With Swiss, Italian, and Spanish roots, Carol Fernandez has built a sound shaped by culture, emotion, and years spent digging through records in her father’s shop. A longtime pillar of Zurich’s scene, she’s curated her own Love Mobile at Street Parade for over 16 years and continues to craft immersive, detail-rich sets that reflect her classical upbringing and curious creative spirit.

Now stepping further into her identity as a producer, Carol arrives on Sanctuary with ‘Whatever’ – a charged, textured single that signals an exciting new chapter (with Belben and Maxim Lany on remix duties). We caught up with her to discuss her multicultural background, the EP and working with Samer Soltan, her favourite artists of the moment, and more!

WWD: Welcome to When We Dip! With Swiss, Italian, and Spanish roots, do you feel your multicultural background naturally comes through in your sound?

Yes, definitely. I think my multicultural background shows up in my music without me even trying. Growing up around Swiss structure, Italian passion, and Spanish rhythm gave me a mix of influences that naturally blend into my sound. It’s kind of in my DNA at this point.” Also, growing up in my father’s record shop and experiencing different musical genres at a young age has really had an influence. 

WWD: You’ve curated your own Love Mobile at Street Parade for 16 years – which is wild. How has that long-term project shaped you as an artist and community builder?

Honestly, it’s shaped me in every possible way. Running a Love Mobile has taught me how to bring people together, sustain a vibe, and build something bigger than myself. It showed me that music isn’t just about playing tracks—it’s about creating a space where people feel connected. That moment at the end of the parade, when everyone comes together and you can see how much they’ve enjoyed the experience, is incredibly special. It makes all the hard work worth it. That sense of community has deeply influenced how I approach my sets and how I see myself as an artist.

WWD: Your sets are often described as immersive and textural. What elements do you feel are essential for creating that kind of experience on the dancefloor?

For me, immersion comes from layers—melodic textures, organic sounds, subtle atmospheres, and unexpected details that pull you in. I try to build a world, not just a playlist. The essential part is tension and release: giving people space to feel something, then guiding them into the next emotional color.

WWD: Your music often balances technical precision with curiosity and play. How do you keep that sense of exploration alive in the studio?

I try to enter the studio with a beginner’s mindset. Even after years of producing, I let myself follow impulses, try weird ideas, and get lost in sound. The technical side gives me structure, but curiosity is what keeps the music breathing. If I feel like I’m discovering something, I know I’m on the right path.

WWD: Congrats on your ‘Whatever’ EP! It feels emotionally charged and detail-oriented. What was the initial spark behind the track, and what mood were you trying to capture?

The initial spark came from a feeling of restlessness—almost like being caught between wanting to let go and wanting to hold on. I tried to translate that tension into sound. The mood I wanted to capture was this mix of vulnerability and resolve, where the details pull you deeper the more you listen.

WWD: When you’re building a track like ‘Whatever’, what usually comes first – emotion, sound design, rhythm, or a particular concept?

For me it almost always starts with an emotion. Once I know the feeling I’m trying to express, the sound design and rhythm naturally fall into place. With ‘Whatever’, the emotional tone came first, and everything else was shaped around that core.

WWD: What was it like hearing Maxim Lany and Belben reinterpret your work? Did any of their choices surprise you or reveal something new about the original?

It was amazing. Hearing Maxim Lany and Belben reinterpret the track felt like discovering a new dimension of my own work. They each highlighted elements I almost forgot were there. A few of their choices genuinely surprised me—in the best way—because they revealed emotions and details I didn’t realize were so central to the original.

WWD: Sanctuary framed the release as versatile – something that can live on melodic peak-time stages or moodier rooms. Where do you envision the track being played?

I love that versatility—it was intentional. I imagine the track finding its place in both contexts: it can lift a peak-time dancefloor with energy, but it also works as a more introspective moment in a moody room. For me, the spaces where it’s felt, not just heard, are what matter most.

WWD: As you step further into releasing original music, how do you want your artistic voice to evolve over the next year?

I want my voice to grow more expressive and exploratory. Over the next year, I hope to dig deeper into layers, emotions, and atmospheres that feel uniquely mine, while still staying connected to the energy and intimacy that people respond to on the dancefloor. I really enjoyed working with Samer Soltan on this track as it pulled me out of my comfort zone and showed me the different directions I can go in with my own music.

WWD: Is there a sound or genre you haven’t explored yet but feel pulled toward?

I’ve been feeling drawn toward more experimental ambient and cinematic sounds lately—textures that let me explore space and emotion in a different way. It’s less about dancefloor energy and more about creating immersive worlds.

WWD: Who are some emerging artists that inspire you or that you’ve discovered through your work with the scene?

I’m really into what Planet Caravan is doing, both in his DJ and live sets. Also loving just about everything that Predex is releasing on my friend Elif’s label, Marginalia. Belben, of course, is amazing and I’m getting to know his music better since he did the remix for us and I love the vibe of Filipa Lazary. Felipe Puertes.. can’t get enough of his track ‘Dope Shit’ which is in my When We Dip Mix and can’t wait to hear what he releases next. Oh and for a Latin touch, another Zurich based newcomer I’m following is Silvsoul.

WWD: What’s one thing you hope listeners feel when they hear your music in 2026?

I hope listeners feel a sense of connection—whether that’s to the music, to themselves, or to the moment. I want the tracks to create a space and an energy where people can feel fully present, free and lost in emotion.

WWD: Mission accomplished! Thanks for the chat 🙂 

The ‘Whatever’ EP is available here