Inside The Groove with one of Italy’s finest
Interview by Dan Prince
Tommy a massive welcome to DMCWORLD…where on the planet are you today?
Hey Dan! Today in Milan, I’ve got one day off, perfect to check new music and some workout.
What was the first piece of music you heard this morning after jumping out of bed?
‘Go!’ from Common
So a real summer bomb you have just dropped on us, ‘Inside The Groove’ featuring the vocal talents of Marc Evans and Sheree Hicks. Please talk us through the sound and history of the track…it’s stunning!
Wow! Thanks, really glad you like it. I did a rough instrumental of this one year ago and for more than 5 months I tried to figure out who could be the perfect singer for it. One night while I was spinning I dropped ‘The Way You love Me’, actually one of my favorite Soulful tracks and I thought,”how stupid am I?” this is the guy! So I asked Marc Evans and he not only said yes, but he brought Sheree Hicks and her magical voice to song. I’m lucky! Then I decided to produce 3 original mixes that could give different kind of visions of the track – a classic, a tribute and a new disco mix!
Two cool remixes swing our way via Luca Guerrieri and Pezzner…why were these bad boys enlisted to mix things up?
Luca is a big friend of mine and I was sure he could give a totally different taste to the vocal and that’s what happened. Pezzner has that kind of sophisticated underground sound that this song deserved on a mix. I basically put the song on top and tried to reach as many dance floors as I could.
Did you know on completion that you had created something pretty special?
I didn’t know it was special and maybe I still don’t know…What I know is that I did a good work.
What are the 5 big tunes in your box this weekend?
Bauriche “Hope”
Umek “Jingo”
Tommy Vee & Keller “DJ Play It
Kollectiv Turmstrasse “Sorry I’m Late”
Frankie Knuckles feat Jamie Principle “Your Love” (Tommy Vee, Mauro Ferrucci and Keller remix)
As you can see I don’t have any musical limit on my sets. I play what I like compared to the crowd and location and time that I spin.
Most DJs with a passion for sneakers and trainers plump for Adidas classics, you though dude are never without your Converse. How many do you own and what is the numero uno pair?
I never count my sneaker collection, but I think I’m easily over one hundred within every brand. Converse All Stars was a constant in my life, I think I have 20 pairs 5 of them are 25 years old – completely destroyed and these are the ones I like most!
Looking ahead to further into the summer, you are playing at the Alice in Wonderland street parade in Zurich in August…this looks a mental event right?
Yes!! It’s gonna be very emotional, but all my Summer, thank God, will be a good one! I have my residency with my partner Mauro Ferrucci every Thursday at Blue Marlin in Ibiza, every Tuesday in Formentera at Pineta, 3 mondays at Tito’s in Palma and then a lot of amazing Italian clubs like “Villa Delle Rose”in Riccione, King’s in Jesolo, Sardegna, Sicily,etc…
I told you, I’m lucky!
We live in Ibiza during the summer, we love the fact that house music is once again the sound of the dancefloor. What are your thoughts on the current scene in Italy…club and producer wise…?
I think we are very good…we have some huge guys in the Techno scene like Marco Carola to name the biggest, but also on other scenes we have many good producers and DJs like Benny Benassi, The Cube Guys, Pirupa, Riva Starr, Luca Guerrieri…Italy has always been in love with House music and dance in general. Unfortunately the economical scene was not really helping us in the last 10 years, but things are gonna change. I’m trying to be positive.
Your favourite Sade track ever…I know you love her!!
I can’t choose, they are all like your sons…
An up and coming producer to watch out for in 2015…
My boys: Alex and Federico Fioretti – two brothers that have got some really good vibes!
Your most precious piece of vinyl?
I have many… as a fan I would say all the Sinatra’s originals…But I’m very proud of my collections from Stricly Rhythm, Defected, Subliminal, Nervous, Henry Street, Ibadan… from these labels I think I have all the releases.
And finally, what is coming out next from you studio wise?
I’m working on some different projects, but I will never tell… very superstitious!! Stevie is God!
Tommy Vee Feat. Marc Evans And Sheree Hicks ‘Inside The Groove’ (incl. Luca Guerrieri and Pezzner mixes) will be released June 19th 2015.
