Dissonanze: exclusive Booka Shade interview

Dissonanze: exclusive Booka Shade interview

8 May, 2008 | 3.30PM

• Section: Music News Topics: Dissonanze
• Written by: The Last Real DJ Alive

Dissonanze, now in its eighth year, is one of the globe’s best music festivals – a synergy of sound and visuals taking place in Italy, boasting an alternative line up.

Little known outside of its native Europe, Dissonanze will light up Rome with its roster of eclectic stars at a time of year when the sun scorches the millennia-old architecture of Europe’s most historical capital.

As you can see in the adorning image, décor, lighting and set-up are as integral to Dissonanze as the artists playing there – this festival caters to the eyes as well as the ears. 

Everything Dissonanze will be covered in Beatportal’s live blog on 9th – 10th May 2008.

Speaking of which, you can see the hype video here.

Dissonanze’s press release explains it best:

“One of Europe’s foremost events for electronic music and multimedia art – a space in which music meets experience, and gives rise to new expressions of sound and art, in the astonishing historic environs of Rome.”

So let’s get straight to it – who’s playing at Dissonanze?

“Too many to mention,” is the answer.

So, to select a choice few: Booka Shade, Brasilintime (Madlib, DJ Nuts, etc – a collaboration of the most creative minds in hip hop and the old greats of Brazilian music), Caribou, Carl Craig, Model 500 (featuring the techno equivalent of what Public Enemy was to hip hop – Mad Mike), Pinch (the dubstep don himself), Prefuse 73, Switch, The Bug and Ryoji Ikeda (who is a sonic/visual purist shying away from interviews because he believes music should speak for itself).

Because the festival is being headlined by Booka Shade (who are about to release a new album complete with singles on Beatport) we got hold of Arno – one half of the German duo – to ask him about Dissonanze, what he thinks about Beatport and the little known fact that will.i.am from Black Eyed Peas sampled his music.

Booka Shade interview: part one

[Booka Shade]: [Answers phone] You’re calling me, that’s great!

No problem! How are you?

Very good – I’m a lot better now.

I had a rough start to the week.

I was in Ibiza over the weekend to relax with my family, because we came home from a US tour.

Everything was fine until I had a burger at the airport.

Always a bad idea…

I caught something really, really bad.

It took me two days to get rid of all this.

I lost a lot of weight – that’s great!

But I was dizzy, and not in a nice way.

I had balancing problems, but I’m a lot better now and the weather is fine.

Have you ever played at Dissonanze before?

No we haven’t.

We’ve heard a lot of nice things about it, though.

It must be one of the main Italian festivals.

We only recently played a couple of dates in northern Italy: Bologna and Milan.

We were very happy about the audiences there.

This was way before the new album, so there wasn’t a lot to promote at the time but we were still really happy with everything.

The set-up was exceptional.

Do you feel playing in Italy differs from other countries?

There was a time (two or three years ago, when we first started out) when we didn’t have such a following.

People weren’t coming to our shows to see us because they were already in the club, so we were opening for other DJs.

Back then, I had the feeling that in Italy it was more about wearing the right sunglasses, looking good and showing off.

But things are different now because we mostly play as headliners.

When we did the last few dates there, it was a real concert audience; people were excited and I really loved that.

I now find that Italian crowds are so energetic that I don’t need the sunglasses!

They understand us and we understand them.

These cultural differences are global.

I’m thinking of Asia for example, where people are quite reserved in the beginning.

But by the end of the night, particularly when we play a track like ‘Body Language’, they will act the same wherever they are in the world.

Crowds will have a good time and their hands will be in the air.

Are you going to spend a few days in Rome? If so, what are your plans there?

No [sounding disappointed], we have to be in and out.

We arrive pretty early in the day because I believe we have some interviews there.

Then we have to leave the next day.

Not to go to another date, but because we have to be home.

It’s a holiday in Germany, and Walter and I both have families, so we spend some time with them because after that we will be gone nearly every weekend for the whole summer.

A close member of my family is German, so I know exactly what you’re talking about!

Oh yeah? Where are they from?

Saarbrücken.

Ah [surprised]! That’s where we come from originally!

Very close to the French border.

Walter was born there in a small town.

I used to live in that same place for many, many years.

It’s also where M.A.N.D.Y comes from.

It’s lovely to go there – the country is nice.

It’s very green.

There’s not a lot happening, so if you want to start a business, you have to leave that part of the world.

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Tune in shortly to continue our Dissonanze celebration, with part two of the Booka Shade interview.

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