The Romanians continue their takeover. Stunning new EP coming out on Poker Flat
Interview by Dan Prince
Mihai a huge welcome to DMCWORLD…where in the world are you today?
Hello Dan! At the moment I am at home in Romania, getting ready for my Australian tour that kicks off mid November.
What was the first piece of music you heard this morning after crawling out of bed?
I guess it was a promo but I don’t remember which one. I’ve been listening to promos pretty much the whole first half of today.
So a really exciting time for you right now with the release of your brand new EP ‘The Swindle’ – but before we get into that groove let’s rewind for a moment to find out where the magic all began. You hail from the city of Sibiu in Transylvania, Romania – a place we all came to recognize when it was designated the European Capital of Culture in 2007. What was your first musical memory in your family home as a child?
My father was listening to jazz. He had a nice home soundsystem and a collection of vinyls and magnetic tapes of jazz from eastern European bands, most of them from Poland.
When did you first discover dance music – what route was it via and who were artists/DJs/tunes that first caught your attention?
I still have a very clear memory of the moment when I have discovered dance music. It was 1994 and I saw a video of Marusha – Raveland on a German TV station. I was mesmerized. From that moment I started following dance music and dig into it deeper.
At what point in your life did the thought of a career in dance music first happen?
I finished architecture school and worked as an architect for 1 year. At the same time the music thing was getting more and more serious with gigs inside the country and sometimes outside, so it was difficult to do both things in a proper way. I had to make a decision and that was music. I quit my job and focused 100% on producing and DJing.
…and what did your family think of your decision – did they try and persuade you to do something more ‘sensible’?
You can imagine that my parents were very disappointed, especially my father who is an engineer and had this dream of working together in our own company some day. I had to leave the house because of the tension between us. Fortunately at the moment we have a very good connection again and he is proud of me.
Tell us about the club scene in Romania back in the day…and in 2015…
Romania didn’t have a club scene untill the late 90’s when a few clubs around the country started to promote electronic music of that time. At the moment Bucharest has one of the strongest club scenes in Europe so a lot has changed and we made a huge progress.
You began producing music in 2001 but it was 4 years later when you released your first vinyl release on DJ Hell’s Gigolo Records. What were those years of experimentation like – frustrating?
Those 4 years were extremely important for my future career. I had plenty of time to experiment and learn by myself a lot of things about producing. It took a while since I finally got a decent sound, so there was a lot of frustration involved too.
What was your first lucky break into the music industry?
That must have been the first ever release on Gigolo. I was a huge fan of the label back then and releasing there was a very big honour for me.
Who would you say has been the biggest influence or someone who has offered you the best advice over the years?
There are several friends with whom i grew up together music wise in all these years. We shared the same passion for dance music and have influenced each other more or less. I would mention The Model, Markus Homm and Jay Bliss.
How would you say your DJing and also producing style has changed/developed over the years?
They have both changed dramatically. I used to play mostly old school electro, electro pop and italo disco from vinyl and now I play somewhere between house and techno from USB, so a lot has changed in this regard. I can say the same about producing, it changed a lot, I started with a very raw and limited software and now I use Ableton and it allows me to do everything I can imagine.
You have rocked some of the best clubs on the planet during your career…what would you say have been some of the best?
It’s a hard question! There are a lot of cool places to play around the world, I couldn’t do a top because every place is different. However I could tell you some cities which left me very nice memories from gigs: Berlin, Zurich, Buenos Aires, London.
The Romanians are RULING it right now with some incredible producers bringing the world’s dancefloors some incredible music. So the obvious question, why now? Why are you all at the top of your games in 2015?
I like to think we’ve been around before, not just in 2015. Indeed there are a lot of young talented producers from Romania who stand out with their music. I guess the Romanian clubbing scene is fully mature now and can support them and help them grow.
Which brings us to your fabulous new EP on Poker Flat. Please talk us through the sound and history of the release…
This is my third release on Poker Flat. The first two got many good feedbacks and solid support from DJs all over the world so having a follow up this year was the logic step. The release has four tracks and it’s available both on vinyl and digital. If you liked my previous two releases on Poker Flat you will probably like this one as well.
Check out the premier on Pulse here : http://pulseradio.net/articles/2015/11/premiere-mihai-popuviciu-rotate-poker-flat
You run your own label of course in Cyclic Records – what are the biggest challenges for a label boss in 2015?
From my point of view one of the biggest challenges for me is time. Being a control freak, I do everything at the label myself from listening demos to uploading soundclips online and gathering feedbacks. All this takes time and because I am also away from home a lot, sometimes releases get a bit delayed.
What can we expect next from the label?
We have just released a Various Artists compilation with music coming from fresh upcoming artists. Next we have Swedish talent Chris Llopis coming out in December and in February Cyclic will be 4 years old so we plan some nice anniversary parties to celebrate.
Word on the street is that you have an album coming out on Bondage Music soon…what can you tell us about it? The direction/collabs/name/release date…?
Yes, it is scheduled for spring next year. It is a club album of ten tracks surfing through deep house, tech house and techno. There are no collabs but there is the possibility of a follow up with remixes. It will be out on vinyl and digital. You will find more about it when the time is right.
What are your 5 big tunes in your box this weekend, please give us a few words on each…
Deep Spelle – Funk Foot (Cyclic Records) – perfect for the early hour of the set when you and the crowd start warming up
Tigerskin – Faint (Dirtcrew) – loving the live jazzy feel on this one
Mihai Popoviciu – The Swindle (Poker Flat) – I’m happy this works every time I play it.
Nice7 feat. Lazarusman – Dark Walls (Noir) – great acid drive here!
Sebo K – Catalyst (Robsoul) – old school house tune with an amazing groove and a disco touch.
Not many people know this, but Mihai Popoviciu is REALLY good at…
Cooking?
It’s your birthday…who are the 3 DJs you invite around to play at your party?
I would do a nice reunion of old DJ friends who originally come from my home city, Sibiu: Praslea, Jay Bliss, Toygun and Das Komitee.
Your anthem of 2015
Martin Landsky – Under The Bridge (Poker Flat Recordings)
Let’s jump ahead 12 months. What do you want to have achieved by this time next year?
Nothing in particular, just be in good health so I can carry on what I am doing now.
And finally – what is coming out next from you studio wise?
Lately I’ve been working on some remixes that will come out by the end of this year. I’ve been also doing some studio work with my friend David Delgado so you can expect something from us in the next months.
Mihai Popoviciu – ‘The Swindle EP’ is out on Poker Flat 13th November
https://www.facebook.com/mihaipopoviciu1
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