Interview by Joe Delon, August 2024
For over 20 years, Pedro Goya has been working hard out of his home base in Lisbon. From his early studio collaborations with the late Magazino on labels like Exun, Classic and Music For Freaks (for example the addictive hit ‘Freaky Mike‘ from 2003) through to more recent releases on Yoyaku, ubiyu and his own Troia Recordings and self-titled label, Pedro’s music has always been impeccably produced, reflecting his day job as a mixing and mastering engineer. As a DJ he’s played as far afield as Japan and New York, while remaining a staple on the Portuguese circuit. His most recent outing, the Bitch Bounce EP, is the 11th record to appear on the Carpet & Snares label.
We spoke to Pedro about his taste and approach as a selector and sound engineer, as well as his relationship to vinyl as a medium over the years. Read the Q&A below as you listen to his stellar mix of deep and garagey breaks and house.
Your mix for our series traverses many genres and moods. As a DJ, what sounds or textures do you personally gravitate towards when selecting for a DJ set or mix?
I like records that have the timeless feeling. It can be house, techno, electro, acid, synth pop, breakbeats…you name it! It just can’t be the “soup du jour” flavour.
You’re a sound engineer by trade, offering mixing and mastering services. Which record from this DJ mix would you want to re-mix or remaster and why?
I would definitely remaster some 90’s records for sure. When you play more recent releases and mix them with older stuff, you feel way more energy and a higher prominence on the low end (especially in a club). In general terms, older records fall short when being mixed with new ones, so usually there’s a feeling of energy drop when you blend one with another. This is due to the evolution of the audio tools available right now compared to what we used to have 2–3 decades ago when mixing/mastering a song.
It’s been over 20 years since your first vinyl releases. How has your relationship with the vinyl format changed over these two decades?
I guess it still is the same as day one, but nowadays I also rely on a much higher percentage on digital formats. This is mainly due to the difficulties you end up having trying to find a proper DJ booth prepared to have/play turntables. Back in the days, DJ booths were mainly designed to have turntables and play vinyl records. They were rock solid, and feedback and rumble was taken into high consideration. Nowadays, a wooden IKEA table does the trick for CDJs. So, when playing as a DJ, I must take into consideration the probable fact that the conditions to play vinyl records are or will be far from being perfect. That’s where the digital realm comes to the rescue.
From a music production viewpoint, I still have to make/produce vinyl records. It’s true there’s a correlation with the fact that a vinyl release is a “real” record, with an investment behind and in the end it has to be sold. Otherwise you’re losing money. Given this fact, I gain an awareness while making these products on a more functional and pragmatic level. While the process is artistic and creative, I also have to make sure it is as good as I can do so that it has real chances to sell. If I did a digital only release, however, I can basically dump the files online and hope for the best. There’s no loss. So, in the end, vinyl makes me do it better because there’s a lot on the line.
Your latest release is the Bitch Bounce EP on Carpet & Snares. What’s the motivation behind the name of the EP and the sounds found on it?
Bitch Bounce is just a fun conjunction of words that sounds funny to say (for me at least!). I have also a release on Ubiyu that’s called “Boof Bonser”. See the pattern?
Sound-wise, the record is about creation, exploration and going with the flow. There’s no esoteric reason behind any of the sounds. Just a guy doing what he loves the most!
Follow Pedro Goya on Soundcloud / Instagram / Bandcamp.
Check out his records including CARPET11 in the Carpet & Snares online shop.