Barely Human.
Feeling before perfection.
Paul and Pascal on “Don’t Talk”, voices with character and the friendships behind their sound.
In conversation with Paul and Pascal · Barely Human
An observation on the dancefloor becomes a track. Two different ideas find a shared direction. For Barely Human, music begins when something sparks a feeling. Paul and Pascal explain why vocals complete their productions, how they find a thread through a DJ set and why the Salzburg scene means much more to them than shared events.
Barely Human is the Austrian DJ and production duo of Paul and Pascal. Their sets connect indie dance and tech house with peak-time techno influences. This written interview took place in October 2026. All answers were given jointly by both members.
A statement with a wink
“Don’t Talk” is your first release on Buden Musik. What was the very first idea behind the track?
The original idea for “Don’t Talk” really did come straight from the dancefloor. We kept seeing people who seemed to spend the whole evening on the floor talking to their friends rather than actually moving to the music. Of course, everyone should have fun and do what they enjoy, but sometimes it does get on our nerves a bit.
At some point, that gave us the idea of making a track about it. Since we already like working with vocals in our productions, it felt natural to pick up that thought and turn it into music. What began as a wink and a little frustration gradually became a concrete concept: a track that moves forward musically but also carries a clear message.
Of course, “Don’t Talk” isn’t meant to be taken too seriously. The title is a small, deliberately provocative dig at everyone who would rather have endless conversations on the dancefloor than let the music carry them away. For us, club culture also means letting go, enjoying the moment and immersing yourself in the music together.
In the end, “Don’t Talk” became exactly what we had in mind: a direct statement with a wink, hopefully making a few people smile and perhaps pause their next conversation for a moment and just dance again.
The voice has to grab us
For your first gig together, you made your own intro using a spoken-word sample. What does a voice need to have to make you want to build a track around it?
Actually, the question is quite easy to answer: the vocals simply have to grab us. It doesn’t really matter whether it’s a spoken-word sample, a striking phrase or something else entirely. If a voice or a particular vibe catches us, we want to work with it and see what can grow out of it musically.
Vocals are definitely part of our productions. They give a track character, carry emotion and can make it something quite distinctive. In our eyes, they are what truly complete a Barely Human track and make it what it is meant to be.
Perhaps a little invitation to the readers, too: if you’d like to record a unique vocal sample with us, get in touch.
There’s a reason our production motto is “Feeling before perfection.”
Feeling before perfection
When you disagree on a musical idea, how do you find a direction that works for both of you?
I think the most important thing is that we give each other room for our ideas and don’t try to make everything perfect from the start. When two people work on music together, each brings their own ideas and approach. Sometimes we agree immediately; sometimes our opinions differ. Then we simply try different approaches and see what works best musically. Often, two different ideas lead to something neither of us would have come up with alone. We don’t want to restrict ourselves too much or cling to a particular idea when making music. What matters in the end is that we both stand behind the result and that it feels right to us as Barely Human. There’s a reason our production motto is “Feeling before perfection.”
A thread beyond genre boundaries
You move between indie dance and tech house. In a DJ set, what makes a good transition between those two worlds for you?
For us, it’s mainly about the feeling and energy a track brings. We don’t like tying ourselves to a particular genre and enjoy taking inspiration from different influences. Indie dance often brings a certain atmosphere and a character of its own, while tech house is very much about groove and pressure for us. Later in the night, peak-time techno influences are welcome too, when it’s time to take the energy to another level.
What interests us is connecting these different elements so that a natural thread emerges. A transition doesn’t always have to be as technically complicated as possible. It’s far more important that the tracks come together at the right moment and pick up on the mood of the dancefloor or push it forward. We make a lot of decisions by instinct and try to respond to people’s energy. In the end, it should feel like our own sound rather than a collection of different genres.
Friendship as a shared foundation
Which encounter within the Salzburg scene has helped you move forward most as a duo?
We spend a lot of time around Tiefdruck and Green Tea Techno in Salzburg, as well as Kulturleinwand in the Innergebirg region. These are important points of connection for us within the scene, with which we have strong musical and personal ties. It has long been about more than shared events or a love of electronic music: it’s also about the friendships that have developed over time and now form an important part of our shared foundation.
We think that’s exactly what makes a scene: exchanging ideas, inspiring each other, supporting one another’s projects and spending time together away from clubs and dancefloors too. Those connections lead to new ideas, opportunities and often friendships that reach far beyond music. For us, that personal exchange is at least as important as the music itself. We’re glad to be surrounded by so many inspiring people who not only share our passion, but with whom we can also make things happen and help shape the local scene.
Barely Human
Interview by email · Editorial and image art direction: SCENE:ID. © patrickbliem.com · SCENE:ID Farbgestaltung