IBR: With all the years you have been in the music world, when did you decide to start a new stage by opening your own radio station and why?
Paul .- Well, the truth is that after working in music for so many years, you always have to be in constant evolution. Instead of producing, I prefer to spread and support the music of others. I think this aspect of music is very important, because it's not enough just to make music, you have to make it known, that is to say, being behind the scenes is also very important, because without that pillar you wouldn't reach the final public, which is ultimately the most important.
2.- IBR: In relation to the work you do on the radio, tell us what your day-to-day life is like.
Paul .- Uff !!!, I start at 8 o'clock in the morning, before breakfast the first thing I do is press the play button to start listening to all promos I receive.
While I'm having breakfast I'm already enjoying the music,
then I start to select what I am going to play in my live programs, which are 5 a day and finally I do the daily programming with all the other artists.
Keep in mind that there are 24 hours of music a day.
3.- IBR: You do several live shows a day( as you told us before), where you only play the latest releases, even before they are released. How do you manage to listen to so many promos, do the shows, select the DJs and do the programming of the station? I get tired just thinking about it.... Hehehehee.
Paul.- Well, organisation is fundamental, I love what I do and I don't mind spending 16-17 hours a day to do it. Just knowing that on the other side there are thousands of listeners and that we contribute to make their day better and helping them to lift their spirits, it's worth it.
4-IBR - The radio station not only offers music, but also has many other very interesting spaces. Can you inform us about them?
Paul.- Ibiza Bpm Radio is not a conventional radio station, where the listener, on the other side , only listens to music. Our great differential is that we are a multiplatform, where while the listener listens to a program, you can enjoy a good read and know what is happening around the world, both in the events sector and enjoying a destination where you can stay, getting benefits and paying less.
We try to live this experience in first person before, to be able to indicate to our listeners always with our approval. We don't want to indicate just any hotel, restaurant, club or beach club, destination or establishment, we always want to be sure that it keeps the three B's ( in Spain, Good, Nice and Cheap).
If you don't know where to go, we will always be indicating the best destinations.
We can't forget that what moves people is music, which breaks borders.
In the releases section I try to recommend and show the latest tracks before they are even available, if possible, on the rest of the platforms, then our listeners can already pre-order the tracks that will be released, and even listen to them in that same section.
5.- IBR - It is known that you have carried out many projects throughout these 30 years of career, to name a few, the Love Connection D'Ibiza, Rise Club, Hands Up parties...which of them has given you the most joy and with which you have identified yourself the most?
Paul.- Without a doubt, Love Connection D'Ibiza is the one I enjoy the most, because we work with four essential elements for our daily life: Art, Fashion, Music and Gastronomy.
It is quite a challenge when it comes to organising each event. Having to combine these four elements with excellence is not easy. Enjoying a great Chef, not only for the gastronomy but also for the harmonization of great Spanish wines, a great plastic artist, especially when it comes to live painting or sculpting and creating a piece of art in front of the audience.
It's really fantastic to see the reaction of the people, some of them are even scared. We have already had artists sculpting with a chainsaw, and when the artist finishes the work, it is gratifying to see how good people feel when they have in front of them a piece of art that a few minutes before was a simple tree trunk. !!
A fashion stylist presenting his new collection andlots of artists, mixing the analogue and the digital technology
6.- IBR.- The Love Connection D'Ibiza party became so famous and valued in your homeland that even the Mayor himself asked you to format it in ¨ Trio Eléctrico ¨ for the Carnivals of the city of Sao Paulo for several editions. Tell us how it happened?
Paul .- The truth is that I think it was the biggest challenge of all the events we have done for this event, because we went out of our comfort zone, always having a maximum of 300 people to have thousands.
We have always worked to offer quality and not quantity. For that reason, when Bené proposed to me to perform it in the Electric Trio format, at the Sao Paulo Carnivals, which is the biggest open-air cultural event in the world, it was exciting and at the same time ¨scaring ¨ .
How to combine the same four elements without losing the essence of the party in a truck with music and thousands of people dancing and jumping along the route accompanying the truck ?. Yes, sure It was a difficult task!!. I decided to capture the plastic artist on T-shirts, the gastronomy in an exclusive enclosed area for eating and drinking in a neuralgic point of the route and the artists performing on the truck. It went so well that we did three editions, the last one just the year before the pandemic with more than 35,000 people.
7.- IBR.- Throughout these 35 years of musical career, you have gone through various aspects of electronic music, which style do you most identify with?
Paul.- The styles, I think they are very connected to our age, when we are younger we want more frenetic rhythms like techno, tech house and when the years go by, we want calmer, more melodic music, we prefer other elements within the music.
I don't define myself with a style, what matters to me is to listen to and enjoy of good music.
8.-IBR.- You have always been very concerned with helping new generations and promoting other artists, why?
Paul.- As all of you know I come from Brazil and I am black , during my career those aspects made me had a lot of difficulties, especially in my country.
Difficulties to get to where I am now, and I have not yet reached the peak of my career, sometimes it seems that I am just starting and I know that I still have a long way to go to learn and to get to where I want to be.
For me it is very important to encourage and support talented artists who have not been supported.
9.- IBR.- What perspectives do you have for Ibiza Bpm Radio, how do you see it in the next 5 years?
Paul.- I don't like to talk about the future, but with this pandemic I've realised that you have to be careful in life, don't make too many plans for the future and live the present intensely.
That will surely pay off in the future.
10.-IBR: We know that you love to eat well and above all to cook (we have been told that you do it very well). Where does this passion come from?.
Paul.- Eating well and cooking come from the same place. My mother is an excellent professional in gastronomy. Since I was a child I have had the privilege of being with her preparing great delicacies and sometimes helping her to prepare great banquets for one of the Presidents of Brazil and for countless celebrities, political personalities, from the world of fashion and art.
Wow, I just realised why I've always loved creating events with the four elements!!!!.
Hehehehehe It comes from my dear mother, Carmen.
11.- IBR - I'm sure you've been asked this question before, do you know you look like Carl Cox, have you been mistaken or are you mistaken for him?
Well, the truth is Yes. When I arrived in Ibiza in 2000, everyone stopped me in the streets and on the beaches asking me for autographs, thinking I was Carl Cox. The first two years it was funny, but after that it wasn't so funny.
Even at Rock 'n Rio in Madrid, when I came out of the VIP area, I had a bad time, because hundreds of people thought I was him, they all started running in my direction and I panicked, I thought I wouldn't get out of there alive.
I prefer not to be confused with the great master Cox.
12.- IBR.- Advice for the new generation of Djs, producers...
Paul.- I think the new generations are coming on strong and want to take over the world, which is great because it generates a lot of competition between the new and the old school.
It is very important to always be focused, to stay away from excesses, to be constant, and above all, whenever they are going to perform, to record themselves, look at themselves, analyse themselves and see where they can improve , never give up their dream and never being seen partying more than DJing.
13.- IBR. - We know that there will be the first showcase of the station next January 13th at Lab theClub in Madrid, Are you nervous? .
On the contrary, for me Madrid is a very special city, I had great opportunities, I met a lot of people not only from music but also from other sectors that supported me throughout these years and that I have a special affection, for as is the case of Cristian Varela's party at Club People (Fiesta Emotion), Pacha, Coppelia and the After Hours that I had in the capital where I have lived very funny moments.
I'm going with a lot of energy to give the best of me in this incredible club, which is Lab the Club, where I'm sure we will enjoy a lot and of course I hope you can come on the 13th of January so we can live this fantastic moment together.
14.- IBR.- Dreams to realize
Paul
1.- Hold an event for over 100,000 people and raise funds for the fight against hunger.
2. Create a Foundation to care for homeless children.
3. Make Ibiza Bpm Radio the most listened radio station in the world.
4. To set up a radio and television studio.
And last but not least ...
Music to relax - Acid Jazz y MPB ( Popular Brazilian music )
To cook - Jazz of course ! Miles David
To sleep - Music relaxes me so much, that I have fallen asleep listening to techno
To exercise - House Music
To watch a sunset - Sunset Boat Sessions ( My daily programme at 18.00 h ).
We have reached the end of this wonderful interview with the charismatic Paul Ross.
It has been a pleasure .
Success!
