23.6.11
14.6.11
16.5.11
MARCELLO GIORDANI
Marcello Giordani is a music producer, DJ and a vinyl collector. Owner of "Italo Deviance" blog and label, he will be in Athens on Friday 20th of May at Skull Bar to give us the best of italo disco sounds. Along with Marcello, Freddy G from Pearl Flash and Methi will give their best for an unforgetable night on the dancefloor.
1. When did you start djing?
I started in 1992 at mycousin’s house.
2. Tell us a few words about “Italo Deviance”.
Italo Deviance started for fun in a cold morning on October 2008. I checked my “Disco” folder on my Mac and the thousand vinyls in my collection and I thought:”Why don’t share all these online?”
3. How would you describe your sound?
My sound is a mix from Classic and Electronic Disco, I love arpeggios, synth basses and Disco beat. I dig records everyday and my taste is continuously influenced by new sounds.
4. What is the ideal party for you?
My ideal party is when the people smile.
5. What should we expect from your dj set in Athens?
My sound is very eclectic, I play from Chicago House, Boogie, Garage Disco to Italo/Euro Disco ideally from ‘76 to ‘83. I describe my sets very warm and funny for a real “party situation” : )
6. What are your future plans?
I’m gonna release two records within summer also the Italo Deviance Vol.4 and the new SuperSonic Lovers.
I’m also fixin’ my new tour dates….available soon.
11.3.11
MATT MORODER
Matt Moroder, also known as Mikrodizko, is invited by Mirage team for their "anger" party on Saturday the 19th of March at Yoga Bala. Matt knows how to mix fluently disco, italo, early house music and afro beats. He also owns "Little Leaf" label and his "Glossy" project is fully respected from all producers and DJs in the disco scene. 1. How did you get involved with music?
- My parents had a versatile record collection when I was a little kid, including Stones, Beatles, Santana, Space's "Magic Fly" album and Kraftwerk's "Mensch-Machine". Us, kids were allowed to use the stereo and the records from an early age and so we listened to all this stuff while playing with our toys. I guess that had a big impact on me. In the mid-nineties, I started DJing in the golden era of hip hop and started to dig the funk soul and jazz essentials. Sampled by my favourite artists like A.T.C.Q, Pharcyde, etc.
2. What is so fascinating to you about making edits?
- Rap music was the first club music I fell in love with, so I'm still fascinated by the concept of using and sampling parts from tracks and put them in a new context. It is still and always will be an artform to me.
3. You became really known with "Glossy". Tell us a few words about it.
- It was just a spontaneous idea to play around with some samples and acapellas in 2006. I did this with a friend who had been already into producing music now known as Tensnake. We did a Space remix got played by Gilles Patterson on BBC, after that we had to do a "b-side" to put it on wax and it went pretty good. It turned out people liked the b-side much more ("Try Try"), so never underestimate the b-side, kids!
4. Now you have a new label called "Little Leaf". What's different now and what kind of artists are you looking for?
- "Little Leaf" is following the idea of Glossy, but much more sophisticated. The dancefloor is not the number one priority. With the first two releases we not even crossed the 110 bpm mark. Also, I am not interested in just choping up dance hits, that already work on the floor for 30 years. I am more fascinated for example, by using tracks and samples that on first sight don't work in the club context, like the "Porque te vas" edit by Nelue or taking a ballad and put it in a new context like Erobique did. I am searching for stuff like this. I love boogie and disco, but why don't try folk, rock, afro, whatever you can find? Also, the artwork is very important to me as a vinyl addict. How should I show my dad or grandma what I do? A record sleeve is something they know, they can touch and watch it. How do you touch a soundfile? It has no body, no visual life at all. The "Little Leaf" artwork is done by a really talented and upcoming illustrator from Hamburg, Anna Verhoja. She always listen to the tracks for a few days and after that we meet and discuss the visual concept before she starts drawing and painting. Analogue again, hahaha...
5. Which is the best thing you've ever experienced through DJing?
- Definitely travelling and meeting interesting people all over the world. So far I've played in the US, France, Austria, Netherlands, Australia and Germany of course. The weirdest gig/place I played so far, was an illegal rave at the end of the nineties in a cave formely used by the nazis for manufacturing parts of the V2 missiles in WW2. A really morbid and special place.
6. Do you admire any greek artists?
- Yes of course, Vangelis is a legend. I bought the "Blade Runner" soundtrack when I was a kid and I can still listen to it. Demis Roussos did some serious disco tracks but I also admire directors and movies from Greece by Nikos Nikolaidis, Costa Gavras, Giorgos Lanthimos. I am a big fan of the cinema I have to admit.
7. What is inpiration to you?
- That can be everything that touches me. A person, a place, a vibe, art... just everything!
8. What are your future plans?
- Keep the "Little Leaf" growing and contributing my small to save the vinyl. Soundfiles don't have a b-side you can discover!
9. What can really make you angry and what is usually your reaction?
- Intolerance and betrayal! Reaction: I let karma do its work, but maybe some ANGER comes up too...
10. What should we expect from you at the Mirage party in Athens?
- A unique journey into sound that will move your bodies and put a smile on the faces of the Athens people.
Listen to Matt Moroder's music here.
4.2.11
BLACK DEVIL DISCO CLUB
The Devil is magnetic. He invites us in his crazy circus, that is the brand new album of Monsieur Bernard Fevre, known as Black Devil Disco Club.
The year starts for Black Devil Disco Club witha brand new release. We've already listened to "My Screen" from the upcoming album "Circus". What should we expect from this album?
"Yes, there's a new Black Devil Disco Club coming out on Aprin 11th. I believe it's a very surprising one. I hope you'll be surprised too. It's called CIRCUS and I am proud of it!"
Are there any other collaborations except Nicolas Ker?
"The first extract of CIRCUS was called "My Screen" and featured Nicolas Ker from french new wave rockers Poni Hoax. It was a very eary collaboration as we both live in Paris. I had composed the track and also had some ideas for lyrics. he came to my place, and after a short time he came up with some words which fit perfectly. It's weird, sexy, scary, with a strange sense of humour. There's also pretty wild backing vocals from his lovely girlfriend. Then Pierre Dejon, a promising young director from Paris, came along with the idea of music video, shot in Paris by night with 4 characters. It's a bit like Videodrome of David Cronenberg. I love it. The Sauvage and Sal P from Liquid Liquid did two remixes, which are really different from the original but very groovy. For the rest of the record, there are some really cool guests as well. Some are famous, some are not. Each one is part of this crazy circus, but I remain the ringmaster. I am Black Devil in case you were doubting!
When is the next single coming out?
"The second single will be with Cocknbullkid, a young girl from UK, produced by Metronomy. I did a remix for them a while ago. Danger and Monkpoof made remixes for this single. It'll be out at the end of April I believe... The way Anita (aka Cocknbullkid) sings these lyrics, reminds me the cover of the 1978 record I did. A sexy black devil girl smiling. Scary but attractive."
Why did you choose the name "Circus"?
"As I said, CIRCUS is a record with guests. I'm the boss, the MC, the ringmaster. Everyone performs in the arena and remains under the influence of Black Devil. It's simple as that, ni exception. It's a kind of dictature... I'm kidding! Well, not really actually. In the artwork, once again designed by Non Format, you can see a "circus". It's maybe more a pop album than the previous, but still the "devil is magnetic", as the last song suggests. This sound is in my soul and I still compose and produce the way I used to. Some parts of my work have been helped by technology, but basically, I try to find new tricks in my brain, which is a strange world sometimes..."
Your first release was in 1978 and is extremely hard to find. Tell us a few words about that record. What was your inspiration for that extremely different sound?
"I wanted to do a new kind of disco, unconventional, more wild, more visual, less cheap or vulgar. I've always been a fan of black american music from the 60s plus the Beatles as well. Chopi, Ravel, Wilson Pickett, Damia, Yvette Guilbert... I could spend hours. Anyway, I also loved some french music from the 30s till 50s and some cinema, mostly french and italian, and of course some sci-fi stuff from the 60s. Utopia and stress at the same time."
How was your life and what were you doing between 1978 and 2004 when "Disco Club" was re-issued?
"I used to be in love. In love with the girl, with life, with the world, with friendship, with french wine and cuisine. Life seemed easy, soft and not as expensive as now. I used to go out in clubs like "Le Bus Paladium", "Le Rock 'n' Roll Circus", "La Bulle", "Le Gibus", "Le Palace" and some others everyone forgot. After the failure of my 1978 record, I was kinda depressed and I thought I could only make music as a craftsman to survive, not as an artist. I did some production, some commercials, radio jingles... till 2006. I thought Black Devil was definitely dead, but after some magic, I did this record "28 After" back in 2006, which took me almost two years of writing and producing. It took me some time to recover my skills and bring back old images I had in mind. But, I made it! I'm a working man!"
How did you start your relationship with music?
"When I was 5 years old I was playing with my two hands on every keyboard I would see, so my parents bought me some classic music lessons, which I've never liked, but then, I discovered rock 'n' roll, and that was mind-blowing. Back in the time, I was working in a factory, so it took me 3 years to buy my first keyboard, just before my military service in 1965. I also had the chance to meet a jazzman, who taught me a lot of things. Still useful more than 40 years after. Pretty good investment!"
What are your future plans?
"I really don't know. It depends. if CIRCUS is a failure, then I'll wait 28 years to make another come back. :)"
The year starts for Black Devil Disco Club witha brand new release. We've already listened to "My Screen" from the upcoming album "Circus". What should we expect from this album?
"Yes, there's a new Black Devil Disco Club coming out on Aprin 11th. I believe it's a very surprising one. I hope you'll be surprised too. It's called CIRCUS and I am proud of it!"
Are there any other collaborations except Nicolas Ker?
"The first extract of CIRCUS was called "My Screen" and featured Nicolas Ker from french new wave rockers Poni Hoax. It was a very eary collaboration as we both live in Paris. I had composed the track and also had some ideas for lyrics. he came to my place, and after a short time he came up with some words which fit perfectly. It's weird, sexy, scary, with a strange sense of humour. There's also pretty wild backing vocals from his lovely girlfriend. Then Pierre Dejon, a promising young director from Paris, came along with the idea of music video, shot in Paris by night with 4 characters. It's a bit like Videodrome of David Cronenberg. I love it. The Sauvage and Sal P from Liquid Liquid did two remixes, which are really different from the original but very groovy. For the rest of the record, there are some really cool guests as well. Some are famous, some are not. Each one is part of this crazy circus, but I remain the ringmaster. I am Black Devil in case you were doubting!
When is the next single coming out?
"The second single will be with Cocknbullkid, a young girl from UK, produced by Metronomy. I did a remix for them a while ago. Danger and Monkpoof made remixes for this single. It'll be out at the end of April I believe... The way Anita (aka Cocknbullkid) sings these lyrics, reminds me the cover of the 1978 record I did. A sexy black devil girl smiling. Scary but attractive."
Why did you choose the name "Circus"?
"As I said, CIRCUS is a record with guests. I'm the boss, the MC, the ringmaster. Everyone performs in the arena and remains under the influence of Black Devil. It's simple as that, ni exception. It's a kind of dictature... I'm kidding! Well, not really actually. In the artwork, once again designed by Non Format, you can see a "circus". It's maybe more a pop album than the previous, but still the "devil is magnetic", as the last song suggests. This sound is in my soul and I still compose and produce the way I used to. Some parts of my work have been helped by technology, but basically, I try to find new tricks in my brain, which is a strange world sometimes..."
Your first release was in 1978 and is extremely hard to find. Tell us a few words about that record. What was your inspiration for that extremely different sound?
"I wanted to do a new kind of disco, unconventional, more wild, more visual, less cheap or vulgar. I've always been a fan of black american music from the 60s plus the Beatles as well. Chopi, Ravel, Wilson Pickett, Damia, Yvette Guilbert... I could spend hours. Anyway, I also loved some french music from the 30s till 50s and some cinema, mostly french and italian, and of course some sci-fi stuff from the 60s. Utopia and stress at the same time."
How was your life and what were you doing between 1978 and 2004 when "Disco Club" was re-issued?
"I used to be in love. In love with the girl, with life, with the world, with friendship, with french wine and cuisine. Life seemed easy, soft and not as expensive as now. I used to go out in clubs like "Le Bus Paladium", "Le Rock 'n' Roll Circus", "La Bulle", "Le Gibus", "Le Palace" and some others everyone forgot. After the failure of my 1978 record, I was kinda depressed and I thought I could only make music as a craftsman to survive, not as an artist. I did some production, some commercials, radio jingles... till 2006. I thought Black Devil was definitely dead, but after some magic, I did this record "28 After" back in 2006, which took me almost two years of writing and producing. It took me some time to recover my skills and bring back old images I had in mind. But, I made it! I'm a working man!"
How did you start your relationship with music?
"When I was 5 years old I was playing with my two hands on every keyboard I would see, so my parents bought me some classic music lessons, which I've never liked, but then, I discovered rock 'n' roll, and that was mind-blowing. Back in the time, I was working in a factory, so it took me 3 years to buy my first keyboard, just before my military service in 1965. I also had the chance to meet a jazzman, who taught me a lot of things. Still useful more than 40 years after. Pretty good investment!"
What are your future plans?
"I really don't know. It depends. if CIRCUS is a failure, then I'll wait 28 years to make another come back. :)"
More info about Black Devil Disco Club you can find here.
9.12.10
DAVID VUNK
David Vunk is a really respected and talented producer and DJ. Apart from that, he owns "Moustache Records" label and he is one of the top artists in Dutch scene. He will be in Athens on Friday the 17th of December at Yoga Bala. Mirage team invited him and he will play along with Technicolor and... me.
How and when did your relationship with music start?
"My dad is a musician, who made a 14-weeks number one hit, wrote and produced many records since the 60s on very big labels such as Polygram and EMI, to name a few, so, I grew up with it. I always liked collecting music when I was a young kid. In 1990, I met a friend who had 2 turntables and 1 year later I was already playing on small illegal parties."
How would you describe your sound?
"A good record is a good record, from pop italo disco till house and techno, it has to be for the dancefloor. I always want to play a high dancable set... Smooth, mean and sexy... Mixing skills are also really important to me."
What are your influences and what is an inspiration to you?
"My family (especially my father inspired me a lot), but also my friends who are also in music business. Some inspired me as a DJ and some as a producer."
Tell us about your label "Moustache Records". How did you come up with the name?
"I always saw men with moustaches on the sleeves of disco records... So, I thought that is a good name... :)"
What is an ideal party for you?
"Where the sweat falls down from the ceiling."
What are your future plans?
"Pushing my new sublabels from Moustache Records division, dj-ing, producing some nice 12 inches... about the same, as always!"
How do you feel about playing in Athens and what should we expect from you that night?
"It's my first time in Athens! So, I'm really looking forward to it... You can expect all kinds of dancemusic. Ola and new music, from disco to italo to house and of course, some unreleased material from the secret Moustache records vaults..."
More info about Moustache Records
Event on Facebook
More info about Mirage
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