COYU talks new releases, Suara records and... orgasms.

This Saturday, May 14th, sees might Leeds' club night Filth left in the capable hands of Spanish producer and DJ COYU.

We caught up with him to talk about the latest compilation from his label Suara, DJing technology, and why connecting with a crowd is like an orgasm.

How are you? How has your year been so far?

I'm fine, thanks! Very happy to play in Leeds for the first time. I've heard a lotta good things of this city, so I'm super excited to be here. My year has been extremely good. Full of work and good things. I'm very happy with the success of my own label Suara, and my evolution as an artist. I'm in a very good moment;  mature and conscious of what I am and what I'm able to do…

So you have a compilation out now – how did you find the process? Was there an overall plan when you started of what you wanted to represent?

I started to work on this compilation six months ago. Was hard work, but I'm very proud of the whole process and the final result. 21 exclusive original tracks from some of the most interesting artists of the current international scene (many of them are new additions to the roster of Suara), plus a mix that I made with all these tunes.

How much effort went into programming the mix?

A compilation of 21 tracks isn't an easy job. Especially when you try to release just high quality stuff from awesome artists. Many of these tracks could be A sides in other releases and labels. That was my aim - to release the best music from awesome artists. It takes time, time and more time. But the result is brilliant, so all the effort pays off.

Does it represent the label well? How would you describe the output?

Not easy to describe the sound of the label, because I think we don't have definitive sound. I love house, techno, deep and powerful, melodic and groovy stuff… And Suara tries to be a mirror of what I am. I'm a very eclectic artist. I love very different kind of sounds, so Suara is a good reflection of my personality. Although Kitties Wanna Dance 2 could be quite homogenic as we have released tech house and deep house mostly. But there isn't a style that could describe the sound of the whole release, because we have deep vocal soulful tracked and disco funk tech tunes.

What is it about the sounds you make that you like so much? What draws you to them do you think?

As I said to you, I'm quite eclectic, so I cannot love just one kind of sound. I'm just looking for high quality stuff. I love dubstep, IDM or indie-pop. I'm always listening to dance and non-dance stuff. It's all about good stuff… When I'm in the studio I follow my heart, my mind, my hands… Sometimes I made tracks that never will be released. They are weird or I just made it for fun. Or probably not, and I'll release them in 10 years. Who knows.

What are your goals when DJing? Who does what? How much prep goes into each set?

Same again. I'm a very eclectic DJ. I love to play very different styles in the same night, play as though it was a trip between the music and the crowd, and I were the captain of the plane. I cannot prepare a set. I just try to arrive 1h before my set or earlier, see the faces of the crowd, what's their main aim for that night, what kind of sounds they prefer… and boom! It’s not easy to get connected so closely with the crowd every night, because I’m not the same person every day, I don't play the same music in all my sets… and the crowd is always different. That's the magic of the music. And that's why I love this work so much. When you get closely connected with the crowd, you feel it, the crowd feels it… Wow man, it's the biggest orgasm you can get!

What sort of setup do you use and is the ‘how’ important to you?

Traktor Scratch Pro 2 + Laptop + Mixer Controller. I used to play vinyl. I never played with cds or digitally… but the mixer controller allows me to play 4 channels up, do what I want… I'm still a vinyl lover. My collection is big. And the touch of the black shit is still magic. But man if a mixer controller gives you the chance to make more people happier, I go with the mixer controller. Two tracks playing at the same time isn't enough for me at the moment.

Who are you outside of music? What do you do day to day?

I would love to say that I'm someone outside the music, but it wouldn't say true. I'm working 24hours, seven days on music. My labels. My tracks. My studio. My sets. My World. Mmmm… That's probably why my girlfriend is so tired of me…

What else are you working on?

I'm going to tour Australia in June, plus do some parties at Sonar Festival in Barcelona, new tracks along Carlo Lio are coming in Rejected and Noir Music, a remix for X-Press 2’s timeless classic ‘Muzik Xpress’, new summer dates in Ibiza and other cool places… I'm never bored, always working and getting fun. Lucky me!

Tickets for Filth with COYU are available below.

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