5 All Night Long sets at Moog (probably the most historical micro-club in Barcelona), one at Razzmatazz (the biggest club in town) and another one at R33 (one of the most central underground locations). Next Thursday, May 31st, Victor Fernandez will face his eighth All Night Long set in our beloved Barcelona. This time, it will be at BClub, the new Thursdays’ reference in the heart of Rambla Catalunya, and what is now the new home of our today’s protagonist.
When an artist so young (Victor is just 21 years old) begins to consolidate as a reference of a format, the first thing one asks is whether it was a premeditated decision. “Not at all”, he tells us. “This stuff started on a totally unexpected way. It happened thanks to Olmos, the mythical resident DJ on Sundays at Moog. It’s been 3 years now. I had only DJed a couple of times when this opportunity came. I said yes without thinking so much, and the truth is that doubts and nerves walked with me until the last moment. We could say that I was practically born as an extended format DJ. Luckily, everything went well, and we repeated it several times. Since then, every time I act, I feel the need for the session to be long. It’s the only way to tell a true story.”
Very few night users get into the clubs before they open and stay there until they close. “It’s magical to start playing in front of an empty room and at a slow bpm range. The first people arrive, first dances happen and, little by little, the club is taking shape. Suddenly, the lights come on and you realize that the night has passed in the blink of an eye. It’s much more emotional than arriving and leaving with a full dancefloor.”
Asked about if he prefers an All Night Long or a traditional DJ set, Victor Fernandez doesn’t hesitate and bet on the longest option. Of course, a DJ set is short, but he recognizes that even an All Night Long passes too quickly for him. We are afraid that he intends to enter the list of the longest DJ sets ever seen in history, but he reassures us: “10 days playing?! That’s crazy! I believe that the maximum that I could extend a set without losing its meaning would be 8 hours. Beyond that, the matter would begin to rant, and the musical narration would cease to be coherent.”
We are talking about a very organized DJ. “I love to improvise, but for this, it is fundamental to have the music well-ordered and classified. In this way, I shorten my search time and my route to the maximum until I find the sound I’m looking for at any moment,” he clarifies. Three folders. A lot of music in each of them. About 30 or 40 tracks per folder get used. In total, between 90 and 110 tracks played in the whole gig. Victor Fernandez defines himself as a music lover who mixes many styles, despite his palette of genres sails mostly on the most techno sides. His performances are energetic and demanding for the listener: “I usually open at 120 or 122 bpm and my goal is always to reach the closing at 130 or 132 bpm.” However, he admits that he got too crazy sometimes: “I remember a Sunday at Moog where I ended up going up to 138 bpm. Sundays at Moog are crazy, and I couldn’t be less. The crew always wants more.”
The amount of work behind an All Night Long is incalculable. Hours and hours of searching, listening, selecting, discarding, organizing and practising to finally stand before an audience whose reactions are always unpredictable. Surely, knowing all this, our readers will be able to fully feel their experience and enjoy more than ever with the new 6 hours set that Victor Fernandez has prepared to show it for the very first time at BClub. Is everybody ready?
Where: BClub
When: Thursday, May 31st
Lineup: Victor Fernandez (All Night Long)
(Cover Image: © Victor Fernandez)
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