Say hello then to Serge Santiago – the cool DJ and producer responsible for his mix on the forthcoming The Droids ‘The Force’ tune and much much more.
Italo music – your passion then?
“The shit they did in those days blows me away at time. It’s a different kind of energy, and it makes you dance in a different way!”
Your different coloured vinyl production work is legendary. How did it all begin?
“I started producing because I was clubbing so much and wanted some involvement, So using my old computer I taught myself how to write beats. I sort of wrote maybe 100 tracks before I finished one which was ‘Push It’ using a sample from the Salt n’ Peppa track. This was a classic ‘Stompa Phunk’ release, which we brought to the world in 1999. Other big up moments include ‘Impendence’, ‘Come On’ tracks, then hooking up with Matt Edwards forming Radio Slave and re-editing Kylie, White Stripes and Justin Timberlake amongst others. I then went my own way setting up the Arcobaleno label with tunes such as ‘Take Me To The Top’, ‘My Mine’ and ‘Hypnotic Tango’ – all pink vinyl releases!
How did the DJing actually kick in?
“Well I was making music so I then wanted to play it out and that’s why I became resident at Stompa Phunk. I actually started out playing disco in pubs in Brighton, I was on the Dole and needed a job that didn’t involve working in Boots or the Co-Op. I now play all over the world and after playing Space for the first time in 2006, became a resident at ‘We Love’ last year then mixing their debut CD. Not a bad life.”
Tell us about The Droids…
“The original is an amazing journey. All I did was glue it all together, give it a blast and do someone should’ve done ages ago. You’ll find crowds look at you funny when it comes on at first which is probably because it’s so Italo – but by the end all you see is smiling faces.
The Droids ‘The Force’ (Serge Santiago SSUK Mix) is now out in your cooler record stores…
