Party Vibe

IllumiNaughty Meets Gaudi!!

IllumiNaughty : Greetings Mr Gaudi! First off, let me say what a pleasure it is to have the opportunity to interview an artist and musician who I have a great amount of respect for. I saw you play twice this summer at the legendary Glade and Boom festivals and the crowd were going crazy. In light of this, I’d like to start off by asking you, what was your favourite gig of 2012?

GAUDI: Thanx for your kind words, much appreciated. My favorite gig of 2012 was on the 21st of December (..the end of the world….whhhooooo scary!..) when I played at the Pyramids in Egypt! Yes, there!!! One of the most astonishing locations I ever played at… and also, please allow me to mention another gig that I absolutely loved: Eclipse 2012, Cairns, Australia, that was certainly another highlight of my 2012!

IllumiNaughty : Ok, cool. In your career you have produced an amazing variety of genres of music, from dub, to breakbeat, to traditional Pakistani Qawwali music. What sounds can we expect from your upcoming album?

GAUDI: yes in my 30 years of music activity I have produced a vast array of music, genre-wise I generally go where my heart takes me, no compromises, I like to explore all the avenues that music has to offer. Through each my 13 solo albums you can definitely spot the type of music I prefer, there is a solid dub/reggae component that keeps all my productions together, and of course there’s the authenticity of analogue electronica flavaz!!. -What would you expect from my upcoming album “In between times”?…- Well, you know that I always like to push boundaries in music, I can guarantee you some of that also this time in the new album, I’ll not let my supporters down and intend to hold on to the title of “fearless music producer” proudly received from “music bible” Billboard. I’m not giving much away am I?

IllumiNaughty : What association would you say you have with the international psy-trance scene? You seem to have become the go-to dub and reggae artist for a number of psychedelic parties and festivals. Why do you think this is?

GAUDI: ..Could it be perhaps the fact that my music contains quite a few psychedelic elements…?…..

IllumiNaughty : If you could pinpoint one artist that has influenced you most, who would it be?

GAUDI: Robert Nesta Marley.

IllumiNaughty : What do you think lies in the future of dance & electronic music? You’ve recently been collaborating with beatboxer and singer Danny Ladwa, do you think that more underground producers will be teaming up with vocalists in the future, or will they retreat into a deeper style as a reaction against superstar house DJs working with rappers?

GAUDI: I make music primarily for one reason: it makes me feel good, it makes me feel FREE, free to express my inner self 100% as I want. Teaming up or collaborating with other artists is something that I always did since when I started back in 1981, I think it is absolutely vital for expanding and feeding every artistic souls. Answering to your Q here above: I really don’t know how underground producers can react against “superstar house DJs” – they do their thing others do other things – for me i’d always rather be pro-active rather than reactive, that way i’m following my own path. I think that sometimes people think a bit too much in general, I’d suggest to think less, don’t waste too much energy on futile thoughts…. and maybe re-invest that energy on creating good music. –Just my humble opinion-.

IllumiNaughty : Have you got any advice for up-and-coming producers?

GAUDI: Play the music, not the instrument.

IllumiNaughty : OK, now for a totally different question, I heard a rumour that you are working with the Italian X-Factor, is this true? How would you describe your experiences working on TV?

GAUDI: Absolutely correct, I worked already on three series of XFactor as music teacher/vocal coach/talent scout (2008-2009-2010), and I am about to start another TV music show called “The Voice”. I love music in its totality and as I said before I want to explore every angle of it, I am naturally fascinated by the “unknown” and frankly, coming from a totally different music background I didn’t really know so much about main stream music and I wanted to satisfy my curiosity, …. now I know also that aspect of the entertainment industry, something that until 5 years ago for me was a totally unknown territory. I love the fact that I can pass my music experiences to a new generation of musicians, and to be in the position to decide who I like to work with or who or what I think is worth investing my time in.

IllumiNaughty: So finally, what can illumiNaughty party-goers expect from your set this February? I know I for one am already looking forward to it!

GAUDI: First of all let me tell you that I am so stoked to finally play (first time for me) in one of my favourite music towns in the UK!!! Oh yes, the best bands I grew up with were from Manchester – from The Smiths to Joy Division, from Magazine to The Happy Mondays, from New Order to The Stone Roses…!!!! So excited! For the Illuminaughties I will play a “full live set” as I usually do, with no computer on stage, it’s all live electronica and vocals provided by heavyweight beatboxer and vocalist Danny Ladwa; I will play tracks from my new album due to be released worldwide in march this year by US label Six Degrees Records. I will also be performing other productions and remixes from my past releases with artists such as Bob Marley, The Orb, Trentemoller, Shpongle, Lamb, Simple Minds, Lee Scratch Perry and…… well you’ll see.

Thank you Gaudi.

GAUDI: one love.