Mau P at Pacha: Baddest Behaviour

On a late-summer Wednesday under Pacha’s cherries, Ibiza Live Radio sat down with Dutch hitmaker Mau P ahead of his Baddest Behaviour residency. From the family studio that shaped his childhood to the global blast-off of “Drugs From Amsterdam,” Mau P unpacks the origin story, the craft, and what it means to steer one of Ibiza’s most talked-about residencies.

Mau P : “Making music is supposed to be like magic, when the song almost produces itself.”

ILR: For readers who might not know your backstory, where did you grow up and how did music first enter your life?
Mau P: I’m from near Amsterdam close to the city but not in it, so my childhood was pretty peaceful. My dad’s a musician, and the house I grew up in had a recording studio. That definitely shaped me to become a DJ and musician too.

ILR: Do you remember your first spark with electronic music?
Mau P: Honestly, video games. People would upload gameplay videos with dance tracks, and that sent me down a rabbit hole. Skrillex was one of the first artists I got into, then Swedish House Mafia and Alesso. I just wanted to be like them, so I started making music that sounded like what they made.

ILR: Take us to the moment things really changed.
Mau P: The breakthrough was “Drugs From Amsterdam.” I’d just changed my name from Maurice West to Mau P, and it was the first song I released under that name. It’s done 200–300 million streams now, which is crazy. I never expected it and maybe that’s why it worked.

ILR: Touring or producing, originals or remixes - and if you could pick a dream back-to-back, who would it be?

Mau P: Producing is my core, especially originals, even though I’m always on the road. And if I could choose one B2B, it would be with Carl Cox.

ILR: How would you describe your creative process today?
Mau P: It’s always a bit of a battle with yourself. I tend to overthink. The best times are when the magic happens and the track kind of writes itself. But a lot of times I aim for one thing and end up somewhere completely different. For me it’s different every time, you can’t pin it down to one formula.

ILR: 2025 has been a big year for you. What sits at the top of the highlight reel?
Mau P: This Pacha residency for sure, and Coachella, where I played both weekends and a lot of people saw the set, plus the moments that lived online afterward. I also played Awakenings, which was a dream; I went there as a fan when I was 18, so it was a real full-circle moment. And the year’s not over yet.

ILR: What does being part of the Pacha family mean to you?
Mau P: It’s an honor. So many of the greats have played here, and some still do have residencies. To be invited to curate my own night, lineup, branding, production is amazing. I was scared at first because it’s a big responsibility, but now that we’re in it, it feels incredible.

ILR: How would you define the Baddest Behaviour vibe?
Mau P: It’s open. Come as you are, dress how you like, feel what you feel. I play what I love, and the connection with the crowd decides where we go. Every night ends up different because of the guests we bring in. Last week I went back-to-back with Seth Troxler, which was so much fun, and totally different from the week before with Mitagami and Patrick. Everyone brings their own energy, and when it merges, you get these beautiful moments.

Mau P : "Come as you are, the journey finds you."

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We caught Mau P minutes before showtime at Pacha - calm, focused, and ready to let the room write the script. Baddest Behaviour morphs with its guests: one week Nic Fanciulli, Mano Le Tough and Henrik Schwarz; another Seth troxler, WhoMadeWho with Jan Blomqvist; then BLOND:ISH with SALLY C, Franc Fala, or heavy hitters like Mind Against and Innellea, all building toward a closing burst with Kölsch, Jimi Jules and Ben Sterling

Dates (2025): Wednesdays, until the 01. October at Pacha Ibiza.

Tickets available via Pacha’s official site

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‍_{Words: Zvjezdana Lastre for Ibiza Live Radio}