The Sundowner. Mix #23 comes from Spanish DJ Delasflores, who recently joined the Row Z Bookings Agency. Delasflores style can be defined as an infusion between Deep House, Progressive Trance, UK Garage House and 00’s Tech House. Enjoy this beautiful deep mix she prepared for us and get to know Sara better in the interview we had with her.
Inés: Hi Sara, how are you?
Sara: I am super well and thanks for the chance to create this mix for Sundowner. It is a pleasure to join the series and chat with you all. Currently, I am in London. In May, was 4 years since I moved to the UK. Honestly, it is one of the best decisions of my life, so I’m happy to say that now London is my home. But from time to time I need to go back and visit my hometown, Granada, as all my family lives there, and will always be a part of me.
Inés: What were your influences, and what music were you playing/practicing growing up?
Sara: I have always been curious about listening to new sounds and discovering new artists. Having a big brother has been a big influence in my music taste. When I was a kid, I used to go through his CDs or cassettes collection, mostly American Hip hop and R&B. Then, the music that I liked, I would ask him to record it on a CD or tape for me.
My never ending interest in the electronic scene started when I was around my twenties. Around that time a friend of mine showed me the album “Fin “ by John Talabot: it blew my mind, I will never forget. I am from a predominantly techno city so I early on I started to play techno, acid or synth sounds. Daniel Avery, Jeff Mills and Omar S are also three other artists who have made an impression on me. My favourite label at that time was Hivern Disc.
However, my move to London has had a huge influence on my music style and I learnt I can play whatever I like or feel; I would say this is an infusion of Deep House, Progressive Trance, UK Garage House and 00’s Tech House.
Inés: So you have been living for some time in London, when did you decide you wanted to move from your hometown? Was it hard to start a new life in such a big city like London?
Sara: After I finished University, I was trying to find a job in Spain. I was 24 years old and I had never lived abroad, but around this time I was offered a job opportunity in Chichester, a small town near Brighton. I didn’t think about it twice. I left everything and I moved to the UK on my own, I was there for a year and a half before I then moved to London.
At the beginning it was really hard. Making new friends and trying to find myself in a different country was not easy, especially when I was playing almost every weekend or organising events with my collective, Asociel, in my hometown. I also started to play in different Spanish cities such as Madrid but starting to live in a new city, or better way of putting it, a new country, stopped everything. I was looking the way to meet people with the same interests in music as me. I began to search for Facebook groups which contain musicians and artists and it was thanks to this method that I secured my first gig. The La Bonne Music collective invited me to play in Reading. I also joined another Facebook Group made by Red Bull Studios London, NormalNotNovelty. The aim of the group is to provide a space for producers and DJs to network and meet.
One of the things that helped me a lot to meet people was the open decks, like open mic nights but for DJs. Small collectives organise the event in a pub and you would normally have 30min set to present yourself and then have a nice chat with the rest of the DJs from the night. Through all of these events, I had amazing experiences and met lovely people, so all in all I will never regret moving to a new country.
Inés: What’s the differences you see in the music scene from when you started to now?
Sara: I can see a big change and transformation in the music scene from when I started in my twenties. People are more encouraged to organise their own events, you can find more independent record labels and it seem that we are living in an exciting time full of fresh and smart female/no gender/queer talent.
Although, I feel that there is still a gap of female nonbinary artists representation in the music industry. For me, it doesn’t matter about age, gender, race or ethnicity.
Misogyny is still present. Promoters have to treat men and women the same. And I would like to be safe on the dance floor. We have to learn and work together to be respectful on the dance floor as all of us are here for one thing, music.
Inés: Do you have any rituals or special things you do before playing a gig?
Sara: Early on this year, I started to meditate to work on my anxiety. I use the app called Calm. I have noticed a big improvement. I am typically getting super nervous every time that I have to play. On one hand, it is nice to feel butterflies before I play but that feeling can be against you. So I introduced it before each set, that I just need to find 10-15 min for myself. It can be in the hotel or in the cab before going to the venue. It helps me to be present, not overthinking and relax to enjoy the set and deliver the best connection with the dance floor I can.
Inés: Are there any particular online or physical stores you consider favourites?
Sara: My favourite record shops at the moment are Ba Dum Tish and Next Door Records. If I want to find digital releases I go straight away to the YouTube channel Some Uncertain Sir which always has a consistent flow of great new music, amongst several others on this platform.
Inés: What was your inspiration to record the Sundowner podcast?
Sara: My twenties are coming to an end. This year I will turn 29. I feel that I have grown up a lot: more courageous, more accepting of who I am, and I am more willing to take risks.
I feel like I am reaching a new stage of my life, trying to understand what are my priorities or knowing myself better. In these years I understood what falling in love feels like and experienced heartbreak too, I lost myself but eventually, I have come back from it all much stronger. It feels like a newborn starting this part of my life, however the constant changes can be scary, but to be honest I am enjoying it.
For this reason, I could define this personal process as a metamorphosis. Also, it is the name of the track that closes this mix. Metamorphosis by Dan Berkson.
Inés: Do you have any plans in the short term considering the current situation or plans for the future?
Yes I have lots coming up in the next few months, but most importantly I have just joined Row Z Bookings, a new agency created by Zac and Becca. I can not express my happiness when they asked me to be part of it. It is a very nice crew of DJs Felon5, B.Love, DJ Tjizza, Jacopo Latini, Locky Mazzucchelli, 2StepBec and more. It is looking very promising, and I can’t wait to see what this experience brings.
Inés: If you could pick any DJ or act to play with, who would it be and why?
Sara: It is hard to pick just one, but I do have a dream line up: Vlada, Laurine, Sugar Free, Chris Korda or Ogazón. Sounds fun right?
Inés: Thank you Sara for your words and the beautiful mix, we want to wish you the best of luck for your future plans and we are looking forward to hear more from you!
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