MDC.330 OG Juan

Holding it down from sunny Madrid, Tombolo party starter and notorious tastemaker OG Juan treats us to two full hours of tripped-out bliss, guiding us from beachside chill through to hypnotic house, with sprinkles of synth-pop, Italo and UKG for the ultimate summer seasoning!

@therealogjuan

Q. What sounds, places or feelings did you draw upon when gathering inspiration for this mix, and what listening environments could you imagine it being thoroughly enjoyed in?

A. When the engine of the bus (that takes me to work) starts roaring I put my headphones on and try to travel with my mind. Sometimes I envision myself taking an astral trip over the stars, riding a multicolor snake rollercoaster or surfing a giant perfect glassy wave in the sunny coasts of Namibia. Gathering music for this mix I imagined somebody driving a Cadillac Impala around a breezy San Diego in the early 90’s…

Q. Are there any records or recent digs in the mix that you were especially excited to share, and what is it about these tunes that resonate with you so much?

Some of the digs that I would point out would definitely be “Celestial Ocean (In Between The Seven Seas)” by Astralasia or “Chamber Music” by Rory Philipps. Even though they are from different periods of time they both seem to have beautiful acid energetic baselines that gives you a “hands-in-the-air” feeling. I’m feeling a bit trippy and wonky at the moment so I guess that is why they sound good with me!

Q. Tell us about the evolution of your Tombolo party series, you’ve been frequently hosting a range of house and techno’s heavy hitters over recent times, with a particularly stacked weekly run earlier this year with PAL_co and Club Magno, tell us about how that all came about, and what’s next for Tombolo?

A. I created Tombolo in 2018 and have been running it since with the goal of helping the culture of my city whilst sharing music and having a good time. So far it has played marvellously. Met incredible people in the journey, did super fun parties, and had a sick time. Pal_co is a club night that I started with a friend a couple months ago in an old theatre. I would lie if I said it was a success. We had an opportunity with this venue that ended up being quite weird and even though we had amazing artists coming by (Legowelt, Tama Sumo, Daniele Baldelli…), it wasn’t selling enough. I guess sometimes you just have to try!

The future of Tombolo is uncertain as the energy and time to organize events is not the same as before but I intend on keeping it up with passion! For now I have a party coming up in September, I want to push my label in different directions and who knows what else is on the road! Thank you so much for having me.