Bring on the Italians!
“I met 2 Guys in Venice a few years ago at a beach party, I was immediatly impressed by the insane energy of their DJ set.” Spiller
Carlo, Nicola welcome to DMC. You are firing at the moment! You started out in 2004, how did you two get together in the first place?
C: “I used to play keyboards and I was looking for a DJ in town to play on his beats, we tried to do something together but it was crap. Anyway after that period I started to go everyday to Nicola’s house to make some music together with an old computer and step by step we started to get better.”
N: “I started DJing at 16 at silly drunk kids parties, later I started playing in big clubs and I finally decided to produce music with Carlo.”
What were your own musical upbringings like? What were you both listening to as teenagers?
C: “I’d been studying jazz piano for a long time, but during the concerts I noticed the audience only composed of old people, so I started thinking that I had to change my kind of music. The first record I bought was ‘Appetite For Destruction’ by Guns N’ Roses – I was 8! I don’t like Guns at the moment but anyway they were a huge band! I used to listen to a lot of rock music like Hendrix, Led Zeppelin and as I said, a lot of jazz during High School.”
N: “The first music I heard because of my brother’s influence, were Pink Floyd and the Doors. Later I began to get interested in dance music. When I was a kid my obsession was Francois Kevorkian, his DJ sets shocked me!”
What did you want to be when you grew up?
C: “Of course a soccer player. No, okay, I wanted to live life by doing something I really liked. I think it means making and playing music around the world!”
N: “A motorcycle racer.”
Have you ever had a really bad job?
C: “Yes, many! DJing for a 10 year old’s Birthday party…”
N: “Working in a factory was terrible. Any other job after that seemed to be okay.”
People obviously know your home city as the most romantic in the world and I am sure when you first started to get into clubbing, the choice must have been limited?
C: “Fortunately there were some good clubs out of the centre, but yeah, in the historical centre all the bars close at midnight and there are no clubs at all! I think they’re right. To ruin a beautiful city like Venice with noise and drunk people is not a good idea.”
These days however there are some good clubs we hear…
C: “There are a lot of clubs near the city as I mentioned, we get a lot of DJs flying in from all over the world. We also organise a lot of parties with our mate Spiller – we have had Digitalism, Mr Oizo, Duke Dumont and many others playing.”
What are the big 10 tunes you are playing at the moment?
Analog People In A Digital World – Liar feat. Sam Obernik (2 Guys In Venice Remix)
Herbert – Moving Like A Train (Smith N Hack Mix)
Midnight Magic – Beam Me Up (Jacques Renault Remix)
Green Velvet, Russoul – Millie Vanillie (Original Mix)
2 Guys In Venice feat. Tarantolati di Tricarico – Moon
Ellen Allien – The Kiss (Original Mix)
Kink – Existence (Original Mix)
Kevin Saunderson, Santonio – How to play Our Music (Original Mix)
Danny Daze feat. Louisahhh – Your_Everything (Original Mix)
Spiller – Pigeonman’s Revenge (2 Guys In Venice Remix)
Your first big release was the remix of Riva Starr’s ‘I Was Drunk’ on Made To Play – a big moment with some big DJs spinning it…?
C: “Yeah, absolutely. We searched for hours to find some videos on YouTube to prove it to our friends! Watching Busy P spinning it in NYC after Justice’s DJ set was amazing! We celebrated with lots of Prosecco.”
What do you think has been the anthem of the summer?
C: “’Doin’ Ya Thang’ – Oliver $
What are the best qualities each of you have musically that you bring to 2 Guys In Venice?
C: “I think we are good at understanding what a dancefloor need to dance…and I’ve been studying music for a long time, so I think I’m quite good at composing melodies that can work.”
N: “A great passion and dedication, and good rhythmic skill, I am a drummer after all. I play with GLI SPORTIVI a rock and roll duo. We did a nice cover for Spiller’s latest single ‘Pigeonman’s Revenge’.”
What are your greatest weaknesses?
C: “Sometimes I don’t shower for long periods of time.”
N: “Women and Grappa.”
February 2011 – a big month for you with the release of your debut EP on Spiller’s Nano Rec. ‘Midnight Run’, ‘Polizei’ and ‘Festival’ all over Radio 1 and smashed out by the likes of Boys Noize, Digitalism and Benny Benassi – how long did the track take to make and what was it like when you first heard it in a club?
C: “We had a lot of drafts (like 30-40). We decided to take only 3 of them and make them the best we could. We spent an entire summer finishing them and then also a few months to make the mixing and the mastering.”
Your next EP is out in October on Nano Rec. – what can you tell us about that? What are you aiming to do with it musically?
C: “What we’re setting out to do with this new EP is to make music that is beautiful. We want to make music without backing ourselves into a corner. We are sampling a lot from pre-80s disco rhythms, but without submitting ourselves solely to dancefloor rules.”
What is the best and worst thing about living in Venice?
C: “The best one is that Venice is really the most beautiful city in the world, it’s no joke. The worst thing is we don’t have a big musical scene like other cities in the world, our musical connection to the rest of the world is internet mainly.”
Where would we find you hanging out in Venice?
C: “Check out Rivetta (Sestiere Santa Croce 637 – Venezia) which is a typical bar/restaurant, you can eat the best Venetian dishes there and also Murazzi by night in Lido Island – the seaside near Venice.”
So we come back to your after the club, what 10 Back To Mine tunes do you play us?
C&N: “Of course we’ll play you some soft music…”
Beck – It’s All in Your Mind
Blur – Battery in your leg
Syd Barret – Dark Globe
Verdena – Castelli Per Aria
Lucio Battisti – Abbracciala Abbracciali Abbraciati
Radiohead – No Surprises
Beatles – Julia
Soha – Les Enfants Du Bled
Candido – Thousand Finger Man
The Alan Parsons Project – Voyager
What producers around the world have you looked up to over the years?
C: “In our early years, Francois K was a huge inspiration. In last year’s Daft Punk are always the best model to follow because they have good tastes but are pop at the same time. Anyway just don’t try to imitate them, just use them as a inspiration source.”
What are you both obsessed with?
C: “Daft Punk again.”
Vinyl or digital?
C: “We like vinyl. Nicola used to buy a lot of it when he was younger but when we started getting more fans at our shows we decided to switch to cds (kids used to hit the console whilst moshing and it started to fuck up our vinyls…damn kids!)”
What is the best piece of advice you have ever been given?
C: “It’s from my mom: ‘take a shower son!’ If you mean musical advice, it is: if a track doesn’t work just trash it immediately! Don’t try to fix it because there will be something wrong with it in any case.”
N: “From my dad and very simple: “If you decide to do something, do the best you can at it.”
How important has Spiller been in your advancement?
C&N: “REALLY IMPORTANT…he is our light! All our records came out thanks to him. His label, Nano Rec, is helping us a lot!”
What are your guilty pleasure records?
C: “James Blunt – You’re Beautiful. Ok, I know it’s ridiculous!”
N: “Winx. Don’t laugh.”
What have you got planned for 2012 studio wise?
C: “We want to make an album. We want to make music people can listen to in any situation and feel connected with us in an emotional way. We’re gonna use a lot of real instruments, like piano, guitars, drums as well as vocals.”
What is the best record ever made?
C: “Anima Latina by Lucio Battisti. The best Italian singer of all times, listen to it!”
N: “’Nevermind’ – Nirvana.”
And finally, you are from Venice, what is the most romantic thing you have done for anyone?
C: “Recently I asked an American girl I met ten minutes previously to come to Venice so we could see one another again. She accepted (I think because she could visit Venice for free!) and I took her around the city by boat! Maybe it was a bit cheesy, but it totally worked!”
2 Guys In Venice on Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/pages/2-Guys-In-Venice/126247110739953
Listen to their new single for Hysterical ‘Moon’
http://www.beatport.com/artist/2-guys-in-venice/132997
