Benja Molina's career is a real whirlwind. Spanish DJ and music producer, his work has transcended from the clubs of the Spanish capital to various locations around the globe (India, Pakistan, Argentina). His musical talent and appeal have been recognized by artists such as Hernán Cattaneo, Ali & Fila, Marino Mellino, Paul Thomas, Gai Barine, Blanka Barbara and a long list. His work is released on top labels such as Mango Alley, Univack, FSOE UV, etc., in addition to having several top 100 hits on Beatport. Molina's influence, both inside and outside the Spanish borders, has allowed him to establish himself as a reference within the club space, with an energetic sound, perhaps melancholic but very powerful, with melodic predominance.
He is the most representative artist in Spain of this genre.
His track In My Memory is included in the brilliant UV Summer Sessions 2024 EP and we are pleased that he answered our interview despite that English is not his first language. You can read his very informative answers right here.
Download/Stream " In My Memory": https://UV.lnk.to/summersessions2024
1-Dimitris: It would be nice to start by telling us your 3 most important achievements or goals fulfilled in your career so far that you very are proud of.
Benja Molina: Appearing on Wen We Dip within Hernan Cattaneo's sets, having 5 tracks on tip 100 at the same time on Progressive House on Beatport, and sharing the dj booth in Clubs with Kamilo Sanclemente, Ntchbl etc.
2-Dimitris: Why and under which circumstances did you took the decision to start DJing or producing electronic dance music?
Benja Molina: Since I was 12 years old, it was clear to me when, by chance, in the 90s, I met people from all the cities in the country in a morning nightclub that caught me. The atmosphere in that club. I remember that DJ Cerla was playing with the Rotterdam 93 and people were dancing in their cars; it was something that impressed me.
3-Dimitris: Can you note down the top 3 producers that have influenced your decision to get involved in the electronic dance music scene and you admire and respect them very much?
Benja Molina: In those years, the music was different, but there were undoubtedly many, among them I would like to highlight Tony De Vit, Paul Oakenfold and Hernan Cattaneo, ... without a doubt the list is longer.
4-Dimitris: Can you tell us the top 3 tracks from the past that have influenced your sound the most and why?
Benja Molina: Without a doubt the Hard Trance era of 1996, but one that influenced me a lot is Acid Phase by the great Emanuel Top, this one is indispensable, Carte Blance by Veracocha, that track continues to make me fly just like the first time I heard it, and to come in recent times, highly recommended as it is a masterpiece for me, Analog Jungs Feat. Abby with Satori.
5-Dimitris: It would be fantastic to talk about your track In My Memory included on UV's Summer Sessions EP. Please tell us how this track came about and what was the idea behind it.
Benja Molina: In my Memory, it plays to be between Progressive House and Trance of the late 90s, instinctively, my brain goes to the melodic, more nostalgic part (maybe it's like in synthesis it's how I am), the melody was the first thing that was clear to me, is generated with simple notes but with a certain complexity to give it detail and take the listener to that distant place that their head wants to take them, I only make that trip, you choose when to do it, but the moment is only yours, it is the need to tell a little cinematographic story.
6-Dimitris: How long it took you to produce it and can u describe the production process in simple steps?
Benja Molina: I think it was a week,
Actually, I tend to be agile, it's still a training session but when a track takes too long, it's bad.
First I create the main notes, I work on the central part of the track, where all the elements are, and then I develop how the beginning will be like and how the highest point will rise... once I think that the important thing is there, I stop for a day or two, listen to it again and then I'll work out the details.
7-Dimitris: Did you had any particular difficulties accomplishing that particular track or any specific technical challenges or obstacles that you had to overcome during its production.
Benja Molina: At the composition level, generally not.
The part that is most difficult for me is that everything should sounds in its place, equalize well, clean frequencies, ... readers should know that making music is not just creating! hahaha then comes the difficult part, where one without the other is useless.
8-Dimitris: If you would have the opportunity to change something in your track and maybe to do a new remix what elements are you unhappy with and you are going to change? Is there any artist that you feel would be fantastic to remix this track and why?
Benja Molina: I think that has happened to all of us at some point, but in this case I am satisfied with the track as a whole. Without a doubt there are great artists that I would love, but since I can only choose one, Paul Oakenfold
9- Dimitris: Which music composition software or hardware you prefer and why? What is your opinion of the latest movement to produce music with more analogue equipment and with less or without any digital software?
Benja Molina: Well I have always been on the digital side, Although it is true that it is colder... I think analogue has more merit, visually for the performances they are very attractive, but digital is also potentially fun.
10-Dimitris: Do you prefer vocal or instrumental tracks? If there are vocals on the track we discuss about tell us about the singer you work with?
Benja Molina: I think that a good person who sings always gives an added bonus to the composition of the track, makes it more complete... finding good singers is something that may seem simple... but in our genre it is not so simple.
11-Dimitris: Are there any vocalists/singers on electronic dance music you aspire to work with?
Benja Molina: For me it would be a dream to work with Nadia Ali....
It would be something like touching the sky
12-Dimitris: Please choose the most powerful lyrics ever included in a dance track and why these lyrics have touched you so deeply and have a special meaning for you?
Benja Molina: Since I listen to a great diversity of music... there is a song... Blind... that I heard in Barcelona, when I lived there for a while... from Hercules and Love Affair, His lyrics transcend... his melody and his sax are from another level, his verse one is:
As a child,I knew
that the stars could only get brighter
and we would get closer
get closer, oooohh
13-Dimitris: Do you believe that artwork on your latest track is good and do you believe that artwork can attract listeners or record buyers? Can you mention the best artwork of a track ever released?
Benja Molina: Everything adds up, it is vital, in a world where everything enters through the eye... the importance is tremendous, I also speak to you from knowledge, I am a designer, video, etc., so everything complements each other... Dark side of the moon , 1973
14-Dimitris: Can you pick your favorite top 3 record labels including the one released the track that we discuss in this interview and give us a short comment about why these labels are important to you and the music scene too?
Benja Molina: FSOE UV is undoubtedly a reference for all of us, one of the powerful ones, another one that I like is Mango Alley, it has a catalog with a special aura.
UNIVACK has great personality in its work, both in its catalog and in its close treatment.
15-Dimitris: Do you have your own record label? if yes tell us when did you set it up, the reasons behind this decision and your top 3 releases on the label so far plus 2 or 3 releases that we should look after from your label.
Benja Molina: I had one called SafariPark, initially it was Nu Disco music (When it was not a very well-known style) then I withdrew the entire catalog (a shame) but we had certain problems with a component that carried the payments part...
During the seven years that the adventure lasted, the references were mostly mine...I can without a doubt recommend these three: Letthefeling, Everlasting, Deserve
They are truly special, when only a few people listened to me.
16-Dimitris: Are you planning to complete an album or mix compilation soon? if yes please give us all the details about regarding tracks and how will look and sound like?
Benja Molina: Correct, in September or October an EP Album (the first of 4 original tracks) will be released with UNIVACK.
There are 4 tracks that range from 118 bpm to 122, two of them very melodic, for those moments of listening, and another two for those moments of giving everything on the floor of any club, more massive.
We have been preparing this for almost a year, working closely with UNIVACK.
17-Dimitris: Can you pick up your all time favorite album or compilation and tell us why you adore it so much?
Benja Molina: Yes, I have saved a triple CD I think I remember from 1995, at one of those parties I was as a dancer and it has left its stamp on me, I was very young, THE BEST OF HOUSE COLLECTION VOL.2 BOY GEORGE AND TONY DE VIT I think it was published by Fantazia, I still have it, I keep it.
18-Dimitris:How much time do you spend promoting yourself in your social media and you see this as essential tool for self promotion and getting bookings too? Which social media is the one that seems to work better for you?
Benja Molina: In this digital age, it is essential.
Social media are like windows that the rest of the people can look out to learn something about what you do, unfortunately it takes a long time, there are thousands of us, previously hidden behind a couple of technics, but now you have to be a graphic designer, video editor, publicist and the list goes on etc! Instagram for me is my favorite.
19-Dimitris: Do you have your own radio show/podcast/twitch stream or Vlog(video blog)? If yes please give us a comment about it and how long it take you to prepare for it and if you are always excited to produce it?
Benja Molina: Yes, due to lack of time, I only have it on my SoundCloud profile.
It is a program in which I present new music in a mix format, in which I speak little to start the episode...the important thing is always the music, not my voice.
It's called Horizon Of Sounds and it's monthly,
So I prepare the music and then I have a month to select, I choose the featured song of the month, there is always a special track per month.
Benja Molina: Yes, I use Tik Tok, but it is true that I only started uploading content about 7 months ago, I think that being active on one of the most used networks you reach a larger audience, I think it is something essential, we must reach an audience of young ages and not so young, and Tik Tok is very broad.
I still don't have many visits per post, an average of 400 visits for each one of them.
21-Dimitris: Do you have any gigs/festival performances confirmed so far for 2024 in which ones are you most excited to perform and why?
Benja Molina: In 2024 I am focusing more on my productions. 2023 was a bit hectic with events and I don't want to get tired of it because I'm not 20 years old anymore hahaha.
As far as 2025 is concerned, we are seeing the possibility of closing large attendances not only in Spain, that is what I can anticipate.
22-Dimitris: Please share your most funny and most serious incident that happen to you during your DJing or LIVE PA performance?
Benja Molina: In a morning club, I had to go to Frankfurt, make a stopover to go to Copenhagen, to a three-store discotheque that actually it was not a discotheque as we understand it, as I was the only one with clothes...In reality I was booked to dj to a giant sex club that I didn't know I was going there,
23-Dimitris: Are you happy about the quality of the tracks released in your preferred music genres? Please justify your answer with your opinion about it!
Benja Molina: Yes, although it is true that at the composition level I arrive at the idea I want, it has cost me more to get a good sound.
When I produced with Cubase, it was something I had mastered.
But with Ableton, which I have been using for three years, it has been difficult and has given me some headaches, but it is already mastered.
24-Your current Top 3 tracks with short comment:
Benja Molina: Hecate Original Mix, making that piano, tears fell down my face... it's magical, a personal moment that perfectly reflects that track
Legacy for Alan, was a tribute to my dear nephew, and the second track that Hernan Cattaneo put on his program
Meridian, can't be missed, spent about 4 weeks in the top 100 and also received the support of great artists like Hernan Cattaneo etc.
25-Dimitris: If you expect to have a steady income from your music productions are you satisfied with the way that royalties system works particularly regarding streaming revenue? Do you believe that artists get what they deserve from streaming providers/DJs playing your tracks in gigs/radio and selling music in physical formats like CDs/Vinyl or digitally.
Benja Molina: I think more care should be taken, this with formats like vinyl, if the reports were made more fair, but without giving names of platforms, we are a mere ant in the desert, I believe that it can be better in the future than it is now... we are who we create, and that must be valued in a more equitable way
26-Dimitris: Please note for all the new talents that read this interview to get some inspiration from you any technical tips in relation to your DJing or music productions. Also any piece of personal or music business' advice that has helped you to progress even further and is worth telling to the new upcoming talents.
Benja Molina: Of course, I always encourage you to do what everyone likes, it is a satisfaction to connect with people from all over the world who are thousands of kilometers away and they listen to you... that's why for me the most important thing is to educate your ears, identifying the key elements for each style so that you at least get to know those specific components, that will help you visualize what music you want to create.
Of course, you have to be constant, it's training, a long-distance race, so don't give up!
Benja Molina: It is highly recommended. Back in the days that I started my career it was all self-taught, but nowadays fortunately you learn quicker with training and you will advance as producer much sooner.
In my case, they offer it to me continuously, but due to lack of time I have not done it yet. Although I recorded a series of videos on my Instagram, I have not completed yet a full training package. Also they propose me to give a master class in a school. I think training is essential and whoever has that opportunity should do it.
28-Dimitris: Is there a club classic that you would like to remix or rework in 2024? Do you attempt often to do your own bootlegs of classics?
Benja Molina: I tell you that I dared to make the Mythical Hale Bop, with decent results, but I think that the original will always be better, I don't really like those who abuse it, because it can denote a lack of creativity in making original tracks, but yes, there are infinity....for example strings of harmony - sadness 2000
29-Dimitris: Please choose the best and worst remix of club classic and tell us why you like or dislike them.
Benja Molina: The worst could be grouped into a trend, in the mania that exists here in Spain, I don't know if the same thing happens to the rest of the world, but using songs from the 90s and transforming them to melodic techno, without any energy, or good assignment of synths. I can't stand anymore remixes of songs like Isomnia, Veracocha, or Energy 52.
If it comes to mind, there is something that is very little known from the Twin Peaks soundtrack from a few years ago as very deep.
30-Dimitris: How much do you care if your fans or followers like your productions? Do you struggle with the audience reception of your tracks and is this thought adds extra pressure on you and discourage you too?
Benja Molina: It is true that I make music that I would like to listen to, I do not set out to please but to create and then this song to connect naturally with the public. Otherwise it would be something very artificial that I would not enjoy.
31-Dimitris: Can you describe your music as certain music genre such as trance, house, techno or your music exempts these categorizations? What is your opinion about hybrid styles and artists who are attempting to mix influences from various genres in their tracks?
Benja Molina: I think my music falls into the subgenre of Progressive House, sometimes I make Slavonic songs that I call, which is nothing more than songs that are suitable for anyone who plays Trance, or Progressive House. I think the richness of this is that you have a certain sound ambiguity, and that DJs are free to have dynamic sets, as was done in the past. In a club he could sound techno, house, trance, and dance in a perfect way.
32-Dimitris: Is your music business your full time occupation and are you able to make a leaving out of your music business (DJ/producer/label owner/teaching or mastering tracks)? If not what other jobs are you doing in order to support your income?
Benja Molina: Well, music in my case is not my main source of income. I am in charge of managing advertising content and Marketing campaigns for a quality company.
33-Dimitris: Do you believe that audience should be banned from constantly taking photos or videos during DJ sets or are you happy with these activities?
Benja Molina: I don't think it's a problem, models change, we are a changing society and technology is here to stay... so I don't see a real problem, you can enjoy at the same time as recording your video, it's a little memory of a moment of enjoyment
34-Dimitris: Do you prefer small clubs or huge festivals to perform? in which festivals or clubs you aspire to play in the future?
Benja Molina: Each one has their magic... the maximum capacity in which I have performed I think was 3,500 people, perhaps there is much more pressure for everything to go perfect... in small clubs I think people connect very well from one to another .
35-Please choose for us your favourite holiday destination and share with us your most unforgettable holiday experience(good/bad)
Benja Molina: Well, in Spain there are wonderful corners....
I love the area of Almería, the beaches with volcanic landscapes, I like to take trips just to connect with myself, and the area of Las Negras in Almeria is highly recommended. Yes, I had a very bad experience as I had an accident and I had to fix myself there as I was alone without data or coverage of devices such as mobile phones. In such cases you put yourself to the test
Dimitris: Your message & wishes for Flux Bpm Online readers.
Benja Molina: I sincerely wish you that you like this interview and that you can get to know me a little more, music unites us and I believe that each of us has a mission, this is mine... I send you all the good energy and that light that sometimes we lack At some point in our lives, listen to music, whatever it may be, because it is useful for us many times. Hugs and thanks for letting me to be here
Thanks so much to Benja Molina for his answers.
Thanks so much to Stuart at FSOE/UV for arranging this interview.
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