Jesse & Juan Ramos

J：最初是什麼原因吸引你前往柏林？在柏林的生活如何影響你的創作與心境？

JR：我第一次到柏林，是因為這座城市給我一種其他地方少見的自由，有種沒有時間、金錢或空間上壓迫感。城市裡充斥著讓你去盡情試驗、失敗、再重新開始的動能。十二年下來，我經歷過在圈外觀望，也曾置身核心，而真正讓我留下的，其實是我在這裡建立起的音樂創作網絡。

J：你作為柏林 Cocktail d’Amore 的核心DJ多年，對你來說，這樣的酷兒派對，在當下的俱樂部文化、社群中能代表什麼？

JR：像 Cocktail d’Amore 這樣的派對，對我來說是種神聖的存在與場域。它不只是夜店或派對，而是讓人們能不用偽裝、自在表達自我的社群空間，在這裡的自由與連結，是種真實的存在與表達。在如今高度商業化的夜生活中，這些空間（派對）提醒我們：舞池本來就是解放與歸屬！

J：對你來說為什麼挖掘黑膠依然重要？它帶給你數位以外，哪些獨特的體驗或必要性？

JR：挖掘黑膠這件事，始終是關於「發現」的重要過程，它不僅是找到音樂，更是與音樂建立關係。數位平台很方便，但它常把音樂體驗扁平化了；當你翻箱倒櫃挖掘唱片時，你會從中摸到音樂、曲風、創作的歷史脈絡，也可能是偶然的巧遇，也可能是與未知藝術家與被遺忘聲音的緣分。這種身體力行的參與過程，很紮實的塑造你的個人品味，這是演算法永遠做不到的。雖然我也常花一兩天沉在 Discogs 的數位清單中，但這大概是兩種世界最好的並存吧！

J：我很好奇，你如何在錄音室與舞池間轉換？這兩者對你而言，彼此有關聯嗎？

JR：要說我偏愛哪一個真的有點難，因為兩者真的太不一樣了。曾有很長一段時間，我覺得自己身為 DJ 的品味，和我製作音樂的方法是天差地遠的無關。但現在的我正處於一個偏向舞池友善的創作期，但仍在探索我對「非舞曲」音樂創作的熱愛。但如果只能選一個，我會選擇朝製作更多一點。 J：對你而言，黑膠今天代表什麼？是聲音、物件，還是記憶？

JR：黑膠承載了很多記憶。它讓聲音變得可以觸及，你能感到它的重量、溫度與不完美。每張唱片都是一個故事：你在哪裡找到它，你曾播放給誰聽，它如何讓一個空間產生變化。在數位世界裡，這種物理性的連結反而更珍貴。黑膠會提醒你，當初為什麼會愛上音樂。 Jesse：What first drew you to Berlin, and how has living there shaped your music and mindset?

JR：I first came to Berlin because I was fascinated by the city’s allowance to not be under pressure of time/money/space. There was an openness here, to experiment, to fail, to rebuild, that’s rare. After 12 years of having experienced being both on the outside looking in and being in the centre of it all the thing that has primarily made me stay are my creative relationships.

Jesse：What do you think queer parties like Cocktail d’Amore represent in today’s club culture?

JR：Parties like Cocktail d’Amore are sacred spaces. They’re more than clubs, they’re communities where people can exist without pretense, where freedom and connection are real. In a time when nightlife can feel hyper-commercialized, these spaces remind us that dance floors were always about liberation and belonging.

Jesse：Why does record digging still matter to you? What does it bring that digital platforms can’t?

JR：Record digging is still about discovery! not just finding music, but building a relationship with it. Digital platforms are convenient, but they often flatten the experience. When you dig through crates, you touch history. You find accidents, unknown artists, forgotten sounds. That physical process shapes your taste in a way algorithms never could. Although I am very partial to spending a couple days a week just on Discogs, best of both worlds I suppose.

Jesse：How do you move between the studio and the dance floor? Does one feed the other?

JR：In terms of which I prefer…they’re both so different. For a long time I felt my taste as a DJ and the way I produced music were worlds apart. I’m definitely more in a dance friendly period of my production life while still exploring what I love about making music that is for outside of the club. If I could only do one….production.

Jesse：What do vinyl records represent to you today, as sound, as object, or as memory?

JR：Vinyl carries memory. It’s sound made tangible, you feel its weight, its warmth, its imperfections. Every record tells a story: where you found it, who you played it for, how it made a room react. In a digital world, that physical connection feels even more meaningful. It’s a reminder of why we fell in love with music in the first place.