ONE TO WATCH: PIONAL

AT THE BEGINNING OF LAST YEAR, A YOUNG SPANISH PRODUCER CAUGHT OUR ATTENTION HERE AT AGENT2. AFTER HEARING A DEEPLY HYPNOTIC TRACK CALLED ‘IN ANOTHER ROOM’, RELEASED ON BARCELONA-BASED HIVERN DISCS, WE INSTANTLY WANTED TO HEAR MORE. SO, WE DID AND WE WERE HOOKED. A YOUNG MAN BY THE NAME MIGUEL BARROS AKA PIONAL SOON BECAME ONE OF OUR FAVOURITE EMERGING ARTISTS.

We scraped around and managed to find a few of his old tracks online, but over the past 12 months new releases and remixes have been springing up left, right and centre. One track that stood out in particular was the epic ‘We have Been Waiting For You’, which cropped up in clubs and DJ mixes the world over.

Pional has worked closely with the likes of Jon Talabot and Gavin Russom and it looks like the world is starting to pay attention to his unique sound. And so they should. His latest release comes courtesy of German label ‘Permanent Vacation’ where he joined forces with Hunee, Slow Hands, Session Victim and several other great artists to produce the critically acclaimed ‘If This Is House I Want My Money Back 2’ compilation. It is virtually impossible to pigeonhole Pional’s style, so we won’t do him an injustice by trying.

We caught up with the man himself to find out more.

You have several releases under your belt now. How did you get started with producing your own tracks?

It all started two years ago when I met the people from Hivern Discs. Actually, I’ve been making music for 10 years now, but I never took it that seriously. It wasn’t professional, just a hobby.

Looking through your back catalogue, it’s extremely difficult to put a genre to the sound. How would you describe your music and where does it all come from?

I tend to like making clear sounds. I often make the music that influences me and the music that I listen to, but at the same time I like the fact that my music sounds different to everything else. I don’t usually think about the clubs when I make my music. I think that the perfect mixture is a blend between home and dance floor.

I could describe my music as ‘slow-house’? ‘Electronic/alternative/pop-house’? (Laughs)

I have many influences; I have no prejudices about it. Right now you can catch me listening to Katy B’s new album and yesterday I was listening to St. Vincent. So, my influences could be kind of…freaky?

Do you give any time to DJing or do you spend all of your time in the studio?

My first ever live show last month in Copehagen, so I guess you could say that I spend most of my time in the studio! I’m not a DJ. Most days, when I get home I’ll normally spend around six hours making music.

You mentioned the live show. How did it work and did it go down well with the crowd?

Yes, I had a great time. There were no problems and I was very comfortable technically with the equipment that I took. I had great feedback from people; they really liked it (or so I think).

Do you look to anyone for inspiration for your live show? Who do you enjoy to watch perform live?

No, I don’t look to anyone for inspiration when it comes to my live act. Honestly, the acts that I generally see just have a laptop, a midi controller and nothing else. I would prefer to see interesting shows.

Right now, I don’t know who I’d like to see. I guess, like many others, I’d like to see a James Holden live act.

Yourself and Jon Talabot seem to be flying the flag for Spanish electronic music at the moment. Why do you think your music is so well received abroad?

Yeah, it’s cool! I guess it is well received thanks to the internet and word of mouth. Hivern has managed to achieve something that very few Spanish labels have in the past; people are talking about them, and that’s very cool.

‘We Have Been Waiting For You’ took everyone by surprise and got a lot of people talking about Pional. What’s the story behind that track? 

Well, I made that track four months before I sent it to the Hivern boys. The track originally had a very poppy drum kit and it didn’t have a 4/4 bass, clips or anything like that. It was basically a pop tune that lasted 3 minutes. The lyrics are taken from the TV show ‘Lost’. In fact, the title is the last sentence spoken by John Locke.

Have you got any new releases in the pipeline? An album perhaps?

I just finished several remixes, so right now I want to focus on preparing new material. For 2012 I plan to work on the album; I’m looking forward to it!

We’re guessing that your diary is will be filling up pretty quickly as the word begins to spread about your music. Have you got any more shows planned?

(Laughs) The truth is, that I have several interesting shows coming up around Europe (TBA).

Will you be making an appearance in the UK?

Not that I know of, but hopefully soon.

And finally…If you could banish one song to hell for all eternity, what would it be?

Black Eyed Peas – The Time (Dirty Bit)

Interview Dan Howell