A cup of coffee with... Camilo Miranda

After two decades of experience, it’s safe to say that Camilo Miranda didn’t merely cross paths with music, but rather went out looking for it from a very young age. When he was only 16 years old, he began to work at the turntables for raves in Ibiza and Barcelona. An early vocation that stuck.

Born in 1987 in Saint Raphaël (France), this French-Brazilian artist has been handling the turntables of many establishments in Ibiza (Pacha Ibiza, Destino Ibiza, Space Ibiza, Akasha, Cova Santa, Bambuddha Ibiza, W Ibiza, Nobu Ibiza, Paradise Lost…) but it was in 2015 at Pikes Ibiza where he found his musical home and his most significant residence thanks to the Homies party created with Christian Len. For the past few years, he’s been part of the resident cast of Hostal La Torre, where we meet today to chat about music and the island.

Camilo Miranda and Hostal La Torre

What do you think Hostal La Torre sounds like… The spirit of Ibiza.

Are there any specific songs you think about when you’re at Hostal La Torre? “American sunset”, by Jack Adkins.

What do you like most about playing at Hostal La Torre? That I’m playing for the sun.

Music aside, what’s your favourite cocktail or dish at La Torre? The tuna tartare and a classic dish for me at La Torre: the breaded squid rings!

The sunset is the protagonist at Hostal La Torre 365 days a year. © Grupo Mambo

Camilo Miranda and music

Who did your story with Ibiza and music begin? In the 90s, my family used to travel a lot to Brazil, France and Ibiza to work during the peak seasons. In 1998, we decided to stay on the island and it’s been my base ever since. Music has always been in me, as it was always playing at home, especially Brazilian music. Even as a child I was obsessed with it and I was defined by artists like Michael Jackson, Prince, Freddie Mercury, Gilberto Gil, Tim Maia, Raul Seixas…

How did the island scene influence your musical style and career? As I grew up here, I was always exposed to lots of electronic music (psytrance, house, techno and its subgenres!) and of course that defined me as a DJ, but Balearic Sound has always been in the background, amalgamating all those influences. I have built my career as a DJ and producer on the island and I've earned my place on the Ibizan scene.

What about your friendship with DJs like DJ Harvey and Artwork? They’ve been two great mentors during my career and I’m very lucky to call them friends. Pikes Ibiza has been a fantastic platform to meet big artists and everything’s happened naturally and organically.

How did the Homies party come to be and what have you got out of it so far? Christian Len, my Homies partner together with Luca Averna, was having an existential crisis (sounds bad, but it’s actually good) and wrote a manifest planting the seeds of what would become Homies. A party to feel at home, unpretentious, without VIPs, a place to meet your friends and strangers who will become your friends. The first parties were held on rooftops in Barcelona with local DJs, but during the summer of 2014, we began to go to Pikes to see DJ Harvey and we became part of the scene. That winter, we began our parties at Pikes and we’ve kept going for 9 years now. Homies was a place to grow, personally and musically and it’s given us a place on the Ibizan scene in a very natural way.

Could you summarise the Homies spirit in a 5-song set?

From a musical point of view, what would you say Ibiza needs and what could it do without? It needs to be bolder and give a chance to new artists that will bring something fresh to the island, and also give a chance to local talents. It could do without all the same old parties that haven’t changed for years.

Camilo Miranda at Hostal La Torre. © Nico Fernández / Grupo Mambo

Camilo Miranda and Ibiza

What’s your favourite spot in Ibiza in the daytime? A quiet cove such as Cala Molí or a beach bar like Nudo, in Es Figueral.

And at night? My village has always been San José and you’ll find me at Can Limo.

In the summer, are you a beach or a pool person? A beach person, of course.

When friends come over to Ibiza, where do you take them to… To Hambre, in Santa Eulalia, or to Juntos in San Mateo.

What do you think? There’s no summer in Ibiza without… A boat trip to Formentera.

What’s your favourite beach or cove in Ibiza? Cala Tarida (in the winter)

For you Ibiza is… My home!

The calamari, one of Camilo Miranda's favorite dishes at Hostal La Torre. © Grupo Mambo

Foto principal: © Nico Fernández / Grupo Mambo