Five Minutes: Pablo Valentino
A series of personal interviews with our artists about club memories, favourite setups, recent finds or dream DJ sets. All within five minutes.
What is your fondest memory of a DJ set and why?
I have lots of fondest memories of Dj set but i have to be honest, my favorite place and vibe is still Le Sucre, Lyon, during my "Children Of The Drum" residency, there's something special during that night! I don't know if it's the fact that it's been running since 5 years or if it's the Lyon's crowd but they really party!
"my favorite place and vibe is still Le Sucre, Lyon, during my "Children Of The Drum" residency"
Is there a certain way you like to evolve your sets?
I would always start with an intro (no beats), could be some weird brazilian/ambiant or political/jazz sketch. It doesn't have to be too long but It's important to tell your story, even if i have to play a 1h set on a big stage/festival i would never start a set with the basic kick/snare type of shit...Don't get me wrong i love to play house, acid & cold shit sometimes but i would never start a set like this...
For the rest of the set, i usualy prepare the beginning and then i go with the vibe of the people & the place. I like to break music bounderies and you would never hear me playing 1h of the same genre of music...
Is there a type of selection DJ set you always wanted to do and were never asked? Or this could be a type of music you would like to play out more?
I would love to do a Jazz only or Brazilian music only set.
What is your preferred set-up?
My preferred set-up would be the classic 2 x Technics MK2 (if i can carry enough records) or CDjs, a good Rotary mixer like e&s or ARS-9000 in a nice club (big or small doesn't matter) with some nice natural wine ;)
"I would love to do a Jazz only or Brazilian music only set"
Can you tell us about 3-5 recent in-person record discoveries of yours and maybe some details on how you found them?
Yes! I'm buying records all the time! Last week i discover this really beautiful latin/jazz album from Clare Fisher called "Machaca" at Rainer Trüby's place. He had a spare copy so i bought it ;)
I'm also going thru some old crates i have at home...it's funny how i usually spend more time at home in spring diggin' thru my collecion...i discover this funny italian disco 45 that i play a lot lately from Celso Valli called "Pasta & Fagioli" and an old japanese 12" called Jazz Com Bossa E.P : a killer latin banger!
Do you get to see live music apart of your dj gigs and if so, what was your last great live memory or -ies?
My last great "live" memory was seeing Airto Moreira & Flora Purim performing at the Southern Soul Festival in Montenegro last summer. It was amazing and as a big fan i was blown away by the fact that the live sounded as good as their records they did more then 30 years ago...! Legends !
"My last great "live" memory was seeing Airto Moreira & Flora Purim performing at the Southern Soul Festival in Montenegro last summer"
Is there any stuff from the J.A.W Family crew you’ve enjoyed recently?
I loved the Black Jazz x J.A.W Family Reunion, both in Paris for the Black Jazz concert at New Morning and the whole weekend in Berlin. Such a impressive line-up, energy and dedication to true music. Respect always.