Spanish DJs Belah Sánchez and Patricia “Pitty” Bernad had their own careers. But in 2021, they teamed up under the moniker Mestiza. Since then, the Spanish DJ and producer duo has been finding a growing fan base with its combination of electronic music with flamenco influences.
“We are the culture of flamenco mixed with the hypnotic energy of electronic music, creating a bridge between the ancestral and the futuristic,” their website says.
In December 2023, Mestiza released the debut album Quëreles via their independent label Sacro Music, which also reimagined flamenco traditions through a club lens. In 2025, Mestiza became the first female DJ duo to get a residency at the Hï Ibiza club on the Spanish island known as a destination for electronic music lovers.
After playing Coachella earlier this year, this fall, the women behind Mestiza are bringing their high-energy act, as part of its Sacro event series, to New York, where they will rock the Brooklyn outdoor venue Creekside – Under The K Bridge, and London, where the duo will bring its sounds to the legendary Roundhouse in Camden on Oct. 30.
THR, in an email Q&A, asked Mestiza about the duo’s history, music and aesthetics, their respect for flamenco, which comes from Andalusia in southern Spain, and what’s next for them, including a possible cinema project.
How and when did you two decide to become a duo rather than continuing your solo work?
PATRICIA “PITTY” BERNAD Before Mestiza, we had both been DJing individually for around 15 years, so we each had our own careers, experiences and musical identities. When we started working together, we quickly realized there was something much more powerful in what we could create together.
We shared a similar vision of music, while bringing different personalities and influences to it. At some point, it stopped feeling like a collaboration and started feeling like a project with its own identity. That was really the beginning of Mestiza.
Mestiza, courtesy of Jorge Foley
Can you tell me why you chose the name Mestiza, which I hear means “mixed,” and what it symbolizes? And what does “Sacro” mean and why did you choose that name for your label and events?
BELAH SÁNCHEZ Mestiza comes from the idea of mixture, which is really at the heart of everything we do. We bring together different worlds: electronic music and flamenco, tradition and modernity, our Spanish roots and a much more global sound. We liked that the name could represent all of that naturally.
Sacro means “sacred” in Spanish. When we created it, we wanted it to feel like more than just another electronic music event. There is something almost ritualistic about people gathering around music, dancing together and sharing the same energy. Sacro was born from that idea and has gradually become its own universe.
I love electronic music and have heard and enjoyed flamenco music. Why did you want to mix them?
PITTY For us, it was never about mixing flamenco and electronic music simply because it was an interesting combination. Flamenco is part of the culture we grew up surrounded by, and electronic music is the language through which we express ourselves as artists.
The interesting part for us is finding the point where those two worlds can coexist naturally. We have enormous respect for flamenco and everything it represents, so the intention has never been to disguise it or turn it into a trend. It is about taking elements from our roots and allowing them to have a conversation with contemporary electronic music. Maybe that is also why it can connect with people in completely different parts of the world, even if they haven’t grown up with flamenco.
How excited are you for your upcoming London and New York performances and the venues you get to play at?
BELAH We are incredibly excited about both shows. In London, we’ll be performing at the Roundhouse, the iconic venue in Camden where artists like Amy Winehouse, Adele and Lady Gaga have performed. Bringing Mestiza to a stage with so much history is very special for us.
Mestiza, courtesy of Leshea Lewis
In New York, we’ve played many times before, but this will be the first time we perform for such a large crowd at an outdoor venue, so it feels like a very important moment for us.
What role do fashion and style play for Mestiza? It feels like you are an “experience” that goes beyond music?
PITTY Fashion has always been another form of expression for us. We don’t really separate the music from the visual side of Mestiza – what we wear, the stage design, the lighting and the imagery are all part of the same identity. Music will always be at the center, but we love creating an entire world around it.
How key is female representation and empowerment for you and your work?
BELAH We are very proud of what we’ve achieved as two women in a scene that has historically been very male-dominated, but we also want our work to speak for itself.
Femininity is an important part of our identity, and for us, empowerment means being ambitious, being in control of our project and embracing who we are. If that inspires other women to do the same, it’s something we’re very proud of.
Mestiza at Coachella, courtesy of Mestiza
Courtesy of Mestiza
Your live shows have a reputation for being very visual. Why? And do you have any interest in making movies or series – or making music for them?
PITTY We think very visually when we create. We’re inspired by cinema, fashion, architecture and Spanish iconography, so naturally those references become part of our shows.
We both love cinema and the whole cinematic world. In fact, we’re currently involved in a project we can’t talk about yet, but there’s a possibility that Mestiza’s music might be making its way to the big screen very soon.
Is there anything else you would like to share?
BELAH Mestiza is still evolving. What started as a way of bringing our roots into electronic music has become a much bigger creative universe. We want to keep exploring that through our music, our shows and Sacro, while always staying connected to where we come from. We still feel there is so much we haven’t shown yet.