Interview: Sebastian Motz

Sebastian Motz is one third of the Tutsi Girl Play House band, alongside dj/producer Sebas Ramis and vocalist Tesiree Priti. We spoke with him for an exclusive interview to find out more about the keyboardist and composer in celebration of his new release on Puro Music.

Hello Sebastian, thanks for speaking with us today. Can you tell us about your involvement with the Tutsi Girl Play House project? 

Tutsi Girl Play House is a heartfelt project for me, realizing my own compositions and collaborating with wonderful people. My part is giving the harmonic color and composing the songs together with my partners, as well as producing together with Sebas in Mallorca.

How did you come to meet Sebas Ramis and begin the collaboration?

We met during a corporate gig last year and when I heard the sound he was playing I remembered a few compositions that Tesiree and I had worked on and kept aside for some time, so I contacted him and showed him our music. From there, we decided to work together on those trax and compose more to make a whole EP.

Keyboards are your main instrument, are there any other musical instruments you play?

No, all my time goes to study that one instrument ;)

Which other artists or musicians inspired you when growing up?  What are your current favorite bands? 

There is a long list, but i come from piano, so my heros are: Keith Jarret, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Herbie Hancock etc… I love cuban music, my fav. bands are: Charanga Habanera, Isaac Delgado, Tony Martinez… and i also love soul music and RnB: Take 6, Brian McKnight, Stevie Wonder.

Did you always want to work with music? If you weren't in this field, what might you be doing?
  
The desicion was not so easy, but it came from the heart…maybe being a doctor would have been interesting for me.

What equipment do you use when composing and performing live?  

Mostly my Macbook with Mainstage and Yamaha s90es Stagepiano. Recording and composing with Logic Studio on Mac.

You lived some time in Cuba, did the style of music played there influence your sound? Can you tell us about what that was like in general? 

It was a wonderful experience living in Havana. The music is fantastic, so many incredible artists and players that always inspired me. I loved going to concerts and getting blown away by the extraordinary energy of their music. Apart from the music, living there was a life changing experience, too many impressions to describe but it opened up my mind a lot, also by learning Spanish, which opened many doors, for example this project;)

You performed with Tutsi Girl Play House for the first time in Mallorca this spring at the Puro Hotel's Habitación 12 event and the Palma Boat Show, which of the shows was more special and why? 

It was a great exclusive private event in Habitación #12 -- very intimate and soulful. I love the shows where you can connect to your audience and the energy flows between the musicians and listeners. As it was our premiere performance it was the most special gig for me, but the boat show was also a lot of fun!

Which track from the new Body & Soul Ep is your personal favorite?  

It's a tie between Body and Soul and Cupid's Arrow.

Listen to the full EP from Tutsi Girl Play House, out now in stores worldwide:

Tutsi Girl Play House (Free Download)

Puro Music will release the debut EP from Tutsi Girl Play House, a new project produced by Mallorquin dj Sebas Ramis. The band sees the Palma based artist collaborating with Ruandan songstress Tesirée Priti and German keyboardist Sebastian Motz, with the trio reviving the San Francisco soulful house sound in a big way. The 'Body & Soul' EP features 4 stunning tracks out on June 20th, the first of which the label is giving away free via their soundcloud today. Check out Tutsi Girl Play House with the title track from their upcoming release here:

Rosana Nun Interview

Rosana Nun is a DJ, producer, and radio announcer born in Palma de Mallorca. In between hosting her live show for Vicious Radio and playing clubs like Garito and Sub Zhero, she has begun to dive deeper into the world of music production with studio collaborator J. Sanchez. We spoke with her about her history as a DJ and her experience in broadcasting ahead of her upcoming release on Malo Records.

Hello Rosana, thanks for speaking with us today. I was listening to your mix from El Barbero in April. Definitely feeling the soul influence, it made me curious to find out what kind of music you grew up listening to?

I grew up listening to great black artists like Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson, etc. I also loved The Blues Brothers, Queen, among other that my father played at home.

Right on. You studied radio communications in Madrid, can you tell us about how you are currently involved with broadcasting here on the island?

Well studying radio was casual, I found the radio or the radio found me, hahahaha. I was previously studying sound for two years and when I went to work as an intern I discovered the world of radio. First they sent me to television and I didn't like it at all, I also worked with setting up equipment and in the post production stage, but I definitely noticed that the radio was what I liked. I spent a whole summer interning at a radio station and then I realized I wanted to learn more about it and moved to the capital where I majored in radio at CEV. Since then many years have gone by, right now I produce a nationwide program on Vicious Radio where apart from music we dedicate an hour every Tuesday to interview the leading artists of the electronic scene, where we've had the chance to get to know Javi Bora, Pelecha, Cristian Varela, Pet Duo, Fatima Hajji, Marcos In Dub, and Jonathan Tena among many others who have passed by. Actually I'm very grateful to all who have collaborated with us so far.

Sounds like you definitely found your path. From the looks of it you have already played in many of the best clubs in Mallorca, was there a certain DJ who inspired you to become a DJ yourself ?

Well surprisingly when I started out as a DJ I listened to techno music, and I loved it, in fact I have much more techno music on vinyl than any other genre. Over the years I've been calming down a little… LOL. In regards to who I admired and even today admire for their hard work is Cristian Varela. Jeff Mills and Ben Sims have also made an impression on me.

That's great. I also began with techno so I understand the evolution. How have you seen the nightlife in Palma de Mallorca change over the last 5 years? 

In recent years I think there has been a significant drop in the number of events and nightlife, probably produced by the economic crisis. Fortunately today and in recent months I think things are improving on the island, with more and more interesting clubs and places to go to hear deep, house, and techno music. I think it's all about working hard with a lot of motivation and the results will come.

I noticed you included the new track from Vancouver's Sean Dimitrie 'It Ain't Easy' - nice choice, we love his productions. Where do you typically go to find your music?

Really I find the music by following the productions of specific artists or labels that I like, a track that I like brings me to another and it's like a wheel, but I must admit that I spend many hours looking for music and on many occasions I'll end up playing songs for years, classic tracks or older songs not known until recently. I love to mix vocals from old songs with more current tracks and disparate versions.

In your biography I noticed you list Hip Hop as an influence, who are some of your favorite artists?

I would say Rap more than Hip Hop, especially since I heard Spanish Rap when I was young, like SFDK , Rapsus or the great Nach Scratch.

I understand you studied dance at a young age, can you tell me about that?

Yes, ever since I was a child I danced ballet, then I moved to more modern styles like Funk, Hip Hop or Modern Dance, encompassing various styles.

Do you travel to Ibiza very often? What parties or DJs might you be interested in playing with this summer?

I would definitely love to travel more often to Ibiza, of course! And if I could choose I would love to share the DJ booth with Seth Troxler or The Martinez Brothers, they all give me really good energy, beyond playing great music and that is the most important thing.

If you have to pick one producer who you could always count on for amazing productions, who would it be?

I love Christian Burkhardt,  all his tracks are great, with lots of energy and groove. 


Where can we find your next DJ sets?

This Sunday May 8th I'm in OD Puerto Portals for the SENSE party, and on Saturday May 21st at Rex Party. Really excited to start this summer as it promises to be great fun.


Sounds like it! Thanks for talking with us Rosana, and we'll be sure to catch one of your upcoming DJ sets and keep an eye out for your new release coming soon on Malo Records. 

Listen to Rosana Nun Live @ El Barbero here:

Borjaar Interview

In the new interview series from True Balearic, we discuss music with some of the artists who are passionate about dance culture in the islands. The first edition features none other than Borja Alcántara, aka Borjaar. Born in Menorca, the 26 year old resident DJ of Puro and Sub Urban has been playing music for 10 years. We spoke with him about his musical influences, nightlife experiences, and where we will be able to catch his next DJ set.

Hello Borja! Thanks for joining us. You recently mixed the 27th episode of Puro Music's podcast, which we really enjoyed listening to. Where did you record the mix? who are some of your artistic inspirations as a DJ?

I recorded the mix live at the Purobeach Season Opening event. My artistic inspirations as a Dj are Laurent Garnier, Apollonia (Dyed Soundorom, Dan Ghenacia, Shonky), Phill Weeks, D'Julz, Djebali... to name a few.

Nice, sounds like you have a definite French influence in your style. Can you tell us about your first experience with dance music?

My first experience with dance music was when I was 15 years old and I discovered Trentemoller. There began my interest for dance music.

Right on, I still remember his track for Naked Music. It was way ahead of it's time. You're originally from Menorca, do you travel back often, and if so what is the nightlife like there compared to in Mallorca where you live now?

Yes, i'm from Menorca. I usually travel back at least once a year, and about the nightlife there I can't say too much because I moved to Mallorca very young, but I think the nightlife there only exists in summer and it's not the kind I like hahaha

Tell us about your early years as a DJ, with Sub_Urban Festival and at parties in the villages in Mallorca, how did these years effect your desire to become a DJ and work with music as a career?

Well, it all started as a hobby for me. In all these years I learned a lot about music and Dj skills with all the great artists I worked with, both as a DJ or promoter.

What are some of your favorite record labels right now?

Robsoul, Signatune Records, Bass Culture, Overall Music, Ondule Recordings, Djebali, Cabinet Records...

If you had to pick one record producer who you can always count on for great music, who would it be?

Chris Carrier.

The track at 15 minutes in your Puro Music mix is pretty sweet, what's the name of that one and where did you find that?

It's called "Situation feat. Andre Espeut - Get To Know Me (Original Mix)" and I think I found it in a random music search over Traxsource.

Good choice. I was curious, do you go to Barcelona often? What are some of the best parties you've been to there in recent years?

Well, in the past years I think I travelled to Barcelona very often and the best party where I have been there it was a few weeks ago at the Brunch Electronik.

What are the next dates you are DJing in Mallorca so we can add the dates to our calendar?

I will be at Purobeach every Thursday and at Opio Bar in Puro Hotel every Friday.

Awesome. We'll see you there. Follow Borjaar on Facebook and listen to his live set recorded at Purobeach Palma Bay Season Opening here: