Photo credit: Mario Pinta
Madrid-based DJ and producer James de Torres is on the road to rediscovery. Shifting from the trance scene to more progressive sounds, the NYC Dubspot Academy graduate wraps up a sensational summer season in Ibiza in which he’s performed at Hï Ibiza’s Wild Corner, recorded with world-class DJs and even ditched his brand new ‘Behemoth/ Parallel Dimension’ EP on UV Noir.
Eg caught up James de Torres to learn more about the drop from him ‘Behemoth / Parallel Dimension’ EP, his switch from trance to progressive, his season in Ibiza and much more.
EG: Hi James! Welcome to EG. It is a pleasure to have you here with us. where are you living right now How are you?
James de Torres: Thanks for the invitation. I’ll be staying in Ibiza until October, where I moved to when the season started in April. This summer has been hectic, working over nightly Hello Ibiza was exciting and stressful at the same time.
EG: Summer is almost officially over. What were your highlights?
James de Torres: Working in the production department of the best club in the world left a huge list of interesting highlights. Share recordings fisherman and martingarrixDjing with CID and vintage culture at an afterparty, meet some great legends like Simon Dunmore, David Moralesor Roger Sanchez and sharing stories with them, discovering very talented artists like Natasha Diggs or Dan Shakebecomes a good friend of Paco OsunaDJing in the wild corner of the club,… I don’t know where to stop.
EG: Congratulations on the release of your ‘Behemoth / Parallel Dimension’ EP on UV Noir! How was the first admission?
James de Torres: The first person to congratulate me were the main owners of the label, Ali & Filawhich makes me very happy. Paul Thomas was also impressed by its position in the charts (reached the top 11). The EP has received great support and good reviews, I hope this change of style will bring much good in the future.
EG: So what can fans of James de Torres expect on these tracks? Is there an inspiring trigger for this?
James de Torres: I wanted to preserve the uplifting feelings of trance in a darker techno vibe, let’s put it that way. To focus on a club sound that can be played by different DJs with different styles, with that groovy bassline. My inspiration could be the way the music is developing right now and thinking more underground clubs than big festivals.
“I saw trance music becoming very repetitive without the passion it used to have. Producers now have to make tracks very quickly and unfortunately it’s more about quantity than quality.”
EG: We also know that you will be releasing a new single via Interplay Flow soon. What can you expect from this one?
James de Torres: You’ll find two versions, vocal and instrumental, with more energy than that FSO UV EP, more progressive than techno, and a track that I think is very easy to listen to, perfect for all types of ears.
EG: You’ve recently made the transition from the trance scene to a more progressive sound. What motivated you to venture into deeper sounds?
James de Torres: I liked progressive house from the start, but my career propelled me into the uplifting trance of that moment. When I saw that the niche was not only small, but saturated by many artists with very few opportunities to cross the finish line, I decided it was time to change the sound. Also, I saw that trance music became very repetitive without the passion it used to have. Producers now have to make tracks very quickly and unfortunately it’s more about quantity than quality.
Meanwhile, progressive and melodic techno is getting bigger and you can tell these tracks are made to tell a story like trance used to be. I’d say it’s the new “trance” and I’m not the only one who thinks so 😉
EG: Let’s enter your studio… What’s your setup like? Any new software or hardware that you would personally recommend?
James de Torres: At the moment my studio is unstructured as I’m constantly moving around with headphones on, a MacBook Proand ableton. I have used Sylenth1 since day one Valhalla room, EchoBoyand serum. Looking forward to getting some new hardware after the season is over, maybe a Moog Synthesizer.
EG: How do you entertain yourself when you’re not in the studio? Have you come across any good movies, books or albums lately?
James de Torres: My three passions in the world are music, photography and books. During the pandemic when there were no music events, I thrived on photography as I am a professional food photographer, believe it or not.
In terms of books, I’m reading a name right now “Bill Murray’s BAT”, a mixture of biography and steps to be like him. Before that I read a murakami one and one Javier Marias (a Spanish writer who died the same month) book.
A book I always recommend, especially to impatient people who don’t have time to focus on lectures, is “Someone who will love you in all your damaged glory” through Raphael Bob Waksbergtv show creator, BoJack Horseman. Is a book of little stories that make you think about your own life in a psychological way.
“Now progressive and melodic techno is getting bigger and you can tell these tracks are made to tell a story like trance used to be.”
EG: What does a normal Monday in the life of James de Torres look like? And a Friday?
James de Torres: Right now I’m living in an upside down world, working every night with Monday being my day off (night) so it’s the rest-a-bit day. I watch some promos, go to the gym if possible, go to the beach or go shopping.
Friday is a hard day, which means I had it life after death Party the night before, which is the busiest at the club in terms of production, and we start getting ready David Guettas night, which is much easier. But the stress of doing a great job is always there because it’s the most successful night. So on Fridays I usually stay home, work on my music a bit, read and unwind before going back to work. Ask me in a few months and my answer will be very different (laughter).
EG: By the way, how do you feel about the current state of the scene? What would you like to see more and less of?
JAmes de Torres: Unfortunately, as I said before, trance is declining and EDM is starting to disappear. This space was occupied by melodic underground vibes, names like history of us, Black coffee, Solomunand ARTBAT are at the top of the wave right now.
On the techno side, the groove is the main thing, the vibes are the same, but you can see the big names losing their place and new generations hitting hard, like Michael Bibi, fishermanand Dom Dolla. It’s good to see that in these genres, the change of main characters has been accepted and the audience is fresh and looking for new things.
EG: What’s next for James de Torres? What special milestones are you looking forward to now?
James de Torres: Besides the single “Whispers from the Ocean” stand out interaction flow A three-track EP will be released in October nature viva. Sincerely, I’m also looking forward to 2023 full of gigs and bringing good music and better vibes to the music ravers around the world.
EG: Thank you for your time James! We wish you all the best for the future.
James de Torres: Thank you for inviting me, it was a cool interview, hope is the first of many Eg.
James de Torres’ Behemoth / Parallel Dimension is available now through UV Noir. Buy your copy here.
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