FEATURE INTERVIEW – Yvan Corrochano – Issue 051 – Zone Magazine

1993 was the year he first stepped into the DJ booth to perform for an audience. And since then, Yvan hasn’t stopped sharing music with people, not only to make them dance, but also to bring something different to the music scene.

As Yvan Corrochano, he gives free rein to his musical tastes, ranging from the 80s to the early 2000s, encompassing a tremendous array of pop and electronic styles, playing 95% of his music on vinyl.

A radio host and contributor to various programs, a resident DJ at several clubs and collectives in the capital… and it looks like he’ll continue like this for a long time.

Whatever it takes to get good music to as many people as possible.

Photos By Daniel González Nogales

Who were your main musical influences?

I have to admit that throughout my life I’ve listened to almost everything. But The Police, Sting, and Genesis (during the Phil Collins era) were my first real musical references—artists I still enjoy today more than ever. Without a doubt, they’re a reference point and an influence for any true music lover.

When it comes to electronic music, Jean-Michel Jarre completely opened up a new world for me with instrumental electronic music. I wasn’t even ten years old yet, and I was already fascinated by those soundscapes full of little noises, synthetic basslines, and spacey melodies.

Later, as a teenager and more deeply immersed in the DJ world, Orbital became—and still is—the ultimate reference in every aspect of electronic music. I’ve always followed their work closely, both as a group and in their solo projects. I’ve even been lucky enough to interview them twice.

Special mention goes to Public Enemy and the Beastie Boys. I don’t usually talk about them, but they played a huge role in my musical development. They taught me how to listen to and appreciate the art of sampling.

What were your first steps into electronic music?

My very first memory of electronic music comes from a cassette my mother recorded off the radio. It featured The Human League – Love Action. Electronic music already had my full attention when I was just three years old.

Along with other bands I listened to as a kid—mostly influenced by the radio and often by my older brother—Depeche Mode and their live album 101 played on repeat in my Walkman. That was until techno and trance entered my life through clubs and mixtapes that somehow always found their way to me. Hearing tracks blended one after another at the same tempo felt like an entire universe of knowledge, while also feeding my curiosity about becoming a DJ.

That curiosity turned into a hobby—and eventually into a profession—the day some friends were lent a full DJ setup with two turntables and a mixer. The moment I started mixing, I knew this was my thing. I finally knew what I wanted to do with my life.

It may all look great now, but tell us about the work and effort required to make a place for yourself in the music industry—and stay there.

I’m not sure I’d call it a huge effort, because I’ve been lucky enough to always do what I wanted to do. And what I wanted to do was something I truly enjoyed—so much so that it eventually became my job.

That said, it’s taken a lot of consistency and time. It’s like a good stew: if you cook it slowly, the flavor is much richer. The same applies here.

Once you have the knowledge and the tools, there’s still one crucial thing missing—connections. And in that respect, I’ve been very lucky. I’m someone who enjoys sharing and talking to people, learning from others and, if possible, giving something back in equal measure. I truly believe that giving and receiving is what has allowed me to stay in this wonderful—though far from easy—music business for so long.

The classic question: lights and shadows—the best and worst parts of this lifestyle.

The best part isn’t just the music itself. This journey has allowed me to meet incredible people (and some not-so-incredible ones too), all of whom have helped shape who I am today.

As for the shadows, the music industry—and especially electronic music—has always carried the stigma of drugs. When in reality, they’re absolutely not necessary, and not everyone uses them to enjoy music. And honestly, don’t politicians, bankers, investors, police officers, pilots, and even doctors use them too? Hypocrisy is one of the worst things we encounter—not just in this lifestyle, but everywhere.

People in the music world are neither better nor worse than anyone else. But we shouldn’t be blamed for things that simply aren’t true.

Who would you still love to work with? And who would you like to work with again?

I’d love to work with KiNK. He’s a Bulgarian producer I had the chance to meet when I was working as a stage manager at a venue in Madrid. I even had the huge honor of lending him one of my Roland TB-303s for his live set—it was all completely improvised. Being in the studio with him making music would be incredible.

As for working with people again, I honestly can’t choose just one—I’d repeat the experience with all of them. I’ve learned so much over the years from people older than me, and even from younger artists. Everyone I’ve crossed paths with has helped me grow and see the world from different perspectives—not always my own (which isn’t always the right one anyway, haha).

If you hadn’t chosen music, what other profession would you have pursued?

When I was younger, I loved sports and was actually pretty good at them. Whatever sport I practiced, I usually ended up above average. In fact, studying Sports Science was the only career I thought I’d be good at. That was until I opened my eyes and realized music fulfilled me more—and that studying it would probably require less effort too!

Tell us about your experience working with electronic music magazines.

Life, the knowledge you accumulate over the years, and—as I mentioned before—connections, helped me land a spot at two of Spain’s most important magazines: Vicious Magazine and DJ Mag España.

At Vicious, which was a monthly print magazine at the time, I started by writing about video games. Later I moved on to music in video games, and eventually to reviews, articles, and interviews—all focused on electronic music.

One of my fondest memories from Vicious was helping create a special issue entirely dedicated to the history of Daft Punk, released alongside Random Access Memories. I was asked to write about their music and its relationship with video games, but I ended up contributing to many other sections as well, simply because I was—and still am—a huge fan of the French duo.

Before the issue was published, the editorial team was invited to listen to the album in advance… and I wasn’t in Spain. I’m not sure I’ll ever forgive myself for missing that.

After Vicious changed ownership, I stopped collaborating—I don’t even remember exactly why. Some time later, thanks to a friend, I started working with a DJ booking agency that also promoted parties. They eventually acquired the DJ Mag brand in Spain, and of course, I was there to help with whatever they needed: single and album reviews, interviews, and more.

That’s also when I moved into the online side of things—posting news on the website, requesting and publishing premieres. A dream job for someone like me, truly tailor-made.

The highlight of that period was being asked to interview Jean-Michel Jarre in person for the cover dedicated to Sónar 2016. What more could I ask for?

I didn’t exactly buy a house with those jobs, haha, but they massively expanded my social and professional circle and taught me a great deal about music and the marketing behind it. I don’t regret a thing and will always be grateful to everyone who trusted me.

Tell us about your new brand, WDA, and upcoming projects.

WDA was born as an extension of our radio show We Dance Again on Loca FM.

Carlos Perona, Pablo-M, and I wanted to take the music we play on the show straight to the dancefloor—but without being conventional. We wanted to add something extra to stand out from the countless club sessions happening right now.

People who come to our parties won’t just hear current electronic dance music. Our slogan perfectly captures the WDA philosophy: “The session where you can see the music.”

We feel there’s a lack of afternoon club alternatives in Madrid, and we want to break away from the nostalgia-driven music usually played at these events. There aren’t many daytime club options for people who enjoy contemporary electronic music, despite the huge demand for genres like house, tech house, deep tech, or melodic techno—styles that are currently topping sales and streaming charts.

So we’re here to change the rules of the afternoon dancefloor.

What we have planned for February 7th is going to get people talking—it’s a very different kind of club experience. You can’t see the music everywhere.

I can’t reveal more just yet; people will have to come and experience it for themselves. Everyone will love it—even if some won’t want to admit it.

This project is my main focus right now, though I’m still busy with other things. Until April, my schedule is packed: upcoming streams with different collectives, lots of music selections to prepare, many club gigs—and of course, plenty of people to make dance, just the way I like it.

Radio: how did you start, and how do you see radio for new generations?

I have to admit that although I only listened to the radio occasionally—when one or two shows I liked were on—I always dreamed of being in a studio hosting my own program.

My radio career started, as it often does, thanks to contacts (friends, in this case) and my understanding of the medium. My first real step was at Cadena Top with Wally & Dr. Kucho and Julian Poker, where I mainly handled continuity control. But I also spent time observing how things worked before and after the shows—how they did things and when. I loved it, and it seemed incredibly easy to me.

Playing music you love, introducing artists, sharing little stories—I wanted to do that too. I wanted to introduce people to new and different music and felt confident I could transmit good vibes to listeners. Once I arrived at Loca FM, I was able to do just that across several different stages.

New generations are incredibly lucky when it comes to radio—including podcasts, of course—though I’m not sure they fully realize it. It’s true that finding a channel that perfectly matches your taste can be hard, but there are countless options out there. You don’t have to settle for the most popular one.

Often, the real gems are found where you least expect them—smaller, independent platforms with true creative freedom, unconcerned with external criticism or restrictions on what they can play.

The story of a song: which one do you love most, or which do you like to close with?

I can never answer this question properly, haha. I consider myself eclectic, which makes choosing just one song incredibly difficult.

My mood plays a big role in the decision, and if it’s a closing track, it depends entirely on the energy in the room.

That said, if I had to choose right now, Orbital – Remind would definitely be in my top three. It’s one of the most complete and timeless electronic tracks I know. I highly recommend listening to the live version from their 2004 performance at BBC’s Maida Vale studios—you’ll see exactly what I mean. Just thinking about it gives me goosebumps.

Any on-stage anecdotes you can share?

Luckily, all my anecdotes are shareable. I’ve never been one for crazy behavior and always tried to stay away from anything too wild. Another thing is actually remembering them—I have a terrible memory for everything except music.

One moment that’s permanently etched in my mind happened when Pioneer CD players were first introduced. After finishing a mix between vinyl and CD, once the CD track was playing on its own, I somehow managed to press the eject button.

I still don’t know why—I wasn’t even near the pitch or any other button my hand could have accidentally hit. I watched in slow motion as the CD came out, the room fell completely silent, and I had no vinyl ready to go.

So I just put the CD back in and waited for it to load again.

No one died that day. Not even me, haha.

How do you see the future of electronic music?

I see it in a good place. There will likely be a significant dip in a couple of years due to oversaturation, but I think it’ll bounce back strongly.

Electronic music is already everywhere—in everyone’s heads and ears. We’re used to drum machine kicks and snares, synth riffs, arpeggios, and basslines. We hear them constantly: in ads, phone sounds, everywhere. We’re so used to them that we finally call them musical instruments—something that wasn’t always the case.

Years ago, physical formats meant record stores acted as a first filter, selecting music they believed met a certain quality standard. That filter has disappeared. Quantity now outweighs quality.

The real issue isn’t that too much music is being made—it’s that much of it is created solely for profit. And with AI, this problem has intensified. Just look at all that pseudo-jazz made with a few prompts—simple piano lines and generic drums passed off as background or meditation music.

With so much mediocre music out there, it’s easy to miss true gems. But I still believe good selectors will help quality prevail, cutting through the noise created by opportunists.

Using AI in music? Sure—sometimes a little push can help spark inspiration. But if we lose human identity in this field as well, I think we’re headed for failure as a species.

You’ve done almost everything—what’s still left to do in music?

It’s true there isn’t much left for me to try in the music business. I’ve worked in record shops, distribution companies, labels, and media. I’m a qualified sound technician, I’ve run live sound for concerts, created music, performed live with synthesizers…

What’s left? First of all, properly organizing my vinyl and CD collection. And I’d love to spend some time working in a recording studio.

Working on the recording and production of a pop-rock album must be fascinating—tracking instruments, rewriting songs on the spot, using effects, compressors, noise gates. Every time I watch a documentary about a band recording an album, I feel incredibly jealous.

Hobbies, instruments, or other musical styles?

Video games used to be one of my favorite hobbies, but once a gaming session needed at least two or three hours to really enjoy it, I gradually lost interest. Mostly because I don’t have that much time and prefer to invest it elsewhere.

Electronic music is always my priority, but I enjoy discovering other sounds. I loved discovering bands like Muse, Mansun, or Phoenix, which make up a big part of my favorite playlists.

One thing I still owe myself is listening to more national artists. I’ve often been poorly recommended music and ended up avoiding it altogether, but I’ve since discovered independent projects that proved not everything is as bad as I once thought. Now I just need to invest some time and get organized—no small task, haha.

And although my ultimate fetish is the Roland TB-303, I still dream of learning to play the drums—not professionally, but at least well enough to put together a decent rhythm without tying my arms and legs into a sailor’s knot. I don’t think it’s impossible.

Advice for people just starting out.

First and foremost: love what you do. If what you’re doing doesn’t feel like love, find what truly excites you. Once you do, consistency and an open mind are key. That mindset allows you to learn even from people you don’t necessarily like—but who still have something valuable to teach you.

Then, of course, socialize. If you’ve never heard the saying “you need friends even in hell,” time will prove me right.

And finally, the golden rule: treat others the way you’d like to be treated—or even better.