As the next edition of the Third Eye Festival approaches and our memories from experiencing the Paral-lel Festival are still fresh, we thought it’s a great opportunity to connect with one of the artists who not only knows how to curate a great festival themselves, but also masters the art of perfecting the day-to-night timeslot. Spanish DJ, Producer and curator Refracted will play that very timeslot at the Third Eye Festival and guide us through that delicate liminal state that demands patience, skilfull building and a sharp sense of selectiveness. Refracted’s work is multifaceted and spans different genres - from subtle ambient and drone over experimental to what I personally call “pressure cooker techno”. His 2018 EP “Meta” on Sublunar Records is for me one of the best expressions of that kind of techno. Steadily building up heat with oh-boy-what drums, adding some elements for cerebral stimulation and yes, we are right here going places.

In addition to his DJ and production work, Refracted also runs his own label, Mind Express. Everyone familiar with  Alex’s music knows how much that name fits like a glove: layered rhythms evolve, encapsulate, touch one on many levels, down to the visceral. We had the chance to speak with him about a great festival experience, his future projects and his stance on social media.

Hi Alex, welcome to our interview series. We have a little tradition to interview artists around and about festivals we like and support. With you it’s even more special! You are a producer, label founder and DJ yourself, but also one curator behind the Paral-lel Festival in the Pyrenees that just took place. Now, looking forward, the second edition of the Third Eye Festival is ahead of us. Let’s start there: What makes a good festival?
A good festival needs, first of all, a good concept aligned very closely to its curation. Good music, good sound, the right crowd for it and of course a beautiful location.

You live in Berlin, where The Third Eye Festival started, and it is located not too far from the city. What do you think, how will this festival add to the scene in and around the city?
I think it’s great to have a festival of this kind close to Berlin. I know for a fact there are many Berliners that enjoy these kinds of events with this artist selection, so it will be a great addition to the scene here. 

Coming from the beautiful island of Mallorca, nature has shaped your perception and understanding of sound. I specifically love going to festivals, as they are mostly in nature, and we can connect with the elements. How does playing or being outdoors and in nature influence you today, in production or DJing?
Playing outdoors is by far my favorite way of DJing. You just can’t beat the scenery and I always feel the crowd has a different energy than in the clubs, which I connect to in a better way. In clubs I can sometimes feel overwhelmed, and this does not happen in nature. I also much prefer how sound behaves in the open than inside a club. To me, it just sounds better. As for production, the outdoors has always played a role in my music. You can find clear examples in some of my deeper productions like the music I did for Silent Season. On the techno side there have been many cases where I’m making a track and visualising it being played outdoors. In fact, this is a very common practice of mine.

Now, you will play at the Third Eye Festival - can you share a bit what we can expect? Ambient, techno or a set for the transition hours from day to night?
I got a slot that I feel comfortable with. The transition between the beginning of the day and the start of the more “driving” part of the day. This is a slot that I have played many times at Parallel Festival for example, so I will start a bit deeper and slowly go towards more pitched down techno sounds. 

I recall reading in an earlier interview that you even produced tracks specifically for a festival set. Did you ever use them again, and are you still approaching sets like that?
Indeed, I’ve done that in the past for special occasions. I think most of them have been released by now. Only one that hasn’t been released is the one I used to end my set at Parallel 2019. Maybe I should change that.

You got into music through techno parties at home in Mallorca, eventually started producing, and moved to Berlin later, a city that certainly gives a little extra fuel to musical endeavors. Tell us a little about your first steps as a producer and DJ.
My first steps as a producer started in my last year living in London 2009, but it was only a year or so after I moved to Berlin (2010) that I started taking it seriously and basically did an “all-in” towards that path and was working very hard every day for quite a few years. At that time, I was dead focused on finding my own sound and techniques. It took some years to do this, but it was an extremely inspiring and productive era of my life. DJing came during this time as I slowly started getting requests for gigs.

I spoke with a few other artists already about the fact how social media contributes to shifts in the music world and while the topic is a drain, I was intrigued because you put on your Instagram bio “low effort posts only”. While many artists mainly promote over social media, you decided not to. Maybe even as a motivation for people that struggle with social media, that can be an inspiration. Can you share a bit more about that?
In my opinion, social media killed underground music. It has made it become a whole different kind of mainstream game which a lot of people get into for the wrong reasons, imho. I wanna follow an artist who is sharing their art; I want that to be rewarded. Not how many selfies in your hotel elevator you can post per month. I also hate the metrics of social media and how most lazy promoters and curators use that to do their jobs and select what artists play. Popularity seems to be rewarded more than quality in many cases. I’m sorry but I don’t want to be part of that. I want the music to speak and for the people to listen. This is a music scene, not a photography scene.

I barely use that term as it has been overused since ChatGPT appeared, but the first word that comes to mind when experiencing your music is certainly mind-bending. It has this coiling, hard-to-escape quality to it. Now, I can describe it this way, but for the people who haven’t had the chance yet to experience your music - how would you describe it yourself? 
Honestly, just some sounds that I like. I make them, record them and then let the groove carry me.

You have been releasing on labels like Sublunar, Silent Season and Bitta, but you also run your one label Mind Express. What are the prospects for the label and future releases?
My productions have unfortunately slowed down in the last years as I have been struggling with some health issues but, slowly, whenever I have had the chance I have been working on some music. There is an upcoming ambient/experimental record coming out soon on vinyl for Titrate Records. Also been trying to finish an album for a long time. I would say it’s 90% done at this stage. This one will also lean more towards ambient and downtempo. A little bit like a continuation of all the Silent Season material but with everything I have learned since then. This will probably come out on Mind Express. After that, as soon as I can really be back in the studio regularly there are some techno projects that need finishing and releasing.

In these features, I always love to get some inspiration for discovering music. What are you listening to lately?
A lot of 90’s hip hop, breaks, funk and all sorts of percussive music.

Refracted will play the Third Eye Festival in Niedergoersdorf alongside artists like Wata Igarashi, Dasha Rush, Rrose and Claudio PRC. The festival takes place September 6-7-8 in a beautiful natural setting 80km outside of Berlin and also features sound baths and collective painting experiences.