Q&A with James De Torres

What does DJing mean to you? 

When djing, I can evade from the rest of what is around, the most exciting moment is giving love to the people with the music I like. I work with other artists touring or making the productions of their events, and there is nothing like BE the dj itself, goosebumps with the reactions of the people when you play a tune they like, or they know the lyrics and sing nonstop. Djing means happiness.

How and why did you become a DJ? 

When I was studying at university, I loved to listen to electronic music, and I thought, I want to be part of this music world, how do I do it? Well, being a DJ is one step to achieve it. I decided to move to Ibiza when I was 24 with my backpack, look for a job, and learn about the industry. I wanted to be sure I will feel comfortable with how this industry works. And I loved it, so I decided that yes, let’s become a dj. I studied in a music academy production and djing, and here I am now.

When did you start DJing and what was your first big DJ moment? 

My first time in a dj booth was, Ibiza Rocks, in a pool party, using CDJ 1000 which means no USB, just cds. It was a disaster, but it was the first step. My first big DJ moment, playing in Indonesia where they knew every single tune I was DJing, and feeling the crowd so into it made me play better and better, when you have a special connection with the crowd you just feel you are creating the best music trip for them. That moment when you filter the tune and hear the people singing the vocal part of the tune, is just magical.

What and who were your early passions and influences? 

My first influence and most important artist was Tiesto, back in around 2007, I remember listening to the Sensation White sets from him, Armin van Buuren, the Above & Beyond TATW radio shows. I would say A&B ended up being my favorite artists, and also businessmen in the industry, the way they worked Anjunabeats and Anjunadeep by then, maybe they are not that big anymore, but they were a step ahead of everyone in the industry. Who could have told me I was going to meet them or go for dinner with them. 

What are some of the main challenges for a Dj in the current scenario according to you?

A DJ is not only about music anymore, before they used to say, if you produce great music, you will be there… LIE, now you have to be great at marketing, you need a good image, you have to invest in PR, networking, and obviously social media, which unfortunately right now is like the main thing, if you have one million followers you can be whatever you want nowadays. So DJ skills and production right now is a second term unfortunately. Conclusion, a DJ right now has different jobs, community manager, marketing specialist, content creator, public relations apart from Dj itself and music producer. 

How do you prep for a set?

I love to improvise, I cannot go to a party thinking, okey is a 90 minute set so I need around 25 tracks… I go there with 200 tunes in mind, and depending on how the night evolves, the previous dj, the crowd, the venue, I play something or something else. That means that you can expect totally different sets from me, which I think is cool because I can make two different sets the same weekend, surprising people is the best, playing a tune they don’t expect but cheers them up, I love that.

What’s the difference for you in playing at a gig and playing on the Radio? 

On the radio I always play totally new tracks, from the last 30 days, if you search properly there is real good music from unknown artists and I love to discover them and show them to the world. Also I like to play tunes from friends of mine, giving them support is important. I just finished my next radio show. From the 25 tunes I am playing, 9 are from artists I have never heard before.

 Playing in a gig is about making people go crazy, making them happy, you have to teach them new music obviously, but I like to keep them dancing nonstop. When I see them with the shazam open, shouting, hands in the air, that means I am doing a great job because it is what it is, my job. If I feel that I am not getting a good reaction, then I try to go for another kind of music vibes, or a classic tune, or a remix of a big tune, that can help to make the people get in the correct mood. 

 What is one track that never gets old for you no matter how many times you hear it? 

That is a tricky question because you make me think about MY genre, but in this case is house music the one that never gets old, tunes from David Morales, Roger Sanchez, Shapeshifters, Danny Tenaglia, I think they are going to be there for ever with those megatunes they made in the 90s and still making people go crazy 

In terms of trance and progressive, Adagio for Strings, Sun & Moon, Sandstorm, Airwave, some of those that come to my mind at this moment.

 What have you learned since you started out as a DJ? 

I have learned many things. The main thing, this industry never stops evolving and you better evolve with it if you want to keep rolling at it. Why is the Tale of Us so big now? Because they make things for Instagram and TikTok, they would be so big without social media? absolutely not. 

Another thing I have learnt, networking is crucial, you better talk with people and stop being shy, this is like trying to flirt with another person. You better show the best of yourself because you have to be INSIDE the industry, and for that, you have to be well known by everybody. I have gone to shows alone just to be there and say hello to artists, managers, producers, that is very important.

Where do you think India stands in the global music scenario and what should we do better to encourage talent? 

I have never been to India, but I am sure I will perform there one day soon. Everybody says that the crowd there is insane, that the country really feels the music, I mean, right now you have become the country with the biggest population so, it is just a matter of number of people, lots of you will love electronic music. 

By the number of cities and population, India can be a great spot for tours, like it is South America where artists go for two weeks to perform in Argentina, Brazil, Chile. But I have heard that the problem is the insecurity with the promoters. Artists are not 100% confident when dealing with the India tours because many times what happens is that they are fake, or very badly prepared and the problem is that it gets public and viral. I am sure that with time those promoters will improve their way of working, taking care of every detail, and India will be part of the main touring countries.

When talking about India and the local parties and artists, I think they have to take a look at how China is managing their industry, making amazing clubs, training great residence DJs and when the big names come to the club, showing them how the local artists can perform and produce. I am not an expert but I think India should bet more in their local artists and push them up in the industry like Brazil does with their DJs, look at Alok (28 million followers) and Vintage Culture (9 million followers), they are spinning all around the world, and they move thousands of people when performing in Brazil, that is what India has to achieve. 

What does the future look like for you? 

If plan A goes as expected, I am going to be in a better place next year, working in new music, working on new marketing ideas, and big gigs to come this summer will help me to keep climbing. I cannot tell much more but I think things are going to get much much better.

What advice will you give to aspiring DJs and Music Producers? 

Never give up, never care about what other people say, I remember the day I said I wanted to become a DJ, my supporters were counted with one hand, just think that one day you will prove them wrong. And work hard, go to clubs not to party but to learn, to meet the correct people, go to different events, listen to different DJs. But over all, NEVER GIVE UP