Luca Cazal

We’re seeing double on the dancefloor as Luca’s incredible year continues. Exclusive interview

Interview : Rob Chadwick


Rob: Its been a really busy Autumn for you what with solo work and collaborations and all the things with the label etc. Lets kick off with Double Drop and the re-release of ‘Lucio’. How was that been?

Luca: “Yeah its good, its coming out today I think. As soon as we announced we were re-releasing it everyone was buzzing but obviously a lot of people like that track and I think it is going to go well. We are going to press 300 at first and then maybe in a few months do some downloads.”

Rob: And rumour has it there is also a sub-label is that right? See Double?

Luca: “Haha yeah we dont know if we are going to stick with the name See Double but thats the name we have got for it at the moment, but we have got the 3 releases ready to go.”

Rob: Can you tell us about those yet?

Luca: “Yeah the first release is going to be collaboration with Laurie Dunsten who is the mastering engineer and one of the unsung heroes of the London scene. He masters all the Crosstown, Number 19 and Visionquest records (and many more). He used to be a big Acid Techno producer back in the 90s. He had a label called ‘Pounding Groovesand he is a demon on the 303 and anything analog so we recorded a couple of Acid tracks in his studio, it was really fun. So yeah that is going to be the first release. Its called ‘Housewives on LSD.It has a sample from a video I found on YouTube. It was a test they did on housewives back in the 50’s, they gave them LSD for the first time, haha and these ladies had never taken acid before or any drugs and then they just love it! So we just sampled what they say and then put a big acid line underneath it.”

Rob: Thats ace that sounds really cool. So I know you played a live set at DC10 over the summer that hadnt been done there for quite some time. I hear you kept it quite nice and simple with the music.

Luca: “Yeah whenever you play on the terrace you kind of have to keep it quite simple, as the melodies can get lost out there and its all about the beats and the energy. It might have looked simple but it definitely wasnt simple in reality! Hahaha…”

Rob: Yeah sure of course.

Luca: “It took a fairly long time to put together and we were using everything that we had set up in the booth.”

Rob: Last time somebody played there live like that was Mathew Johnson you said?

Luca: “Yeah Mathew Johnson played there a few years ago but apparently he had some technical issues.”

Rob: I heard he played in Fabric in a rabbit suit or something?

Luca: “He did play in a rabbit suit. It was my favourite, Mathew is one of my biggest influences as an electronic music artist!”

Rob: The ‘Invisible CitiesEP is coming back with some very special artwork is that right?

Luca: “Yeah Brigantes father was a painter and he made these really realistic paintings land they literally look like photographs. They are so beautiful. So we are going to use those for the Double Drop record sleeves.”

Rob: With the second EP, ‘Invisible Cities 2is that going to be remixes of EP 1 and some new material?

Luca: “For EP 2 there are going to be 3 or 4 releases before that on Double Drop. Weve just signed a really interesting record by Jana Kirschner produced by Eddie Stevens who used to play keys in Moloko they are two quirky cosmic tracks, one of them is sung in Slovak, her native language , I must say we’re all really excited about this record.”

Rob: I know you are heavy on your equipment, whats your latest studio gift you have bought yourself?

Luca: “The last thing I bought is an SE1X Studio Electronics synthesizer, which I bought from Ryan Crosson who lives in the same building as me so yeah Ive been enjoying that.”

Rob: So obviously with Infinity Ink, is there anything going on with that right now?

Luca: “Yeah there is, we have just made some music with a singer called Yasmin. Shes a DJ, singer and a radio presenter for Rinse FM and shes a really cool girl. I met her through my publisher. She came in the studio and she is just really easy to work with and sang on 3 tracks.”

Rob: Just moving back to summer slightly, what was your tune of the summer? Any track that has stood out to you that has made the party?

Luca: “There is a track that I made called ‘Mayathat is going to come out on the sub-label and Ive been playing it all summer and its pretty much had the best reaction of all the tracks Ive been playing. In terms of somebody elses tracks, probably ‘Lose Your Mind’ by Dungeon Meat.“

Rob: Yeah I know that one. Thats a great track! So also with the festivals, have you had any stand out festivals this summer?

Luca: “Stand out festival probably Glastonbury, I love that place!”

Rob: Yeah always big! In terms of Ibiza, I know Hot Creations did some amazing after parties and they must have been incredible and one of the highlights of Ibiza yeah?

Luca: “Yeah there have been a few amazing after parties after Paradise and they all kind of blur into one!! Hahaha!! Yeah the last one was really good, the closing after party was a great night!”

Rob: The last few weeks you have been pretty much all over the world really, do you find you have to change your music in any way for different crowds?

Luca: Yeah absolutely I change my music for the crowds I play for and the countries I play in and whether Im playing on my own or whether Im playing as Infinity Ink. Im not one of those DJs that has one particular sound. I play across the board. I like to mix it up and I like to play what I think is needed at the time. Thats what Ive always tried to do. Im inspired by people like Craig Richards, Andrew Weatherall and Ivan Smagghe and people like that. You can hear them play a disco set one day and then a techno set the next day depending on where they play.

Rob: Yeah moving on to that, obviously the DJ Top 100 poll just came out. What are your thoughts on that?

Luca: “As far as I know that is more for the EDM kind of scene isnt it?”

Rob: Yeah of course. Do you think they should split it up or have different genre groups?

Luca: “Well I just think its a chart of the most famous DJs and definitely not a chart of the best DJs. So I think its bullshit basically! Hahaha…”

Rob: Haha yeah I just wanted to get your thoughts on it. Also is it true that you have a fishing hobby?

Luca: “Yeah I do I really love fishing. Ive been going fishing since I was a kid with my father and I just find it very challenging and very therapeutic at the same time. I like fishing from the shore, from the rocks, and a lot of the time you dont catch anything but I like fishing for sea bass which is a really clever fish and it is really nice to eat as well. You always have to change techniques and change places to catch it and even when you catch it it’s quite hard to reel it in because its a really big fighter so yeah Im a sea bass fisher!! Hahaha.”

Rob: Haha! Excellent. Well moving back to the music again, there is another Double Drop release I think in December, is that ‘In my Gardenand ‘End of Your Loveis that right?

Luca: “Yeah that is going to be the third Double Drop release, it comes with a remix by The Mole and yeah Im really excited about that. Its a psychedelic house track. Its got a few recordings that were made in the Amazon jungle with birds and various frogs and other animals and stuff in it. Its got Roisin Murphy singing on it.”

Rob: So just to wrap up, lets skip forward 12 months. What do you hope to achieve in the next year?

Luca: “Well the label is maybe the main thing. We have a lot of great music from other people that we want to release and from ourselves. Weve put a lot of work into this and I hope that in 12 months we will be doing our own parties and starting to establish it on the music scene. Also I would like to have finished the Hot Natured album.”

Rob: “Brilliant. Well thank you very much for your time as always Luca.”

Luca: “No worries mate.”

http://www.lucacazal.com/