Exclusive Interview: Coyu
Each year, the Winter Music Conference— and the concurrent Miami Music Week— spawns a slew of exclusive events and intimate sets by some of the most talented names in the global electronic music scene. For this year’s edition, Spanish DJ and producer extraordinaire COYU, brought Suara Music to the sunny city to celebrate the label’s rising international success in what was both a lavish and thoughtful affair. Resident Advisor’s most charted label two years running, Suara music has becoming synonymous with quality—and, of course, the cats! We caught up with the talented COYU just after his sunset set at the Dream Hotel rooftop pool deck in gorgeous South Beach, Miami.
EPIC PRODUCTIONS: What are you looking forward to most this Miami Music Week?
Well, it’s my third time here in Miami, but the first time we’ve done a Suara label night. Yeah, I was very excited because Miami is the place to be when you have a label. I’m really happy because for a Tuesday the turnout was really good. I saw a lot of big guys from the industry. It was a meeting place. I am happy that Suara could make something so big happen here in Miami. Very good times.
EPIC PRODUCTIONS: How much preparation goes into your sets?
Well I am very eclectic, so when I’m playing I never think about what kind of music I’m going to play. You have to see in the eyes of the people what they want and thats all. Two nights ago I played in Bogota and I played quite tech-y. Today was more house-y and sexy. So, it’s about quality music and I don’t care much about the styles.
EPIC PRODUCTIONS: What’s your favorite part of Miami Music Week?
Well, I arrived yesterday and I’m leaving Thursday because I have some shows in Europe. So, tonight I know of a few cool parties and I don’t know where I”m going yet. Tomorrow I have a show at Steam with the Incorrect guys. It’s going to be insane. The lineup is amazing. The lineup is huge. Miami during WMC is amazing because you can find a lot of big guys everywhere—hotels, rooftops, pool parties. It’s great to be here and I’m very happy to have the chance to do this.
EPIC PRODUCTIONS: What factors do you feel have contributed to Suara’s success?
Well, we just try to release quality music. We don’t think about the styles or the genres. We release tech house, techno, deep house. It’s just about quality music. We also have a social interest as well with the cats. We love cats and that’s why all our imagery is cat-centric. So all our commerce is based around cats because we love them. My girlfriend is a feline vet, she works with cats all the time. We have a foundation in Barcelona where we are based and we try to help find homes for street cats. Probably it’s the quality music, consistent releases—one per week which is a lot, but always quality releases from top artists—and the social scene with the cats.
EPIC PRODUCTIONS: You had a residency at Pacha Ibiza. How do you think European clubs differ from American clubs.
The difference from London to Miami or New York is that in London or Berlin or Frankfurt the crowd has been listening to that music—the same music—for 25 years, because techno music was huge in the 90s in Europe. For the states, this kind of music is something a bit more new and fresh. So, I always am happy to play in the states because I can see that even if the crowds are not as huge as in Europe, the people are really passionate. When I play in New York or Chicago or San Francisco or Los Angeles, really it’s a lot of fun. Even if its only a few hundred people I really enjoy it. I love to play here. Last year I played Milwaukee, Minnesota, and Denver.
EPIC PRODUCTIONS: Milwaukee?
Yeah yeah, it was one of the best nights of the whole year. Really. Only two hundred people.
EPIC PRODUCTIONS: Because how many shows of that type come to Milwaukee? So when it happens, people turn out.
That’s exactly it. That’s it.
EPIC PRODUCTIONS: Was that your favorite show you’ve played in america?
It was one of the best nights of my year. It was amazing. Probably not the best, but it was so good. The people were so kind.
EPIC PRODUCTIONS: What kind of elements do you put in your set that set you apart?
Well, I’m always trying to do my best. I’m not super happy with my set tonight. It was okay, but I wanted to play something a bit deeper in the beginning, but I saw that people wanted something more funky. Sometimes you’re playing at a big time and you have to play harder or whatever. It was good, I only had to realize that people wanted something more energetic and I did that. That’s why I really love to play long sets, like five hours, because you can play anything you want. It’s a totally different experience playing five hours versus two.
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AUTHOR CREDIT: ALEXANDRA BLAIR INTERVIEW CREDIT: ALEXANDRA BLAIR, AINSLEY ASHTON, KIMBERLY PHAN