The Roots of MËSTIZA

It was a shared vision that brought Spanish DJs Pitty Bernad and Belah together in 2021. A vision that sprawled continents, cultures, histories, and futures. After years of building their solo careers, playing house and techno across Europe, they felt drawn to create something more personal and conceptual. To approach electronic music from a different angle. To create something deep-rooted yet contemporary, traditional yet forward-thinking. Thus, MËSTIZA was born.

In this new project, their lifelong passion for flamenco music and Spanish folklore came alive in their productions, their live sets and even in their fashion and visual aesthetic. Musically, Latin and Afro house inspirations were drawn upon too, making for a unique sonic blend that’s garnered global attention and led them to tour Europe, Latin America and the United States. In 2023, they released their debut album, Quëreles, which debuted at Number 1 in Spain. They’re even making history at Hï Ibiza right now, as the first female duo to debut with a residency. You can catch their hypnotic sets on Fridays 6th and 13th of June, which are their final two dates at the Number 1 Club in the World.

Join us as we trace the roots of MËSTIZA.

This form of traditional Spanish music is largely attributed to Romani people from the Southern regions in the 18th Century. Its story is one of migration and cultural mixing over hundreds of years. It’s characterised by complex rhythms, falsetto singing, melodic guitar, and emotional depth, while complemented by the iconic flamenco dance style. MËSTIZA’s connection to flamenco is more than a distant influence, but one they actively explore in their sets and productions.

MËSTIZA cite flamenco legends Camarón de la Isla and Paco de Lucía amongst their inspirations, as well as modern artists who “carry our culture ahead”.

Granadan flamenco-funk pop duo La Plazuela and Spanish Romani trad singer Israel Fernández are peers whom they love to shout out in interviews.

“[Black Coffee] is an example that helped us incorporate tradition in our music and have a look back at our origins,” MËSTIZA said in a 2024 interview with HOLA!. The South African Afropolitan DJ, whom MËSTIZA have named as one of their dream collaborators, is known as a pioneer of Afro house. It’s a genre that combines soul, deep house, jazz, progressive house and traditional African rhythms, vocals and instruments.

Since the ‘00s, the genre has gone from strength-to-strength, with fellow South Africans such as Culoe De Song carrying the torch. For a genre that began in the ‘90s, it’s currently one of the biggest sounds in dance music. This is a testament to the power of the music itself, and shows that the world is more open to electronic artists embracing their cultural heritage and experimenting with fusion and traditional sounds.

There are sonic similarities between Black Coffee and MËSTIZA’s music, too, as both explore epic, progressive and percussive soundscapes in their sets. You can catch Black Coffee every Saturday night at Hï Ibiza this summer.

Electronic music in Spain was born in the late ‘70s with new wave bands like Aviador Dro and Azul Y Negro experimenting with synths and drum machines. By the time the ‘90s rolled around, hard-edged, 150bpm+ homegrown techno subgenres mákina and bakalao had emerged and were blasting out across underground raves in the country.

At bigger clubs and festivals, innovative DJs such as Óscar Mulero and Elesbaan were making waves and helped to establish Spain as a serious player in European techno. This laid the foundations for techno in the country, and the ripples of these waves can be heard in MËSTIZA’s exploration of melodic and progressive techno in their sound.

Catch MËSTIZA at the final two dates of their Hï Ibiza residency on Fridays 6th and 13th of June with Guy Gerber, Bedouin, Sparrow & Barbossa, Bontan and more.