Carlos Perona Feature Interview Zone Magazine issue 048

Carlos was born in Madrid ( Spain ) he started really young to play electronic music , his first club was called Stress , where he had his first experience playing with Technics.

His musical influences with techno have been groups like Front 242 or Nitzer Ebb. His next professional steps were to play in Templo and NBQ .

In the mid- 90’s , he moved to Salamanca to be chosen as resident DJ at Pacha, where his sets and those of his guest DJ´s are well remembered and were a true revolution in the Castilla and León scene. This has opened doors for him at festivals and other events, where his performance at Home, Factory, Fabrik, In his native Madrid, stands out. His sets are characterized by their fusion of house subgenres, with light touches of techno.

In early 2000, he began his career in radio alongside DJ Nano, collaborating on ‘One moment in the sky’ and soon afterward hosting and directing, also on Loca FM, alongside DJ Bee (House time). He also collaborated with Abel the kid and Raúl Ortiz on ‘Welcome to the weekend’. He got his first opportunity to work alone with the show ‘EL After’ on Loca FM, a hit that ran for five years.

After a hiatus and other roles such as DJ’ing and occasionally event promoter . His latest and current radio program is a resounding success. The ‘We Dance Again’ radio show has had an impressive reception, is directed by and presented by a great team like Yvan Corrochano and Pablo M. Every monday from 10 pm to 12 am, Perona and his collaborators remind us of the iconic electronic tracks and all the current news, trends, new releases, luxurious guests, etc..

Over more than three decades Carlos Perona has worked between Spain and Portugal with artists of the stature of : Oscar Mulero, Ike, Cristian Varela, Pascal Kleiman, Xpansul, Makoki, Monika Osmo, DJ Bee, Luixmi and D4mian Smith among others.

Which artist did you learn the most from, and which you use most in your sets?

I learned at the end of 1988 by watching DJ Parmix at the Stress night club using Technics with a roulette wheel pitch. It was complicated, but very good for learning how to mix with styles like soul, Hip – Hop , Dub, Funk, and of course also the popular EBM.

How and when did the radio arrive?

In 2002, I had a girlfriend who worked at a motorcycle shop in Madrid, where DJ Nano brought his motorcycles. She introduced me to him one day and asked me about doing a set on this show (One moment in the sky) on Loca FM. We met on a Wednesday. I went with my tribal house vibe which was what I was playing at that time.

He liked it a lot and told me to stay and do a collaboration with him every Wednesday. Just Bee and I were playing house at that time, most of them were playing progressive sounds.

Following that collaboration with DJ Nano, I also did another one with Vicente One more time who had a slot every Sunday from 12.00 to midnight called ‘Seven day’.

Divided into block of three 4 hours shows, wanted to do the first house music block , so he asked DJ Bee and me to do a show from 12.00 to 4:00 PM, and we called it ‘House time’.

So we started our journey with a radio show. Once this show, which ran for almost two years ended, I went on to have my own show on the station on Saturdays mornings from 10 :00 AM to 12:00 PM called ‘EL After’, and we were on the air for four years with resounding success, (We are talking about the period from 2004 to 2008 , without social media).

I had personal problems in 2008, so with great sadness, I had to leave the show. 16 years later, and thanks to my beloved and admired DJ Nano and of course Fernando de la Piedra, I´m back where I’ve always felt at home, Loca FM with the, ‘We dance again’ radio show . Every Monday from 22:00h to 00:00h.

Do you like playing or broadcasting more ?

It is a difficult question , it is like asking who do you love more , your dad or your mum.

Well it is hard to say , because both things give me and contribute a lot , and I owe both things and still have a lot to contribute. Now if I have to choose ….I started as a dj and I will always be a dj.I think I express myself much better with my music than with my voice.

How´s your new show, We Dance again, on Loca FM going?

Well, the data is in; It is going like a rocket. The feedback is very positive, and listeners are congratulating us on the music we play on the show.

WDA which is the abbreviation of the show’s name is focused on current and cutting -edge sounds within electronic music, nodding to the great songs that have influenced us and made us dance in the past. We also have musical diversity within electronic music, not just the music I play, but also that of my colleagues Yvan Corrochano and Pablo M, whom I’m working on again after our time on ‘The after’ and of course the artists we program on the first Monday of each month who come to be interviewed and do a live set.

The show is strictly live, all sets are pre-recorded while we interact with listeners through Loca FM´s social media and WhatsApp . It is very fun and entertaining. If you make a mistake, you make a mistake live , and you have to make it happen somehow, lots of fun, but It is a huge responsibility that I´ve taken on, and I try to fulfill it with the utmost rigor out of respect for Loca FM´s listeners, my listeners, and of course the station.

Tell us about the best moments you´ve had as a DJ so far?

I´ve had many, spinning for thousands of people chanting your name, the applause of the audience when you finish your set, especially feeling loved and appreciated by the people who listen to you and come to see you. But if I have to choose one throughout my career, it is definitely the first day my oldest daughter was able to come see me DJ at a club. Having her by my side in the booth, watching her dance on the dance floor in front of me, all her life, ever since she was born, she’s always seen and heard me at home. Wow, that’s indescribable as a father and as a DJ.

Can you tell us some anecdotes you remember from your different radio experiences, and how you assess your development in this field?

They ‘ve always been positive and funny. I´ve never had a bad feeling or a problem that compromised the show. The live interaction with the listeners, I’m referring to the time we were taking calls on air, has been fantastic, and no one has ever stepped out of line.

To tell a funny story, one day in the old Loca FM studios when Loca FM started, we were coming from DJ’ing at a very famous after show in Parla called ‘Factory’ and were going to start ‘House time’, which ran from 12:00 till 4 pm. A friend of mine came with us and while we were already on air, he fell fast asleep where the guest´s microphones were. Well, we started teasing him a little by putting cigarettes in his mouth, sunglasses, and other things, and we had a few laughs. It was a fun day. We´ve always had a great time on all the shows, to be honest.

As for my evolution, I understand that I´ve undergone the logical evolution of anyone who stands in front of a microphone for the first time and is aware of the thousands of people on the other side: Nerves hand tremors, haha, but with time, work and the love you put into it, in the end, it just comes out. That said, I never felt shy about speaking, not when I was first interviewed by DJ NANO, nor on my first solo show.

Once the mic is on, I feel so comfortable with everything that comes before it disappears. Today, the show´s production has nothing to do with what it was years ago. Everything is, in my opinion, simpler and more streamlined (We´ve evolved technologically), but the production is a much larger team working for WDA, both in social media and in communications, booking, promotions, etc. Although for me the beauty of the show is that is is all improvised, on the fly. I don´t know the music I´m going to play or the song I´m going to start with.

The only thing I prepare are the artists who are scheduled and always the last song of the show, because this has to be a classic, an iconic song in the history of electronic music. I search for that one in my collection and gather all the information I can about it to present it.

Who would you like to interview or have on your show that you haven’t yet?

Many, without disrespecting anyone, many artists. If I start writing, I won´t stop. At all levels (I mean fame) It has never bothered me, because that´s what I’ve done in previous stages, bringing in big names as well as artists who need to be given opportunities.

Whoever can program and who´s musically a good fit will come. I have many names in the mix; I´ve agreed on many, others are locked in, and others have already passed.

For the record, we started these sets on June 2 this year 2025 which we called WDA sessions in the best way I thought it could be done.

We´ve had Xpansul, a national techno legend. Then there’s Adam Dani, John Jumar, and now Luismi F is coming on September 1st.

Later on, I have other artists, including D4mian Smith. But we have to schedule dates. This is sometimes like a festival; It is difficult to schedule dates with the artists.

What musical styles do you identify with and usually play ?

I don’t like to label things, but it is true that there are certain styles within electronic music that I don´t play. In one of my sets, you can hear many different styles. I look at the dance floor and what matters to me is that people dance and enjoy themselves. Of course, those who come and pay a ticket to see Carlos Perona do so because they´ve heard me before or want to meet me, and I hope I don’t disappoint anyone.

Now, styles that I like within electronic music, almost everything, but I really lean to indie dance, powerful and forceful techno-house, I like melodic house and of course Techno even some Hard techno stuff.

How do you see the future of electronic music with the advances in AI?

Technology advances, and we have to adapt, or we´ll be left behind, and only those who keep up will survive. This is a bit like Darwin’s Natural selection. Now, one is a little melancholic and misses vinyl, of course , but it is what it is. Although vinyl seems to be booming and there are many purists, I think technology is taking over.

In which venues or festivals have you most enjoyed playing music?

Without a doubt, Pacha (Salamanca) due to it is relevance in my life as an artist, but in many others: Attica, Crisfal (Portugal) Consulado, Circus, Hebe (Zamora), Zeus (Valladolid), Home (Alcorcón). I was one of the resident DJ´s for a long time on Sunday afternoons at a very famous club in Alcorcón at the time called Anclas, where I played American house and enjoyed it very much.

What do you like least about this new scene?

The Facebook DJ´s, the cell phones during the set´s, the booths crowded with people. Please, the booth is a workplace, not a circus. And sometimes this industry, even though it now generates millions, seems directed toward the internet.

Let me explain: people seem more concerned with posting on the internet that I was in a certain place and seeing a certain artist and taking that photo, than with truly feeling the music the artist is playing. Besides, if I look back at when I started as a DJ and what the figure of a DJ means now, I´m amazed, and I imagine that logically everything is a conglomeration of many things, including the internet. But for me, the internet, when used well, is a magnificent tool, don´t get me wrong.

Today ´s audiences…They dance more or less and know more or less about music than before?

I don’t think they can be compared because we live in different times. I think everyone has their own strengths, but in my opinion, the audiences of the past danced more, but as I mentioned earlier there were no cell phones, just dancing and feeling.

What do you do in your free time?

I don´t have much, but every day I make time to work out, go to the gym, I like to walk, I enjoy walking and also it is good for aerobic exercise, I Go to the cinema and to watch movies and series at home, when I have time. You have to try to keep your body, and especially your mind, as fit as possible.

Recommendations for people who are starting out in radio or other artistic fields?

As in any area or life, patience, perseverance, and hard work. There´s no other way. If you wait for things to fall from the sky or for you to win the lottery, just wait, you might get lucky!

Words By D4mian Smith