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Tomasa del Real

Tomasa del Real

Photo: Maria Jose Govea

News
Tomasa Del Real On Bringing NeoPerreo To Coachella tomasa-del-real-bringing-her-take-reggaet%C3%B3n-neoperreo-coachella

Tomasa Del Real On Bringing Her Take On Reggaetón, NeoPerreo, To Coachella

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"I think the fact that there are more international and diverse artists on this lineup goes to show how accepting this generation is in general," the Chilean tattoo-artist-turned-rapper told us
Ana Monroy Yglesias
GRAMMYs
Apr 24, 2019 - 3:24 pm

Chilean rapper Tomasa del Real has been making waves with her bold female-empowering take on reggaetón, which she has dubbed "NeoPerreo;" "perreo" is Spanish slang for the way you dance to reggaetón. From making music in her bedroom to starting an underground movement in Latin music and culture, she is ready to introduce you to her big sound and growing crew.

A tattoo artist from the small town of Iquique, Chile, she began uploading tracks and DIY videos on SoundCloud and YouTube for fun in 2013, which caught on and led her to rerelease them as a debut album, Bien Y Mal, in 2016. That same year, she also coined the term NeoPerreo and began to really catalyze the movement around it, connecting with even more rappers, like Madrid's Ms Nina, the two of whom collabed on "Y Dime" in 2019.

In 2018, her NeoPerreo Records teamed up with Los Angeles-based indie record label Nacional Records, home to other Latino artists like Aterciopelados and Ana Tijoux, and she dropped her second album, Bellaca del Año. Over the last two weekends, del Real brought her big energy to Coachella to make her debut at the fest, so we caught up with the rising rapper to learn more about the big moment and bringing NeoPerreo to California.

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A post shared by Tomasa del Real ☣️ (@tomasadelreal)

You recently made your Coachella debut, how did you feel to share your music at such an iconic festival?

It was an amazing experience, and I'm happy that such a big festival is recognizing and featuring artists from the underground music scene. 

What was the most inspiring part of your first Coachella experience?

I love seeing people have fun while I'm performing, and the audience was having a lot fun with us!

A lot of people, myself included, were excited to see such a diverse musical lineup this Coachella, especially in terms of Latin music. What does it mean to you to be one of the international/Latina artist at the fest, and to be bringing NeoPerreo to California?

I think the fact that there are more international and diverse artists on this lineup goes to show how accepting this generation is in general. I'm so excited to bring NeoPerreo to Coachella and show the audience this new way to "perrear."

How do you explain NeoPerreo to someone who is unfamiliar with it? What does it feel like to be an important part of this female-led musical movement, especially when considering the gender imbalance in the larger reggaetón space?

[The term] NeoPerreo was born when I was trying to explain the type of music I was making. It was inspired by reggaetón, but I didn't want to appropriate it since I'm not from Puerto Rico. And this style of music was being made by people who were born in the digital age, who were always connected to each other and to music through their computers. I wanted to say that it was a "new" way to "perrear." Because this music is made to party. 

Can you tell us a little bit about your most recent album, Bellaca del Año; how did you choose who to collaborate with, and what was the biggest thing you were trying to achieve with that project? 

I wanted to make an album that was hot and catchy, and I think Bellaca del Año is that. I wanted people all around the world to know about NeoPerreo and know about the NeoPerreo crew, who is out here making music that we can party to. 

https://twitter.com/coachella/status/1116860240404738048

Sonora heating up 🔥 @tomasadelreal pic.twitter.com/m7Jf94Vmip

— Coachella (@coachella) April 13, 2019

Mon Laferte Talks First Coachella Performance, 'Norma' & More

Ozuna

Ozuna

Photo: Theo Wargo/Getty Images

News
Latin GRAMMYs: Ozuna, Miguel, Farruko, More Added 2019-latin-grammys-ozuna-miguel-alicia-keys-residente-farruko-fito-p%C3%A1ez-more-added

2019 Latin GRAMMYs: Ozuna, Miguel, Alicia Keys, Residente, Farruko, Fito Páez & More Added As Performers

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The show will open with a special tribute to Latin music and its 20th anniversary, with 20 artists performing together collectively for the first time
Ana Monroy Yglesias
GRAMMYs
Nov 12, 2019 - 2:20 pm

Yesterday, Nov. 11, the Latin Recording Academy announced the final wave of performers for the upcoming 20th Latin GRAMMY Awards, taking place in two days. Latin GRAMMY and GRAMMY winners Beto Cuevas and Residente, as well as GRAMMY winners Alicia Keys and Miguel, will perform at the historic 20th anniversary show, hosted by Ricky Martin, Roselyn Sánchez and Paz Vega.

Current Latin GRAMMY nominees Calibre 50, Farruko, Leonel García, Ozuna, Fito Páez, Milly Quezada and Tony Succar also join the star-studded musical lineup. Past Latin GRAMMY nominee Prince Royce, along with Carlos Rivera, top off the newly revealed performers list.

Calibre 50, Beto Cuevas, Farruko, Leonel García, Alicia Keys, Miguel, Ozuna, Fito Páez, Milly Quezada, Residente, Carlos Rivera, Prince Royce e Tony Succar se apresentarão na 20a Entrega Anual do #LatinGRAMMY https://t.co/kwfktwQnX6 #20AnosDeExcelência pic.twitter.com/ck70JzCbKv

— Latin GRAMMYs (@LatinGRAMMYs) November 11, 2019

These artists join the previously announced acts, which include current Latin GRAMMY nominees Alejandro Sanz, Rosalía—the top nominated artists this year at eight and five nods, respectively—Ximena Sariñana, Anitta, Bad Bunny, Sebastián Yatra, Fonseca, Luis Fonsi, Alessia Cara and Juanes, the Latin Recording Academy's 2019 Person Of The Year, who will perform a special medley of his hits during the show.

Pepe Aguilar, Pedro Capó, Reik, Draco Rosa, Sech, Darell, De La Ghetto, Dimelo Flow, Christian Nodal are also among the artists previously revealed to perform. GRAMMY-nominated Mexican regional/pop singer Alejandro Fernández will sing together with his father, iconic ranchera singer Vicente Fernández, as well as his son Alex Fernández, for the first time.

Read: 2019 Latin GRAMMYs Viewer's Guide: Here's How, When & Where To Watch

The 20th edition of the legendary awards show will, of course, feature "historical moments, reunions, tributes and one-of-a-kind performances from nominees, past winners and legends."

To start things off accordingly, the show will open with a very special tribute to Latin music from 20 artists performing together collectively for the first time. The musical tribute "will interpret multiple iconic songs spanning various genres of Latin music, while commemorating the past 20 years of excellence." The Latin Academy also stated there will be "a special moment" with past nominee Thalía.

#LatinGRAMMY 14 DE NOV. 8PM @Univision #20AñosDeExcelencia pic.twitter.com/oWV4J4AQIj

— Latin GRAMMYs (@LatinGRAMMYs) November 8, 2019

Additionally, yesterday's announcement also shared more presenters, who will hand out the prestigious awards during the evening: Ángela Aguilar, Eduardo Cabra, Sofia Carson, Emilio Estefan, Mon Laferte, William Levy, Rudy Mancuso, Luis Gerardo Méndez, Michael Peña and Dayanara Torres. The presenters will be joined by eight of the Latin GRAMMY Cultural Foundation scholarship recipients to help deliver the eight televised awards, "symbolizing the next generation of artists fostered through the Foundation's international programs."

Watch Shakira's Fiery Performance Of "Ojos AsÍ" At The First-Ever Latin GRAMMYs | GRAMMY Rewind

In just five years, the Foundation has offered $5 million in scholarships, grants, musical instrument donations and educational events in the United States and Ibero-America. One fun way to help support their work is by purchasing limited-edition 20th Latin GRAMMY merch. In collaboration with Footaction and streetwear designer Guillermo Andrade, the stylish T-shirts feature current nominees Bad Bunny, Greeicy, Christian Nodal and Sebastián Yatra.

Don't forget to tune in to The Biggest Night in Latin Music on Univision this Thurs., Nov. 14 from 8–11 p.m. ET/PST (7 p.m. Central). Check out our viewer's guide here for more info on the events leading up to the show, including where to see the red carpet. Stay tuned to GRAMMY.com for live coverage of all the magic.

Exclusive: Sebastian Yatra Teases 2019 Latin GRAMMY Performances & Reveals His Life's Purpose: "To Share Love With People"

J Balvin, Ozuna, Daddy Yankee & Anuel AA at 2019 Billboard Latin Music Awards

J Balvin, Ozuna, Daddy Yankee & Anuel AA

Photo: Ethan Miller/Getty Images

News
Ozuna Wins Record 11 Billboard Latin Music Awards ozuna-takes-home-record-11-billboard-latin-music-awards

Ozuna Takes Home Record 11 Billboard Latin Music Awards

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The Puerto Rican reggaeton artist was also one of the many performers during the show, bringing out Latin GRAMMY winners J Balvin and Daddy Yankee, as well as Anuel AA, for a surprise cameo
Ana Monroy Yglesias
GRAMMYs
Apr 26, 2019 - 2:28 pm

Last night, on April 25, some of the biggest names in Latin music gathered in Las Vegas for the 2019 Billboard Latin Music Awards. Rising reggaeton star Ozuna made his mark with the most-ever wins in the show's history, taking home 11 awards, including Artist of the Year and Hot Latin Artist of the Year, Male.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BwtIha9FxJM/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

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More: Ozuna To Headline Madrid's 2019 YOLO Fest

Latin GRAMMY winner Nicky Jam and Latin GRAMMY/GRAMMY nominee Bad Bunny followed fellow Puerto Rican Ozuna with five and four wins, respectively. The trio collabed in 2018 on the popular "Te Boté (Remix)," which brought them on Nio García, Darell and Casper Mágico's track. The song earned the crew three wins, including Hot Latin Song of the Year

https://twitter.com/Telemundo/status/1121609472177209357

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The evening was filled with killer outfits and upbeat performances. The night's big winner had some surprises during his two song medley, bringing out Latin GRAMMY-winning reggaeton heavy-hitters J Balvin and Daddy Yankee, along with fellow rising star Anuel AA to drop a few bars during "Baila Baila Baila." The trio are the featured artists on the brand-new remix of the song, along with Latin GRAMMY winner Farruko.

https://twitter.com/Telemundo/status/1121579907690242048

¡Una presentación #ConAltura! @JBALVIN @rosaliavt #Billboard2019 ✈✈✈✈ pic.twitter.com/0rH3CVvc2a

— Telemundo (@Telemundo) April 26, 2019

Balvin, along with fellow Latin GRAMMY winner Rosalía and El Guincho (who co-produced Rosalía's epic El Mal Querer with her) also took the stage to perform their 2019 classic-reggaeton-inspired collab, "Con Altura." Seeing as Balvin has been dropping the hot tracks like no one's business lately, he followed with "Contra La Pared, joined on stage by collaborator and GRAMMY winner Sean Paul.

Related: Ozuna, J Balvin & More Pay Tribute To Daddy Yankee At Premio Lo Nuestro

Other performers included Latin GRAMMY/GRAMMY winner Marc Anthony, Latin GRAMMY winner Luis Fonsi, as well as Romeo Santos with his newly reunited hit bachata group Aventura.

The Many Faces Of "La Llorona"

Justin Jay

Justin Jay

Photo: Brittney Christie

News
Justin Jay On The Joy Of DJing justin-jay-joy-djing-expanding-his-horizons-and-how-fans-think-hes-still-college

Justin Jay On The Joy Of DJing, Expanding His Horizons, And How Fans Think He's Still A College Freshman

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"I think DJing is beautiful because you can just wing it and be in the moment; be present, go with the vibe," the Los Angeles native DJ/producer told the Recording Academy in an exclusive interview
Ana Monroy Yglesias
GRAMMYs
Apr 23, 2019 - 11:11 am

Los Angeles native DJ/producer/singer Justin Jay is all about expanding dancefloor horizons. Specializing in joyful, melodic house music, often with live instruments, he first appeared on Claude VonStroke's hugely popular Dirtybird label in 2011, when he was just a freshman at USC, and has since started his own label, Fantastic Voyage.

Nowadays he's been busy touring across the U.S. since January and will drop his latest album, Everything Will Come Together Pt. 1, on May 17. With his most recent show at Coachella's Do LaB stage during Weekend 2, we caught up with the West Coast DJ on the ground in Indio to talk about what the fest means to him as a Californian and an artist, coming of age in the L.A. dance scene and more. 

You'll be playing the Do LaB stage here [on April 20]. What are you most looking forward to about playing at Coachella, at Do LaB?

Being from L.A., Coachella is something that you grow up with. I also went to college in L.A., at USC so, independent of playing, Coachella is a festival that I love attending.

I've been for my fair share of years, and the curation of the lineup is just always amazing. You can see so many amazing acts that you would never see in one place, and that's the best part. That in combination with all the homies, because I still have a lot of friends who live in L.A. and a lot of friends who come back for Coachella. Friends and music, that's all you need, right?

What has been your favorite part of this weekend so far? Anyone you're super excited to scope out?

My two must-see acts are actually both playing right now, Mac DeMarco and DJ Seinfeld. I really love both of them. I got to see Mac on Wednesday at the Echo [in L.A.], it was one of the best shows I've ever seen. It sold out immediately. I set an alarm when the tickets went on sale, sniped 'em.

DJ Seinfeld is also awesome. He did a show a couple weeks ago that I was at, and we got late night dinner afterwards and became friends, I really like him and I like his music. Those two are up there for sure.

But a lot of my favorite moments are just…[the discovery]. A lot of my friends have very strong music tastes and a lot of conviction behind the artists they want to see. I'm kind of an easygoing homie who gets dragged along to stuff I've never heard of and am just, "Oh, my god! This is amazing."

Can you speak to what Do LaB means to you as an artist and how it plays into Coachella as a larger curated event?

I haven't been to the Do LaB yet this year, but throughout my times here at Coachella, even as the stage has evolved, the Do LaB has always been one of my favorite parts of Coachella. And my senior year of college, I played the Do LaB and, dude, I had friends on stage with water guns and, a chunk of high school friends here and chunk of college friends here, and it just felt like I was surrounded by homies. I'm just excited to be back in that environment, and the artists they curate; it's just a great experience.

It's just a great, great time, you know? Water guns, bubbles…

It's like you're playing a party for your best friends, but also a ton of other people are there and vibing out with you.

Yeah. And you're like, "Ah, we can be friends too." That's cool. [Laughs.]

https://www.instagram.com/p/BwkUVBvhSsL/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

GRAMMYs

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Are all your friends going to come out for your show next weekend?

You know, we're a little bit older, so it's probably not going be as filled with friends. [Pauses.] It's funny. I have a lot more appreciation for the friends who still come out to festivals and stuff. Not even if it's for my music, just in general. I'm like, "Dude, you still can put up with the heat and the schlepping and all that stuff for the music?" And that makes me really happy.

What's also cool is, I feel like having been touring and putting out music for a while, I feel like I've become friends with a lot of people who I met through the music itself, you know? As opposed to school, or whatever. So I really love that too. In that way, maybe I'll have more friends because of all the people that I've met who, you know, say, "Dude, I saw you in this place and we're coming to Coachella." 

Speaking of friends, what does being a part of the Dirtybird label mean to you? What was the shift like for you, going from college-dorm producing to being part of that family?

So, it was crazy. Eight years ago, my first week of college, I'd just moved into my dorm—we're talking like day three—I got an email back from Claude VonStroke on a demo I'd sent over on SoundCloud. It was the most surreal moment of my life, I did a lap around my dorm.

How fast did he respond after you sent it?

Maybe a couple months? I had sent demos and demos and demos, it just takes time. He's touring, you know, but he does listen to everything. I never imagined that I'd hear back on anything and he hit me up. I ended up putting that song out maybe a month or two later, and slowly but surely began doing shows with the Dirtybird guys.

So it was released on Dirtybird?

Yeah, back in 2011. Good year. So that was my freshman year and no one liked house music around me. Everyone was just getting into EDM, which was awesome, because honestly, it was a pivotal year. I grew up DJing high school parties before then, and I would have to trick people to dance to anything that didn't have rapping or singing.

People want vocals, or they think they want vocals, right?

That's what was significant about EDM is that, when it got into the college culture, it felt like there was this new openness to stuff that wasn't pop or wasn't rap. A lot of EDM songs that people liked didn't have any singing, you know? Like [Avicii's 2011 hit] "Levels." You know, it has, [singing] "ohh, sometimes," but the part that everyone dances to doesn't have singing, doesn't have lyrics.

That was a defining shift, at least being in L.A., because prior to that, people we're like, "This is boring." Like, "This doesn't have words," you know? That was a big thing, at least for me, when I was in high school and I had to trick people into dancing to dance music. But regardless, by the time I was in college, I was really into house music and techno and Dirtybird, stuff that was emblematic of underground dance music at the time.

Related: Elderbook, Dance Spirit, KMLN & Justin Jay Discuss The Magic Of The Do LaB At Coachella

Were you tapped into those communities in L.A. then?

I was starting to go to warehouse parties. I was seeing Ian Pooley and Jimpster, and guys from Europe who are into deep house and techno guys, too. I saw Marcel Dettmann and Ben Klock when I was underage, and it was super fun. But what was so dope and what's so interesting is between then and now, even by the time I was a senior in college, people were starting to get into house music.

And now, Fisher, I feel like, has the same sort of cultural weight among college kids that Skrillex and Avicii had when I was in college. It's just a cool time to be into music, you know?

https://www.instagram.com/p/BoX0f85loK2/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

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Are you close with Claude [VonStroke] now? What's your relationship like with Dirtybird?

You know, I was so awkward for so many years being like, "I am such a huge fan." I could not even say a word. I feel like he's been really supportive, especially of the stuff I've been doing that's not Dirtybird. For instance, I started a label a couple years ago called Fantastic Voyage. The main concept with it was I had a bunch of friends that we were making music together, and I wanted a sort of Dirtybird community, where it was a bunch of DJ artist guys, except for us, we could all play as a band together.

Last year at the Dirtybird Campout, Claude let me have about four hours for a takeover where I got to curate the lineup. And I began with my DJ set, and then other people's live shows, and then it all culminated with a big band show at the end. And I really appreciate that because dude, there's guitars, there's live drums, there's lots of singing. And that's not indicative of a lot of the music people expect when they come to the Dirtybird Campout. The crowd was super receptive, with people singing along and stuff. I'm just so grateful that I could take those kind of risks and do that with the support of someone like Claude, you know?

There was a very deep moment of affirmation where, at the Campout last year, there was a press Q&A thing and Claude was introducing a bunch of artists who are on the label. And he was giving out, off the cuff, these superlatives. He was like, "Ah, this is Justin Martin; he's the happiest dude. And these are Walker & Royce; they're making the craziest music." He was just saying nice things and then, when he got to me, he was like, "This is Justin; he's the most creative." I was like, "What?!" [Laughs.] I was like, "Dude, get out of here, man!"

Are you still the youngest on the label?

People always think that, but nope. Dude, people are still like, "Oh, are you still 18?" No, I'm definitely not the youngest, but yeah, I feel like there's this ongoing thing with musicians where it's like, I don't know. For me, when I was in college, I actually took a lot of my career stuff very seriously because being into house music 10 years ago, everyone in L.A. who liked house music was late 20s, early 30s, and I was 19.

I'm 26 now, and it's weird because I'd be on YouTube hearing interviews with my favorite DJs, and they would say, "You gotta pay your dues, you gotta know your records." All of my favorite DJs were late 30s, early 40s, double my age. And so, I was very uptight, no drinking, just very professional. And then ironically, after I graduated, I started loosening up a bit more, just feeling like, "Oh, I guess I don't have to be so serious."

I still don't really party, but I don't think that's what's important. I think it's just being able to have fun with it. The reason why I brought all of this up is because I feel like this is kind of a "Benjamin Button" situation, where it's like, the older you get, the more in touch you get with [your inner] little kid. I see that in Claude sometimes where I'm like, "That dude's like an eight-year-old in a dad bod," but in a great way. I mean that as a compliment.

What do you think makes a good DJ set? 

You know, it's funny. I think, in terms of a set, [pauses] the real magic is kind of this elusive lightning in a bottle sort of thing. Pun, because of Do LaB. But for real, I think DJing is beautiful because you can just wing it and be in the moment; be present, go with the vibe.

"I feel like that's one of my favorite principles of DJing, that sort of tricking people to like stuff."

It's like no one's expecting that you have to play that one thing, right?

Yeah, not for me, thankfully. Other people, I don't know. That doesn't sound too fun. You just get to be present and hopefully trick people to like some stuff they haven't heard before, whether it's old music or new music that hasn't been released, or stuff that's outside of people's tastes. I feel like that's one of my favorite principles of DJing, that sort of tricking people to like stuff. And I feel like that's kind of me with the band, right? It's people thinking, "Oh, house music," and then there's drums and guitars and singer-songwriter moments and stuff.

Kind of surprising people, right?

But not just surprising people. You know when you're having a good time on the dance floor and you stop thinking, you're just having fun? That's the moment where the DJ might put on some song that you, if you heard the same exact song eight hours earlier as you were waking up, you would be like, "This is weird; I don't like this." But when you get caught up in the fun of the party and you're with your friends, it's just a good time. Those are the moments where you can get tricked into being exposed to something new that you end up falling in love with.

So, for you as an artist, it's important to you open people's minds a little bit each time?

It's like pushing people a little outside of their comfort zones but still having a great time. That's the balance, right?

Jan Blomqvist Talks Playing Coachella, Berlin Techno & Covering The Rolling Stones

Jan Blomqvist

Jan Blomqvist

Photo: Christian Dammann

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Jan Blomqvist On Coachella, Berlin Techno & More jan-blomqvist-talks-playing-coachella-berlin-techno-covering-rolling-stones

Jan Blomqvist Talks Playing Coachella, Berlin Techno & Covering The Rolling Stones

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The German electronic artist, who made his debut in the festival's Yuma tent this Sunday, gets deep into Berlin's club scene, his desire to bring joy to the dance floor, the story behind his latest album, 'Disconnected,' and more
Ana Monroy Yglesias
GRAMMYs
Apr 17, 2019 - 4:13 pm

German singer/producer Jan Blomqvist makes ethereal house music with the intention not only to get people dancing, but also feeling and perhaps thinking. His latest album, 2018's Disconnected, which is inspired by his time spent at Burning Man, is based around the idea that in order to stay focused and healthy sometimes we need to remove all distractions.

Since November, he has been touring across Europe and the U.S. in support of the album, along with his live band on most dates. After he wraps up his second weekend playing Coachella, the band will join him for three dates in Mexico, after which they'll offer support to RÜFÜS DU SOL on several of their U.S. tour dates.

We caught up with Blomqvist from on the ground at Coachella 2019, not long after he played his one-man-show Sunday afternoon in the Yuma tent, the fest's well-loved house and techno stage.

You performed here at Coachella in the Yuma earlier today. How was it? How are you feeling?

Honestly, it was pretty difficult today because my moog was totally out of tune. If you know what a moog does, that's what they do. They just get out of tune and f*** you at the worst moment, and I tried to figure out and then I was so focused on retuning the synthesizer that I made so many mistakes on the right hand with the other instrument. It was really exhausting for me, but I think my friends here liked it, and the people in the audience which came later, were happy, so I'm happy as well, but a bit disappointed because I could have played better.

Did you realize it was out of tune when you started playing?

It was not out of tune in the beginning. This is the mystery about the moog. Nobody knows why they do it. You can use all other synthesizers, doesn't have this feature. I think they make it to sound more vintage, like in the '70s. And so that was my problem today, and I think I made it okay, but I'm looking very forward to next Sunday, to make it a 100% performance.

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That's true, you have round two. Was it your first time performing at Coachella?

I've played at Do LaB before, but some people told me it doesn't count.

It definitely counts. When did you play at Do LaB?

I think so too. At night, two years ago. It was packed, like 600 people or something. It was cool.

So this was your first year on the main Coachella lineup. Well you have next weekend too, and at least no one knew that it was out of tune.

I hope so. I heard it immediately, and so, yeah, that's what I got stressed, and it's never good to be stressed on stage. That was my disappointing point of the day, but in the end it was still a good show, though, and it was a good energy. And as long as it's not totally failing, it always brings you further.

Have you been able to check out any other music at the fest? Is there anyone you're looking forward to seeing tonight?

Yesterday I wanted to see Billie Eilish and Bob Moses, but I worked way too late.

You get smarter when you getting older, so next time I have one week free before Coachella, also before Burning Man and then I'll have time to check out stuff. This time I played three shows and was in four cities. Yeah, it was stupid. I was traveling five days a row. It doesn't make sense. If you do Coachella or any big festival then you should focus on that and the other gigs can wait, honestly.

And DJs are humans, too. They need to have fun, right?

Yeah, but officially not.

Who are your biggest musical influences? What kind of music did you grow up listening to and what are you listening to these days?

I grew up with vinyls, with Bob Dylan, Rolling Stones and Mick Jagger. I think that's normal in our generation. Our parents had vinyls and we just played them. I'm still a huge Bob Dylan fan. I don't like Rolling Stones as much anymore, but I like Mick Jagger's solo project. It's still pretty amazing. He's old and has so much energy. He's kind of an idol. If I'm 75, I want be like this. And later on, of course, I got into normal things like Blur, Radiohead, Nirvana, Björk. I went through all this rock, hip-hop things, and then I moved to Berlin, and suddenly I was totally a techno addict.

What year did you move to Berlin? Was it at the beginning of the techno scene there?

In 2002. Everything was there. It was just a bit more underground than now. All the clubs are really set up in Berlin right now are exactly the same age, 17 years.

Which club is your favorite? I know, it's a hotly debated topic.

It depends on the day, really. On Sundays in Berlin it's the best; Sunday evening in Berghain is amazing. Monday in Sisyphos, Sunday at Kater Blau, Wednesday at Watergate, and it also depends on who's playing.

Berghain can be really amazing but can also be a sh*t show, and I don't want to talk bad about any DJs, but sometimes, in my opinion, it's really good and sometimes it's really bad, but the club's unbelievable. I have never seen any comparable club in the world. It's like made of a Tarantino movie. You come there and you feel like you'll get bitten by a vampire. I've been there, I don't know, 100 times, and still when I'm coming there I'm still like, "What the f*** did you build here?"

Do you feel like it's the same as when you first moved there? What about the techno and house scene has shifted in Berlin as it's become more of a destination?

It's definitely shifted. In the beginning, it was minimal only. It was super hard for me to get gigs, and the clubs even told me like, "Yeah, your music is nice, but nobody wants to hear this piano sh*t."

It was more like trance kind of minimal?

No, it's just minimal. I mean, Richie Hawtin did it in a really good way, and there were many people that tried to copy him and failed totally, that makes it really boring.

Berlin is changing all the time. That's what I love in that city. Since 2010 the music is super open and you can play everything, and I like that. It was really hard for me, the years between 2002 and 2006 or 2007. It was like every club played exactly the same music for like five years, and I was like, "What the f*** did you do to your DJs?" DJs should be free, right?

Why do you think it was kind of like restricted like that, and what do you think made it change to more open again?

I have no idea. I ask myself this question still.

So were you just trying to do your own thing? Did it make you want make even more different music?

I tried to break this because I think musicians should be free and you should give them a chance and a stage and just to make them play and I try to convince other musicians to not do just only one kind of music. I mean, the city is big. I cannot imagine that for four million people, everybody wants to listen to the same music. It's bullsh*t.

So, I tried to work harder and to get the gigs, and then finally it worked. Nicolas Jaar came and he was, I think, 17, and then everybody was like, "Whoa, he's 17 and he plays such good music." And then suddenly everybody was like, "Oh, we want piano in the club. Oh, what about vocals?" And then suddenly everything worked, and now Berlin is pretty open-minded when it comes to music, it's generally an open-minded city, I think.

That is interesting how sometimes it's one group or one artist that does something kinda new, that other people have also been doing, but for whatever reason, they catch on.

I mean, [that] was the same with Kurt Cobain, right? Suddenly, he came and then it was suddenly called grunge and there was a completely new genre. It's always like this. Somebody has to open the door and then it works, but the music is there before, of course, it just needs some one character who opens it.

What is the message or vibe you generally try to share when you play your music live, in both your tapered down club setup or in the band-backed live setting?

I mean, in the end it's just all my tracks and the band's just performing my tracks, so it's kind of the same music. But with a band, we play with breaks in between and not so much focused on the transitions and playing slower tracks, like 100 BPM sometimes 110, way more vocals. When you have a real drum set on stage, with real cymbals, it creates a completely different vibe. And with the band we have six synthesizers on stage, I think, and when I play solo I just have one.

So if the one gets out of tune…

Yeah. [Laughs.] Actually, it never got out of tune doing the whole recent tour with the band. Maybe that's why my tuner wasn't working.

"Every human has the same desire of just dancing, laughing and having good music, and that's the point, you have to make them happy. That's your mission as a musician. It's a responsibility."

What's your main purpose when you perform?

I want to make people cry but then laugh at the same time, to give them an edgy feeling that makes them really melancholic but then give them a super positive bass and kick drum. Like a good movie with a happy ending.

And, of course, dancing is important and just being happy. I mean, that's what you need all over the world, doesn't matter where you are. Why are clubs existing? Why is electronic music so big? It's because every human has the same desire of just dancing, laughing and having good music, and that's the point, you have to make them happy. That's your mission as a musician. It's a responsibility. You cannot go onstage and tell them, "F*** you. I don't care." You really have the mission to make them happy, and that's the job.

Can you talk about the inspiration behind your last album, Disconnected? It feels like the songs all have a story behind those ethereal beats, and I'm especially curious about "Synth For The Devil," which takes from the Rolling Stones song.

I mean, this song just came to me. I was here, actually, around the corner, like 50 kilometers from here in the [RANCHO V in Pioneertown, Calif.] studio, recording two tracks for our Disconnected album. Then suddenly J [Bowman] was there and Felix [Lehmann, co-producer] and I and my studio company, all just working just for fun on the Rolling Stones thing, just as a break, to have some fun. And then Jay came in like, "Wow, this is the track. I'm the best solo player for this track in the world." I was like, "Okay. Can you play it?" And he played really the best [guitar] solo ever, not totally tight, but nice. And yeah ... And then the idea come up and, "Okay, let's record it." And then we send it to the label for Mick Jagger and Keith Richards and they said "Yes."

Did they say they liked it?

Yeah, they liked it. And they answered in one day. We were like, "Okay. What the f***." Okay, then we do it. It's tough. I'm still not 100% convinced if this was a good idea or not because to cover tracks from these big characters is sometimes not a good idea, but when I play it live, it's fun. I think that's the most important thing.

And the Disconnected album. For me, it's important to have a concept album because then you have things you can talk about and that whole thing is more focused, and it's like you have a red line to follow. It's even easier to write lyrics, to write the music.

I was at Burning Man and asked myself, like, "Why are the people coming to this desert to make this huge festival just in an environment which is not easy. There's no water, no electricity, there's nothing. It's gets super hot in the day, super cold in the night. Why there?" And the only answer must be that people need to disconnect from their real life somehow, and the question is "Why is it so important to flee from your life?"

This whole album is about "why do we need to disconnect so much?" I think our generation suffers a lot from this virtual life that we're living in 50% already, and many people cannot even distinguish which is real, which is not, especially in Coachella. You can see so many people who think Instagram is more important than your real friends, and we have to question what our generation has to ask themselves like, "Where do we want to live in the next years and can we make it? How can we make it," and reflect yourself, "What can I do? Am I still real? Am I fake?"

And I don't want to give answers, I just want to give questions or lyrics to make people think, to reflect themselves. The album should be a mirror for the audience.

Agoria On Making His First Album In Eight Years, Playing Coachella & The Architecture Of Dance Music

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