Do you like your music eclectic, underground and subversive? Are you interested in the hundreds of genres and even sub-genres that have graced the public's ears over the years? Well,
I-Robots - AKA Gianluca Pandullo
- could give you a lesson on the history of multi-faceted music, and then some. His record collection is tipped to be one of the biggest out there, and if there's been a wave of fresh, prominent musical styles, he's been there, DJing, exploring and searching through them all.
Experimenting with everything from krautrock, to nu-disco, electronic soul and every other musical discipline under the sun, he mixes his enviable knowledge with a long standing history of the art of DJing. Starting out in the very early Eighties, the 'Italian Robot' explores the relationship between machines and humans and the way the early foundations between the two paved the way for dance music since - whilst still keeping his sound vibrant and rich.
It's all there to hear on the fantastic new We Are Opelic compilation, from the Opelic label that takes it's name from the originating term for 'Robot'. We hook up with the cyborg to find out more about his ethics, his ever evolving sound and the future for us mere mortals...
How did you come to start producing music? What music and sounds
were you exposed to as a child?I started in the late 70s listening to some local radio shows,
discovering the “disco music” sounds. I have been a record collector since the early 80s and was also an event’s
organizer so due to my exposure, I had opportunities to produce “rare grooves”
compilations in the late 80s – I then found myself in the late 90s producing a
live jazz band. After that, it was a natural
evolution to start as a producer, art director & label manager.
Although you may be emerging in house and techno, you've actually been Djing
for many years, crossing the boundaries of soul, funk, hip hop and
more...What made you turn to 4-4 beats?Seventies & eighties disco were the first impression but at
the same time I was focused on many styles including the one’s you have mentioned soul, funk, hip-hop etc. It is also worth mentioning that everything is a
little bit correlated so we can say at this point that I have always been
around the 4-4 beats and I have not really changed my approach.
How would you define your own unique sound on your productions? My sound is eclectic with a simple club-oriented vision. It’s mainly focused on groovy sounds and ideas that originate from my
personal tastes - I merely create music that I personally love and I pick
music that resonates in my heart. Like I always say, my
music has no intention to be pretentious or to even appear experimental. Up
to this point, I’m proud to mention that I get my inspiration and influences
from the early 80's italo - electro - cosmic - disco, the old school Chicago
house and Detroit techno, and by those genres, stuff like seminal krautrock and electronic, which have inspired all modern dance music of today. I am also obliged to mention that NYC afro-latin-jazzy house, the nu-Detroit dub techno & house and the no/nu-disco, dub House, cosmic & retro electronic also were my influences in mixing
and creating my
”freestyle” sets…
You've also been involved in music at industry level and worked in different
back room roles...how do you think dance music is changing at the moment -
is it for better or worse?It is really difficult to compare the dance music scene past and present
since each style has its own particular age and its own timing. In that sense, we cannot always reproduce the feeling it carries with
the same intensity but we can always use this to stimulate and influence the
music of now. Throughout the years, it has been relatively easy for me to find
something creative and innovative but what is actually ugly and worse these
days in the music scene is the attitude of the people and the music
market. Lot of music, lot of productions, lot
of labels, lot of DJs… but obviously not everything is relevant. This “too much offer” culture has created a lot of confusion and I
think this has not helped, and even made the people ignore the “direction and
path” of good music. Another thing is that people aren’t in
the mood to support the music market because it is available everywhere, and it
is free.
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