The superstar from Turin returrns with ‘SHE’ on the world famous 303lovers imprint
Luigi Rocca’s impact on the House music world is well documented and rightly so. Being one of the founders of 303lovers/Hotfingers, he’s one of the elite few that can truly take some credit for helping to bring on the massive resurgence of House music globally in recent years. With the Italian labels constantly releasing the very best in what the genre has to offer, it’s no wonder that the labels have become the most desirable spots for aspiring producers and a must have collection for DJs that represent quality House music. Kicking off 2014 in style, Luigi has teamed up with IAMAlina and put together the first release of what’s going to be a busy year for them both. ‘SHE’ is hitting the shelves next month and as you might expect, it’s on the world famous 303lovers imprint.
Matt Caldwell speaks to Luigi to get the EXCLUSIVE lowdown…
Hey Luigi, welcome to DMC, it’s great to have you on. Let’s get right to and talk about the new release. ‘SHE’ is lined up for release in February, how did you hook up with IAMAlina and how did the track come together?
“I was in one of my friend’s from Eiffel 65 studio working on another project and while talking about singers he made me listen to Iamalina’s voice saying: do you want to use it for one of your tracks? So we started working together and ‘SHE’ was born.”
What is the Luigi Rocca sound and what is it that makes your labels different?
“Talking about productions my goal has always been to produce tracks that work nice on the dance floor; I love programming drums so there are a lot of them in my tracks. Lately some electro-based influences grew in my inspiration and I tend to use more synthesizers than in the past giving a darker mood to my sound. About DJ sets I love to play long sets, like 4 and more where I can start from deeper sounds move towards techno if crowd permits it! About the labels it’s pretty simple, 303Lovers is my dark side, often emotional and for sure more underground than Hotfingers, which is pure house music!”
Is it natural for you to release on your own labels now? Do you feel it is the best place for your music?
“I release many of my tracks on other labels like Toolroom, 1605 and others. Still I like to grow up with my labels, there are a lot of people involved in them and the joy of taking the journey all together is great. To see the whole path of the track is great. From the very beginning, taking care of promotion and communicating with radios, to the clubs and ending up on people’s iPods.”
You’re over here in London soon for Ministry of Sound, is this going to be a regular thing?
“Yes this year we are going to have 4 nights at Ministry of Sound with 303Lovers, where Manuel De La Mare and me will be playing b2b for 4 hours. We will have special branding and gifts for our fans. I am pretty exited, as Ministry has always been my home and one of my favorite clubs.”
303lovers and Hotfingers have been around for many years and seem to withstand the test of time. Why do you think this is?
“I think the key is to always stand behind your vision and musical beliefs, and work hard on delivering true quality house music. We have always been looking to give chances to young producers and the satisfaction of seeing them becoming popular is unbelievable. At the same time we have been following our souls and never worried about the latest industry trend.”
What has been your all time favorite 303lovers/Hotfingers release to date?
“Definitely “Gipsy Sun and Rainbows” that we made with Manuel couple of months ago.”
When a promo pops up in your inbox for the labels, what is it that you listen for specifically to consider a track for release?
“Is quite easy, has to fits in the label sound and has to be a good track, at least for us!”
Do you ever switch off from electronic music? If so what do you listen to?
“Yes I listen a lot of other music, depending on the period, but I can listen almost anything from pop or pop rock to classical, ambient, psychedelic…”
What’s in the pipeline for 2014 for both you and the label?
“After my new single “SHE” I’m releasing a remix for Trochensaft and Sideburn on 303lovers, then I’m working with Manuel De La Mare on a new single, as well as a lot of other projects on my laptop! Label wise, we are working on bringing the 303Lovers tour to people around the world, where we can establish and grow our connection with our fans.”
Thanks Luigi and we hope to have you back in the future.
SHE’ is due for global release on 7th February, but you can hear the first preview now over at Soundcloud…
https://soundcloud.com/luigirocca/she-feat-iamalina-preview
For all things Luigi Rocca and 303lovers:
https://www.facebook.com/303loversofficial
