How does an artist who has forged a distinctive sound and built a loyal following avoid becoming trapped by what that following expects? For CLTX, the question is the product of a journey that began in the warehouse raves of his native Paris, where he took his first steps into techno, and continued in underground Berlin, where he spent several formative years shaping his sound and artistic identity, building a following that now stretches from Europe to South America. Recently settled in Barcelona, the hard techno DJ and producer seems to have found his answer by returning to the instinctive approach that defined his work around 2022.
His latest EP, BAILA, brings a Schranz edge he had never explored to this extent in his own productions, and sets it against Spanish vocals, while leaving room, as he always does, for some melancholy and vulnerability. That same instinct, rooted in a search for authenticity, is also what drives P/NK, the label he launched in Berlin in 2025 as a home for his own music and a close circle of like-minded artists. He is now bringing it to Barcelona as an intimate, phone-free party designed to grow into a community over time.
We spoke to CLTX about his hopes for P/NK and about evolving as an artist and as a person while never losing sight of his essence.
The Cold Magazine (CM): You’ve spent the last few years building a very recognisable sound around CLTX, rooted in harder techno. As you enter this next chapter, how would you describe where you are creatively now and the different sides of CLTX you want people to start hearing?
CLTX: Music never stands still. The scene changes, the ravers change, the energy on the dance floor evolves, and naturally, the artist evolves with it. I think it would feel strange for me to make exactly the same music during my whole career, because I’m not the same person anymore. My experiences have changed, my inspirations have changed, and even the way I connect with a crowd has changed.
CM: When an audience connects strongly with a particular version of an artist, can that eventually become creatively restrictive? Did you ever feel pressure to keep delivering what people had come to expect from CLTX?
CLTX: I think it can, especially when an artist starts becoming too influenced by the expectations of the public. At some point, that pressure can create a disconnection between what people expect from you and what you genuinely want to express as an artist.
The scene has evolved incredibly fast, and with it, the expectations surrounding artists have grown as well. It becomes difficult to completely ignore what is happening around you and simply create without thinking about how the music will be received.
For me, there’s also this constant pressure to surpass what came before. When you release an EP that performs really well, suddenly the next project carries a different weight. There’s an expectation for it to be bigger, stronger, or more successful than the previous one. You can easily find yourself chasing that next level instead of following your instincts.
I think the real challenge is learning how to evolve without losing the reason you started creating in the first place, finding the balance between listening to the world around you and still listening to yourself.
CM: Your latest EP, ‘BAILA’ sees you reconnecting with the production workflow and mindset you had around 2022; creating more from feeling and instinct rather than overthinking what is technically “right” or what is expected to work. What was it about that period that you wanted to find again?
CLTX: Since 2022, I’ve allowed myself to explore different styles and new creative directions, not only through music but also through visuals. I started using video clips as another way to tell my story, to translate certain moments of my life, my experiences, and my emotions into something people could see as well as hear.
That period of experimentation was important for me because I needed the freedom to discover different sides of myself as an artist. But somewhere along the way, I also felt a certain disconnection with the people who had been following my journey. By constantly trying new things, I think part of what people originally connected with in me became less visible.
Recently, I’ve felt a strong urge to reconnect with that identity, not by going backwards or repeating the past, but by rediscovering the energy and the emotions that people associated with me in the first place. I want to bring that essence into who I am today, with everything I’ve learned and experienced since then. In a way, it feels less like returning to the past and more like reconnecting with a part of myself that was always there.
CM: There’s often an expectation that evolution means completely reinventing yourself, but BAILA still feels connected to the harder foundations CLTX was built on. Do you see progression as less about abandoning your roots and more about giving yourself the freedom to move beyond the box people might associate you with?
CLTX: I’ve reached a point where I feel much more free creatively. I can move between different styles and influences without feeling like I have to justify every change or fit into one specific sound. What connects everything is the intention behind it, there is always a piece of my story, a feeling, or a reflection of what I’m experiencing at that particular moment in my life.
For example, BAILA is deeply connected to my present. It reflects this new chapter of my life in Barcelona; the energy, the culture, the people I’m surrounded by, and the way my life has changed since moving here. I like the idea that my music can become almost like a diary, where every release captures a different place, emotion, or period of my life.
I don’t want to be defined by one genre anymore. I want people to recognize me through the feeling and personality behind the music, even when the sound itself keeps evolving.
CM: BAILA is built around three dancefloor tracks, but you’ve described the project as more personal and authentic in the way it was made. Talk us through the inspirations behind each track.
CLTX: First, I decided that I wanted this EP to be very dancefloor-oriented, with a strong Schranz influence. Schranz has actually been part of my sets since around 2022, but strangely, I had never really thought about bringing that energy into my own productions. This time, it felt natural to finally explore that side of my sound.
“BAILA” and “Mi Adicción” are definitely connected to my new life in Spain. Spanish vocals have always had a place in my music, tracks like “Oyé Mi Amor” already carried that influence, and I’ve always felt that people connect with them in a very immediate and instinctive way. There’s something about the language, the rhythm and the emotion that works incredibly well with the energy I want to create on the dancefloor.
It also comes from the very strong connection I have with South America. The crowds, the countries, the rave culture and the energy I experience every time I go there have had a huge impact on me. South America was one of the first places where I truly felt that people believed in my music and supported what I was doing, and that connection is still just as strong today. In a way, bringing these influences into my music feels like giving something back to a culture and a scene that have given me so much.
Then there is “Falling Back Into You,” which is the emotional track I can never really avoid making. That side of my music is probably one of the most important parts of the CLTX project, because it’s also one of the biggest parts of who I am as a person. No matter how hard, fast or physical the music becomes, I always feel the need to leave space for something more vulnerable.
I feel almost an obligation to translate the different emotions I’m going through into my music, not only happiness or euphoria, but also nostalgia, melancholy, longing, loneliness, love, and sometimes that strange bittersweet feeling of missing something you can’t completely define.
CM: What’s one track you wish you could erase from your memory just so you could experience hearing it for the first time again?
CLTX: It would definitely be “Post Truth Era” by Violent Blondes. This track played a huge part in shaping my love for techno, but what makes it even more special is that it somehow found its way back to me at two very meaningful moments in my life.
The first time was in Paris, around 2020, at Myst. I remember dancing to it with my friends as if tomorrow didn’t exist. It represents a very specific period of my life, the beginning of something, when everything still felt new, intense, and a little unpredictable.
Then, in 2022, the track unexpectedly came back into my life in Berlin. We were on our way to Berghain, and before we even entered, we could already hear it coming from the Garten, played by Boris. Hearing that same track again, years later, in such a completely different chapter of my life felt almost surreal.
That’s what I love about music: a track can become attached to a memory without you even realizing it. Then, years later, a few seconds of it can bring back the people you were with, the places you were in, and even the person you were at that time. “Post Truth Era” does exactly that for me. It’s by far one of my favorite tracks, but more importantly, one of the most memorable.
CM: If you could soundtrack any fashion show in history with one track from your BAILA, which track are you choosing, and whose show would it be?
CLTX: Definitely “Falling Back Into You,” especially the melodic part. For me, that melody carries the whole story and emotion of the track. There’s something very delicate, nostalgic, and almost cinematic about it, which I think would translate beautifully into the atmosphere of a fashion show. It has this balance between emotion and elegance that could really complement the movement, the visuals, and the overall beauty of the moment.
CM: You have an unlimited budget for a CLTX music video. Where are you shooting it and what’s happening?
CLTX: One of my dreams is to eventually write a book about my life and all the adventures and experiences that have shaped me along the way. I feel like I’ve lived through so many different chapters already, both personally and as an artist, and there are a lot of stories I would love to share one day.
My ultimate music video would actually be more like a short film, a journey through my life, from Paris to Berlin to Barcelona, while constantly being on the road and touring around the world. I would want it to capture not only the shows and the beautiful moments, but everything that happens in between: the people you meet, the relationships, the loneliness, the chaos, the mistakes, the unexpected moments, and the memories you collect from one city to another.
Touring has given me an incredible life, but also a very unusual one. Sometimes I feel like I’ve lived several different lives in just a few years. I think there is something very cinematic about that contrast, being surrounded by thousands of people one night and completely alone in another country the next morning.
I feel like I still have a lot to share, and music is only one way of telling that story. One day, I’d love to bring all those memories together and show the person, the places, and the experiences behind the artist.
CM: On September 25th, you’re bringing P/NK to Barcelona for a label showcase alongside La Kosh, Ilith, Cosmo X and Jesooria. What was the idea behind creating the night, and what made each of these artists feel right for the P/NK world?
CLTX: I decided to launch P/NK in Barcelona because I felt there was space to create a community and an atmosphere that I couldn’t really find here. The idea is to bring together everything I’ve experienced through the Paris rave scene and the Berlin underground, and reinterpret those influences through my own vision of Barcelona.
P/NK is an intimate, underground gathering shaped by the Berlin code,a space for people who genuinely understand and respect the culture. It’s about freedom, openness, respect, and most importantly, a real connection between people on the dancefloor.
The location is intentionally raw, secret, and away from the traditional club environment. There’s also a strict no-pictures policy, because I want people to forget about their phones, forget about how they look from the outside, and simply be present in the moment.
For me, P/NK is not just about throwing another party in Barcelona. The goal is to slowly build a community with its own identity, something intimate, authentic, and driven by the people, the music, and the energy inside the room.
CM: If we revisit this conversation a year from now, what would need to have happened for you to feel that this new chapter of P/NK had become everything you wanted it to be?
CLTX: I’d like P/NK to become a reference within the underground scene, a party people want to be part of because they trust its identity, its energy, and its community, even without knowing the lineup.
The goal is for P/NK to become bigger than the artists playing. I want people to come for the experience itself, knowing that the music, the crowd, and the atmosphere will always reflect what P/NK stands for
