World exclusive interview with one of the nicest people in dance music
Interview by Ian Fleming
Hi Carlos, how are you?
Coolio! Just recovering from a tough week with my fellas Georgeous and Fran Zaragoza, they just came to visit me.
What were you into before house/techno? Anything amusing you’d like to share with us from your youth?
I used to sing in my school’s choir. It was pretty weird because we were the only choir in Madrid, with only three guys and the rest were girls. We were ”nerds” and I loved it hahaha. By the way, every time I was going to the toilet I used to bring my keyboard and play famous songs just to develop ear training. My mum used to knock the door to see if i was dying or if everything was fine…lol
Tell us about the beginning of your journey, what DJs/sounds/parties got you started?
It began when I was twelve. Every August I used to spend the whole month with my grandparents in Valencia (El Perelló), and one day all the neighbours hired a Mobile disco with djs, lights and dancers and I was freaking out with “Chimo Bayo Extasis”. At that time, my parents started buying me CD compilations of Electronic Music until the age of sixteen, when I started learning how to mix with a pair of turntables and a mixer. I grew up on Madrid’s early 2000 techno scene and my hero was Oscar Mulero. I remember my first party was on the mighty Soma Experimental Club.
What would you say is your greatest achievement to date?
I think for me it’s the trust of my parents; sometimes it’s difficult for them. Being involved in the ungrateful music business wasn’t part of their plans, but they tried to help me and support me when I decided to quit my job in advertisement back in Madrid.
Tell us about Depaart – you run it with your friend Jorge Primo (Georgeous). How did you two meet?
We had some people in common and my ex-girlfriend tried to push me out into the scene. She put me in contact with him…was kind of weird. I invited him to my place and cooked for him on Valentine’s Day hahahahaha
And what made you guys want to start a label?
I started releasing records back in 2010, but when I started getting more and more into the business, I realised it was key to gain control over my productions and release whatever I wanted. I just picked up the phone, called Jorge and told him the idea. It took only one day to get him on board.
Can you tell us about what you have coming up release-wise?
We are throwing a compilation this summer called Depaart & Friends, which will include one track of mine. In October, I will release another EP on Depaart. But right now I’m more involved in Depaart Music Academy, it’s my little music production academy here in Berlin, where I teach music production courses one-on-one.
Depaart was based in Madrid but I see you are based in Berlin now? Why the move?
I was dying of boredom and attending a Master in Business Skills. In May 2013, one of the speakers opened my mind; by September I had quit my job and went to Berlin for fifteen days, and had one of the best experiences of my life. In January 2014 I packed all my stuff and Depaarture began.
Tell us about your Madrid/Berlin experiences – where is good to go, besides the usual clubbing venues?
Madrid has good weather, it’s really good for hanging around in a terrace having some beers and Tapas. But for me right now it has lost it’s charm due to the economic crisis, it has been abandoned by the Council. Besides, in Berlin you can feel a kind of “freedom”. I feel secure here, even if you are walking late at night through an empty dark street, nobody it’s going to hurt you. Berlin has a lot of abandoned spaces if you like to explore the city, and if you like vintage stuff, every Sunday you will find flea markets around the city.
If your house was burning down and you could only save one thing/record what would it be?
I would pick my hard drive, where I have all my projects, recordings and my life!
Moliner’s latest release ‘SN437’ on his label Depaart is out now
