Paula Tape’s route to the European circuit was earned the hard way. Born Paula Soto Carmona in Santiago de Chile, she came up in a scene that was closed off and elitist — shaped by European connections most couldn’t access. She worked as a wardrobe stylist, DJing clandestine afterparties on the side, before packing a suitcase and a handful of records and booking a one-way ticket to Barcelona.
She settled in Milan, built two residencies, and worked the Italian circuit with quiet discipline until the international bookings followed. In 2023 she became the first Chilean artist to land a BBC Radio 1 residency, with her Essential Mix nominated for Mix of the Year at Radio 1’s Dance Awards. Her club night Hola Mundo has also touched down in Milan, London, and Paris further cementing her name as a firm favourite.
Her productions — released on Future Classic among others — move between percussion-heavy acid, salsa-inflected dancefloor material, and deeper, more minimal territories, with the 303 and a drummer’s instinct for rhythm at the centre of it all. On the floor the approach is chameleonic: surprising, smooth, and always in service of the room.
Drenched in 90s sparkle, Paula Tape’s mix for our podcast series more than speaks to her years of digging through crate after crate of vinyl while off on her travels around the world. There is grooves of all shapes and sizes here with an emphasis on keeping the floor locked in. You catch her this summer in Europe at Love International, Circoloco, Gottwood, Solid Grooves Ibiza, Kala Festival, Panorama Bar, BBK Festival, Nuits Sonores Festival, and more…
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