Welcoming Barcelona’s EYRA to the 909 series with a glorious, summery mix that channels the fever dream that is summer in the city whilst also channeling the varying soundscapes you can find at his POLYGLOT party. It’s a pretty unique mix for the series as EYRA recorded straight from his CDJ onto a cassette to give it this raw and nostalgic feel.
EYRA is the creative outlet for Oliver Pereira’s leftfield-leaning, dancefloor focused productions. Born in the UK, the Barcelona based artist’s sound is rooted in bass heavy British music culture, however his style is forward thinking, adventurous and inventive throughout. Over the last few years, EYRA has released on the likes of Accidental Meetings and Abundance as well as a self-released EP, ‘Voices Pt. 1’, earlier this year. Outside of his productions, EYRA co-runs the POLYGLOT party series with his friend muck which was launched just over a year ago to provide an open and accessible space of great music and build a community with it. I was lucky enough to be in Barcelona at the time of POLYGLOT last March which was early in their formation and you could already feel that really sick community feel at the party where everyone was there for the love of music. So far they’ve booked the likes of Soft Chaos, DJ SOSA RD, Adrasha, i-sha, Mani Tapes and more. EYRA is also involved in the local creative collective Abundance. Get to know!
Hey! How are you doing? What have you been up to lately?
Hey! I’m great thanks! (how are you?) – I’ve had a bit more of a hectic summer than expected! I’m navigating being freelance alongside musical projects, running parties, DJing etc. Finding my groove really 🙂 Busy but happy!
Let’s start from the very beginning, what was your first introduction to music in general and then more specifically electronic music?
Hmm – I guess through my family! They’re not super musical but they did have a pretty eclectic mix of CDs that I would explore. I started learning guitar when I was around 9 – classical for a couple of years then self taught acoustic / electric throughout my teens. I think my exposure to electronic music began around my mid teens when I started listening to grime + dubstep was having a resurgence.
Who was the first artist or band that you were a fan of?
One of my first memories of music was listening to the Madonna album Music on repeat hahah
Was there a formative moment growing up, whether that’s seeing your favourite band live or an incredible DJ set, that led you to this path?
No one moment really sticks out for me really! I think in general I’ve always found wonder in the way in which music can create such strong connections with people and I’ve alway wanted to explore that (and try and replicate too!). From being at Uni and studying the psychology of music, to my productions and Djing.
How does your environment inform your work?
For me my environment tends to inform my work in quite a physical way – living in Barcelona – I generally struggle to produce much over the sweaty summers, but tracks I do manage to make tend to be less intense or club-oriented. For me my ideal environment to lock in and have productive sessions is either really late at night / waking up really early during winter. My setup is usually just my laptop, an Ableton push and a tape deck I use to get specific textures out of my sampling/drums.
Where do you look for sources of inspiration outside of music?
Slowing down and consciously listening (to everything but music), nature, film, food.
What has been your most recent musical discovery that you’re obsessed with?
Early 00’s prog-house from Madrid.
What motivated you to start your own party POLYGLOT? What are you trying to create with this party?
I started POLYGLOT with the help of a good friend Cal (muck), about a year and a half ago. It was a bit of a reaction to not finding many parties with a less-specific and wider musical message. The ‘manifesto’ is generally simple – we just want to provide an open and accessible space of great music (from across genres) where we can develop trust from our audience and build a community where the onus is about connection as part of the crowd. I like to curate the parties by booking artists from different corners of the scene who I feel will be open to experiment to find a common ground, or explore different sounds they might not always play, using POLYGLOT as a canvas. I think it is important in a place like Barcelona to platform local DJs, where many rarely get to play headline slots as they are usually supporting bigger international artists. Houseparty vibes, regulars, great music, great crowd… great party!
How would you describe the scene in Barcelona right now? What excites you the most about it?
Organic, simmering and open. There are lots of great people doing great things. To shout out a handful: Abundance, Jokkoo, Canino Radio, Latineo, Babylon, Me Siento Extraña, Golpe de Amistad, Voodoo.
You’ve also previously released on Abundance which is a non-profit collective and record label, how did you connect with the team? What’s the story here?
If I remember correctly – towards the end of a lockdown during the pandemic they sent out an open call looking for demos from locals. I submitted a track – we ended up doing a single. Eventually when restrictions were lifted they began RADAR – which is a group critique/feedback session they run for producers to test out WIPs on a club soundsystem. I attended the session, met them all for the first time and then they kindly asked if I would like to join as part of the management crew. I’m super grateful to be part of the team – and I have made great friends and connections through it, been part of some really interesting projects and gained some amazing experiences!
What’s your journey been like with production? How does this fit into your wider artistic narrative?
I was starting to DJ and wanted to recreate some tracks I liked but didn’t quite fit with what I was playing, making edits, making them longer, adding bass/kicks etc. Then I started trying to replicate genres like dembow (but making it from a techno perspective) or making dubstep at a dancehall tempo. I found the process really rewarding and started to learn more and produce as much as possible. In the past few years I have really hunkered down to try and hone my sound. I’m still learning loads but now feeling much more confident with my productions. I have a couple of releases slated for this year and (hopefully) an EP or 2(!) coming out next year.
You’ve also contributed a mix for the 909 series, what’s the concept behind this one?
The concept behind my mix for the 909 series is about tying some weirdness with functionality. I wanted to capture the fever dream that is summer in Barcelona — that vibrant, surreal energy that the city breathes during the season. I’m obsessed with cassettes, and I love having mixes in a physical format so I decided to record on my home CDJ set up directly onto cassette. I love the raw, warm, and nostalgia driven sound the medium gives (especially to modern bass heavy music). The mix is meant to relay a sonic moodboard of the kind of music I like to play at POLYGLOT, speaking a multitude of different musical languages, genre-fluidity and pairing certain sounds that in many ways shouldn’t work but curiously do. Side A starts off exploring a range of ambient music, chopped + screwed and more percussive latin and bass music, where side B blurs some more lines with foggy techno through to dembow and some of my choice kuduro cuts. There’s some music from Barcelona based friends inside and a dub from me too!
What is your approach to club mixes versus approaching mixes for an online platform or radio show?
I always try to lay foundations for a conversation and spontaneity with the crowd for playing live, so with more experience I’m learning to prepare less, so I can actively adapt! But for radio or online mixes I like to take the time to plan some more, work somewhat more with or around a certain theme. Radio and online mixes tend to reflect more of my everyday listening habits.
When was the last time you were on the dance floor?
(At the time of writing this) Last time I was on the dance floor was when I opened up the big room at Razzmatazz (in Barcelona) – I played b2b with Dulce (for the first time) on the massive Greenlight Soundsystem. Then danced to wicked sets by DJ Lomalinda (of TraTraTrax) followed by Phran b2b Lechuga Zafiro.
What are you most excited about right now?
Going to Japan for a month in November! 🙂
What’s on your vision board at the moment?
Events starting up in Barcelona again, trip-hop, sound systems, handheld scanners.