One of the big artist names in the scene of Spanish electronic music producers, Danny Serrano emphasizes for their exquisite taste both their productions as in his sets. Talent recognized by electronic music greats as Danny Tenaglia, Nic Fanciulli and Luciano, among others, is one of the last Novotek RAW SERIES signings. Today he talks with Novo Music to tell us about his career and projects.

1. When you were only 8 years old you experienced your first contact with the music world, first playing the piano and later creating your own hip-hop group. Can you tell us a little about what led you from that time to what Danny Serrano is today?

Well, from a very early age I was always quite drawn to funky, hip-hop, and other types of music. I have very good memories of when I was little and I had my hip-hop group. We would go to sing at festivals, and we’d buy records of groups from that era that had the base elements of their songs on Side B so that you could make your own foundations and demos. Since I was good at drawing, I painted joints for pay and with that money I bought records, well, with the allowance from my parents too, I’d save everything up and buy records. All of that has taught me to appreciate things, to be humble, and to learn from the effort of earning things myself.

2. About Fernando Godoy—on at least one occasion you have referred to him as your big brother. Could you tell us the story about how he changed your career?

Well, Fernando Godoy is for me the person who gave me the opportunity to understand myself a little better within this scene. He was the person who opened the doors to a tour and gave me the possibility of sharing the booth with great artists like Satoshi Tomiie, Laurent Garnier, Monika Krusse, Nic Fanciulli, etc. He was like my godfather, if you know what I mean. He met me in a dive where I was playing, and that’s where everything began.

3. Last May you were at Open Air Amsterdam sharing the Carnivale stage with Guti, Dyed Soundorom and Tobi Neumann, among others. This Saturday, June 24, you’ll be at Vagabundos @ Pacha Ibiza. You never stop. What can you tell us about your experience in Amsterdam? And about this summer, can you give us a sneak preview of your projects?

Yes, I was at Open Air Amsterdam, and to tell the truth, for me it was one of the best festivals in the world. And to top it off I had the opportunity to do the closing for the festival, and it was INCREDIBLE. The audience was a 10 in every way. I took away some great memories and experiences from that festival, and I hope that I can be there next year with them. It would be incredible. I had the great opportunity to share a booth with great artists. And yes, on June 24 I’ll be playing at Vagabundos @ Pacha Ibiza, and I’ll be with my wonderful friend Mendo, and I’ll have the opportunity to share a booth with great artists like Luciano, Robert Dietz, Nic Fanciulli, and others. I can’t wait to get into that booth. This summer I’ll also be at some of the biggest festivals in Brazil and Toronto, as well as many others.

4. Recent years have been very positive for the Spanish scene; it seems like we’ve finally succeeded in improving the reputation of our product. Even so, we still have a lot to learn from other countries like Germany in terms of group unity. What is your opinion on this topic? Do you think that we should reinvent ourselves in some way?

Yes, in Spain right now there is a great wave of talented new people who are very, very good and are making a big impact, working their way up from below without help from anyone, but it is true that we still have a lot to learn from other countries. We’ve come a long way, but there’s still work to be done, we have to change many things.

5. In your role as a producer, you also deserve congratulations: you’re releasing with Suara a remix of Hauswerks-Clockwerk, a track which is getting a lot of attention. “Press it Down,” an EP that you sign together with Cuartero for Moan, is now available for sale, and we can’t forget about the recent remix of Funky Nation signed by Mate_U and Denny K for Novotek Raw Series. How do you organize yourself to be able to successfully bring out so much work? Where did you get your inspiration for each of these projects?

Even I don’t know where I find the time: I’m always moving around, and it’s getting more and more difficult. When I’m in the studio I spend days shut up in there—that’s the advantage (or disadvantage!) of having the studio set up at home. (Laughs.) When I’m in the studio, I don’t try to find a source of inspiration; I just sit down in front of the computer and begin to work.

When I’m producing, I really don’t know where I get my imagination. I’m very, very obsessive as a producer: I sometimes take days making a loop until I begin to develop the theme, and sometimes I can bring out a song in a day, but the truth is that I’m quite paranoid when I’m producing.

I’m very pleased with my role as a producer. I have some really interesting projects to bring to light, and new collaborations with people like Aldo Cadiz and Darlyn Vlys, new remixes for labels like Novotek Raw, Kling Klong, Suara, and Time Has Changed, including my remix of Hauswerks-Clockwerk which I think is going to receive a lot of attention this summer. I hope that it works as well as the original does, and I hope to be able to live up to the expectations. I think that the remix for Novotek Raw is also going to work out really well—I’ve got a good feeling about it. I’m also going to be launching my new label, Serrano’s Kitchen, so I can’t complain.

6. You’re recognized for your sound in the sector, yet you’ve managed to avoid being pigeonholed into any style or tendency. Why do you think that is? Is it something that you sought out or has it just happened that way because of your work in the studio?

Well, to tell you the truth, I never deliberately tried to avoid being categorized. When I get into the studio I don’t say to myself that I’m going to make a song that is house or techno. When I get to work, I try to bring out the best sound possible, independently of the musical style. I like quality music, dance music, and I always try to make music with groove.

7. If you had to give advice to up-and-coming talented people with respect to the music scene, what would you tell them?

Uff, I’m terrible about giving advice, so, I’ll just pass: your turn. (Laughs.)

8. To finish up we’d like to thank you for working with us and doing this interview for us. But first we’d like to ask you to talk about your dreams in the music world. Or maybe you’ve already achieved them?

There are still a lot of labels I’d like to sign on with, many doors I’d like to knock on, much to learn and to continue growing. I’d also like to give thanks to everyone who supports me and is always there, a heartfelt thanks for making me feel special.

Thank you so much for your time Danny.

Thanks to you