{"id":15864,"date":"2019-04-16T14:21:52","date_gmt":"2019-04-16T12:21:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/xceed.me\/blog\/?p=15864"},"modified":"2023-05-18T09:04:05","modified_gmt":"2023-05-18T07:04:05","slug":"interview-with-chelina-manuhutu-the-tech-queen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/xceed.me\/blog\/en\/interview-with-chelina-manuhutu-the-tech-queen\/","title":{"rendered":"Interview with Chelina Manuhutu: \u201cThe problem in Ibiza is that it’s not for everybody anymore\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

Chelina Manuhutu<\/a> is one of the greatest sensations of the latest years in the tech scene. Daughter of an Indonesian father and a Dutch mother, Chelina grew up in an atmosphere marked by music. However, it wasn’t until late adolescence that Chelina decided to stop her career as a model to focus on what really filled her: DJing. It was then that she moved to Ibiza<\/a> and, little by little, she came to the attention of managers, agencies, clubs and, most importantly, the audience. Her residence in Blue Marlin<\/a> made her become famous. Her funky and house style, always with the groove as a common element, has led her to a two years residency with Solomun in his Pacha party, before becoming a complete artist who’s already touring the world with a name recognized and acclaimed by tech-house fans. We visited her during her last visit to Barcelona and her stay at the spectacular Crowne Plaza Barcelona<\/a> to have a cocktail with her on the terrace of the hotel and talk about her interesting past, her intense present and her promising future.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

A past with a lot of music<\/strong><\/h2>\n

I searched \u201cChelina Manuhutu\u201d on the Internet and I found \u201can Ibiza-based artist born in the Netherlands\u201d. But \u201cChelina Manuhutu\u201d doesn\u2019t sound neither Spanish nor Dutch\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n

You\u2019re right! My mom is from the Netherlands and my dad is from the Pacific Islands, from Indonesia. So, my name is Indonesian. Everybody has a really particular name there, yeah\u2026<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Tell us more about your relationship with music.<\/strong><\/p>\n

I always liked the music. I grew up with a lot of music in my life. My dad became a quite famous frontman in Holland with his band Massada, my mother is a dancer, one of my brothers plays the guitar and the other one is also a DJ\u2026<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

When and how did your passion for electronic music appear?<\/strong><\/p>\n

When Carl Cox was born! No, I\u2019m joking. I wasn\u2019t even alive yet! It was thanks to my brother. I was around 12 when I saw him playing for the first time. Later, when I was 15, I joined him. Everything started then.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Without stopping modelling (yet)\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n

Right. I was a model for a lot of years. I always had the music inside, but I was modelling most of the time. At a certain point, the day arrived. I decided to go totally for music.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"chelina
Image: \u00a9 chelina-manuhutu.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

Ibiza, the new home<\/strong><\/h2>\n

 <\/p>\n

That\u2019s when Ibiza and your dear Blue Marlin arrived\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yes. Blue Marlin has probably been one of the most important factors in my career. There is where I started to become known, where I became a real DJ and where I met my agent Alex Montoya, from Analog Agency now. Blue Marlin is a big beach club with a good name and nice line-ups. It was my most important step.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Can we say that you are from Ibiza?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ouff, good point. Yeah, I\u2019d say Ibiza is my home. In winter, I go to Amsterdam a little bit, but I normally stay in Ibiza, even during those months when the island is empty.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

How does a DJ spend her time in Ibiza in winter?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sitting in the studio! I work on my own music. There, I don\u2019t have many distractions, so I can focus on producing. But I also have to say that I have gigs every weekend, so it\u2019s not easy to focus on producing when you stay in the studio only for 2 or 3 days before you leave again. By the way, I really recommend you visit Ibiza in winter. The weather is nice, and the island is even more beautiful than in summer.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"chelina
Image: \u00a9 chelina-manuhutu.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

Groove goes first<\/strong><\/h2>\n

 <\/p>\n

Let\u2019s keep talking about your music. How would you define the sounds you play?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I like to play groovy music: tech-house with a lot of groove, groovy basslines, a lot of funk and old-school and vocals from RnB records and stuff like this.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Do you think it\u2019s the kind of music you\u2019ll keep playing in 10 or 20 years?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I think you always change a little bit your style while you grow as an artist. I always grew up with RnB and bass in my head, so I think they\u2019re going to stay with me forever. Until now, I\u2019ve always been playing this tech-house music and I feel super comfortable and happy with it.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

You have played all around the world. Your favourite country to play?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Wow, it\u2019s super difficult to choose one. I\u2019d say the craziest parties happen in Spain and Argentina.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Your best gigs so far?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Oh my gosh\u2026 I can\u2019t answer that! I played for elrow in Barcelona, Jakarta, Bali\u2026 All of them were super nice. I also had my residency for Solomun in Pacha Ibiza and I remember my shows in Aquasella and Medusa festivals. They were all amazing.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

You\u2019re talking about clubs, open-air venues, festivals\u2026 What\u2019s your choice? Do you change your way of playing depending on the situation?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I like them all. At the end of the day, it\u2019s more about people\u2019s energy. But it\u2019s true that it\u2019s always easier to read the audience in a club rather than in a festival, so I can adapt myself. In a festival, the audience is much further, so I focus more on enjoying what I\u2019m doing and trying to express it.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Today, you\u2019re going to play at INPUT High Fidelity Dance Club, in Barcelona. What do you expect?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I have heard some good stuff about it, and I have seen that most of the biggest names have played there, but I don\u2019t know much more, to be honest.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Is this an exception or you normally don\u2019t know much about the venue where you\u2019re going to play?<\/strong><\/p>\n

We all try to check a bit of where we go, but sometimes I don\u2019t have much time for that, maybe is even better to get a nice surprise!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n