Interview: PABELS (+ Day Mix)

If you're looking for some chilled day-time disco vibes, my next discovery will make your day times better! In addition to the 90 minutes of great music, I want to introduce you to Pablo AKA PABELS - the guys behind this exotic, slow-dance delight.

Pablo is part of a collective called La Tropicál where he releases some of his mixes and today's highlight is the 7th edition of those series. Enjoy!

Hey Pablo, thanks for the interview and congrats on the 7th Day Mix! How would you describe it in a sentence?

Hey guys! Thanks for having me! I've been a big fan of your work for a very long time now and I'm happy to share my new Day Mix with you which I can describe as the best refreshment for the summer heat.

If you can imagine the best setting to listen to the mix (by the pool, on the beach, in a bar etc) where would that be?

I think the best place for listening this day mix would be at a poolside with some cool drinks and great company. I get messages from people all over the world enjoying my Day Mixes in very diverse situations, from work to sunset parties. Freshness is always needed.

Tell us a bit more about PABELS - when and how did you start curating music?

Music curation doesn't go back a long time in my life, but it sure has been something I always did without knowing. It was more than a year ago that I realised that it was what I wanted to do for a living and I've been pursuing it ever since. The Day Mixes are a very important part of this music curation lifestyle that a I live by, showcasing my best findings each month. Your mixes often feature soul and groovy music from the 70s and so on.

Where did your love for this music stems from?

I LOVE the music from the past, it's always awesome to listen to what people did in a different time and space and try to find how to blend it with newer stuff. I started listening to disco music with Breakbot's mixtapes a long time ago and then I always wanted to replicate that kind of uniqueness in my sounds by adding some other genres, styles and textures from all around the world. I could also say that my love for this kind of music in part comes from the fascination I always had with the visual and sound aesthetics of movies, documentaries and series. I think all kinds of arts are very important when trying to build an original sound of your own.

You are also part of La Tropicál. Tell us a bit more about the project.

Well, I've been working with the guys at La Tropicál for more than a year now. But it was from their start that I had always been a follower of their uploads and shares. That's the reason I was always in contact with them. And finally, when I uploaded my first Day Mix into my account they heard it and asked me to make it a series for them. Since then everything has been getting better and better and we have a lot of great plans ahead, such as a US mini-tour this October.

You're from Buenos Aires. What's the beat music scene like over there?

I always lived and loved Buenos Aires. It's a very big city with a lot of options for music in every kind of way. Although the disco and funk scene is not very big in here as it is in other places, It's still one of the most vibrant cities in the world in my opinion with all kinds of parties and bars full of people every day of the week. You can catch me on my fridays residency at Jet where I play my most house-ish side.

Who are your favourite producers. People who inspire you?

That's a tough one, haha. I think it's almost impossible for a DJ to make a favourite producers list, but I would say right now that I'm being very inspired by the work of a lot of DJs such as Nightmares On Wax, Soul Clap, Jmcee, COEO, Flamingosis, Jay West, Richie Hell and many more. I love following the works of DJs that don't limit theirselves in a single genre, and these guys are all about mixing different stuff. I could never make a list of producers, but some i'm listening to a lot lately could be COEO (again), Bonus Points, Romare, Nicobox, Washed Out, Disco Tech, and many, many more.

If you could travel back in time and play any of your mixes to a crowd from the past, when (and where) would you teleport?

I've always thought I should've been born in the boom of disco and hip hop music in the 70/80s so it's pretty easy to say that I would love to play in a pool party in those years such as the one in the movie Boogie Nights (my favourite ever).

Cheers and thanks for the great music selection! Any last words of wisdom?

Thanks again for having me! I always say music speaks for itself, so just listen and vibe to this new Day Mix.