Fresh off the back of his success on Defected with summer hit ‘Sunshine People’ and remix of Josh Butler’s huge ‘Be Somebody’, Dario D’Attis returns, this time alongside Sven Tasnadi, with another energetic house smash. Winter might be here but title track ‘I Need’ has us dreaming of those summer nights! DMCWORLD knocks on his studio door…
Interview by Dan Prince
Dario a huge welcome to DMCWORLD. Where in the world are you at the moment?
Hi guys… thank you guys for the welcome… actually I’m back at home in Switzerland after a two week holiday in Italy with my parents.
What is the best new tune you have heard in the last 24 hours?
Vasco Rossi ‘Ogni Volta’. It’s not a house tune, it’s rock.
Exciting times for you right now thanks to your new EP collaboration with Sven Tasnadi out on DFTD. And boy does it remind us of the summer! Please talk us through the two tracks…
Yes definitely, I feel blessed to work with labels like DFTD and of course with talented artists like Sven Tasnadi. We met last year at the Rave on Snow festival and we talked about a collaboration because I played a lot of Sven’s tracks and he also liked my music. So we started to work on several tracks. ‘I Need’ was the first track we did and then came ‘Countdown’. We will definitely work on more music together in the future.
So let’s rewind for a moment. What is your earliest memory of music, do you come from a musical family?
My earliest memory is to do with my father, being a drummer and as a young kid I would sit close to my dad when he had his shows, so drums will always be with me.
How did you first encounter dance music, who were the DJs/artists that first grabbed you?
Through a Swiss Radio called Couleur 3. Djaimin and Mr Mike were the DJs who played every Saturday for this show. But also DJs like Dani König, Mandrax, Oliver Stumm are some important pioneers for me.
Was a career in music always the number one choice for you or was there another possible life path?
As a 14-year-old kid I knew that house music would be my life.
What did your family think of your choice of a life in music?
My parents supported my passion from day one. Of course we had more discussions because we all know that this kind of work needs luck and it’s not easy to make a living out of it. But I feel they’re proud about what I’ve achieved today.
Who were the key members of the Swiss scene when you were embarking on your journey?
Djaimin, Mr Mike, Dani König, Giuseppe Zanin, DJ Heinz.
What interested you the most, DJing or producing?
I really love DJing but producing is an addiction for me.
What was your first big break into the music industry?
I always made little steps…but my release ‘The Good Old Days’ on Hive Audio definitely gave me the biggest push.
Some of your favourite clubs you have loved rocking over the years?
Hive Club in Zürich, Watergate in Berlin, Katerblau in Berlin, Ministry of Sound in London.
Even though you have been releasing incredible music since 1999 which has seen you become a regular on the Swiss underground scene, it has been the last three years that you have started to attract global attention. What do you put the recent Dario explosion down to?
Since I started to work with Hive Audio, my life changed.
What are the 3 big tunes in your box this weekend…
- I just got the Leon remix of David Aurel’s forthcoming single on Hive Audio called ‘No Way Out’. I’m in love with it.
- I just finished a new track with Jinadu (singer) called ‘Dreamcatcher’… so I’m really excited to play it for the first time.
- Andhim ‘Amene’; you really need to hear this tune… African rhythms…
What has been the most satisfying achievement of 2017 for you?
I just got an email that I’m No 2 on Traxsource for the genre Tech House in 2017… this is amazing!
What is coming out from you next, studio wise?
My remix for CamelPhat & Elderbrook’s ‘Cola’ will be out very soon and a remix for Nice7 and of course my new song with Jinadu.
What is the best piece of advice you have ever given?
Love the music, respect the music, be yourself and don’t forget that we’re all humans.
And finally, Christmas is around the corner. What do you hope Santa brings you this year?
I’m living a dream right now…so I hope I’ll never wake up.
