Born in Paris and raised on the White Isle, Victor Felisa represents a new generation of artists who grew up surrounded by dance music culture. From listening to Bob Sinclar and Daft Punk on the school run with his father to playing a six-hour set at Hï Ibiza, his journey feels like a natural extension of the island that shaped him. Victor stopped by our place for a chat about growing up in Ibiza, taking the risk of leaving university to pursue music full-time, social media, the realities of breaking into the industry, and how the next generation of DJs sees the future of electronic music.
Interview With Victor Felisa:
Okay. Hi from Ibiza. I’m here with Victor Felisa next to me. How are you?
I’m good. What about you?
I’m very good, and thank you for visiting us at our place. You had a really busy weekend. You started at the Tomorrowland Store and then you had like a six-hour set at Hï Ibiza. But you are very young, so you can still do it, right?
Exactly, I can still handle it. It was a funny experience. We had to rush from Tomorrowland straight to Hï because we only had like 30 minutes, so it was quite hectic, but it was amazing. I mean, six hours was just crazy.
Ibiza is nothing new for you because you were born in Paris, but you were raised in Ibiza. How does it feel to be raised on the island?
It feels amazing, honestly. It’s unbelievable. All the people you meet around here come from different places, so you really get to experience so much at a young age. And growing up, especially around music, it’s amazing.
You were influenced by the island from the very beginning, from a very young age, right?
Yeah, from a really young age. I grew up around all the billboards, and when my dad would take me to school, we would always listen to music. He would show me all the French house artists, like Bob Sinclar, Daft Punk, everything. So I grew up with music my whole life and with the music of Ibiza.
Did you always know that music was going to become your life?
I always did it because I really enjoyed it, and it was always a hobby. But it was only recently that I thought, okay, I’m going to take this really seriously. I started university for a bit, and after eight months, I was like, I don’t see myself doing this. I don’t enjoy it. So I completely quit and took the risk. I had no music connections or anything. I just came here for IMS, and I met all these people that I now work with. It all happened really fast.
So music is your priority at the moment, is that correct?
Yeah. Everything is about music. Especially now that I’m young, all the time I have goes into music, music, music, music.
Do you have any DJ inspirations? Because there are so many around the island, especially.
Well, there are a lot of DJs. For example, MAU P 100%. His sound is just amazing, and every song is so different from the rest of the crowd. I think especially now, in the tech house world, everything sounds the same, which is a bit sad. And of course, David Guetta. No matter how people can say it’s cheesy, he’s older now and he’s still smashing it. I think he just did Stade de France yesterday or something. Really crazy.
Do you know that David Guetta is living just next door?
Oh really?
Yeah, he has a nice house. Let’s knock on his door right now.
Let’s do that.
We can invite him for a set on the rooftop. What do you think?
I think it’s a good idea. We just have to find speakers first. 😀
We have to find the speakers, but we have the newest equipment from AlphaTheta. Did you already have a chance to try that?
I did. I had the chance to try it. I also tried the new RMX. At first, when I saw it, I thought it was really big, but actually, once you use it, it’s so much better than the old one. It syncs a lot better because the old one had that issue where sometimes you couldn’t find the BPM properly.
Can you tell us how the whole idea with Hï Ibiza became reality? Because it’s not easy to get into a club like Hï Ibiza. How did this collaboration happen?
Well, I was really lucky to find some really nice people in the industry that I now work with. They knew some people who worked there, and it all happened really organically. But it was also a lot of work. It took around six months of trying, while at the same time not forcing it too much and just seeing how things would go. The funny thing is that we had been waiting for a long time, and then we got an email at like five in the morning saying, “Is he free to play tomorrow?” And it was for an all-nighter. I was like, “Fuck yeah.” And then it happened. Six hours straight. I couldn’t be more grateful.
So how was your feeling? In the main room was Dom Dolla, is that correct?
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Sadly, I didn’t get to see him because I was playing all night, but I wish I could have seen his set.
How was the crowd in the Wild Corner?
Unreal. Honestly, the vibes were incredible. I didn’t know what to expect. Especially for me, I was stressed from 2:30 because that’s when Dom came on. I expected the room to go completely empty. That’s actually when I thought, okay, now I can finally take a bathroom break. But the room stayed full. For six hours, I couldn’t even go to the bathroom because I didn’t want to lose the crowd. I was scared that if I left, everyone would leave too. It was amazing from start to finish. Ten minutes after I started, the room was already full. I had loads of people from the island come to see me. Then it stayed packed until 5:30 when they turned the lights on. For me, it was the best night of my life so far.
So what’s the next mission for you? Where do you want to play? What is your dream?
The dream is to play all the clubs. I want to travel more around the world and definitely check out more festivals because, fun fact, I’ve never actually been to a major festival. The only festival I’ve experienced is IMS, which a lot of people laugh at because it’s a smaller festival. But yeah, definitely more festivals. And releasing music is something I’m taking really seriously. I’ve been working on it a lot because I don’t have any music out yet. I think nowadays, with the way the industry works, signing to a smaller label isn’t as useful as it used to be. It’s more like either you sign to a big label or you self-release. Social media is such a big advantage. A lot of people complain about it, but I think it’s a huge opportunity because you’re able to build your brand exactly the way you want and advertise yourself. It’s like buying a lottery ticket every day. I think the only way now is either to go viral or have a big DJ discover your music and play it. Music is the main thing. I’m putting all my effort into it because I really want to have music out first.
That’s beautiful from the perspective of the new generation because you are only 20 years old, right?
Yeah, already 20.
You’re definitely part of the new generation. I’m wondering, from your point of view, are you still inspired by the old legends of the scene? Or who are the DJs that the younger generation listens to at the moment?
Last year, I had a huge opportunity thanks to Tom Staar. He invited me to a session with Bob Sinclar. I was able to sit in the studio session and watch how he works. For me, it was a full-circle moment because I grew up listening to his music my whole life. Songs like “Champs-Élysées” were always playing in the car. What really impressed me was not only how nice they were, but also how seriously they took everything. A lot of people think, “Okay, you’re a DJ,” but Bob was incredibly professional and focused.
Where do you think you have it easier than DJs did 30 years ago?
First of all, I grew up here, and I think that’s a huge advantage. I definitely don’t take that for granted. And like I said, nowadays you’re able to do everything yourself. You can release your own music. Radio is much less important than it used to be. You’re much more independent. You can basically handle everything yourself.
As someone who was raised in Ibiza, what’s your favourite spot on the island? And which place would you recommend to visit if someone wants to switch off and relax?
That’s an easy one for me: Fish Shack. Sadly, it’s becoming super famous, but good for them. For me, it’s just the whole experience. You never know how long you’re going to wait in line. You jump in the water, order yourself a beer, wait in the sun, and then you get amazing fish and amazing potato salad. For me, that’s my favourite place on the island.
Okay Victor, thank you so much for visiting us. Enjoy your Ibiza time.
I will. I’m staying here. I’m not moving.
