Interview : Franco Cangelli

Few weeks after the release of an EP based on some remixes of his famous track "Raw Emotion", the belgian DJ and producer Franco Cangelli answered some of Tendances F&Y; questions :
Hi Franco, could you introduce yourself ?
Well, I’m a dj and producer from Gent, Belgium. I run my own label called Mowar and recorded for other labels such as Persistencebit, Seventh Sign… Check discogs for my full discography. Other than that, I’m hopeless romantic and a misunderstood weirdo.
How could you define your music ?
That depends on my mood and state of mind. Sometimes it’s stripped and basic, sometimes it’s warm and emotional and sometimes it’s dark and dubbed. I try not to get stuck on a particular approach as I get bored rather quickly.
My Raw Emotion EP on Persistencebit for instance and the upcoming my Electronic Soul EP (hopefully in September), show a more melodic side of me, while other releases such as the Paper Cut EP on my label Mowar are more stripped and dubby. I can’t deny there’s a clear influence from Detroit, but somehow I like to think I developed my own sound.
What are you main musical (and artistic) influences ?
My childhood influences would be early 80’s electrofunk and I guess some pop music from those days. Then around 1986-87 there was New Beat in Belgium and the first Chicago house records that started to pop up everywhere. But the sound that blew my mind was the soulful techno sounds coming from Detroit.
But I have to admit that I have a bit of split personality there, because I’m equally drawn to the darkness and experimentalism of Aphex Twin and Autechre. I would also have to say that I used to be a bit of a literature nerd, especially the horror classics by Edgar Allen Poe, H.P. Lovecraft… So I’m sure that somehow influenced me as well.
Could you talk about your last production Raw Emotion which is part of a remix EP (inspiration, title, ...) ?
Well the Raw Emotion EP was released on the Italian label Persistincebit as part of the Texture Series. It’s definitely a trip into the more emotional and melodic side of me. It’s not the dancefloor bomb everyone is waiting for, but then again I didn’t really have the dancefloor in mind.
Now the same people behind the Persistencebit and Yore have launched new label called Self Defence on which this remix EP was released. My track Raw Emotion got remixed by two techno heavyweights Russ Gabriel and Dan Curtin. I’m very happy with the result. It’s a fine remix project.
We noticed you had released a lot of EPs but no album for the moment, why this choice ?
Well initially it’s better to release a few EP’s and make a name for yourself so you can let people discover what you’re about musically. So an album project is on my mind, but I need some time to make it happen. I don’t want to make a bunch of tracks and just call it an album
Do you plan to make an album soon ?
Maybe next year, who knows, right now I don’t have the right state of mind.
According to you, what are the differences between an EP and an album ?
An EP is just a couple of tracks on a record. It can be very consistent and special, but it doesn’t fully reflect the artist’s perspective.
An album is where an artist goes all the way and shows what he’s truly made of, so not just a bunch of dancefloor tracks, but a more personal and challenging project. Also, an album should only be listened to as a whole and not just a couple of tracks here and there. Unfortunately, most people who buy digital fail to understand this and just buy the dancefloor tracks and overlook the deeper and personal tracks on an album.
Ideally an album shouldn’t even be sold online, but only on a physical format so the listener is forced to listen to all of it. That’s my view on this.
And what about live, do you like it ?
Yeah sure. I just don’t think that a live performance means triggering loops. Maybe I have a more traditional view on what live is. Someone who plays keys is live, someone who plays bass is live, but someone who’s playing loops from a laptop is not live for me, sorry. That doesn’t mean a laptop performance is boring. It can be mind-blowing. But live to me means that I see people playing music.
Then, do you prefer live or DJ set ?
I don’t see myself as a live performer. Every time my music gets released I can hardly listen to it because I already heard it a million times in the studio. So playing my own stuff every time would really bore the shit out of me haha. I prefer the flexibility of dj-ing and sharing the music you love with the dancefloor.
And does the music in club influence your creations ?
Of course. Although I’m not going to imitate a certain style of music just because it’s popular or can get me gigs. I don’t think that’s the way to do it.
And to conclude, when could we hope to see you in Paris ?
Last time I went to Paris was on a school trip many years ago. I guess I need to get out more… The only time I played in France was in Lille at the Paysages Electroniques festival a couple of years ago. But at the moment I have no upcoming gigs in France. Hopefully in the near future…
Thanks a lot for those answers !
Thank you too !
(French version soon)
To illustrate this interview, let's (re)discover his last production Raw Emotion :

and the remix of Russ Gabriel remix :
You can even listen to Dan Curtin's remix here
Le myspace de Franco Cangelli