In this edition of Times and Tunes, our latest custom-made playlist is curated by Mexican selector and producer Paurro. Paurro has made a name for herself by pumping house music ecstasy and complete body workouts on dance floors throughout her hometown Mexico City, New York City, and any other one she is invited to around the globe, consistently demonstrating her rhythmical generosity.
After a few releases including her remarkable remix of Nuestra Forma by DJs Pareja and Lupe, she has just made her first appearance on Cómeme, considered to be Latin America’s essential dance label. Her new release Galavisión is composed of five dirty floor-fillers, filled with lush psychedelia.
It was a pleasure to catch up with Paurro to discover some insights about her musical process and how she became an integral part of not only CDMX’s nightlife, but house lover’s night life.
INTERVIEW
How did you curate this playlist, what is the inspiration behind the choice of these tracks ?
I picked breakbeat as the backbone for this playlist so you’ll listen to my fav tracks with breaks in spotify
You recently released Galavision, your first Ep on the label Comeme. Congratulations! I had a great time listening to the five tracks ! What does the label Comeme represent for you ?
Cómeme was the first label that created an infrastructure for latino artists to be considered in the electronic music scope worldwide. It also developed a new, unique and distinctive sound that was even followed by other labels that came after it and Matias Aguayo has been a great godfather and representative of all of this sound .
I remember I was just starting to DJ when I met Matias while working in a festival in Monterrey and he gave me a Cómeme tote bag as a present. He obviously had an amazing show and after I became a religious fan of the label, I remember thinking “if I ever release music in Cómeme that would be the most!” so having my very first original EP in it and working with Matias as his number two in the label is even more than what I ever dreamed of. I guess I unconsciously built my journey for this to happen.
Tell us more about the memory of this perfect night that gave name to your EP ; that night when you played for the first time alongside Matías Aguayo in Zipolite and that your friend baptized you with the name: “Galavisión.
Gala is the name of my sister’s dog and since her fur is all black we joked about how she is a raver and techno DJ so when I played with Matias in Zipolite my friend called the dog Galavisión and since then it was decided that the EP was going to have that name.
How did the process of creating the release start ?
After playing with Matias I got a lot of production advice and guidance from him so I got excited and started producing and sending him tracks. I got on an inspiration run and he just kept asking me for more music so I went on factory mode until he decided we had a good and solid product to release.
Mexico has such a rich history when it comes to music in general. I am curious to discover more about your musical background and how you got introduced to dance music. Were you already into the scene before going to Europe for your internship in Spain and England ?
I always knew I wanted to work on something related to music even thought it was never very clear what part I would play. I guess I learned a lot about rythm by taking traditional folklore and ballet as a child and also had interest in singing at some point but when I went to highschool stopped going because I had a hard time being bullied in school.
You can say I picked up music when I went to college and I met people that showed me different bands and sounds, and got into rock and indie music. When I finished my mayor I went to europe for my internship and that’s where I went to a proper club with a DJ on the booth and people actually dancing (Most of mexico City clubs back then were table service clubs where people didn’t really dance, everyone would stay in their table and sing to pop hits).
When I returned to Mexico I found out there was an actual dance music scene and just started to consume it until I finally decided to take a DJ course.
How much of your Mexican background can be found in the music you are putting out today or in the emotions you are expressing throughout a DJ set ?
I always add something related to my background in my mixes and sets however I don’t think about it that much. Something I do a lot and very consciously in my productions is sample 90s Mexican pop songs. For example the track they’re here started with a sample of a track called Enamoradisimo from a boyband called Mercurio, I just love that music so much!
Could you talk a bit about the current dance music scene in Mexico ? Which are the places or collectives that inspire you at the moment in the city ?
The dance music scene in Mexico has a lot to offer to the world. It is super rich in sounds with options for everyone. Every day there are more and more parties and collectives being born and there are so many talented producers making the sickest music. The words I would give the scene in Mexico are effervescent and waking up.
However I see it is still behind in lots of ways which is a reflection of how Mexico is today. Unfortunately the scene is ran 95% by rich white cis men who are not even involved in the scene so when money is the top priority it becomes very hard for the local DJs and producers to make their living. Payment is terrible for locals even in big festivals and obviously even more for women and people from the LGBTQ+ community. Everything is about the big bookings and “who you know”. We still see a lot of all male line ups which is so embarrassing in 2022, but I feel there are some people trying to do things differently and for the right reasons which gives me hope for things to get better, Mexico deserves it.
New York seems to be a special place for you as well, could you talk a bit about your relationship with the city and when was the first time you played there.
NYC was another breaking point for me for sure because it’s when I decided to get more serious about DJing.
My first gig was a last minute booking in House Of Yes. I was in Riviera Maya on a trip with my girlfriends when I got the news so I had to get a last minute flight. It was such a rush but I was so excited that I cried on the plane.
After that I decided to go for a full summer and that’s when I met all these amazing people that are now my family and made some good connections to set a foundation and start building from there. NYC completely opened its arms to me and I am so grateful about it, I love that city with all my heart.
You were the head of booking and programming on Air libre radio before it closed a few months ago. What was important to you musically with the curation of the shows?
Aire libre was super important for me because I always wanted to do radio and to have the fortune of being a programmer made me more open musically and that’s what I am more grateful for.
Aire libre was about showing the wide range of genres and colors that Mexico City has to offer so I had to do a lot of research about what was going on in my own city and that’s how I came across some of the coolest and most talented people. It was the best job ever.
What is your approach when it comes to preparing for a radio show ?
It’s more about the vibe that I am in and the tracks and genres that I like the most at that particular time. I’m not that geeky about music so I just try to build a nice journey without talking too much in between tracks. The key for me is to pick the first and last tracks of the show, I feel it’s a good start.
Do you have any other artistic practice outside of music ? If yes, I would love to hear more about them and how they influence your approach to djing and producing ?
Not really :/ I’m very focused on getting better at producing and playing with vynil. I’m also working on the label with Matias which is making me learn so much about other aspects that are not necessarily creative but still very cool.
Finally, would you be able to share with us some of your plans for the upcoming year ? I heard you have some more exciting releases coming up, am I right ?
I’m very excited because I’ll be releasing a track in a Nervous Records compilation curated by Carry Nation. I also have some remixes coming out including one in Cómeme but what I am really focusing on is releasing my first album by the end of the year.
Also planning a mini tour through the US and Canada and going back to Europe to play in the summer hopefully to a couple more cities.
Order Galavisión EP now.