{"id":35205,"date":"2016-08-19T16:02:52","date_gmt":"2016-08-19T14:02:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.deephouseamsterdam.com\/ibiza\/?p=35205"},"modified":"2016-09-01T00:23:42","modified_gmt":"2016-08-31T22:23:42","slug":"interview-leon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.deephouseamsterdam.com\/ibiza\/interview-leon\/","title":{"rendered":"Interview: Leon"},"content":{"rendered":"

With over 10 years experience behind the decks, its not hard to see why LEON\u2019s reputation as DJ, which was outstanding in Italy before his productions broke through, have now skyrocketed in the past year. <\/strong><\/p>\n

With support from the likes of Carl Cox, Marco Carola<\/strong>, and Loco Dice, there is no question why Leon has been making waves in the club scene since 2009. Having played at some of the worlds most famous clubs such as Cocorico<\/em> in Italy, Pacha & Cielo<\/em> in New York, Ministry Of Sound<\/em>, Zouk, Arma 17, Sunwaves Romania, Rex Club, Stereo Montreal<\/em>, and released for Viva, Cecille, <\/em>and ReBirth Records<\/em>, remixing artists such as Audiofly, Felipe Velenzuela & Ali Nasser, Leon has carved out quite a reputation in such a short period of time.<\/p>\n

On 2 September, Leon will return to Music On<\/strong> and Amnesia Ibiza<\/strong> for a late summer appearance alongside Dubfire<\/strong> and Stacey Pullen<\/strong> in the venue’s Club Room. Anticipating that event, and continuing to highlight the Friday night Ibizan extravaganza that is Music On, we managed to catch up with Leon so he could give his direct insight into Ibiza, Music On, the DJ lifestyle and more.<\/p>\n

“This thing [Music On] has made me a man, introduced me better to the value of meritocracy and respect!”<\/span><\/em><\/h3>\n

When you first began breaking in the decks, what were your initial influences? How have those influences evolved?<\/strong>
\nI started very young, I remember having a small console at home and buying my first records at the age of 15…we are talking about 20 years ago! My uncle influenced me, he used to work for a radio station in the 80s and he loved electronic music such as Depeche Mode, Prince, Michael Jackson, Madonna, Kraftwerk, Duran Duran\u2026 and my dad was a drummer and made me listen to artists such Led Zeppelin, Rolling Stones, Nirvana, Genesis and many more! <\/p>\n

Later, I was introduced to house music thanks to the American scene\u2026 Maw, Todd Terry, David Morales, Frankie Knuckles, Danny Tenaglia, Junior Vasquez and the Italian DJ Ralf!<\/p>\n

You began producing at the age of 23. What were some of your production techniques back then, and how are they different now?<\/strong>
\nAt the beginning it was hard. I started with software such as Cubase and then I moved to Ableton Live. I had so many ideas in my head, they were good but I was never happy with the sound, the mix nor the mastering. Slowly I started to use some external machines, drum machines and synths to create a warmer sound!<\/p>\n

You\u2019re originally from the small coastal town of Teramo. What\u2019s the scene like there, and in your eyes, how is it connected to the larger dance scene in Rome?<\/strong>
\nTeramo is really a very small town where everybody knows everyone. In the past years, there have been a few house and techno parties, all my friends were there and they had a great time. Teramo is very different from Rome. Rome has many clubs, a population of five million people and every weekend artists from around the world play in the city. It\u2019s fantastic! It\u2019s like London or Paris you know…<\/p>\n

You\u2019ve become more of an internationally focused DJ. What are some of the challenges behind that versus say being rooted within a particular local scene? <\/strong>
\nOver the years many things have changed, for example, I was a lover of vinyl and I used to buy a lot in the past, then I discovered Traktor and now I use USB with CDJ Nexus, and, as you can see, there have been some big changes. I love to play hours and build long DJ sets, six to eight hour sets. It does not matter how you make music, the music has to be the most important thing. For me, using vinyl or Traktor does not make any difference. Everyone is focused on this social debate, the people who think that a DJ who plays with vinyl is better than the one who plays with Traktor just make me laugh. It\u2019s called progress, you cannot stop it, those are only choices. The important thing is to entertain people, to dazzle, excite!<\/p>\n

In a small town like mine, there are still people who judge you for what you do, what you use and how you do it. They are envious, they do not have culture and this is a big problem, and perhaps it\u2019s an Italian problem. People are more concerned with judging without the knowledge to get informed!<\/p>\n

How do you bring a localised approach to DJing, and vice versa?<\/strong>
\nRight now, the approach to the scene for a new DJ is easy, because if you can emerge with good productions, then you’ll get the chance to get on some important stage and put on a show, but there is such a big difference between being a DJ and being a producer!<\/p>\n

[gallery_bank type=”images” format=”filmstrip” title=”true” desc=”false” img_in_row=”3″ display=”all” sort_by=”random” animation_effect=”bounce” image_width=”600″ album_title=”false” album_id=”308″]<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

You\u2019ve quickly risen through the scene since your beginnings. Where do you project yourself to be, as an artist, in the years to come? Do you see a change in your aspirations for DJing?<\/strong>
\nI\u2019ve been a DJ for many years. There has been evolution, growth, and experience counts a lot to achieve great goals. I work hard and make sacrifices because I want to learn more and more, I had great mentors
\n– Marco Carola, Steve Lawler, Danny Tenaglia, Laurant Garner, DJ Ralf … Keeping contact with them has taught me so much, I feel lucky, I’ve really done a training period over the years and now I am sure about what I do and what I can give.<\/p>\n

I will continue creating very long DJ sets and being in the studio to deepen my productions, to experiment. I feel very eclectic, maybe in the future I’ll do something more indie-rock, but it will be a big challenge!<\/p>\n

You\u2019ll be joining the flagship of Marco Carola\u2019s \u2018Music On\u2019 at Amnesia multiple times. How did your relationship with Marco Carola form and how has that influenced your sound?<\/strong>
\nI met Marco Carola five years ago. From the time we met, I went immediately to the Music On team and it was really amazing. Now, after five years, I realise how much Marco has taught me. He is a humble person, a very strong DJ, for me he is one of the best and his long sets are epic.<\/p>\n

I remember my manager being a little bit nervous before Marco took me with him, because I genuinely was one of the first to please him and convince him. This thing has made me a man, introduced me better to the value of meritocracy and respect! I hope to keep working with him, being a resident with Music On is the biggest goal I have achieved so far. Artistically it has given me so much, and touring the world with Marco and this team is special!<\/p>\n

How do you and Marco complement each other musically?<\/strong>
\nI remember I said to Marco several times during the early hours at Amnesia Ibiza that he was unbeatable. He told me a few years ago, after we played at Kappa Futur Festival in Turin in front of 15,000 people … \u2018Leon, do you know who is one of my favourite DJs in the world? It\u2019s you!\u2019
\nI can\u2019t explain what I felt at that moment !!! \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

How did your initial performances at Music On go \u2013 are there any adjustments you will be making for the rest of the season?<\/strong>
\nMy residency during this summer consists of five dates, including the opening party. Three will be on the Terrace with Marco and two in the Main Room with Paco Osuna and other DJs. On the Terrace, my sound is more house, underground, sexier, while in the Main Room it\u2019s more experimental techno!
\nOn August 12, on the Terrace with Marco I’ll make a special DJ set because it will be my birthday. I will definitely play some new demo that will be released on Stereo Records, Dfloor, Deeperfect and Do Not Sleep<\/p>\n

What are your thoughts on the venue \u2013 Amnesia? How would you describe the vibe, and as an artist \u2013 how do you complement the venue\u2019s aesthetic?<\/strong>
\nAmnesia is one of my favourite clubs in the world, the sun rays on the Terrace in the morning make it unique, people are crazy, women are beautiful, everyone wants to smile, it\u2019s the magic of Ibiza! The DJ booth is one of the most amazing things in the world!<\/p>\n

What\u2019s the most obscure idea for a party you\u2019ve come up with that you\u2019d perhaps throw one day?<\/strong>
\nA party without a good sound system, a party without a good DJ booth, a party without beautiful women … it’s a shit party !!!<\/p>\n

With regards to Ibiza’s VIP culture, how far do you think the line goes between throwing an \u2018exclusive event\u2019 and throwing a party for the sake of ‘cultural development\u2019?<\/strong>
\nIn Ibiza everything is VIP, it is all important, every place has two different situations\u2026one on the dance floor and another at the tables, but the music is the same, maybe there are those who are more interested and some less, but it\u2019s all part of this great circus!<\/p>\n

Soundcloud <\/a><\/span> Artist Page <\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With over 10 years experience behind the decks, its not hard to see why LEON\u2019s reputation as DJ, which was outstanding in Italy before his productions broke through, have now skyrocketed in the past year. With support from the likes of Carl Cox, Marco Carola, and Loco Dice, there is no question why Leon has […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":34,"featured_media":35209,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"audio","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6002],"tags":[9076,5874,2257,4538,153,9823,4752,5506,11071,2261,4236],"class_list":["post-35205","post","type-post","status-publish","format-audio","has-post-thumbnail","category-interviews-ibiza","tag-amnesia-ibiza","tag-cecille","tag-dubfire","tag-interview-london","tag-italy","tag-leon","tag-marco-carola-london","tag-music-on","tag-rebirth-records","tag-stacey-pullen","tag-viva","post_format-post-format-audio"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.deephouseamsterdam.com\/ibiza\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35205","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.deephouseamsterdam.com\/ibiza\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.deephouseamsterdam.com\/ibiza\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.deephouseamsterdam.com\/ibiza\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/34"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.deephouseamsterdam.com\/ibiza\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35205"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.deephouseamsterdam.com\/ibiza\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35205\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.deephouseamsterdam.com\/ibiza\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35209"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.deephouseamsterdam.com\/ibiza\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35205"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.deephouseamsterdam.com\/ibiza\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35205"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.deephouseamsterdam.com\/ibiza\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35205"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}