DeeperSoul Interview - Joe DiPadova

.

.	"I hope house will maintain the sound akin where it is right now. Not for years have I heard djs have as much freedom within the usual boundaries as today. It's far more dancefloor then it's been in years, and we need to maintain that it all goes together. I don't want to hear pretty shit all the time, I don't want to hear techy shit all the time, I don't want to hear ethnic shit all the time... I want to hear it all, all the time."

.

What does a good dj entail for you? Would you consider yourself as one of those?

.
A good dj to me is one that understands there are no boundaries. One that's technically proficient but understands that's the least of his/her skills. One that doesn't play the same damned music all night long. As much as I love it all, I want to hear it all...deep, soulful, techy, house classics, loft & garage, real classics, afro-beat, techno, midtempo, the works. But most importantly and above all else, a good dj is a dj who ROCKS the crowd, however they have to, within their repertoire.

Would I consider myself one? I hope so. I'm forever the student, so if not now, then one day.

.
Could you tell us how you got into music and about the beginning of your career?

.
I've always loved music in general, it's always been a huge part of my life. I first got into dj'ing around high school via a friend who's sister & her boyfriend were doing a lot of parties in the area then (boston). I steadily escalated in my pursuit until I finally realized one day that I would never be happy if I didn't dedicate my life to music, and thus dropped out of college to dedicate myself full time.

.
Quoting from your biography, your dj sets feature disco, funk, soul, jazz & techno based dance music with African and Latin rhythms, what music did you grow up with and what music has influenced you?

.
hahaha - Well, I'm not one of the cats you read about in interviews that has always listened to the most amazing music, and who's parents seemed to offer them the real shit on a platter when growing up. I mean hell, I barely knew who stevie wonder was when I was growing up. But, I loved music, all kinds. Rock, 80's pop, disco, punk, radio rnb & hip hop, classical, opera...the whole nine. My first concert was willie nelson, if that tells you anything. But I always felt this powerful draw to house music, to soul, to the real classics. I suppose my move was inevitable.

.
How do you prepare for a dj - set?

.
Listen, listen, listen.

.
Tell us about the "One" events that you host, what they are about and could you describe the atmosphere at these events?

.
ONE was intended as and has become over it's life a tight knit community of like minded individuals, whether they know each other or not, who all love to gather together and celebrate life. Some of the most amazing parties and vibes I've ever experienced in my entire life have been at ONE--parties that have even brought some of the guest djs to tears, no joke. We've gone through our ups & downs, but will always move forward in the end.
.
What do you listen to nowadays? Is it the same music that you play when you are dj-ing? And to what extent does other kinds of music influence your work?

.

The vast majority of what I listen to is music I would play or am making. When I do get time to listen to anything else, it can vary widely. Many types of world music, dub/reggae/dancehall, acoustic stuff like kings of convenience or anita exira, conscious hip hop like one self, strange fruit project, antedote, crown city rockers, etc, or just hugely creative music I love like back ted-n-ted or the lymbyc systym.

.

How do you think house music will sound in ten years due the different trends we see emerging and due to the commercialisation of the genre?
.
You see commercialization? Thank god it's about time! hahaha! I hope house will maintain the sound akin where it is right now. Not for years have I heard djs have as much freedom within the usual boundaries as today. It's far more dancefloor then it's been in years, and we need to maintain that it all goes together. I don't want to hear pretty shit all the time, I don't want to hear techy shit all the time, I don't want to hear ethnic shit all the time...I want to hear it all, all the time.

.
How much do you value reaching out to people through your own music?

.

That remains to be seen. I try to put a huge amount of my energy into what I do. The music I make (often with my partner Shea Marshall) is often hugely personal for me. I still wait to see what people get from it.

.

Your first release, "Papago morning", was a great success on Tribal Winds; how did you react to that? As it's a quite well-known label, did that help you in somehow?
.
I think it was a help, sure, but it's been a long road, and it still meanders off well beyond the horizon. It was a blessing for antonio to see what he did in the music and put it forth to the world, and I very much appreciate him for that.

.
How would you describe your music?

.

Personal, emotional, floor moving.

.

Would you say there's a difference between live music and electronic music?
.
Quality music is quality music. Music to me is the mathematical perception by the brain of the spl transduced by the eardrum. However it's made, whatever it's source, good music is good music, and good music for me is defined by the emotion it stirs within me. So the short version I guess would be no.

.
Are your productions connected to your dj-ing and the experiences you gain from there?

.

Absolutely. The more I play the more I hone my production. The more I know floors all over the country the more I know what really makes people move, and write music specifically to that. Early on my music was very intellectual. Now it's morphing into something much more visceral.

.

What were your first experiences of producing music?

.
God, hahaha... fruity loops 1.0 I think. All samples. Terrible, terrible music, but I loved it. I got what I made, even if no one else did, and I trusted myself enough to keep going and keep developing. Trust in yourself and work hard and you WILL get there. As long as you're not a total asshole, that is.

.
What's coming next, I see a lot of music on your myspace page, what should we be looking out for?

.

And a whole lot more on the way. This is a list of music either being released now, or to be released by the conference:

.

jojoflores & Joe DiPadova - Yes Smoke - Deeper Shades Records (2008)

Joe DiPadova - Alarm - SEED Recordings (2008)

Remixes:

Una - The Weekender (Joe DiPadova & Shea Marshall's Can't Stop Dub) - Poji Records (2008)

Dave Campbell feat. Sacha Williamson - I Can't Pretend (Joe DiPadova & Shea Marshall Remix) - Shines Records (2008)

Dave Campbell feat. Sacha Williamson - I Can't Pretend (Joe DiPadova & Shea Marshall's ExtraDeep Remix) - Shines Records (2008)

Lars Behrenroth & Sinan Baymak - I Miss The Things (Joe DiPadova & Shea Marshall Remix) - Deeper Shades Records (2008)

Anthony Molina feat. Elise Taylor - Perfect Love (Joe DiPadova Remix) - Getaway Recordings (2008)

.
Could you give us a top 10 list of what you will be playing at your next parties?
.

Hmm... there's a reason I rarely do these things. It's so hard to decide, and it's all about the right song for the moment. Here's a few though, aside from my own (note, I'm not about the newest, latest, greatest, just the best):

.

Dazzle Drums - Elem (Kiko Navarro Reprise)

SteveSoulBasics - Kuchwa (Seed In The City Mix)

OMAR - Feeling You (Henrik Schwarz Remix)

Franck Roger - Rebirth (jojoflores, Anto Vitale, Jason B Edit)

Gene King Featuring Sacha - Changes (157 Shelter Records)

Jaymz Nylon Feat. Kyla Sexton - Lonely (Lars Behrenroth Deeper Shades Remix)

Audiomontage - Barracuda

Halo, Kemal & Arnold Jarvis - Lift Me Up (Halo & Kemal's Dub Mix)

Alix Alvarez feat Nate James - Not To Mention

LCD Soundsystem - Shame On You

.

Interview by Josephine