With a strong fan base in the back and much support from Italian techno stallion Marco Carola, Joseph Capriati is in high demand. His second album, “Self Portait”, is scheduled to be be out in April 2013 on Drumcode and as the techno scene around his home town Napoli is vibrant and ecstatic, no wonder Joseph is one of the new international shooting stars with Italian roots. We went to have a chat with this ascending DJ and producer, talking about his music, his Ibiza experiences, the album tour and of course, but just a little bit, about Bella Napoli.
Hi Joseph,
thanks for taking time for us. We can imagine that you don’t have much free time at the moment. You are actually working on your next album which is scheduled to be released in spring. Can you already tell us a bit about the it? On which label will it be out? Is it typical Joseph Capriati club sound? It is always a pleasure to speak to Partysan so it is no problem for me to find some time away from the studio to answer your questions. This next release will actually be my second full-length album. The first album, ‘Save My Soul’, was released on a famous Neapolitan record label called Analytic Trail in 2010. This new album will be called ‘Self Portrait’ and will be released on Drumcode in April.
I am not going to spoil the surprise too early but I am sure you will like the new music. It is typical for my sound with some more melodic and tech house elements fused into the more driving techno I make along with a couple of more electronic tracks; definitely all music for people to go crazy to though. For me this is very important.
When did you know that the time is ripe to produce a new album? As I explained, it has been a few years since my last album and I feel that I now have built up enough inspiration to be able to confidently collect together ten or twelve tracks that I am happy to call an album. Since I wrote that last album in late 2009 I have traveled a lot and experienced many amazing parties and different things all around the world.
My life has changed a lot with that of course too and with this comes different feelings and emotions and inspiration. This all has to come out in my musical expression and so the time just felt right for me to take on a bigger project like this where I could take me time to really make the music that I am feeling right now.
2012 is coming to an end. We assume that this year was actually a very busy year for you. You played all around the world and during the summer you had a residency at Marco Carola’s “Music On” night at Amnesia. How was the Ibiza season for you personally? Yes, WOW… 2012 has been a real blur for me. Everything has been moving so fast and so much has happened that it is hard to keep up with it all, even for me! I would say though that the residency for Music On was without a doubt the highlight. I grew up as a fan of Marco Carola back in Napoli and so it was a huge honor for me to be invited to play at his parties, especially as it was the first year he did the concept. He showed a lot of faith in me and for this I have a massive amount of respect and loyalty for Marco and the Music On crew.
Those guys made me feel very much at home and it was a real pleasure to come back to Ibiza for each party. We would often stay for two or three days around the parties so we all became very close friends as well as being part of a successful team that made Music On the biggest story in Ibiza for 2012. Even talking about it all now it still feels like a dream. For me to be a resident for one of the most exciting parties on the biggest party island in the world is a very humbling thought and it fills me with inspiration and motivation to carry on doing what I love.
How did you get in touch with Marco Carola talking about the Music On residency? Was it planned from the beginning that you are one of the residents of the new night? It is funny how it worked out as despite us both being from Napoli I did not really have a personal relationship with Marco before we did the Music On events together. However, we both now live in Barcelona and so when he got in touch to tell me about the Music On events and asked me if I would be interested in playing on a few of the parties we were well placed to get to know each other better and from here the relationship grew.
We originally agreed that I would play on three of the events but in the end I played on five of the events, including the closing party, so I guess you could say that my relationship with Music On grew up during the summer season and I would certainly consider them to be my Ibiza family now.
Apart from Ibiza, which other highlights did you experience in 2012? I could tell you a very long list of parties that have left a big impression on me this year but to keep it to a few really special moments I would have to say that the biggest highlight for me was seeing the reaction to me set at Awakenings Festival in Amsterdam which was just amazing. I played quite early in the afternoon, around 4pm, but the area where I was playing was already packed when I took over from Len Faki. I cannot imagine how many people were there but all I could see looking out from the stage was people going right back as far as you could see. To have that energy coming back at you is something that I cannot describe in words. I just remember smiling and bouncing around the stage. The whole set went by really quickly and I was just filled with so much emotion. It really was the best gig I have played so far in my career.
The other occasion that has stayed with me was right at the other end of the spectrum! I went to South Africa in May to play shows in Johannesburg and Cape Town. This was my second time there and it was just incredible to see how well the techno scene is developing in South Africa and I am very proud to be able to say I have been a part of that process. The traveling is of course one of the big advantages of my job but as amazing as the scenery and the culture and the food was, the most impressive thing about the trip for me was to see the passion and enthusiasm there is for techno amongst the people. I really cannot wait to go back!
I should also mention releasing studio collaborations with two of my all time favorite producers – Adam Beyer and Cari Lekebusch – as this too was a really great moment for me in 2012. I stayed for a few days with Adam at his home in Stockholm last Christmas after we played a Drumcode party at Berns and we made the three tracks which were then released on Drumcode. I love Adam and Drumcode but it was that process of working with Adam in his studio and then releasing the collaboration EP that really made me feel like that I belonged to the label. The remix I did for Cari Lekebusch was of classic track of his called ‘Unity’ from way back. It was a lot of fun to remix a real underground classic and very rewarding to see so many people play the remix, especially guys like Dave Clarke who would have also played the original. There are so many more stories I want to tell you but I guess that will have to wait until another time…
A couple of weeks ago you played Adam Bayer in Roma. The night was sold out and hundreds of “Techno-Tifosi” from Napoli couldn’t get a ticket so they made their own party outside the club. Is that true and does this happen often? Are the Joseph Capriati fans a bit more passionate and more emotional then “normal” techno fans? I really cannot say enough about my fans from Napoli. Everywhere I go I see a lot of the same faces with their Italy flags, always right at the front of the crowd, always there from the start until the very end, always dancing and going crazy. Whether it be in Italy or in Holland or in Spain there are always groups of people from Napoli. They are such an inspiration to me and when things like this happen it really moves me and makes me determined to be better at what I do. I am very grateful to those guys for showing such passion towards me and I look forward to seeing them again at my next gigs.
We can imagine that you really love your hometown – Napoli, very much. How would you describe the city in only 5 words?
Friends, Family, Passion, Techno, and Food!
Are you also interested in football? Is SSC Napoli your team? Or do you have another favorite? This is kind of strange for an Italian guy but I am really not a fan of football. Of course I enjoy watching games sometimes, especially when Italy plays in the World Cup or European Championship and I am with all my friends it is a great occasion that anyone can enjoy but I do not have the passion for the game to be a regular follower of a team. I do though have a Napoli shirt with my name on the back that is framed in my studio! It was given to me as a gift from a fan and so I have put it somewhere special to always remind me of where my heart is and the passion of the people from Napoli.
It seems you like to play long sets, especially in Napoli. Is that kind of a “Thank You” to your hometown fans and local supporters? I love to play long sets! The longer the better! I think the longest I have played for so far is something like 16 hours. This was in South America but is was stretched across a party and an after party and then an after-after party! The gig you have heard about in Napoli will happen in February 2013 at a famous club called Metropolis. I wanted to do something special there for a long time but recently when I have played in Napoli which has not been very often I have played at an amazing outdoor venue called Old River Park or at clubs like Golden Gate for Drumcode events.
For 2013, I wanted to do something special but on my own, not just so I could play for a long time but also so that I could be totally in charge of the music and the vibe of the event. It seems everybody is very excited about the show so I guess the concept has been well received by my fans and I am looking forward to sharing the special occasion with them all.
Back to the album theme. Of course you will do a album tour too. The starting shot is on January 19th, 2013 at Club Lehmann in Stuttgart, Germany. Why you are going to start the tour there and what is your impression of the club and the crowd? The Drumcode showcase last summer was my first time at Club Lehmann but I had heard a lot about it from Alan Fitzpatrick who told me he loves playing there and that the club and the crowd are amongst the very best on the circuit. So I arrived with really high expectations and I am very happy to say that I was not disappointed. For me, like most DJs, the most important thing in a club is the sound and with the amazing system and the shape of the room you get a really powerful, warm sound in the club. This makes it so much more fun to play as you can get the most of the records and really give a strong emotion to the crowd.
The crowd are the next most important thing for a good party as their reaction and energy is what creates the atmosphere. I could tell that everyone in the club was really excited for the event and that they had been looking forward to it for a while. It was also a mid-week show and a public holiday the next day so I guess everyone was really in the party mood! It certainly seemed that way as we didn’t end up leaving the club until late the next morning so I have to say big respect to Stuttgart ravers – they can certainly party hard!
For the tour start in Stuttgart you will also play a extra long set. What may your fans expect? Well, as it is the first date on the tour they will be pretty much the first people to hear all the tracks from my upcoming album so that will be really interesting for me and hopefully exciting for my fans too. As for the long set, well, I love to take people on a journey with the music so expect to hear everything and come prepared for a long night. It will be cold outside in January so best that everybody stays inside the club and parties all night and most of the morning too!
Thank you very much Joseph! Good luck with everything!