“I was not really a good guy in school. I was a bit of a troublemaker,” Spanish DJ and producer Bastian Bux recalled of a pivotal moment in his journey as an electronic music artist during his Gray Area Spotlight interview.



“I was in a room [during detention] full of old CDs and magazines, and there was an old PlayStation game called Music 2000," he said. "I took it and brought it home, and I didn’t even have a PlayStation, but one of my neighbors did.”





Music 2000 (known as MTV Music Generator in the United States) was released on the original PlayStation in November of 1999. It featured a basic music sequencer with 24 audio channels as well as a slew of familiar and unfamiliar sounds to play with, even allowing effects such as reverb and delay to be applied to each channel. It was all powered by the PlayStation’s 33.86 MHz processor.



It was limited in its scope and capability, and despite the claims on its packaging, users were unlikely to “become the next superstar” playing Music 2000. But according to then-16-year-old Bastian Bux, that didn’t stop the game from making a momentous impact on him.



“I will always remember what I felt when I played it for the first time," Bastian said. "My life changed. That was the moment I knew 100% that I wanted to do this for the rest of my life. That was the very beginning.”



It planted the early seeds of a career that would eventually blossom into a robust catalog of original jacking techno and house grooves, performances in over 50 countries, and releases on some of the most prestigious record labels in dance music. Among them are John Digweed’s Bedrock Records and Nicole Moudaber's Mood Records. He even landed a residency with the prominent Spanish event production company elrow.



And by all accounts, it all started with a pair of analog joysticks, a CRT TV, and a dream conjured from the backrooms of the Breakfast Club.

How a PlayStation Game Sparked Career Ambition for Bastian Bux

The experience of dancing for the last time inside the super clubs of Ibiza is a singular experience. The last week of September and the beginning of October brings the final call for many of the most popular residencies at Ibiza's top venues. And while there are many closing parties to choose from, we're bringing you the ones you can't miss out on.




Sven Väth presents Catharsis | Club Chinois | Tuesday, September 27

The founder of Cocoon, Sven Väth, will take the stage at the brand-new Club Chinois for one exclusive night this Tuesday. The German artist has heavily influenced Ibiza's dance circuit over the years. This season he has brought unique musical experiences through Catharsis (the name of his thirteen-track album) to the most essential venues playing every party as if it were his last. This will be the final chance to connect with the Ibiza legend this season, don't sleep. Buy tickets to enjoy the last Catharsis show by Sven Väth in Ibiza at Club Chinois.




Follow Sven Väth on Twitter | Instagram | Soundcloud







The Martinez Brothers Closing Party | Hï Ibiza | Tuesday, September 27

The superstar brothers from the Bronx, Chris, and Steve Martinez, conclude their first-ever residency in Ibiza this week. The Martinez Brothers have led one of the hottest nights on the island this summer with their trademark sound that expertly blends techno and house with a distinct New York edge. Next door in the Club Room, Paco Osuna has offered exquisite and forceful techno sounds. Paco and the Martinez Brothers were accompanied by a carefully curated selection of talented DJs, making Tuesdays at Hï Ibiza a must-visit for all dance lovers. For Kerri Chandler, Guti, and Renato Ratier, join them for the final outing alongside a special guest to create a memorable grand finale.

Get tickets for The Martinez Brothers' closing party at Hï Ibiza.




Follow The Martinez Brothers on Twitter | Instagram | SoundCloud







FISHER Closing Party | Hï Ibiza | Wednesday, September 28

From the start of the season, it was obvious FISHER's headlining slot at

the #1 club in the world (as voted by DJMag) was going to be one of the greatest debuts in Ibiza this summer. The Aussie DJ and producer knows how to throw a party, and we have all danced to some of his tracks like "Losing it" or his latest "It's A Killa" (with Shermanology). FISHER will play all night long in the Theatre Room at Hï to conclude the season, while Vintage Culture drops an extended set next door in the Club Room.

Enjoy FISHER's last show at Hï this season




Follow FISHER on Twitter | Instagram | SoundCloud







Afterlife Day & Night | Hï & Ushuaïa Ibiza | Thursday, September 29

Italian music duo Tale Of Us present a final glorious show across Ushuaïa and Hï Ibiza this Thursday, kicking things off in the open-air at Ushuaïa at 5 pm. The melodic techno pair play two headline sets in both venues (offering a b2b with Maceo Plex outdoors before midnight) and will be joined by Stephan Bodzin (live), Dixon, Mind Against, Sven Väth, Ben Klock B2B Marcel Dettmann, and many more. Purchase combined or separate tickets for Afterlife Grand Finale.




Follow Afterlife on Twitter | Instagram | SoundCloud







Solid Grooves Closing Party | DC10 | Thursday, September 29

Solid Grooves, the much-loved party and label with a distinctive deep tech soundtrack wraps up its first DC10 season this Thursday. Founder Michael Bibi joins label mates Dennis Cruz, PAWSA, Ben Sterling, and ANOTR and secret guests. The iconic underground venue DC10 has proven to be the perfect match for the groovers crew, so head over to the Salinas club and enjoy the last Solid Grooves of the year! Purchase your ticket for Solid Grooves Motel Closing party




Follow Solid Grooves on Twitter | Instagram | SoundCloud







Defected Closing Party | Eden | Friday, September 30

House music giant Defected is ready to close a fantastic season at San Antonio hotspot Eden. Defected has been at the forefront of the clubbing scene for more than 20 years and culminates its longest-ever season on the last day of September with Simon Dunmore, Mambo Brothers, Low Steppa, and many more. Head over to Defected closing party if you are looking for classic house music and uplifting vibes before the party season finally ends! Purchase your ticket for the Defected closing party at Eden.




Follow Defected on Twitter | Instagram | SoundCloud




elrow Closing Party | Amnesia | Saturday, October 1

elrow presents a new theme to close the busiest night at Amnesia properly. For the first time, elrow will present its most artistic and avant-garde theme: DELUSIONVILLE, a concept curated by the American contemporary artist Ron English. Metamorphic landscapes and anthropoid animals come to life exclusively at elrow's closing party. Amnesia and elrow have chosen one of the greatest representatives of clubbing culture to headline the show on the terrace, Fatboy Slim, alongside Eats Everything and elrow resident DJs Bastian Bux and Tini Glesser. The Main Room, renamed elrow City, will be occupied exclusively by Kölsch all night long. Dare to join the last elrow event of the summer in Ibiza and discover their new world! Buy your tickets for the elrow closing party and discover its newest theme.




Follow elrow on Twitter | Instagram | SoundCloud




Storytellers Pangea Closing Party | Cova Santa | Sunday, October 2

A day trip by Storytellers (the team behind WooMooN) finalizes the season with Pangea. The closing is the last opportunity to take an active role in the fairytale world they've created while dancing to an extended set by Red Axes and Audiofly b2b Deer Jade. The event begins outdoors at 6 pm at Cova Santa and follows indoors from midnight till sunrise. Get tickets to enjoy Pangea by Storytellers at Cova Santa.




Follow Storytellers on Instagram | SoundCloud















Ibiza Selects (September 26 – October 2)

We're happy to welcome Victor de la Serna, Bookings Director for elrow, as this week's guest curator. Victor is a driving force at the Spanish experiential party brand. He is in charge of all artist bookings for elrow's many worldwide events. He's also a direct line of support for elrow CEO Juan Arnau helping to guide the creative and logistical future of the company. He's an industry veteran who established and managed the Australian and Spanish editions of DJ Mag and spent over a decade as a resident DJ and booker for parties at Pacha and Ministry of Sound. 

For this week's pick, Victor tagged in one of elrow's resident artists, Bastian Bux. His recently released Kriminal Fried Chicken EP wonderfully encapsulates the vibe of an elrow party. Here's what Victor had to say.





"Bastian is definitely one of the most knowledgeable producers I know out there and he demonstrates it with two house cuts ready for the dance floor. "Kriminal Fried Chicken" is built around an unconventional vocal sample and a powerful beat. The track crosses over genres and is suitable for a wide range of DJs and audiences. "Clickbait" is an introspective track halfway between minimal vibes and classy tech-house. Synth layers and robotic vocals do the dirty work. Enjoy at very high volume of course."




Track of the Week: Bastian Bux 'Kriminal Fried Chicken' 

Spain

Bastian Bux

elrow Miami Delusionville

United States

Factory Town Miami

elrow Closing Party

Amnesia

elrow Bowsque Encantado

elrow Growenlandia

Elrow Las Vegas - Enchanted Forest

XS Nightclub

elrow NYC: RowsAttacks

Avant Gardner

elrow'art - kaos garden

Victor Ruiz [Drumcode] + Bastian Bux / Shalev

Analog Brooklyn

As Spanish DJ/producer Bastian Bux sits in his studio, he recalls the day he fell in love with dance music. He walked into his older sister's room awestruck by the techno banging from her speakers. He told her that the music sounded like it came from outer space. Bastian admits he was never interested in a proper job. A fitting description from a kid who imagined he’d be an astronaut. Who now spoke to me from the helm of his spaceship.

Bastian Bux Liveset

He fell in love with dance music because of his desire to dissect it. It was just like the machines he took apart at home: mysterious, electronic, and full of moving parts. He needed to understand how each circuit sparked joy on the dancefloor.

Bastian explains how that experience awakened something in him at eight years old.

“This is not something that is coming from a proper band. I cannot guess which instrument is this [sic]. I need to know. I need to discover how this [has] been done. And this was my very beginning. This was the main reason why I started my passion about dance music because I wanted to discover how it was done.” 

Bastian was a bit of a troublemaker in primary school. He spent a lot of time in detention in a room stacked high with books, magazines, and random CDs. 

One day he discovered a PlayStation game called 

. He rushed to a friend’s house to play. He says, “I will always remember what I felt when I played this game for the very first time. My life changed and that was the moment where I knew 100% that I wanted to do this the rest of my life.” 

He found work at a local radio station. In between coffee runs and photocopies he begged to be in the DJ booth. It was his first contact with proper DJ equipment and production software.

A friend at school who was a hip-hop dance teacher heard he worked at a radio station. And assuming he was a proper DJ asked Bastian if he would put together a quick mix together for a dance competition. With his budding skills, he created his first mixtape and got his first paying gig as a musician. He quickly became sought after for his skills.

By the time he was in his early 20’s his production game was strong. Enough that he earned a mainstream radio hit. The code he sought to crack when he first heard the thump of techno from his sister’s stereo was cracked. 

“It was not my intention to make a mainstream dance song. But it came into the radio without me knowing what would happen. It was amazing. I was able to help my family go out from all their problems finally. It changed my life. But after two years, I started to feel not really happy about it.” 

Bastian says the expectation to be a hit machine led to depression and self-doubt. “I was trying to catch the formula of success all the time. And I was not happy. It was not fulfilling me.”

He thought he had everything he dreamed of since the third grade, but he knew it wasn’t right. So, he quit. He took his savings and plunged it into learning a new craft. He picked up graphic design and coding. He thought he was out for good. Until his friend and Suara imprint owner, Coyu hit him up a year later to check in. Bastian had never stopped making music, and it was time to re-emerge.  

Bastian says quitting was one of the most important events of his life. “To have the opportunity to realize how important it is to enjoy what you are doing. You can be really successful. You can make interesting money. You can travel. You can be famous. And you can be absolutely unhappy. And when you are somehow listening to yourself and trying to find what fulfills you, it works.” 

His rebrand has allowed him to be more authentic as he truly realizes his boyhood dreams. He's released music on John Digweed's Bedrock, Nicole Moudaber's Mood, and Sven Vâth's Cocoon. He's become a resident of the lauded Elrow parties across the planet. He's dropped his sexy and eclectic brand of house and techno in forty countries. He's even opened for the legendary Jean-Michelle Jarr, someone who he grew up listening to.  

And while he’s been open and honest with me about his previous career and how he struggled to break free. He wants to leave that in the past. It’s why for the first two years of the Bastian Bux project, he chose to obscure his face. His tagline explains, “Reducing everything surrounding a DJ and producer to its essential element.” A statement written by a friend encapsulates all that Bastian Bux believes.

He’s been given the gift of perspective he says, “You need perspective to properly learn things and to give them value that they deserve.”

He explains that after the most difficult period of his life, he found the will to make decisions that make him happy. And when you consider how many artists have not made it to the other side, it’s important to acknowledge how grateful one can be for that perspective. 

“I felt so unhappy, so sad. It was probably the worst moment of my life. And can you imagine? I was this kid, having no money, dreaming about being booked to play around. And after two, three years of success, I was not happy. You know, it was so hard for me psychologically. I had to speak with a lot of people to not fall deep in a shit hole. I learned how important it is to be able to see with different eyes from different angles.”

Spotlight: Bastian Bux

Bastian Bux has achieved his most authentic form. In a few short years he's released on Suara, Mood, and Bedrock. And racked up festival outings at Tomorrowland and a residency with Elrow. He opens up with us about his previous life as an EDM star, and the struggles that led him to almost completely quit music.

Read our Spotlight on Bastian Bux - https://entergrayarea.com/artists/bastian-bux

▪️Follow Bastian ▪️
Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/artist/6K6JhQaED2RUjMyhBtR9eD
Twitter - https://twitter.com/bastianbuxmusic
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/bastianbuxmusic/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/bastianbuxmusic
Soundcloud - https://soundcloud.com/bastianbuxmusic

Connect with Gray Area:
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/entergrayarea/
Twitter - https://twitter.com/enterGrayArea
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/entergrayarea
Spotify - https://spoti.fi/3nGJIfQ
Website - https://entergrayarea.com/

Gray Area's mission is to build a bigger house music community in North America by helping fans discover exciting house music artists, event brands and festivals that are new to them. 

#grayarea #bastianbux #housemusic

Gray Area Interview: Bastian Bux

As Spanish DJ/producer Bastian Bux sits in his studio, he recalls the day he fell in love with dance music. He walked into his older sister's room awestruck by the techno banging from her speakers. He told her that the music sounded like it came from outer space. Bastian admits he was never interested in a proper job. A fitting description from a kid who imagined he’d be an astronaut. Who now spoke to me from the helm of his spaceship.

He fell in love with dance music because of his desire to dissect it. It was just like the machines he took apart at home: mysterious, electronic, and full of moving parts. He needed to understand how each circuit sparked joy on the dancefloor.

Bastian explains how that experience awakened something in him at eight years old.

“This is not something that is coming from a proper band. I cannot guess which instrument is this [sic]. I need to know. I need to discover how this [has] been done. And this was my very beginning. This was the main reason why I started my passion about dance music because I wanted to discover how it was done.” 

Bastian was a bit of a troublemaker in primary school. He spent a lot of time in detention in a room stacked high with books, magazines, and random CDs. 

One day he discovered a PlayStation game called Music 2000. He rushed to a friend’s house to play. He says, “I will always remember what I felt when I played this game for the very first time. My life changed and that was the moment where I knew 100% that I wanted to do this the rest of my life.” 

He found work at a local radio station. In between coffee runs and photocopies he begged to be in the DJ booth. It was his first contact with proper DJ equipment and production software.

A friend at school who was a hip-hop dance teacher heard he worked at a radio station. And assuming he was a proper DJ asked Bastian if he would put together a quick mix together for a dance competition. With his budding skills, he created his first mixtape and got his first paying gig as a musician. He quickly became sought after for his skills.

By the time he was in his early 20’s his production game was strong. Enough that he earned a mainstream radio hit. The code he sought to crack when he first heard the thump of techno from his sister’s stereo was cracked. 

“It was not my intention to make a mainstream dance song. But it came into the radio without me knowing what would happen. It was amazing. I was able to help my family go out from all their problems finally. It changed my life. But after two years, I started to feel not really happy about it.” 

Bastian says the expectation to be a hit machine led to depression and self-doubt. “I was trying to catch the formula of success all the time. And I was not happy. It was not fulfilling me.”

He thought he had everything he dreamed of since the third grade, but he knew it wasn’t right. So, he quit. He took his savings and plunged it into learning a new craft. He picked up graphic design and coding. He thought he was out for good. Until his friend and Suara imprint owner, Coyu hit him up a year later to check in. Bastian had never stopped making music, and it was time to re-emerge.  

Bastian says quitting was one of the most important events of his life. “To have the opportunity to realize how important it is to enjoy what you are doing. You can be really successful. You can make interesting money. You can travel. You can be famous. And you can be absolutely unhappy. And when you are somehow listening to yourself and trying to find what fulfills you, it works.” 

His rebrand has allowed him to be more authentic as he truly realizes his boyhood dreams. He's released music on John Digweed's Bedrock, Nicole Moudaber's Mood, and Sven Vâth's Cocoon. He's become a resident of the lauded Elrow parties across the planet. He's dropped his sexy and eclectic brand of house and techno in forty countries. He's even opened for the legendary Jean-Michelle Jarr, someone who he grew up listening to.  

And while he’s been open and honest with me about his previous career and how he struggled to break free. He wants to leave that in the past. It’s why for the first two years of the Bastian Bux project, he chose to obscure his face. His tagline explains, “Reducing everything surrounding a DJ and producer to its essential element.” A statement written by a friend encapsulates all that Bastian Bux believes.

He’s been given the gift of perspective he says, “You need perspective to properly learn things and to give them value that they deserve.”

He explains that after the most difficult period of his life, he found the will to make decisions that make him happy. And when you consider how many artists have not made it to the other side, it’s important to acknowledge how grateful one can be for that perspective. 

“I felt so unhappy, so sad. It was probably the worst moment of my life. And can you imagine? I was this kid, having no money, dreaming about being booked to play around. And after two, three years of success, I was not happy. You know, it was so hard for me psychologically. I had to speak with a lot of people to not fall deep in a shit hole. I learned how important it is to be able to see with different eyes from different angles.”

Bastian Bux

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