Oscar Aguilera is a DJ, producer and label owner who after starting his career as a resident at events such as elrow. One of Spain’s most accomplished electronic music artists, he has progressed to be a headline DJ in his own right.
Many know him best for his techno releases on labels like Pig&Dan’s Elevate and Monika Kruse’s Terminal M, but he has also released tracks on John Digweed’s Bedrock in addition to his own labels HE-ART and HE-ART Blue.
Keen to learn more about his career and forthcoming projects, we caught up with Oscar Aguilera for a quick chat…

WWD: Hi Oscar, it’s a pleasure to talk to you today. Where in the world do you currently live?

Hi guys, the pleasure is mine. I’m from Barcelona, Spain, and I feel very lucky to live here, we have the sea, the mountains, amazing gastronomy, great weather and a beautiful multicultural city.

WWD: Do you consider yourself more of a producer or a DJ, and what are some of the key elements that define your sound?

100% I’m more of a DJ, and have lot of history behind me, throughout my career I have accumulated a large number of residencies at clubs and parties such as La Terrrazza, elrow, and Florida 135 among others. This is where I have learned to handle and enjoy different dance floors, as I know how to adapt to all audiences, and play sounds ranging from deep house to techno, plus everything in between. I assure you that those residencies are where you learn how to move a dance floor, and discover that every track has a right moment. If I define my sound, it is eclectic, energetic, and always with the intention of transmitting a nice trip that gets people smiling.

As a producer, I know what I like, and what works on the dance floor, but I don’t always have the capacity to develop it alone. A few months ago, I crossed paths with Vikthor who has a great talent in the studio, and it’s very easy to learn and work with him. We understand each other very well, thanks to working with him, I can produce tracks that match up to the ideas in my head.

WWD: You recently collaborated with Vikthor for a release on Monika Kruse’s Terminal M. Was this the first time you collaborated on music together and how did you meet?

Yes, it was our first collaboration together, and we are honoured to have received the support and love from Monika Kruse and her imprint Terminal M. “Rolling With World” was born out of seeing the world stopped by the pandemic, it was a way of expressing our feelings, so we created songs with a lot of elaboration on things out of the ordinary. We have received incredible support from Beatport, and many of the artists who are influential in the world of techno.

I am a person who believes a lot in destiny, and our paths crossed nine years ago at an open-air party where I was playing in Naples at the incredible Old River Park. There he discovered me, then nine years later I discovered him, as one day he sent me some demos for my label HE-ART. After many conversations between us, we saw that we had many ideas in common, and we started to work together. Starting in October 2020, day by day we started our collaboration during the middle of the pandemic, until we got to the point where we are today. We are still working on our project and soon we will have a big announcement that we can’t wait to share with the world.

WWD: I have been told that you also run the HE-ART label, could you tell me some of the artists you have worked with and what style of music you usually sign?

HE-ART is where I learned how to run a label at all levels, taking care of everything myself, I have signed tracks by great artists like Spartaque, Matt Sarassi, Dino Maggiorana, Brennen Grey, Sama, Alberto Ruiz, and SUDO among an endless number of new artists with a lot of talent. After six years, I’m very happy with it, and the shape it’s taken.

WWD: Also, you have recently created HE-ART Blue, and I wanted to know what differentiates this sister label from the main one?

HE-ART Blue is an extension of me, and was born as a result of my broad musical tastes, and my maturation as an artist. This label has a totally different concept, its focus is on melodic music with a spiritual journey. The soul and heart are the main ingredients, and I want that to shine through in the music released by the label.

The sound is melodic house and techno, indie dance and afro house, all with the same concept of making the imagination fly. I am very satisfied with the results I am getting, and we are only three releases into the project.

HE-ART Blue started with a trilogy of releases by TNTS, an emerging artist from Belgium who makes melodic music with lots of emotion, and a great energy that’s perfect for dancing. Over the years I have received many demos from different styles and artists, but on HE-ART I only sign techno tracks, so HEA-RT Blue was launches as a platform for me to release music from other genres. I’m very happy with how the project is going, and already have a big release schedule planned for 2021.

WWD: Do you have your own music signed to either label, and could you tell us about upcoming releases?

Yes, on the 4th of June I put out a remix that Vikthor and I did of the track “After The Rain” by TNTS. We have several EPs together that will be announced soon, all of them I’m really proud of.

Apart from those, I have a lot of releases with artists that I’m excited to have on my labels. On the HE-ART side of things, I’d like to highlight Nico Cabeza’s upcoming EP that came out in June, then in July there is a remix release where Soolver has reworked one of Nico’s tracks. Both those guys are doing a great job, and have a great future ahead of them, so I’m very happy to be working with them.

On HE-ART Blue, each and every upcoming release is something really special to me, and in the coming months it will feature music from the likes of Tomy Wahl, Khainz, Da Fresh, Blanca Ross and more to be revealed.

WWD: I first heard your name many years ago at an elrow event, do you still DJ at their parties, and how has your sound evolved since you first worked with them?

No, I don’t work with them anymore. It was a very nice time between 2010 and 2014 when they established what today is one of the best parties in the world. It’s a very crazy and very fun party concept, but with a very distinct tech house sound. Over time, my sound matured, and I decided to experiment more within other genres of electronic music.

Over the last couple of years, I’d started to lose focus on trying to define my sound, and although it sounds strange, the lockdown confinement of the global pandemic has helped me to sort out my head. I’ve matured into what I consider to be a better version of myself, who is again full of passion and enthusiasm for music, which I believe is our universal language.

WWD: It seems that all parts of the world are currently in a different situation with the COVID-19 pandemic, but some places are already announcing events for later this year. Do you have any concerts planned or is it still too early in your part of the world?

Thank God we are already starting to see a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel, I think it’s still too early to rush. Yes, there is lots of talking about various reopening projects, but I think the most important thing is to be able to carry them with the necessary safety measures so as not to put anyone at risk. Nightlife has been hit very hard, and people need to have fun, but unfortunately, we are the last ones to open.

WWD: Thanks for taking the time to chat, is there anything you want to add before we finish?

Thank you for your time, it is an honor and a pleasure to have shared these words with you. Best regards everyone, and thanks for reading 🙂