Luciano first landed in Ibiza to visit his friend Ricardo Villalobos. So blown away was he, by the island's unique culture and parties, that he decided to stay. Before long, he was DJing at small underground events. His first official gig was with Cocoon. Then he landed a regular slot at Ibiza's notorious afterhours club, Circoloco at DC10, where he remained a resident DJ for six years. During his time at DC10, Luciano became famous for his magical, mind-altering sets that combined warm-blooded Latino rhythms, futuristic techno and rough house grooves.
Following the success of Luciano's Ushuaia parties in 2009, all of Ibiza's clubs were clamouring for Luciano to play for them. In the end, he chose Pacha as the perfect destination to express his musical vision and in the summer of 2010 he launched his Vagabundos concept at the opulent club. The parties were a runaway success, with Luciano and his fellow Cadenza artists playing to a packed Pacha every Sunday night throughout the summers. Vagabundos is now a world-recognised club brand, celebrated for its wild and stylish carnival affairs that are powered by the very best DJs in house and techno. You can feel that history, and a lot of Ibiza's spirit, on Luciano's Vagabundos 2012 compilation CD. With wide-reaching influences and diverse musical citations from across the dance music spectrum, Vagabundos 2012 carries the essence of the origi-nal Balearic Beat. It is perhaps the modern sound of Ibiza.
Perhaps one of the main reasons for Vagabundos 2012's apparent depth is Luciano's increasing love for molecular mixing. Luciano uses digital DJing technology to deconstruct tracks and re-construct them into any shape he chooses, allowing him to mix parts from up to four different tracks at once. Playing this way, Luciano is able to blend loops, basslines, vocals, hi hats, and melodies together in ways that vinyl or CDs could never allow him to do. It is one of the reasons why Vagabundos 2012 is such a fluid, evolving, and engrossing journey, full of unexpected twists and turns. Yes, on the face of it, Vagabundos 2012 is still just a DJ set, but it feels much more like a living electronic soundtrack, an unpredictable beast, unshackled and full of energy.