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Among the epic benders and exorbitant club prices, anyone who has ever bothered to scratch the surface of legendary party island Ibiza knows there’s a special energy in the air. Literally. Venture to the eastern coast’s iconic rock formation Es Vedra and you’ll be visiting the third most magnetic spot on earth. And it’s no surprise that Italian techno don Joseph Capriati is a firm believer in this energy, as he truly is a magnetic force of his own.
As a key member of the Drumcode Records family, Capriati has his second album ‘Self Portrait’ coming out on Adam Beyer’s world-dominating label today. While the backing of the imprint has helped him gain momentum as the hottest rising star in techno, don’t be fooled; the Neapolitan is deservedly almost a brand in his own right – just check the stencilled images of his face that adorn everything from the Italian flags brought in pride to his gigs, to the ink on his die-hard fans’ bodies. Maybe it’s his slamming techno that can still be hauntingly melodic. Maybe it’s his infectious personality that draws everyone to him like a ray of magnetic energy. Whatever it is, it’s impossible to deny that this 25 year old is set for ‘pole’ position.
If you ever witness the way he conjures the whole of Amnesia’s Main Room into a sit down on the back of his emotion-driven performance and pin-sharp track selection, or hear tales of how his army of fans have travelled the breadth of Italy to attend already sold-out gigs just so they can stand outside the venue to support their hero, or of course, ever have the pleasure of meeting the warm, affectionate artist (and get one of his trademark hugs), one thing is unmistakably clear – there’s definitely something about Joseph.
After sprinting coatless through a rain-drenched London and eventually finding his hotel, we quickly warmed up with hugs and espresso before getting down to business. I chatted to the energy-fuelled Italian about family, our affinity with Ibiza’s strong spiritual side, and ‘Self Portrait’, a topic that made his eyes light up as he confided how the album came together.
You’ve been working with Drumcode for around three years now, and Self Portrait is about to drop. What do you think it is about Drumcode that makes it so special? For me, it’s family. It’s not just work or a label. It started out as a passion, and I've loved Beyer's records since I was young. It’s simple: Drumcode makes the best techno! Starting as a fan and ending up as part of the family means so much to me.
Tell me about your relationship with Adam. I couldn’t think of two artists or people who could be more different, but you obviously have a great friendship. The thing is, I'm part of the family but I’m not under the brand of Drumcode. It’s not like Adam took me from nobody and put me in the circle, so we have a great friendship rather than a work relationship. I was already a producer with my own personality when I started releasing records through them. It’s a purely free and happy collaboration. I like to release my tracks on the label because they do the best promotion for it and Adam loves what I do. Drumcode is our own sound.
Your own sound, can you sum that up for us? For me, as a producer and creator, Drumcode is a religion. When I go to play a Drumcode party we all know what to play but for the after party we'll always do something else. It's not all just deep, dark techno. Our sound is our mark but we are open to anything and everyone. Many fans of techno are very strict, almost aggressive. It's all 'we just want techno' and 'everything else is shit'. We have to change this!
Agreed! There’s a certain funk and groove in your music that really talks to me. Thanks! I really want to teach the next generation to be open-minded which is why I produce electronic music and down tempo stuff as well. I want to keep teaching! Take ’Fratello’ from the new album for example; for me that track is techno but with true soul. You can play with a lower BPM at an after party or on a beach at sunset, or at a festival. Music is much more than just sound. If you hear the right track in the right situation you’re going to enjoy it, even if you’re not a huge techno fan. It’s so important to feel the music too.
You've just finished a residency for Marco Carola's Music On at Amnesia in Ibiza all summer. He’s huge at the moment and obviously a fantastic artist, but quite hard for an audience to identify with. Can you tell us about the Marco you know? Marco is a huge inspiration. For me he's the best DJ in the world. It’s how he manages himself as well as musically. He keeps his personality for his private life, unlike me who can’t help but show it everywhere. It’s a business and a passion for me, but it’s full of people who want to use you, take your money and let you down. I’m trying to learn to distance myself from people more but it’s hard because I like to share moments with everyone. I connect to the crowd because in that moment we’re sharing something but it’s important to know when to step back. Some people think Marco is closed off or shy, but he's just doing his job. When he goes on the stage, he's a machine, a robot! He can play twelve hours as if it were one. If you see him he doesn’t dance much or put his hands up. But briefly, he opens his mouth, it means that his heart in that moment is going fast like this (breathes in and out quickly), like as if he was running and it means in that moment he's excited! It’s like he's having an orgasm with music, it’s incredible! That’s why Marco is the one.
Thanks for insight! Let's look at your history a little bit. If you were going to take me on a virtual tour of Napoli to show me the techno side of it, where would we go? Old River Park. It’s like the temple of techno in Napoli. It’s an open-air venue.
That’s where you first discovered techno, isn’t it? Yeah, for me it’s really the Mecca of techno. There is where the real techno scene of Napoli lies. They started having DJs in 1994 with a few hundred people, but then last time I played there to 7,000 people. They did the closing this year and Richie Hawtin played to almost 10 thousand people! I’ll be doing a 15 hour set there next year.
Let’s talk about your new album ‘Self Portrait’ which comes out today. As a bubbly energetic person, how was the experience of locking yourself away and being alone, focussing on your own thoughts and working on the album? Did you find it quite daunting? No. Well, I worked on the album for a whole year, so I didn’t have to lock myself away for too much at one time. For me, an album has to show variation. I wanted to do something special and unique. If I did all the work in one month it would sound almost the same, so I wanted to create it throughout the year with changing moods, weather and spirit. Getting influence from my circumstances makes me produce something different. There’s different melodies, different roots, different sounds...
There’s a couple of wildcards on the album. ‘Self Portrait’ for example is a lot slower and very melodic. It’s a beautiful track. It’s also the title track so it must mean a lot to you; how were you feeling when you wrote it?
It’s a spiritual track that can really show how deep and passionate I am, even if it’s not techno. The melody speaks for me, which is why I called it ‘Self Portrait.’ If you really listen to the track you can get the message. You can understand me and see I’m a really spiritual person.
Have you got any favourites that stand out to you? Hmm I’d say ‘Basic Elements,’ I really love the melody there and its very emotional; ‘Fratello’ and ‘Self Portrait.’ They are my ultimate favourites. Then there’s the really heavy techno stuff, the bombs for the big room, but the more melodic ones are the ones I really love.
The track ‘Naked’ is very different as well. Would you say it’s symbolic of the album process? When you’re doing an album, you’re putting your work out there to be critiqued? You’re putting your art out there an exposing yourself. Every track for me has a meaning, obviously some more than others. Every title is significant for me, or it explains the track in one word, or remembering a significant moment in those years since my first album save my soul. It’s like a book. A resume of everything I’ve done.
Can you think of a defining moment where you realised that all your hard work so far has paid off? In the last two years I started to understand something. Something is happening here. But then everything, I’m realising this is just the beginning. I’m very happy, and still cannot believe what is happening to me. I started in 2006 to mix records, not too long ago, and I’m already travelling the world, and have huge followers and playing the best festivals and clubs, I can’t ask anything more. The next step is to continue in this way, not for money but for personal goals. It’s already a dream come true but I have a lot more to achieve.
You’re very loyal to Drumcode, but would you consider starting your own label?
Well if it happens, it happens, but not for the next few years at least. Right now I’m spending my time playing, and understanding how to balance my life. When to sleep, when to party, my private life, gigs, studio time... It’s a difficult time because I have to grow up and I have to do it fast. My manager is developing a team now now so we have to grow and make this time count; when the team is ready we can look at doing a label.
Your album is a self-portrait of who you are and the point you've reached. A lot of things make up who we are, one of those things being our family. If you had to draw a musical family tree of people who made you what you are today, who would be on it? If I made a family tree of my career it would start with my Grandfather, who was also called Giuseppe Capriati. He was the first person to show real belief in me when it came to my career. He always encouraged me, helped me out, and gave me the confidence to live my dream. For this I will always be grateful. Then, Genny Mosca who has been my booking agent since the very beginning, and also my manager Rob Howarth who has made a huge difference to my profile. Then I would put my other booking agents - Fran Balsa and Ryan Saltzman who represent me in Spain, Latin America and North America. Next, Adam Beyer, whose Drumcode label has provided such a great home for my music and who has been a real friend to me as I have been growing up in the techno scene... and of course Marco Carola and all the Music On team who have given me such an amazing chance to work with them in Ibiza. I would also need to include some of my closest friends in the music scene as well such as Nacho Capella from Amnesia who is a very close confidant of mine, and my roommate Tony Esposito who runs Club4 in Barcelona. He’s like my big brother. I am so lucky to be around good people who support my career, but most importantly they support me as a person; they love me and who I am inside.
Capriati's new album, 'Self Portrait,' is out worldwide today. Buy it here.
Listen to Joseph Carpriati on Pulse Radio.
