Three superstars from the Paris hierachy doin’ it their way – they’re Circoloco
Interview : Dan Prince
Dan, Shonky, Dyed welcome to DMCWORLD. As you say, three musical brothers from another mother – Apollonia is one of the most exciting new group’s to have hit dance music in quite a while. The whole playing back to back set is nothing new for you guys though, you’ve been doing this for years right?
“Yes we’ve been friends and DJing together for 10 years now. We’ve always loved playing together back-to-back unofficially at the after party. That’s one of the reasons why Apollonia has such a natural synergy, we aim to be one artist behind the decks.”
I was lucky enough to be on the dancefloor at Circoloco at the reopening/closing party after DC10 had been shut down. We were just expecting Dan to be playing, then all of a sudden Dyed walks in. What was all that about?
Dan: “We had spent all summer in Ibiza with no DC10, so that unique one-off date was very important for us. As you can imagine it’s not easy to get your first booking at DC10, and the day before the party I was on such a high about it happening that I just asked Antonio and Andrea to trust me and let me introduce a new artist…being Dyed. I was pretty sure that we would do a good job together and the set was great…and they gave him straight away a residency for the next year.”
How hard have the politics of Ibiza hit Apollonia – I would have thought you would have loved to have played at Sankeys?
“For years the only place for underground music was DC10 and Cocoon, and in the last 2 years it’s become more widespread amongst other clubs, and this summer especially it’s the main genre on the island. Some DJs like to play all the clubs to get maximum exposure, but Apollonia for this summer at least will only be at DC10 as it’s a big part of our identity.”
Ibiza has certainly changed in recent years, gone are the days of glamour and the UK’s ‘circuit DJs’. It’s all about the music now – you must feel great how the island has changed?
“It’s true it’s a lot about the music but the reality is it’s not about the music, it’s about big names. Ibiza has always been pretty commercial, and this is a fact of Ibiza.”
You are in Ibiza and have a night off. What club and DJ do we find you enjoying?
“There’s so many new parties, Jamie Jones presents Paradise, Richie Hawtin ENTER, Marco Carola Music On, to name a few…”
August 10/11 sees Circoloco back in Birmingham for another incredible weekend at the Rainbow Warehouse. This is one party not to be missed right?
Dan: “I played last year and I have to say it was one of my favourite sets in the UK, everything was just perfect – production, soundsytem, the crowd, and of course the location!”
The mere sight of the Circoloco logo in the UK gets our clubbers running for tickets. What is it about Circoloco that sends shivers down your spine?
“For those that have experienced Circoloco at DC10 it’s the memories of such amazing parties and wanting to relive that all over again. For those that haven’t been, it’s wanting to know what all the fuss is about!”
Your new and debut EP ‘Trinidad’ is available now through Beatport. Talk us through the EP…
“Yes it’s the Apollonia debut, out now on digital but also importantly vinyl! We made the tracks earlier this year during a 6-week lock down studio session in Berlin and they are also included in our new ‘fabric 70’ compilation.”
July 20th sees you back in London for the Fabric Compilation Release Party. Talk us through the album you have created, how more difficult was it compiling with three heads stirring the pot?
“Obviously we were honored when we were approached by Fabric…we started by each making a shortlist of our top tracks, then made a final selection by only including the tracks that all three of us loved. It’s actually better with three heads, three times the quality control!”
What tracks are you especially pleased to have included on the mix?
“Firstly ‘Callisto’, we did it as a tribute as he sadly passed away earlier this year. ‘Need Ur Love’ is a classic that we’ve fallen back in love with and is back at the top of our record bags. And then more than the tracks is the mixing of Eduardo De La Calle ‘The Guy From Hackney’ and Mood 2 Swing ft John Ciafone ‘Ohhh’… it’s a brand new track mixed with a very old skool one, they fit perfectly together, and it’s a good representation of what we try to do with Apollonia.”
You took some time off to do some serious studio work amidst your hectic schedules. What is coming out next from you guys?
“The plan is to work on an Apollonia LP right after the season in Ibiza is over. Some tracks are already ready and the summer is the perfect time to work on the concept of the album. Schedule wise there is no choice, we’re not going to take any gigs on Thursdays or Sundays to be able to work 5 days a week on the album.”
And what are the next release plans from the label via other artists?
“Next up there the repress of Callisto ‘Need Ur Love’, and following that a repress of Kerri Chandler’s ‘Sunday Sunlight’ with a remix by Delano Smith. And probably a Shonky EP in between.”
You christened the trio Apollonia due to a mutual love for the Minneapolis purple don. From Controversy, The Revolution, Purple Rain, Sign O The Times, The New Power Generation, The Gold Experience, Musicology, Planet Earth and LOtUSFLOW3R, Prince Rogers Nelson has always kept us on our toes. Is there one specific era though that you REALLY love – and what did you mean when you once said you “were modern Prince fans”?
“More than being fans of Prince, it was the idea of the Minneapolis Sound that was interesting to us – the combination of white soul and black music. This inspired our modern incarnation of this idea.”
All of you, tell us your favourite Prince tune?
“Apollonia 6 – Sex Shooter J.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wy9OF6UFOhw
What is going to be the biggest tune for you this weekend?
“We can share one of our bombs…
Terrence Dixon ‘Beat-Knotweed’…”
The plan for Apollonia is to have some fun for a few years and see where it goes. Do you feel like a band now?
“For sure we travel together, we live together, we party together…and right now our biggest focus is working on Apollonia and the new LP.”
You have played your back to back sets for years now, you must have some form of idea what the other guy is going to spin next – what happens when one of you throws a curve ball?
“The amazing thing is there often comes a point when two of us wanna play the exact same track at the same time…but we try to surprise each other by bringing new records to the table, otherwise it would be very boring.”
The Paris club scene seems to be doing really well at the moment. Where are some of the hot spots right now?
“Yes Paris is back, there’s loads of promoters bringing the underground scene back to life – Concrete, Sundae, Katapult…”
And finally. How do you feel about being known as the Paris Techno Mafia?
“If that’s what people are saying, we think it’s cool!”
www.facebook.com/ApolloniaMusic
http://www.youtube.com/user/ApolloniaMusic
TYPE FESTIVAL & Circo Loco in the Arena
Saturday August 10th & Sunday August 11th 2013 @ The Rainbow, Birmingham.
Featuring Jamie Jones, Seth Troxler, Carl Craig, Maceo Plex, Davide Squillace, Mathias Tanzmann, Cassy, Kerri Chandler, System of Survival, Dyed Soundorom, Dan Ghenacia, Shonky, Tania Vulcano, The Martinez Brothers, Tale Of Us, Sossa, Prosumer, Kim Ann Foxman , Levon Vincent, John Heckle (Live) , San Soda, Citizen, Joy Orbison, Move D and Adam Shelton & Subb An.
http://therainbowvenues.eventgenius.co.uk/events/TYPE-Present-Cir/index.html
https://www.facebook.com/circolocoarena
https://twitter.com/circolocoarena