OG Juan | Soundcloud | Instagram | Resident Advisor
Madrid’s underground dance scene has many faces, but few are as dedicated to its evolution as OG Juan. A part of the city’s club circuit, he’s been helping to shape the sonic landscape of Madrid for over a decade, first through a series of grassroots parties and weekly club nights, and now with his own platform, Tombolo. Before launching Tombolo in 2018, OG Juan spent five years building a tight-knit community through Limbo Club, a weekly event at Madrid’s Siroco club. Bringing the likes of Marie Davidson, Shanti Celeste, and Jayda G to intimate, sweat-soaked dancefloors gave him valuable party throwing experience which he’s continued to foster in the city. “Those were beautiful times,” he recalls. “Lots of dancing and music exploring. Many of the people I met then are now my best friends.”
Tombolo was born out of that same DIY ethos, but with a broader vision, bringing artists that are difficult to see in Madrid, while also promoting all the local talent the city has to offer. OG Juan has always been ambitious with his bookings, bringing the likes of Ebo Taylor, Egyptian Lover and DJ Dustin to the Tombolo decks. The same ethos extends to the Tombolo label, which has released four records to date: a debut from Mutant Joe, a follow-up by Bazofia & DJ Nerdiboy, a VA featuring Abdul Raeva, DJ Dog, Unknown Mobile, and Poly Chain, and most recently, a full release from Japanese producer Paperkraft. It’s a natural extension of OG Juan’s curatorial instincts, blending house, electro, hip hop, jazz, and beyond into a melting pot of club music.
Fresh off a Tombolo party last week with Harmony Rec’s Zeynep, Daniel Kelsan, Bubbles and Ti_es, OG Juan remains a vital force for progression in Madrid. And in a city often defined by its traditions, he’s doing it one record, one party, one connection at a time.
So how have you been recently and how has your 2025 been so far for you? “Thanks for asking! I’ve been pretty good and happy so far. The year started in Australia so I can’t complain! My girlfriend is from Melbourne, and we try to spend some time there every on and on to visit her family and friends in Christmas. It’s so nice to leave Madrid’s dry winter in exchange for some hot summer. Now back in the city, full of energy!”
Can you take us back to some of your first experiences with electronic music? I’m not sure where you’re from originally in Spain but you’re currently living in Madrid, correct? “I am from Madrid, yes😊. I grew up listening essentially to hip hop. We used to record cds at home and trade them at school between friends. One day around 2005, one of my good friend Adrián came with a few recorded music compilations from some well-known local parties at the time, called “X-Kandalo” and “Radical”. It was very fast-paced electronic music, a mixture of 2000’s Dance and Hard House that got me immediately hooked. Radical in particularly, used to make videos of the parties, and I remember watching them constantly thinking: “Wow that looks so cool, I hope I can be there one day”.
Spain is the country of sea and sun. So, it’s kind of normal to stay out late, from a very young age. Being curious kids, it didn’t take me and my friends much time to start sneaking in our first clubs with fake ids. The main place we used to visit regularly back in 2008 was called Danzoo where I could witness a younger Robert Hood as well as other techno heavy weights like Ken Ishii or DJ Murphy. We also started exploring a few festivals as well, like Klubbers’ Day (in Madrid) or Aquasella (in the north of Spain), where artists like Miss Kittin or Oscar Mulero were always a must. In 2009, right after finishing school we did our first trip over Europe, and I was lucky enough to visit clubs like Tresor or Berghain, which broadened my mind towards electronic music.”
Were there any nights or artists in particular that made you want to give DJing a go? Like what were your formal experiences in terms of clubbing and going out dancing to electronic music? “Until I was 22 years old, painting was my main occupation and therefore, I didn’t think about DJing for quite some time. I loved electronic music, had organized a few small parties with friends but nothing too serious. I think a turning point was watching Laurent Garnier closing Sonar in 2013. I could not believe the energy of the party, and how much fun he was having whilst riding the giant wave that stage was. The last tracks he put were “Crispy Bacon”, “Knights Of The Jaguar” and “Out of Space”. Almost cried with joy in the end and decided that I wanted to play music and book artists for good.
My crew have also inspired me a lot. DJ Tagine, Wall Street Boy, DJ Feet, DJ Gostoso, Willi… They are huge diggers and very talented djs, so a big part of my passion for DJing comes from them. Back in the same year as I saw Laurent Garnier, we created a collective called Undermad which now has transformed into a beautiful community radio called Radio Relativa (check it out!). Besides all that, I would say that I am also extremely lucky to have been able to travel to so many different places since a very young age. To me, visiting the local club is as important as visiting a museum anywhere I go. From all around Europe to the America, Australia, and Asia I’ve danced like a maniac in lots of clubs, festivals and other events that ended inspiring me heaps!”
What can you tell us about Tombolo? How did the parties first start? Do you remember the first party you had and how it was? “Before Tombolo I had already been doing parties for 5 years through other projects that I shared with friends. Through the collective I mentioned before, besides doing raves, we had a weekly club night called Limbo Club every Thursday (in Siroco, a classic small club in Madrid). Over that time we booked over 100 artists like Marie Davidson, Shanti Celeste, Aurora Halal, Jayda G or Greg Beato. Those were beautiful times! Lots of dancing and music exploring. We were active on a weekly basis and built a community where many of the people I met then, I now consider my best friends.
Tombolo started in the summer of 2018. The first event I organized was a concert with the afrobeat legend Ebo Taylor. I was a bit scared as the venue I got for it was way too big, but in the end it went well. It was a great atmosphere; the venue was packed, and we all had a great time. Then I kept going promoting regular nights in other clubs with artists such as Egyptian Lover, DJ Dustin or Awesome Tapes From Africa amongst others. The goal has always been to produce eclectic events with artists that I find interesting and difficult to see in my city, as well as promoting local talent.
I wanted to create a music promoter with a fresh open vision and to bring artists without any limitation on the genre. From jazz (like Alfa Mist, Yussef Dayes or Portico Quartet), hip hop (Erika de Casier, Bejo or Fatima), pop (Lewis Ofman, Hermanos Gutierrez or Papooz), house (Soichi Terada, LNS or Pender Street Steppers), to more progressive and electro artists (Mell G, Byron Yeates, DJ Gigola, DJ Assault…), I always tried to be innovative and culturally push the city. Diversity is what makes it fun and interesting!”
What’s the experience been like in running Tombolo as a label as well? You’ve put out four releases so far and each release all of them are absolute club weapons. What’s your ethos in terms of music selection when looking for music that you want to release? “Thank you so much for your kind words! The thing that I enjoy the most of running Tombolo is the curational side of it. Being creative on what to do, connecting with artists all around the world and have them as part of my project is a blessing. I started the label in 2021 with the goal of exploring different genres of music, mostly for club use. I try to release music to dance to, that I would play myself but also trusting the artist in experimenting with whatever stuff he feels like. I released Mutant Joe, Bazofia, Abdul Raeva, Poly Chain, Paperkraft amongst others so far. The approach is very similar to the bookings I do, anything could fit. I am very happy with the music I released until now and intend to keep going. Most of it is breakbeat, electro, and progressive but releasing jazz, ambient or house music for the next releases is a possibility.”
How would you describe your DJ style, what experiences are artists/producers have influenced you in terms of how you play over the years? Do you have a favourite gig where everything was just perfect? “I would describe my DJ style as goofy, eclectic, and raw. I listen to all kinds of music, try to have fun and play what I feel in the moment. I get very obsessed (too much sometimes) with the music selection and take a lot of enjoyment in seeing people dance. I would say House music is my genre of preference, but you can also see me play jungle, breakbeat, progressive, electro, hip hop or cheesy pop hits.
Sooo many artists have influenced over the years. I would say mostly all the people that I have been able to bring to Spain to play have influenced me somehow. Managing a regular party for so many years allows you to watch lots of talented people showcasing their music, taste and abilities; and I’ve evolved so much from it. Although, one of the artists that has impacted the way I play a lot, is my dear friend Peter aka DJ Fett Burger. After playing for more than 20 years, he still has the same passion, takes the same enjoyment in digging and always puts music before everything. His skills are impeccable, he doesn’t take himself too seriously and has a lot of fun when he is in the booth. I have played with him in Madrid a few times and in Berlin a few months ago and always always learn something from him.
I don’t have a particular favorite gig, but one where everything went perfect was earlier last year when I brought LTJ Bukem. He spent 2 hours pushing the sound engineer to get his sound to perfection and delivered the strongest drum and bass set I have ever seen. The venue was sold out and people from all generations showed up to sweat on the dance floor. Absolute legend of a guy, and so much fun of a night!”
Could you describe the process of creating this mix? Was there a specific message or feeling you wanted to convey? “I wanted to do something with a bit of depth. Deep house, with glimpses of progressive, breaks and acid. Music that I take a lot of enjoyment listening to and that I feel very comfortable playing. Something solid and timeless that I could listen to for years and still be happy with it! Had a lot of fun digging and selecting the tunes as well for this mix!”
Last, usual question from us, what was the last thing to put a big smile on your face and when was the last time you had a proper dance? “The last thing that put a big smile on my face was getting drunk with my two brothers last weekend. They are the funniest people on earth and everytime we travel travel together we just leave the brain at home, tease eachother and laugh for days. Last time I had a proper dance was two weeks ago in Madrid, in a stunning warehouse day party called Linear, where I danced for 3 to 4 hours to a local guy called Axis Mundi. Record after record, made my day! Check him out!”
OG Juan: Soundcloud, Instagram, Resident Advisor
Tombolo: Bandcamp, Soundcloud, Instagram
You can download Truancy Sessions S02 E07: OG Juan in 320 kbps on Patreon here. Your support helps cover all our costs and allows Truants to continue running as a non-profit and ad-free platform. Members will receive exclusive access to mixes, tracklists, and discounts off future merchandise. If money is tight however and you’re desperately after any ID, please leave us a comment over on the Soundcloud link and either us or OG Juan will get back to you :)
