Personifying Trance music’s energy in both approach and output, Italy’s Giuseppe Ottaviani has long been recognised as one of the genres most respected and prolific merchants. From his earliest studio work (as the engine behind famed group NU NRG), through to his latter-day releases under his own name, he has established himself as a benchmark for eminent trance. Over the last 6 years his boundary-breaking in-concert experience, ‘Giuseppe Ottaviani Live!’ has put hundreds of thousands of hands in the air and feet on the floor at the world’s best-known EDM festivals. Exclusively feeding these performances, is his vast litany of club hits and remixes, of which ‘Ready’, ‘Angel’, ‘Linking People’, ‘Through Your Eyes’ and ‘No More Alone’ are but a few. Giuseppe remains both contemporary and omnipresent in the scene with of-late productions like ‘Falcons’, ‘Arcobaleno’, and most recently ‘Lost For Words’, ‘Earth Beat’ and ‘Love Will Bring It All Around’ continue to win Trance hearts and minds. In May 2013, Ottaviani stands on the threshold of the release of his second artist album ‘Magenta’.
I’m glad that I’ve had many opportunities to meet Giuseppe at the various festivals that I have attended, and he always makes himself available to conduct a video interview with him. The release of his album ‘Magenta’ is the perfect occasion to meet him again, and talk about an album that for many is already considered to be one of the best albums of 2013 so far. I believe that in this interview Giuseppe gives replies to many questions that you may want to ask him too.
Enjoy reading..
Interview was written and conducted by Dimitri Kechagias, Music Journalist, Radio/DJ
Dimitri: First of all, it would be great to let us know if you think that the distance between the two albums ‘GO!’ and ‘Magenta’ means something or if you believe that 4 years distance between two albums is pretty normal for many artists?
Giuseppe: It depends on how busy the artist is. Since GO! in 2009, I’ve been incredibly busy with many projects, including the launch of my radio show GO ON AIR and its first compilation, plus so many remixes including the likes of Paul van Dyk, Armin van Buuren, Markus Schulz, while keep touring all around the globe. Honestly, I was not really able to find the time for a new artist album. I have to admit; four years is quite a lot of time, and I hope it won’t take that long before the next one.
Dimitri: Can you pinpoint for us the similarities and differences in the production process between your 2009 album GO! and your 2013 album Magenta?
Giuseppe: The process of working with singers was the main difference. I used to record vocals in my studio to have everything under control, but for the new album I had so many collaborations with singers from all over the world, so it was impossible to have them in my studio. I had to let it go and work through internet file sharing. For the rest, I used pretty much the same equipment and techniques. Another difference that I had to deal with was the time rushing by, and I mostly wrote all the track ideas on a plane.
Dimitri: Of course many people will notice that your album is released on Black Hole Recordings instead of your first label VANDIT. Can you tell us the reasons behind your decision to move to a different record label?
Giuseppe: We were in the process of finalising the album, but we wanted to make sure that we would be on time for the summer season so we all together, Vandit, my management and I, decided to go for Black Hole Recordings, as it seemed to be the best and safest way to go.
Dimitri: Have you made any major changes in your studio to give Magenta a different sound or did you work with the same studio setup as it was for GO!?
Giuseppe: I work with hardware more than software and I have used pretty much the same equipment for a long time. I obviously had the chance to improve something, and I’ve got some new outboard and synthesizers, but the rest of my studio is almost the same. I love how it sounds and it’s more or less my signature sound.
Dimitri: The album includes collaborations with great artists including Ferry Corsten and Aly & Fila. How did these collaborations work for you? Did you actually meet up, or did you produce them by swapping sound files via internet?
Giuseppe: Like I did with the singers, I had to swap files through the internet with the DJs. I would have loved to be able to find the time for a studio session with them but it was impossible. At the end of the day, the internet gives us so many different ways to work together from different countries, and it’s just a matter of feeling comfortable with it.
Dimitri: Can you explain how these collaborations are actually done? Do you produce something separately, and then you merge the projects, or do you produce one project and every artist has their own input?
Giuseppe: Not really, everything starts with a main idea, most of the time it is a melody that one of the artists has in mind. Say that I make a melody and write it down into my software. I then send the melody to the other collaborator who will take care of making a rough arrangement of the tracks. Then all the files go back to me to finalise the track, injecting even more of my sound if needed, and we continue to send file back and forth until we are both happy with the final result. It’s all about finding the right balance between our individual styles. In the case of a vocal track, things get a little more complex as you have to introduce a singer and/or songwriter in the process too.
Dimitri: You had the chance to collaborate with some very talented singers and songwriters. Did you make the approach to them to organise it, and with what criteria did you choose those particular artists?
Giuseppe: First of all I like their voices. Since I treat the vocals in the exact same way as a sound, for me the timbre and the expression of a singe is fundamental. It doesn’t make sense to me to have a perfect vocal with perfect lyrics that won’t fit my sound. All the artists I’ve worked with were perfectly fitted to my music and the feeling I was looking for. Of course, they are all great songwriters, so besides the beautiful sound of their voices, lyrics are also very good and deep sometimes.
Dimitri: It would be awesome to give us a short comment about each track from the album:
Giuseppe:
01. Rush (featuring Lo-Fi Sugar)
Always been a big fan of break-beats with a little touch of old school Trancy melody and the sensual voice of Lo-Fi Sugar makes this track unique.
02. Love Will Bring It All Around (with Eric Lumiere)
This is most probably my favourite track of the album. Love Eric’s voice since “Anthem” with Filo & Peri, and I always wanted to make a track together. Also, Eric’s lyrics perfectly reflect the real world and if they could be a bit too true in some part. There’s always the hope of a brighter future.
03. Stars (featuring Linnea Schossow)
I think Linnea’s soft voice here is the key for this dance floor killer. It is powerful, but very melodic and emotional at the same time, just love it.
04. Illusion (featuring Stephen Pickup)
After the success of our previous collaboration “No More Alone,” we needed to make a follow-up. But this one sounds completely different, and when Stephen sent me the vocal idea, I was quite surprised as it was really different but very cool. In this case I did my best to make my music fit the vocals.
05. Cold Flame
This is definitely a “festival” track with a big melody and very aggressive bass line. The inspiration comes from my last tour in Australia for Creamfields.
06. Gave Me (featuring Seri)
It is actually funny how Seri and I got in touch for this collaboration. She actually contacted me on Twitter and we met for the first time in New York when I was there for a show. She’s incredibly flexible, good and fast. I’ll definitely collaborate with her again.
07. I Am Your Shadow (with Audiocells featuring Shannon Hurley)
Thanks to my radio show, I collect a lot of promos and demos from new and upcoming or just aspiring producers. Audiocells is a talented Russian producer that sent me a demo in my promo folder. I noticed it, and I liked it and made a full track with this guy. I also already had a voice line idea in mind that worked very well on this track and Shannon did an absolutely brilliant job here. I am very happy to have her on board.
08. Nothing Wrong (featuring Faith)
You may remember her from our previous track called “Angel.” Indeed she has an angelic voice. She’s so good, she’s pretty and she’s “made in Italy.”?
09. Feel The Music
This track is my own vision of “big room” sound. I had the chance to use a real TB-303 here for the main bass line. A friend of mine, although he’s so jealous of this piece of gear, agreed to let me use it and I was shocked by its sound. Nothing can be compared or can emulate a real 303 with its unique filters. Love its acid.
10. Heal This Empty Heart (featuring Alana Aldea)
A good friend of mine from Melbourne introduced me to Alana when I was touring in Australia. We immediately got a gee feeling and as soon as I was back home we immediately started to work together. Heal This Empty Heart has very attractive vocals and its melody is stuck in my head, despite the fact that I’ve heard this song millions of times since last year.
11. Waterpark
The very first track I made for the album. It has a repetitive yet addictive melody that brings you straight to summer time, or at least that was the feeling I had when I made it. That’s why I called it Water Park.
12. Waiting On Someday (featuring Vitamin B)
Can you feel the U2 influence in it? It’s pretty obvious. Well, this is something different, it may not be a dance floor killer, but it’s definitely a track that puts me in a good mood every time I listen to it.
13. Brilliant People (with Aly & Fila)
Someone would say “Who’s afraid of 138?” Well I’m not, and this is why I wanted to collaborate with the Egyptian superstars Aly & Fila. I think the track perfectly represents both of us and our vision of uplifting sound.
14. Walk This World With Me (featuring Audrey Gallagher)
I’ve been a fan of Audrey since her “Big Sky” with John O’Callaghan. She has a beautiful and uplifting voice, one of the most recognisable in EDM these days.
15. Magenta (with Ferry Corsten)
I couldn’t find a better way to end the album. I am really proud and honoured for the chance that I had to collaborate with one of the pioneers of dance music.
Dimitri: Where did you get the inspiration to call your album ‘Magenta’ and thought process around the whole idea of the colours and their attributes in human life and psychology?
Giuseppe: It’s all about the non-verbal, yet strong, language of colours. Each colour has its own meaning and Magenta embraces what this kind of music is all about. Magenta mainly represents love at its highest level, and the music in this album intends to promote the same message the colour does.
Dimitri: Did you actually finish the album Magenta first and name it, or was the album title Magenta there from the very beginning? Did you have other titles for the album that you didn’t use?
Giuseppe: I was focusing on music only for the entire process. The album concept and artwork came out automatically when all the tracks were completed.
Dimitri: Are there any tracks that didn’t manage to make it at the final tracklisting because you decided that they were not suitable?
Giuseppe: Yes, I have two tracks that didn’t make the album for some reason, but it’s not a waste of music. They will probably be included on my next project or at least I will use them as exclusive tracks for my live shows.
Dimitri: We have noticed that you chose to be absent in the music videos for your latest tracks. Are you going to appear in any of your music videos in the future?
Giuseppe: Yes, I would like to take part of the shooting, but sometimes it’s not easy to find the perfect timing that suits everyone to shoot a video. So for the first single I decided to let it go and stay off the video. I will probably take part in the next video.
Dimitri: Are you planning to move into the DJ’ing side too or do you prefer to stay on the production side, and to do Live appearances in clubs and festivals?
Giuseppe: Sometimes, I do think that switching to DJ’ing would make my life easier, but after 5 seconds I just realise it’s not the way I like it. I do much prefer to create my own music, sell it and play it live in my shows. It has much more to do with a live concert than a DJ set, and the main point is that people that come to my shows actually come to hear my music, not all the hits of the moment. This is something different from DJ’ing I believe.
Dimitri: Your radio show GO On Air is very successful with many followers each week. Is it possible to tell us if you are satisfied with it and which episode was your favourite so far and why?
Giuseppe: Yes, I am happy with my radio show. This is actually the best way for me to express myself as a DJ and to share all the great music around with other people. My favourite episode was my Magenta Album Special, where I played a short preview of each single track of the album. People loved it and Twitter and Facebook went crazy.
Dimitri: This Summer you are booked to appear in many countries and at lots of festivals. Is it possible to pick out the ones that you are looking forward to for a very special reason?
Giuseppe: Well I just played Coloursfest last night in Glasgow and it was massive. But I’m also looking forward to playing for Cream in Ibiza and I’ll finally be back to Dance Valley in Holland. It’s been a while since my last appearance in 2004, and I can’t wait to see how this huge festival has evolved over the past 9 years.
Dimitri: Let’s finish off with your piece of advice to all the aspiring young producers who try to achieve to become successful in the EDM world.
Giuseppe: Someone said “don’t imitate, innovate” and I could add, try to create your own style with your signature sound so that people can easily recognise that it’s you.
Many thanks to Giuseppe Ottaviani for his time to reply to this interview with such interesting answers.
Many thanks to Linda Nuanlaoong at CIRCUIT-8 for her support in helping to organise this interview
Many thanks to Paula van der Waerden @ twenty4sevenmanagement for her help to do this interview
Many thanks to Jeroen at Black Hole recordings for his superb support
Many thanks to Mark at Black Hole recordings for the great music
Many thanks to Paul at 1mix radio for proofing and publishing the interview
You can read this interview on 1mix web site click here
You can read this interview on 1mix web site click here
You can buy Giuseppe Ottaviani - Magenta:
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