La Famiglia

[Luca]

Dit interview is te lezen in de nieuwe m2o compilation

The passage from passion to profession – what was Gabry Ponte's rise as a DJ?
It's a gradual but also spontaneous passage. As if you pursue an aim that's not quite clear even to yourself. It starts with the first disc you mix in a small disco of your town, and the passion… well, nothing has changed. It's even stronger than ever before I'd say.

Influence and experience – myths, persons and episodes that had a share in forming Gabry Ponte
To my mind we all are a "mix" (to remain within our topic) of quite a big variety of inputs, that derive from persons who are close to us in our surroundings, who observe us, with whom we grew up, whom we confront with…
If I was to name the persons who made clear to myself what really I was searching for in my life and who even helped me indirectly to make my dreams come true – well, here they are:

1. Marco Dejana... a name that doesn't mean anything to almost all people… He worked as a DJ, just in the very same disco I started to mix at an age of 15 or 16. He was a myth, I watched him endlessly while he was working. I learnt a lot of things from him and mind – these were things that you simply can't learn in a "course for DJs"...

2. Albertino... a name that pretty well can do without any further explanation. When I came in touch with dance-music (that thrilled me a lot back then) I listened to his broadcastings on Radio Deejay and thought by myself: "This man is top notch". A few years later I met him personally and we even worked together. All the time I realized that I was completely right with my impression about him.

3. Massimo Gabutti... he took a young, inexperienced guy under his wings. Back then this young guy didn’t even know how to switch on a computer. Meanwhile he has a few Platin Discs hanging on his wall. I know Massimo for over ten years now and still we work together.

The professional DJ – what's the secret of success?
Tenacity – even beyond any imagination, a tremendous love for music, some luck and a little bit of talent.

The best and the worst aspects of being a DJ?
The DJ’s life is in the night.
NEGATIVE: If you have to run some errands, let's say IN THE MORNING at the postoffice or the bank – a nightmare!!
POSITIVE: for breakfast you can treat yourself to fresh, warm sweet rolls, just out of the oven…

Your music... How do you create a song?
There are a hundred of different ways. The cue might be an idea, some lyrics, a tune that you hear by chance or a CD that you fell in love with many years ago…

What determines the success or the failure of a hit?
There's neither a precise factor nor a formula playing a role, otherwise we all would be Number One of the top-ten. To my mind all pieces emanate a certain magic – let me put it in this way – as if a mysterious halo almost hypnotizes you when you listen to these pieces… You perceive them but you don't know what it is that makes you feel so good… the sound, the voice, the tune – who knows! When a piece has this kind of magic nothing keeps it back!

LIVE – the emotion that you experience during your live-shows… Your relationship to the audience
This is a sensation that you can't describe. You must experience it yourself. Thousands of persons that scream your name, oooh…
I get goose pimples when I think of it. And just this is a sensation that you never get used to in the course of your career, contrary to many other aspects that make up an artist's life. Even if you lived a thousand years – it would always be the same story, always the same thrilling emotion.


The clubs, the cities, the night – what's the most fascinating aspect of a DJ's life?
The most fascinating aspect of a DJ's life is… the life of the DJ… Well, all is a bit surreal, the clubs, the cities, the night… it seems to you that you take away every moment that you live on this Earth that’s sleeping outside there. Oh boy, wait a second – this is a phrase that I must remember – great to be used for some articles (let's say as an appendix to the question "How did you create this song?")

LIFE – Karma: if you were to be born again – what would you like to be?
I'm going to tell you what I WOULDN'T like to be: a warm sweet roll at six in the morning in the bar of my neighbourhood!

The instruments of a DJ?
Thumb, forefinger, middle finger, ring finger, little finger (to tell the truth you don’t use the little finger very often, but it keeps good company to the other four instruments…)

The mouse within reach – Gabry on web
Bootlegging, disco-market and music. I decided to answer the two last questions in one because the topic is that vast… and it is difficult not to fall into commonplace trivialities. I back music on the web all the way because… I'll explain myself… Look, if next week-end I head to Denmark to have two shows there and the following week-end I'll be in Spain and the other one I'll play in Prague – come on, be serious now: all the people that come to see the happening surely won't come because ALL OF THEM bought my CDs! I think there's still a very broad margin for a further development of the disco-market on line. And then – let me cry it out loud – let's look reality in the face! Times have changed, like it or lump it. Top of commonplace trivialities… Yes, but…
A month ago a lad of about 13 that was accompanied by his father, all flashing with enthusiasm, enters the study and hands me over his USB-pen containing a little try out of his abilities. "I did it at home with Nuendo" he told me. Then he looks around, points at a good, old record player "Technics SL 1210mk2" that he discovered in a shelf near the computer, all covered with dust. "What's this for?" he asked me. Let's look reality in the face!

m2o "music-pure" that is?
It's a music that is free to express itself beyond any prejudice and fashion.
Thanks to m2o,
Thanks to all the staff,
Thanks to Fabrizio and Amerigo,
Thanks to all of you.



www.gabryponte.com
www.m2o.it

[Davvero]

Can't help it, maar ik vond het echt heel leuk en interessant om te lezen...
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