How has your year been so far?
2019 has been so exciting thank you, so many projects to lead like my new EP for Voyeur and remixes for Supermen Lovers with the support of all these great artists like Solomun, Marco Carola, Blond:ish, Joris Voorn … so yes, with hindsight, we can say this year has been a good one so far, but I’m already working on the upcoming projects. The Supermen Lovers – Rebirth (The Remixes) (Voyeur 018):
Do you like winter or are you more of a summer person?
I was born in Corsica, and like any mediterranean, I grew up 10 minutes away from the beach. So I will always be more a summer person.. Definitely.
How did you first get into dance music?
I’m 40 years old and I’m a child of the 80’s. When I was young, I was listening to new wave radio shows all evenings, and I guess this printed my club culture too. When I was 12, I was trying to mix Technotronic songs with 2 Tape Decks … no wonder I finally fell into making electronic music a few years later.
For many years, Aix-en-Provence has been a very prolific city in the field of electronic music. To give you an idea, in 2002, I was listening to new vinyls in a shop, next to Paul Johnson and 10 minutes later, we could see other Chicago legends testing new tracks in clubs or raves. Aix is a small provincial town but it started all with early Techno Raves, and later in the 2000’s with BlackJack Records, including Kiko or Sébastien Léger, Rafael Cerato and many others. Nowadays, they managed to put this city on the world map of dance music. Look at the young Kungs: He is now ruling the EDM top 10, but I guess all that past legacy brings the younger artists to something fresh and new.
Does the weather, laid back life, great food inspire and influence you? Do you think it affects your musical spirit?
To be honest, I am convinced that everything is already inside of us: childhood, memories, and feelings. Everything deeply positive for my influences gave a sense to my music. Added to this, the weather surrounds you, and the food is delicious. No doubt it works better in those conditions, for sure.
When you wrote the Kalliste tune did you know it would be huge?
I hoped… but I never really thought it would be hammered that way. I can feel better when my unreleased edits are going to be successful but original tunes are more personal, so you have more doubts when everything is finally out. Fabrice Dayan was the first one who thought this track could have a big potential, and I remember his first reaction. He was excited and surprised because finding a track that can be played in many genres from deep to techno, “an organized disorder” he said. And that’s everything I love to bring to people. Antony Toga – Kalliste EP (Voyeur 021):
What gear did you use, what inspired it, where and when was it written?
It was at night in Corsica (« Kalliste » is the antique name of the island) with my family. Everyone was sleeping and I had insomnia. I started to work this tune on Ableton Live at midnight and I did it very fast. Kick/Bass and percussions were easy, it grooved perfectly then the track was only 50% done. Then, I bring those hypnotic loop synths, and some deep ambiences. I finished it at 3AM with just my laptop and my headphones. I kept it for a year in my computer before sending to Voyeur. Fabrice since asks me now to have more insomnia. 😉
How did it get to Solomun?
Fabrice Dayan was convinced Solomun would love this tune … so, he brought him exclusive tracks during the opening of Pacha Ibiza last summer, and then made the track travel and heard all around the world, in most of his gigs.
Have you spoken to him about it?
Never … Fabrice did. But what is simple with Solomun’s personality is that he is this kind of a man who is more in action than in words. If he likes your job, he proves it by supporting you and playing you as much as he can. For an artist, that’s more than a “thank you”, believe me.
Does big support like that add more pressure next time you go in the studio now you know so many people are listening?
Of course yes. Now, you can’t afford to do “just ok” productions. And it’s the same thing for Voyeur Music, Fabrice always focuses on promoting and releasing quality productions. When people love your job, you creat some kind of pact with them, and you feel you can’t disppoint them. Here is the deal. That’s also why “Kalliste” appears n°2 on the EP. “Discomania” appeared first on the EP because the label wanted to show I can produce other big surprising tracks.
Antony Toga – Discomania (Voyeur 021):
I hear you have an album on the way – why now? What made you want to do one?
That album project is really exciting for me. When the label discovered new demos and the field of what I’m producing, they saw some kind of “trip project”, designed more as a cinematic journey. I already have the DNA of it, but this takes me a lot of time, and all my thoughts are now focused on how to make it the right way so Voyeur and myself feel it. It’s a different exercice.
Why now ?
My father was a famous Corsican singer and he passed away 5 years ago. He made so many albums with some of the most popular songs of our region, and I felt the need to follow his steps, with my own music. I don’t know if it’s a therapy for me, or just a way to make him proud of me. What I’m sure about is this project will be tough, but I need to get there for myself, and of course for him and my beloved ones.
Will it be all dance floor tracks, or will you try different things?
DanceFloor, Downtempo, Electronica, Cinematics, Melodic techno, Acid. This album project will be a part of me with lots of influences, who will show everything I love. I guess because we are never just one thing in fact. I can’t say too much because Fabrice Dayan and I want to keep the surprise. All I can say is its more an artist album, not full length tracks to be played on stage. We think about releasing alternative versions of some tracks with side EP’s.
What else have you got coming up/are you working on?
My next Remix is coming next month, on Voyeur Music as always, for an artist named “Stylo”. The EP is named “See Myself EP” and I did a techno version of a track named “Wrong”.
This 22th EP on Voyeur is a long timework, and I feel it to be a great success. The tracks are sumptuous and get already massive supports. But I can tell you that, apparently “Wrong” remix could fit a guy called Maceo Plex … So, let’s cross fingers, and stay tuned! Stylo – See Myself EP (Inc. Antony Toga Remix) (Voyeur 022):
Grab ‘Kalliste’ EP here –
https://www.beatport.com/release/kalliste-ep/2472825
Artist Infos:
https://soundcloud.com/antonytoga
Label Infos:
https://soundcloud.com/voyeurmusic