everytime I hear Galbi- my heart melts ! the singer is from my little town and we share the same unique genes

@juanizguerra lovely mix! could you maybe ID this track? thx!

First up in 2023 is Los Angeles based Juan Izguerra (@juanizguerra) who runs his residencies at Dublab and Homage Brewing. Interview (excerpt) down below.

www.musicfrommemory.com

MFM: Hi Juan, welcome to the series. You're based in Los Angeles, right? Can you tell a bit about what keeps you busy? 

JI: Hey there! Super stoked to contribute. Well, I was born in Pomona, California and I started DJing about six years ago. I recently found myself as the event coordinator at Homage Brewing in 2021 and It’s been a great experience to be on both sides… I love being able to DJ at some of my favorite parties, and then host locals and out of town friends at my own events with Homage. My girlfriend and I made the move to LA in the summer of 2020. Early on in the pandemic rent was pretty much the same in Pomona as it was in LA so we thought we’d just live in the city. When clubs/bars opened up again I got involved with Homage. Since then I’ve been able to host parties at our space and focus on bringing people together for the music. 

MFM: What triggered you to initially get interested and involved in buying and playing records?  

JI: I’ve collected records since my teens but it wasn’t until I was 20 that I met one of my now super close friends Josh da Costa (Confusing Mix on NTS) who put me onto crazy records he found during his time living and touring in Europe. He showed me things like Roberto Musci, Thomas Leer, The Antennas, Cherry Red records, and weird compilations. Hearing things like that made me so curious. I saw Josh DJ one day and I was fascinated with how he made people dance. It made me want to learn how to do that! 

MFM: Nice. Did you have any other role models you felt inspired and motivated by?

JI: Definitely. My friends Josh (who I mentioned), Jimi Hey, and Shags Chamberlain were an early influence on me. They toured all over the world and would come home with bags of records, share their discoveries, and give a story about where they found it. I saw that as a way to connect with people and It inspired me to travel and want to find things of my own to share. As I got more curious on the DJ’ing side of things, I definitely got a lot of inspiration from my good friend Bianca Lexis. She’s one of my favorite DJ’s!

MFM: You've done quite some traveling yourself too, within the US but also intercontinental. How is LA nightlife compared to some other places you've been? What's the LA style?

JI: LA’s nightlife definitely needs some work. In New York, Europe, and Mexico City, there’s an audience for every genre and a club for it as well. I think that’s what we struggle with most. People have to resort to attending warehouse parties which involve a lot of financial strain on the organizers. Still, we do have a lot of people putting together great parties here such as Third Place and Moony Habits. Lots of great house/outdoor parties which are really fun and unique to LA. 

MFM: Where and how do you go finding new records and music? Do you have your secret or not so secret methods?   

JI: When it comes down to record shopping I typically like to leave LA. Visiting suburban areas is where I get the most luck. Something about those areas feels more zen since it’s less competitive. It puts me in a mental space where I’m able to focus on looking through records thoroughly. 

MFM: Looking forward to anything specific in '23? Any future plans you'd like to share maybe? 

JI: I’ll be visiting Tokyo for the first time in May so I’m super psyched about that. Also planning to be in Europe in August/September so I'm looking forward to setting up some gigs there!

MFM: Tell us about your mix! How did you approach selecting and recording it?

JI: I wanted to make it a bit cerebral but still keeping it rhythmic and having plenty of songs with lyrics. It has an ambient start that works into downtempo tracks and slowed down Italian house. Hope everyone enjoys!

MFM Mix 047: Juan Izguerra

NO DEMOS, thanks...

Webshop: https://www.musicfrommemory.com

Amsterdam based record label releasing visionary electronic music from both past and present.

Sublabel: @secondcircle

Comments

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Juan Tariko