is a true "path" without suffering.....and I will show it to everyone.

Tell us about growing up and living in Spain, how has it affected your musical taste and the music you make?

I grew up in Spain, in the capital city of Madrid.my parents were soon concerned about enhancing my artistic knowledge and when I was 7 years old they took me to a music conservatory where I learned music theory, classical guitar and choral singing. That's when I realized that melodies were my thing.my sister was enrolled in piano so a piano came into the house and I was always playing it by ear...I would watch a movie and if the soundtrack moved me I would go to the piano to play it until it sounded the same. I learned to transcribe sounds into notes. Then came the adolescent period when the Progressive scene in Madrid was very strong, and that's when I started to like electronic music for its melodies, atmospheres, ups, downs, exciting vocals, then came the Progressive House with its Groove and less Bpm and finally the Techno scene with its strength and its acid sounds. I think that from all that I have listened, felt, lived and danced has emerged the musical line that I currently carry .... without a fixed line but with patterns and nuances of all these styles mentioned.

What are some of your best memories of the first time you went clubbing, were there specific nights or sets that really made you feel like you wanted to get into electronic music?

The first time I went to a club was Bachatta, I was impressed by the sound and the tracks that were played there, that's when my interest in electronic music and the art of DJing started, later on Space of sound I also loved the music line up, highlighting sessions by Danny Howells or John Digweed and of course two summers I went to Ibiza and I was blown away at Space with Carl Cox and Privilege with Danny Tenaglia.

Spain has produced some of the best electronic music producers of the last decade; Edu Imbernon, Henry Saiz and many others come to mind. How did your country become the mecca of electronic music? What do you attribute it to?

I think Spain is a country of open, spontaneous, sociable, fun...and happy people. We like to party, have fun and share moments with others..... and all this is always accompanied by music. The climate is excellent and there is a lot of sun and beach. There was a boom in the 60s by the coastal tourism and the islands that came accompanied by partying, dancing and discos. From this need arises all.... people who are dedicated to play music, to create and share it..... and from there to this day. In the capitals the same thing happened.... people needed spaces to share, to dance, to feel, to disconnect, to know, that's why the clubs and the scenes arise...if not everything would be very boring.

The issue of mental health is complex and nuanced, and it's an issue to which those working in electronic music are especially susceptible. It can be deeply rewarding, but it's also competitive, fast-paced, unpredictable and hedonistic. Tell us a bit about the pressures of what you do, which fans may not be fully aware of. And what do you do to keep yourself in balance?

To keep myself in balance body-mind-soul I am always in the present moment, even when I sleep I am alert, we are the silent observer, not the mind that never stops, that consciousness of unity that is immutable and lives outside the polarity of this world, that time doesn't exist, it is a human mental creation, that suffering is not real, it is created by human mind. Suffering is not real, we create it with constant past-future movements where the ego (separation consciousness) dwells. staying alert, present is fundamental for that balance and Acceptance which is nothing more than not generating expectations or wanting to control the results which leads us to that inner peace and balance.

It seems to me that your music connects very well with otherworldly themes, what are some of your biggest inspirations when working on new music?

I appreciate that you have perceived this.in the last few years with the expansion of my consciousness and the elevation of vibration I connect with a frequency that is like a unified field where everything is ..... what existed, what exists and what will exist. that's where the music I make comes from...it is the same place where Tesla,Einstein,Hawking and many more brought information to this physical plane. there is no intervention of the mind in the creative process but connection with the Whole and letting yourself be carried by it.

You have a track "Live in Love - Stazam" coming out this week on your label Stazam Music. Tell us about the release and how it showcases your sound.

Live in Love is a track that represents the true purpose of Spirit, which is none other than to live in love. Love is the only truth, and the ultimate goal of our experience here for this we travel a path guided by the Ego to a point of suffering and conditional love(attachment) and emptiness where that outer compass no longer serves us because it hurts us. We begin to awaken and empty the whole system of beliefs and conditioning ... and we realize that true love is unconditional, because it does not want, does not expect and does not need anything in this world .... is perfect, unchanging, harmonious and complete and takes you to a state of inner peace and joy. The creative process begins with finding a vocal with soul, with emotion, a bass line that moves through the spectrum and takes you to space, to the sound of the galaxy, and a rhythm that makes you advance to that state of unconditional love and truth.

Let's talk about your creative process, how do you spend your time in the studio, do you have a concept of what a track will sound like after you finish a session or do you try to just go with the flow?

The creative process always starts from a melody, if it excites me, I start adding everything else. I work with Maschine, so instead of producing on the timeline I'm layering in 8/16 bars. It's like having a closed accordion. This gives me a lot of agility to add layers and layers and pan everything, see how I feel without thinking about a whole song. I tend to give a lot of importance to the vocal, that it sounds thick, with color and that it has life. And lately I also give fatness and distortion to all the percussion .then I open the accordion and I know the song is done. We go to the mastering process and triple listening Monitors (Adam Audio T7V), Studio Headphones (Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro) and Wireless Headphones(Sony wh-1000xm3). If the song sounds good and excites me on all three stages it's ready.

Tell us about the production process of "Live in Love - Stazam". What is your setup like, do you prefer physical equipment to digital, and what studio tools were very important in the composition of "Live in Love-Stazam"?

I prefer physical equipment to digital because the quality of analog sound is almost unbeatable, but digital allows me to practically have those sounds at my fingertips and to use them in the productions in a fast and efficient way. In “Live in Love” I only used sounds from U-he Repro 5. I think it's the closest thing to analog that is currently available. I also used Valhalla Shimmer, Supercharger GT and Soundtoys Decapitator.

What is the task you enjoy most when producing and what would you prefer someone else to do?

Melodies and Vocals is what I enjoy the most and what I find the least difficult, bass and rhythm is the hardest part, mainly because I try not to sound like everyone else and that's not easy, or at least for me it's not.

What equipment or software do you always use when you write a track?

NI Maschine, Fabfilter, Izotope Ozone, Soundtoys, U-he, Arturia, Valhalla and Native Instruments plugins.

How many tests or comments from friends do you do before you say a track is finished? And who do you share your new music with first for feedback?

I've worked a lot on trust and recognition, although some of them tend to miss it, I'm only interested in the emotions (heart) it produces, not in the evaluations (mind), I tend to share it mainly with my family.

Who is the artist or producer you would like to sit in the studio and collaborate with, and why?

Adriatique, Ame, Innellea, Colyn, Tale of Us, Aether, Solomun, Undercatt and I'm leaving someone else out for sure...anyone who I can see puts their soul into it and loves music above all things.

You've released close to 400 tracks since your first EP in 2016, looking back on your discography what tracks are the most meaningful to you?

If it's a lot of tracks, I would keep the following ones because I was so excited to create them:

Hypnotic Regression - Stazam
Sabbat Moon - Stazam
Mirror of my soul - Stazam
Alpha - Stazam
Remembrance - Stazam

If you could put together an event with a lineup of five artists of your choice, who would you book and what set times would you assign to the artists?

Solomun
Sasha
John Digweed
Tale of Us
Joris Voorn

Everyone the same time, for me everyone is equal, in my world no one deserves more or less than anyone else.

What would be a musical extravagance for your studio that you would pay for, if you were very rich?

A Steinway & Son piano, I think I would love one in my studio.

What is the one book you have read or movie you have seen that has made an impact on you, and why?

Conversations with God, this book can change anyone's life.

What is one superpower you would like to have and how would you use it?

The superpower to clear everyone's minds of unconscious beliefs and judgment and fill them with Unconditional Love, Truth and Light.

If you could travel anywhere for one day, without laws or limitations, where would it be?

To the place where We Are All One.

In your opinion, what is the biggest risk you have taken and what made you do it?

The biggest risk I have taken is deciding to be a father, which is to bring a being into this world where sometimes there is more darkness than light, and I am driven to do it by the meaning of life .... which is to continue.

Apart from music, what makes you happiest?

Being in nature, sharing joy with my loved ones, with my dog Lupe, being with myself, the silence.

What does the rest of 2022 have in store for you? Is there anything you can share with us?

A lot of music with message, with purpose, with truth and with love and changes, which are excellent to grow and get out of the comfort zone of the ego.

Check out Stazam's Beatport discography here: https://bit.ly/3QyEBfK