Vernon&DaCosta - As Darkness Falls (Giom’s remix) just featured on the new Hed Kandi Beach House vol.3

6.15.2007 Interview with Massimo Dacosta courtesy of Truly Madly Deeply (NL)
Massimo DaCosta: (A Second Smell, Phonoshuffle, Amenti)

Dutch people jealously look to the house scene south of the border. Every weekend there’s a grip of proper undergroundhouse parties all over the country. International DJs love to play in Belgium, not only because of the waffles and tasty beer, but also due to the fact that Belgian househeads know their music, love their music, breather their music. Best yet, they don’t have any closing hours - partying till nine in the morning is fairly standard business. It comes as no surprise then, that some of todays best DJs are from Belgium. House music’s European Don Raoul Belmans for example. Or Massimo Dacosta, synonymous with pure quality and a real DJ’s DJ.

Hey Massimo,
Thanks so much for taking the time to chat with us humble folks here at TMD. We caught you a day after playing alongside Diz in Chicago. Are you doing a US tour at the moment?

I am in the USA to play a few gigs. It is a flying visit rather than a full tour. Last Saturday I did play with Bryan Jones at Milwaukee and two days ago with Diz in the frame of his weekly residency at Boom Boom Room. It is a great party taking place every Monday and attracting more than 1,000 people every week. All the DJs/producers have the habit to meet there after the weekend. Last time I came to play at the Smart Bar of Chicago – in October 2006 – I had the opportunity to attend it and the promoter offered to book me. It really happened and the evening was absolutely brilliant. I like to come to Chicago firstly because it is always an opportunity to see friends again but above all because the scene is very, very good.

What’s the most memorable gig you played over the past years?

There were several great parties. The last edition of our Sunny Side Up residency was one of the bests. We had Mark Farina over. That evening was an incredible one. More than 1,200 people showed up and the ambiance was extraordinary. My first gig at Chicago two years ago was memorable, too. Many of my friends and producers came over: Diz, Justin Long, Sound Republic, Bryan Jones… It is unforgettable to play for the first time in the city which saw the birth of house music.

You’re one of the residents at Sunny Side Up, Belgium’s finest weekly house, where you join forces with no other than Mr. Belmans. And previously you was resident at Food. Could you tell us something about this residency? How did you end up in Leuven?

Actually I met Raoul over 7 years ago when I was resident in a club called ‘Pure’. We usually welcomed him as a guest. We got along well very quickly and so our friendship began. In 2003 after a 2 year exile in Brussels, ‘Food’ went back to Leuven. Frank, the manager, was looking for a third resident. That’s how I joined Raoul and Geoffroy. In 2005 Food stopped but I continued to play frequently in Leuven, mostly for the ‘Touché’ parties. There is no doubt that the crowds in Leuven are some of the bests in Belgium. Since December 2006 we have launched a new party at the ‘Silo’: Sunny Side Up. After some evenings with many high quality guests (Diz, Dennis Ferrer, Justin Martin, Miles Maeda, Mark Farina…) the concept established itself. And I believe that today, it is one of the best party houses in Belgium.

You’re about to release a hotly anticipated solo-project on Troydon’s new imprint Phonoshuffle. You also have an absolutely stunning new record coming out with your production partner Vernon on respected label Amenti. Exciting stuff, what do you expect from these releases?

Yes, indeed. The month of June is very promissing. I have this track: ‘NY Minute’ that I made with Troydon in November last year, when I came to play with him in New York. But there is also a new maxi with Vernon on Amenti. It features a sublime remix of Giom, a very talented French producer. The track is heavily supported by Mark Farina and also by Heather. We are also preparing the first release of the very new label of Raoul: ‘A Second Smell’. It is a 3 track-EP which was warmly welcomed at the last year’s WMC in Miami.

What could explain the thriving house scene in Belgium? Clubs are packed to the brim, clubbers know and appreciate their music and it seems to be a hotbed for talented producers as well. A fortunate side-effect of Belgian beer maybe?

Yes. I think I am very lucky to live in Belgium where the scene is very receptive and excellent clubs are ready to take risks with the aim of offering quality to the public. It is rather common to see a club programming JT Donaldson while a second one welcomes Steve Bug and a third one Dimitri from Paris, all in the same weekend. It is not so bad for a small country like ours. You know, I cannot spend a week without receiving a call or an e-mail from foreign DJs on tour in Europe who would like to play in Belgium. It is meaningful. Don’t forget that Belgium has always been a forerunner of electronic music. Raoul and Swirl People have got something to do with it for the trance, the house or the techno (with the Fuse Club which is one of the best techno clubs in the world). Belgium really took advantage from the success of Swirl People and from the connections of Raoul. They really contributed to enhance the level of the Belgian scene. I cannot hide the fact that Raoul has always been a model for me and I guess it is also the case for many other young people in Belgium.

Your fan base in Holland seems to be ever-increasing; has it resulted in you playing here more often?

I hope so, even if I am afraid I don’t visit you frequently enough. I have had the opportunity to play several times at Eindhoven (De Rechter, Puur) and Sittard for my friends of Soulfully Yours. I have happy memories of each of these parties. I think that the stage is also moving in Amsterdam. I am impatient to judge by myself.

If you had to pick between waffles or fries with samurai-sauce, which would it be?

Hmmm… fries… but with Andalousian-sauce … ha ha!

What would you say is the best invention since the electric toothbrush?

The GPS! You can imagine the number of cases where I lost my way when going to a gig with just a sheet printed from Mappy. All this is solved today thanks to my essential GPS!

What can we expect from you in the near future, DJ and production wise?

As I told you before this month of June is overloaded. Together with Vernon I’m working on the finishing touches for a remix of Swirl People’s Wotcha gonna do for Aroma. This should be out in September. We shall also bring out a new record in September on Icon with a collaboration of Red Eye on vocals’. The package should include very good remixes of Shurikan and the Sound Republic. There is also an EP on Phobic, a young English label which gets itself talked about. Concerning deejaying, I hope to continue to travel a lot and to contribute to the flourishing of the Belgian stage.