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Every DJ has one: that one remarkable gig they keep bringing up at birthday parties. Because it was incredible, bizarre, terrible, scary, or emotional. One thing is certain: it was memorable! This time I spoke with Portuguese Paulo Pereira a.k.a. producer/DJ A.Paul (Naked Lunch Recordings) about his Most Memorable Gig. "There I was, all alone in their house with his girlfriend, wearing her sweatpants."
“With a career spanning over 25 years, I have plenty of stories. Some standout gigs I still remember in detail, and most of them still bring a smile to my face. I think I have a fun one for you.”
Liestal
“It all took place at Modus Club in Liestal, Switzerland, in January 2014. I was 42 at the time and didn’t know anyone except for a few local DJs and guest DJs.”
Ripped Jeans
“What happened was this: I always dance a lot while DJing, and this time was no exception. When I finished my set, I realized that the leg of my jeans had ripped all the way down – at least 40 cm long! It did not look good at all – especially because I had forgotten to bring a spare pair of pants to the club or even to the hotel. And of course, I had a flight back home the next morning.”
Boyfriend
“There wasn’t a shopping mall anywhere nearby, meaning I had no way to buy a new pair of jeans on this Sunday morning. My only option was to purchase one at the airport. But first, I had to get there in a somewhat decent state. Luckily, help was on the way. A friend of the promoter, whom I had met earlier that evening, offered to lend me a pair of her boyfriend’s pants. Their house was only five minutes away from the club.”
Awkward
“Considering my very limited options, I decided to accept her offer. She drove me to their house, and after a few minutes, she told me she couldn’t find a clean, washed pair of her boyfriend’s jeans. The only thing she had for me was one of her own purple-gray sweatpants. I had no other choice. I changed into them and was just about to leave when her boyfriend walked in. Awkward! There I was, all alone in their house with his girlfriend, wearing her sweatpants. I have to admit, he never gave me any weird vibes, thankfully. Maybe he had already been informed about the situation.”
Vinyl Set
“Anyway, the couple told me they were expecting a friend over and wanted to play some music. They asked if I still played vinyl and whether I’d like to spin some records on their turntables at home. I hadn’t played vinyl for at least three or four years at that point. Maybe that’s why I decided to accept their offer. In the end, I ended up blasting vinyl tracks in their living room for more than half an hour.”
“The night ended on a high note for everyone. They were thrilled because A.Paul had played live with their vinyl in their living room, and I was happy because I had pants that got me through until I reached the airport. Looking back on that night, I always have to laugh.”
This interview with A.Paul was originally published on DJMag.nl in August 2016.
Who is A.Paul?
A.Paul was born in Lisbon, Portugal in November 1971, and his career started in 1986, although his first contact with music was made at a very early stage. This was mainly through the hands of his older sister that would regularly listen to disco, funk, and electro sounds in the 70′s. From a music passionate mind, to a national celebrity, A.Paul is today one of the key players of the electronic music scene on a worldwide scale, both as a DJ and as a producer. His taste, technique and originality made him earn the respect from his peers and most of all the love and devotion from his fans.
A.Paul was voted best Portuguese techno DJ in 2000, 2001, and 2002 by the readers of Dance Club, the main electronic music media vehicle in Portugal.In 2001 he opened Genesis record shop. Later in 2007 A.Paul was co-owner of MPC Vinyl Distribution, with his long-time friends Cisco Ferreira (The Advent) and Michaelangelo, where he also released on his other sub -labels The Light, Parallel 125, Dirty Ego, LK and Xtractz.
In 2012 A.Paul’s most renowned & most successful project to date is Naked Lunch Records, which was created back in 2005. Fast forward to 2013, this marked a new monumental moment in A.Paul’s career as a promoter.
A.Paul has released over 100 vinyl records, several mixed CD compilations released in amazing labels like; Kombination Research, Synewave, Planet Rhyhtm, Italo Business, Pure Sonik, Theory, Mastertraxx, Beat Disaster, Yin Yang, Impact Mechanics, and has remixed artists such as The Advent, Ben Sims, Eric Sneo, Angel Alanis, Damon Wild, DJ T-1000, Virgil Enzinger, Robert Armani, Dave The Drummer, DJ Preach, Mike Humphries, Spiros Kaloumenos, Torsten Kanzler, Bas Mooy, Housemaster Boyz and many more.
Besides his sound of hard, funky, deep bass lines he is renowned for, he has done productions in tech-house, minimal and experimental sounds, under several aliases like Loudon Kleer, Luther Miek, Beat Therapy and LK. Last but not least, he is also known for his co-productions with artists like The Advent, Industrialyzer, Michaelangelo and DJ Slot among others.
His unique sound, taste, and technique, granted him a position on some of the best mega events: Awakenings, Chateau Techno, TGV (The Netherlands), Evolve (Canada), Nature One, Syndicate, Ruhr in Love (Germany), Rock in Rio (Portugal), Technolandia (Portugal), Aquasella, (Spain), Liberty White (Belgium), Decibel (Holland), Global Vision Festival (France) & Apokalypsa (Czech Republic).
A.Paul has rocked some of the hottest clubs like; Tresor, U60311, Lehmann (Germany), Sullivan Room (USA), Fabrik , Makumba, Row 14, Moog, Industrial Copera (Spain), Perron, Panama, Poema (The Netherlands), Locomia, Rocks, Kremlin, Pacha (Portugal), Qube (Italy), Inox Club (France) & many more.
More A.Paul?
More A.Paul? You’ll find all A.Paul articles here!
