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 With a new album coming out, a gig at the legendary Technoclub lined up and a free slot in his schedule, Miles took the opportunity to interview the famed Italian trance producer/DJ Giuseppe Ottaviani...
Giuseppe Ottaviani Mixes Techno Club Vol. 29
At first glance, the name Giuseppe Ottaviani may not have rung a bell for the traditional raver some years ago, but after countless hits and the fact that he was ½ of the very successful Italian duo NU-NRG, he is a household name for most trance fans now. In the last seven years, NU-NRG have been responsible for countless high class trance records like ‘Dreamland’, ‘Connective’, ‘Butterfly’, ‘Freefall’, ‘Casino’ or the breathtaking instrumental ‘Eclisse’. In the last six months, Giuseppe has not only shown that he can produce high quality tracks on his own, but further demonstrated that not only the Benelux countries, England or Germany can produce killer trance records, but even the Italians are able to mix up the trance scene. After producing together with Andrea Ribeca as NU-NRG, he decided to go solo in 2005.
His love for music started at age four as he started to play the piano and a while later studied classical music. At age 15, he was introduced to dance music and soon he started to DJ in local clubs. In 1998 he played his first two hour DJ set for a local radio station. He had a deep love for technology and soon set up his own home studio and used Cubase. Soon he met Andrea Ribeca and NU-NRG was born. In 2001, Paul Van Dyk, who has always had an ear for discovering new talent, signed NU-NRG’S first track ‘Dreamland’ to Vandit. In the next years as NU-NRG, they released the Spaceflower EP and their debut album ‘Free Fall’ in 2004. Through the years Giuseppe also gained a lot of experience touring live as NU-NRG. They played at famous events like Love Parade Berlin, WMC Ultra Music Festival Miami, Street Parade Zurich, Mayday, Gatecrasher, Nature One, Creamfields and Dance Valley. In 2005 Giuseppe went solo, and quickly gained success with his track ‘Linking People’ that was played by all the big DJs and was featured on countless compilations. Since then he has kept busy releasing ‘Until Monday’ with German producer Marc van Linden, which found its way on to the legendary compilation Technoclub Vol. 20. He doesn’t produce much, but what he does make is always a trance gem. In 2006, he produced ‘Through Your Eyes’, which was a summer hit. German DJ god Paul Van Dyk has been following his progress for years and it came as no surprise when he was invited to collaborate on ‘In Between’. The tracks ‘La Dolce Vita’ and ‘Far Away’ were produced. ‘Far Away’ is a track with a beautiful melody that was a huge hit in the summer of 2007. In 2008, he has produced another new masterpiece, ‘No More Alone’ that has “hit” written all over it. He also has stayed busy the last few years remixing artists like Thomas Bronzwaer, Greg Downey, Andre Visior, Stoneface & Terminal and Jose Amnesia. He is also making a name for himself through his live sets. He is a very busy man so far in 2009, still putting his finishing touches on his debut album for Vandit and recently mixed the new Technoclub Vol. 29 with Talla 2XLC and will be making his Technoclub debut on March 13th.
i:Vibes: Hi Giuseppe, thanks for taking time again for a short interview for www.ivibes.nu. 2009 is still very young, but have you had any highlights so far in this year?
Giuseppe Ottaviani: Still early for big highlights :-) but I had the chance to make a very interesting remix which made me really happy. It’s called 2 Culture In A Room – Android. This is a great track from 1995, one of my all times favourite production, I was a young DJ at that time so it brings also many memories. Android was so big in Italy but I’m not sure about the rest of Europe, so making a remix of it for Technoclub could be a good chance to share this lovely track with much more people than in the past.
i:Vibes: You have mixed the new Technoclub Vol. 29 which will hit stores on March 6th. How did you react when Talla 2XLC informed you that he wanted you to mix the new CD?
Giuseppe Ottaviani: Mixing a compilation is something unusual for me since I’m not really a DJ. I mean I mixed Vandit ‘The Session 4’ but it’s a compilation for the label and I used Vandit releases only, so it’s a little different thing. When Talla asked me for that I was surprised, but also excited for something different from what I usually do.
i:Vibes: How would you describe your mix for CD 2 of the Technoclub Vol. 29? The tracklisting looks very very promising!
Giuseppe Ottaviani: First thought was… I don’t want to make a normal DJ mix set, need something different… after a while I’ve got the idea to remix each track of the compilation, but I realized it was a hard job, maybe too hard, so I did it but not for each track. I took a look around for tracks that I really like and I made a remix of them. Some examples... Tom Colontonio – The Sum Of Zero, 2 Culture In A Room – Android, PvD – Detournement, Stoneface & Terminal – Blue Print… and so on. Then I used some other remixes that I made in the past and an unreleased GO track. All of this should make the compilation very special I think.
i:Vibes: Your remix of ‘Get Back’ by Paul Van Dyk featuring Ashley Tomberlin turned out very nice. What was the most challenging thing with this remix for you since the vocal and melody stand out from the original?
Giuseppe Ottaviani: As you know I always try to put some high energy into my productions and it was not very easy to find a good blend between punching beats and great vocals like that, but I really like the final result. I think I kept the original atmosphere when the break down comes in and my sound when the song starts again.
i:Vibes: What can we expect from your special remix for ‘Detournment’, which was not on the Hands On In Between?
Giuseppe Ottaviani: I just love the strings melody of this song, that’s why I wanted to make an intro with them. Basically everything works around that melody. Then I used a side chained driving bass as a main sound with a simple groove, which makes everything really danceable. You couldn’t really guess it’s a GO remix, so have a listen and let me know! :-)
i:Vibes: ‘No More Alone’ is one of those rare trance tracks that could be classified as a ballad and I could listen to it everyday and get goose bumps. What makes this song so special and so unforgettable?
Giuseppe Ottaviani: It has a good melody easy to remember but that you cannot “take for granted”. The vocals are good as well, short and simple, but the most important thing for me is that the lyrics really come from my life experience. I believe everyone has a girl or a boy who a song like this can be dedicated to.
i:Vibes: There were quite a few remixes of ‘No More Alone’. How happy were you with the remixes and which one really stood out for you?
Giuseppe Ottaviani: I loved both remixes from Jon O’Bir and John O’Callaghan. The first one keeps more of the original atmosphere but with an amazing O’Bir sound, the other one brings exactly the sound that I was expecting from JOC and that I was asking for. So I’m completely satisfied with them. Then I think something that not everyone knows, is that the Gladiator mix is not a remix from someone else, but it’s another version that I made right after the original mix and that I called Gladiator just because I was in Sydney watching The Gladiator (the movie) on TV when I got the idea.
i:Vibes: What was the nicest compliment that you have heard for the track “No More Alone”?
Giuseppe Ottaviani: A guy told me, “Thanks to this song, I feel no more alone.”
i:Vibes: You made a track with Irish trance hero John O’Callaghan. When can we await a release on this and what can we expect from it?
Giuseppe Ottaviani: We actually made two tracks together, one is called ‘Our Dimension’ and it will be included on my album, which will be released on Vandit later this year, and the other one is called ‘Liquid Fire’ which is included on JOC’s album.
i:Vibes: Your new track ‘Reload’ is about to be released. What can we await from this track?
Giuseppe Ottaviani: First of all ‘Reload’ is not a really new production but it’s an unreleased track that I made in 2005. ‘Reload’ was born for my live acts and as a B-Side track for a future release. Then for some reason I never used it. It’s a dancefloor-dedicated track, but I also wanted to have a release of it and I think a compilation like Technoclub is a good opportunity.
i:Vibes: How are the finishing touches going with your debut album for Vandit?
Giuseppe Ottaviani: I finally see the light! Everything is going well and good. I need some more time, but it will be finished pretty soon.
i:Vibes: How excited are you about playing in the legendary Technoclub in Frankfurt, Germany?
Giuseppe Ottaviani: Excited enough for a great release party. :-) I’m working hard also to prepare a good live show.
i:Vibes: What can we expect from your performance? Will you play ‘Dreamland’?
Giuseppe Ottaviani: ‘Dreamland?’ Probably! :-) Honestly I never have a pre made playlist, but I have to see at the moment. My setup allows me to choose tracks during the show so I can’t really tell you what I’ll play there.
i:Vibes: How would a Talla 2XLC/Giuseppe Ottaviani production sound like?
Giuseppe Ottaviani: I’m always interested in new collaborations so maybe one day you will have your answer! :-)
i:Vibes: You have a very defined sound and when hearing a Giuseppe Ottaviani track, one knows right away it is from you. ATB is releasing a new album in May and has said that he will release something totally new sound wise that no one has ever heard before. Do you ever think about experimenting with new sounds?
Giuseppe Ottaviani: Well I like to experiment with new sounds, but for some reason I like more the sound that you know. I mean first of all I want to make what I like most so I’m not planning to completely change my sound in the near future, but you know, music is continuously evolving and so am I.
i:Vibes: If I had to pick a spot in Rome at night and listen to ‘No More Alone’ and just be transferred into a new world then it would have to be the Pincio. Where would you choose to hear your own masterpiece in Rome?
Giuseppe Ottaviani: The city is great but I definitely prefer the seaside. That’s my favourite place!
i:Vibes: Thanks for the chat Giuseppe, and I am looking forward to your performance in the Technoclub soon!!!!
Giuseppe Ottaviani: Thanks for the interview, see you there!! :-)
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