“I think an artist and, more importantly, a person never stops growing and learning. So I decided to open up my creativity again and slowly reconnect with the musical roots I’ve always loved. For me, being an artist is about having the freedom to explore, evolve, and play different things, without being limited by a genre.”
For CLTX, that freedom currently means stepping away from some of the harder techno that has defined his reputation and opening up P/NK, the label he launched in 2025, to something more melodic, euphoric and sensual. After years immersed in the raw energy of Paris’ techno scene, the shift feels less like leaving an identity behind than allowing it to move somewhere new. Perhaps that’s simply the flow of life itself — to keep moving, shaping and reshaping who we are, transforming along the way, and learning to surrender to the current.
The first artist to enter this new chapter of P/NK is Bárbara Lago with her four-track EP VERTIGO, a release built around intensity, movement and the strange pleasure of briefly losing control. We caught up with CLTX and Bárbara to talk about changing direction without losing yourself, creative identity, fashion, rave culture, sensory experience, and why music can sometimes give us the freedom to disappear into the moment.
Header Photography by Amaury Browaeys
Lovely to have you both with us. CLTX, let’s start with you. You’ve built a very recognisable world around CLTX, from the music to the “pink and punk” aesthetic. Where does that instinct to challenge expectations come from, and how important is contradiction to your creative identity?
CLTX: When I got my pink hair, my whole identity started to revolve around it. But at the same time, I’ve always had this deep connection with punk, through the music, the lifestyle, the attitude, and the clothes.
On paper, these two worlds almost contradict each other, yet somehow they fit perfectly together. Mixing both became part of my identity and created something new, my own vision of what punk can look like in 2026.
P/NK is moving away from the harder techno it became known for towards something more fluid, trancey and sensual. Was there a particular moment when you realised the old direction no longer fully represented where you wanted to go?
CLTX: I started with slower, more rhythmic music, still rooted in rave, but driven more by drums and groove.
Over time, the scene around me, the gigs I played, and the slots I was given gradually pushed me toward harder and harder techno. Somewhere along the way, I feel like I lost a little bit of what initially defined my sound.
I still love playing hard, but I don’t believe an artist has to exist within one single style. There were also shows where I realized the fun wasn’t fully there anymore, and that made me question what I really wanted to express through music.
So I decided to open up my creativity again and slowly reconnect with the musical roots I’ve always loved. For me, being an artist is about having the freedom to explore, evolve, and play different things, without being limited by a genre.
What does the title VERTIGO mean to you personally? Was the concept already there while you were producing the tracks, or did the name come later once you heard the record as a whole? Where did the idea for the EP begin?
BÁRBARA LAGO: VERTIGO represents that feeling of being caught between losing control and actually enjoying it. For me, it’s about intensity, movement, and that moment when everything starts to feel a little overwhelming, but you still want to keep going further.
There’s also a more personal and playful side to it: I’m a Virgo, so VERTIGO is also a little wordplay on my zodiac sign.
The title actually came later. I didn’t start producing the tracks with a specific concept or with the idea of creating an EP. I was simply making music that reflected where I was creatively at that moment. As the tracks started taking shape, I realised they shared the same energy and represented an evolution in my sound. In the end, these four tracks were the ones I chose because, together, they felt like the right combination to shape the EP and tell that story as a whole.
When I listened to the record as a whole, VERTIGO just made sense. It described both the feeling of the music and the creative moment I was going through: moving fast, experimenting, and stepping into a new direction without knowing exactly where it would take me.
“For me, being an artist is about having the freedom to explore, evolve, and play different things, without being limited by a genre.” — CLTX
Does changing direction ever scare you when people already have such a defined idea of who you are and what you should sound like?
CLTX: A little bit, yes. I think it’s important to make the transition smoothly and not confuse the audience. But ultimately, my goal is to be able to play different styles across different lineups while still keeping the identity I’ve built over the past six years.
Bárbara Lago’s VERTIGO EP is the first release to introduce this new P/NK direction. What was it about Bárbara and her sound that made her the right person to open this chapter?
CLTX: She’s been part of the scene for a few years now, constantly growing and building a strong musical identity of her own. Her profile has been developing steadily and organically, without rushing anything, and the demos she sent were absolutely on point. I’m really happy to have her as part of P/NK.
You have a background in fashion and have always treated the visual side of CLTX as seriously as the music. How do fashion, photography and design influence the way you think about sound and vice versa?
CLTX: I believe music and fashion are deeply connected, and they always have been. I studied luxury marketing and fashion history, and I remember being fascinated by shows like Alexander McQueen’s, where the music and the show felt like one complete experience.
Music has the power to amplify the story, identity, and emotion behind a brand or a collection. In the same way, fashion has played a huge role in helping me shape and develop my own identity as an artist.
Do you think an artist ever truly finishes becoming themselves, or are we always in a state of becoming something else? At what point does influence become identity?
CLTX: I think an artist and, more importantly, a person never stops growing and learning. I don’t think we necessarily become someone else, we simply evolve.
It’s the same with our scene: every year it changes a little more, and adaptation is key. The scene around you, what people want to hear in clubs, and the new waves of music naturally influence you and push your own sound and identity to evolve with them.
“It was the point where I began exploring this new direction, but without completely letting go of the old Bárbara.” — Bárbara Lago
Which track is your personal favourite, and why? Can you walk us through the production process behind that one and how it came together?
BÁRBARA LAGO: It’s a bit like being asked which of your children you love the most! But if I had to choose one, I’d probably say VERTIGO.
It has a special meaning for me because it was the track that really started this change in my sound. It was the point where I began exploring this new direction, but without completely letting go of the old Bárbara. You can still hear that intensity and harder side that has always been part of my music, but there are also new elements that feel more playful, dynamic and different from what I was doing before.
The production process itself was actually very natural, everything just flowed. I usually start by building the basic elements of a track without adding the vocal, because for me, finding the right vocal is often one of the hardest parts. Once I find one that really works, I finish the track around it, adjusting and arranging the other elements so everything fits together naturally.
With VERTIGO, that process was surprisingly easy. I didn’t have to overthink it or go through endless versions, everything came together quite quickly, and it was very easy to get to the final version.
Electronic music is fundamentally repetitive, physical and sensory. Why do you think that particular combination can feel so liberating for people whose brains experience the world differently?
CLTX: I think repetition can give you a kind of freedom. When the same rhythm keeps going, at some point you stop thinking about the outside world and fully enjoy the moment. You let the music guide you.
The bass, the lights, the energy, everyone dancing together. I think for people who experience the world differently, it can be a place where you don’t have to think too much or try to fit in. You can just be yourself and enjoy the moment.
That’s also what I love about rave culture. Everyone can experience the same music in a completely different way, but with connection to each other.
Why do you think humans deliberately seek altered sensory states through music? With VERTIGO exploring that feeling of stepping away from the familiar and surrendering to a new artistic identity, what do you think happens to the ego when thousands of people move to exactly the same rhythm?
CLTX: There are many reasons, but generally, I think people come to raves to escape and disconnect for a while. It’s a very unique experience, where everyone comes with a different story, a different energy, and different reasons for being there.
I think VERTIGO really represents this new euphoric sound that is becoming a big part of our current scene. It’s a very complete EP, with different influences, but everything was made with the dancefloor in mind.
I’ve been a raver myself for a long time, so I also have a lot of experience from the other side of the booth. I think that helps me understand what people can feel on the dancefloor across different styles of music.
This new, bouncier wave of trance also feels like an evolution of the trance we had in the early 2000s. It takes some of those emotions and influences, but brings them into a new era with a different energy.
“Somewhere along the way, I feel like I lost a little bit of what initially defined my sound.” — CLTX
What would happen if you stopped trying to make people dance? What else would you do?
CLTX: There are a lot of other creative worlds that interest me. I’d really love to explore acting and discover another artistic side of myself. I’ve actually already started bringing this into my own project through some of the video clips I’ve made, like ‘Heartbrok3n’.
You’re in charge of the afters. What three tracks are definitely getting played?
CLTX: I’ve definitely experienced this. (laughs) I’d go with three different moments of the afterparty:
Beginning: Marshall Jefferson, Solardo – Move Your Body
Peak time: Santana feat. The Product G&B – Maria Maria
Closing: Michael Sembello – Maniac
You’re styling yourself and Bárbara for a B2B, but the entire look has to follow one ridiculous theme. What are you choosing?
CLTX: Full 2000s rich kids on their way to a techno afterparty. Huge sunglasses, fake fur, tiny bags, way too much jewelry – zero explanation.
As you step into this new era, what’s coming next for CLTX and P/NK, and what should we be keeping an eye out for?
CLTX: Expect a lot of new music, but also different styles and influences as P/NK continues to evolve. I really want the label to be a space where we can explore different sounds without being limited to one specific genre, while always keeping the same identity and energy behind it.
I also want to give more space to newcomers and upcoming artists that I truly believe in. Discovering new talent and giving them a platform is a big part of what I want to build with P/NK, like I did with my previous label Tx Records.
And of course, expect more proper underground P/NK events around Europe, intimate spaces, carefully selected lineups, and that raw energy that represents what P/NK is about. The goal is to slowly build a real community around the label, the events, and the music.
