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We met at Ruigoord, and Valerio Sinatra turned out to live in the same city at the time. So, of course we made sure this sympathetic Italian arrived home safely. Nowadays, Valeria Sinatra is making waves in Sweden. In the series MY FIRST GIG, he says, "My eyes filled with tears of joy."
“Actually, several ‘first gigs’ came to mind immediately that I could mention. Like the very first one, when I was fifteen, and I DJed at a friend’s birthday party, somewhere in the poor and dirty Roman suburbs. Unfortunately, the memories of this are somewhat vague, and I would spend days looking for photos of that evening – if I can even find them.”
DJing with Carl Cox
“Another option I thought about is the first time I got to support an international DJ, someone I respect the most, namely Carl Cox. Playing at the Babylon Festival with him was my real debut in the music industry. That’s also where the story originated why my real name is my DJ name and not the name I had previously thought of. It all happened because a promoter announced me with my real name on the lineup, and oh yes, that was the best thing that could have happened to me at that moment.”
Earthcore logo
“Because of the particularly vivid memory I have and because of the huge impact of that gig on my personal life and my career, I choose the first gig on the main stage of a festival. It all started out of nowhere. I organized parties in Melbourne and invited the venue’s crew every week for a free drink and snack before the event. That day, we organized our first international booking with DJ Ralf. Everything looked great. At one point, a man approached me and asked how I wanted to continue my career. After a short conversation, he gave me his business card and told me to give him a call. Under his name and contact details on the card was ‘Head Honcho.’ I turned the card over, and on the back was the Earthcore logo! Maybe you’ve never heard of Earthcore on this side of the globe. However, it’s one of the oldest, if not the oldest, event organizers in Australia that organize ‘doofs.’ The organization is logically also quite popular with a huge selection of big artists. And now I was asked!”
Shouted it from the rooftops
“I kept the conversation to myself for a few days until I just had to tell someone. That became my then-girlfriend, my family, and my dearest friends. I felt immensely relieved when I could share the big news! This was what I had always wanted and what I had worked hard and long for. Finally, it was going to happen! When the lineup was finally announced, I shouted it from the rooftops.”
Shaking like a leaf
“The festival took place from Thursday to Sunday, and I had to play on Saturday. The night before, I had another gig, so I only slept for a few hours until I went to Pyalong, where the festival was held. I was only 25, and at the time, it felt like my life was unfolding organically in front of me. As a result, I felt comfortable with everything I did. My then-girlfriend and a few good friends traveled with me to the festival; they didn’t understand how I could be so calm. Of course, they didn’t know that inside, I was shaking like a leaf.”
Plenty of time
“I could only think that my hands would play the same turntables that some of my idols had stood behind. Sam Paganini, Victor Ruiz, Chris Liebing, Rodhad, Infected Mushrooms, and so many others. When we arrived, we first set up our tent. I think I finished my tent within ten minutes because, in my perception, we had arrived just in time. In the end, it turned out that we had plenty of time, but I was terribly afraid of being late. While my friends were still busy at the campsite, I raced with my girlfriend to the main stage to wait there for half an hour until it was my turn. Shortly after that, my friends also reached the backstage with a bottle of vodka, which quickly relaxed me.”
Tears of joy
“I had bought records like crazy in the previous months so that I could give my set a clear sound. Of course, I also had a varied collection so that I could feel out what the vibe would lead to. I started with a track from two good friends, German producers called Cheeky G, and from there, I improvised. I played every track that I felt contributed to the sound. I started at 124 BPM and ended at 128 BPM, with a few excursions to 130 bpm. In hindsight, I have no idea what I did in that hour. All I know is that after the set, I felt super relaxed, as if I had experienced some kind of musical orgasm. The dance floor filled up before my eyes, and at the same time, my eyes filled with tears of joy. Of course, I didn’t show this, but my eyes were shining so brightly in the sun that I must have looked like a Manga character.” (laughs) “Luckily, it was a high stage, and I stood quite far from the crowd – otherwise, it would have been embarrassing.”
What a rush!
“To be honest, I don’t think it was the best set I’ve ever played, but I didn’t worry about any criticism either because the crowd’s reaction was amazing. I might have been most satisfied by the reaction of a guest who took a picture of me and then posted it on every event page to ask who that DJ was! What a rush! In addition, I received tons of compliments and the proposal to come and play in New Caledonia. However, that gig never took place because I had since returned to Europe.”
Connection with music
“I am immensely grateful to my friends and my then-ex for supporting me during this adventure and for bringing that bottle of vodka so I could chill out a bit more.” (laughs “I can say that on that day, I learned how to stand on a stage. Whether I play for ten or a hundred people today, I still experience that same feeling. I always DJ for myself and for the audience, and I don’t mind standing in front of an empty dance floor. Size doesn’t matter because I always feel a connection with the music. Since that day, I’ve opened a new chapter. Recently, I’ve been living in the Netherlands to start a new adventure here and spread my music.”
Rollercoaster
“During that same time, I found myself in a rollercoaster of experiences and gigs. So I was on the main stage with Carl Cox at the Babylon Festival and played a closing set at Cocoon in Melbourne, where Sven Väth, Green Velvet, Seth Troxler, Art Department, and Appolonia were also present. I played primetime at one of Carl Cox’s parties – oh yes! I had some gigs in Asia, the coolest of which was on a boat at Maya Beach in Thailand, and I supported artists such as Sam Paganini, Fritz Kalkbrenner, Martin Buttrich, Guy J, Joris Voorn, Timo Maas, and many others.”
“My life has always revolved around music, and in addition to DJing, I decided to study production at the SEA in Amsterdam, so I can finally play my own tracks. Once I finish my education, I’ll travel through Europe and produce music with some of the artists I’ve shared decks with over the past few years. After that, I’ll start a new tour to spread my own music wherever I can.”
This interview with Valerio Sinatra was originally published in September 2018 on This Is Our House.
Black & white photo by sa.lomaonun.es photography
Who is Valerio Sinatra?
Valerio Sinatra (formerly known as Elektroma) is a sound maestro, weaving together genres such as techno, electro, deep house, glitch, psy and whatever else you can wave a wand at. The result is a funky, bouncy, curious landscape of sound that is a place for dancers to explore and move in.
It comes as no surprise that Valerio Sinatra began DJing at 14 years old and moved into clubs at the age of 16, picking up residencies and nights in some of Rome’s biggest venues. The early beginning fine-tuned his ear for sound, but his time as a sound technician at Radio Azzura Italia Network contributed to the multidimensional feel you can hear in his music. It was during this time that Valerio Sinatra began to produce just with live synth and drum machine, having played vinyl and live sets before then.
During a three-year break, Melbourne sang, and Valerio Sinatra came to start his own project, which, after only a few sets for their radio show and guest sets on KISS FM, was welcomed by dancers around the city.
Valerio Sinatra now runs his own nights with deep house, tech house, techno and electro. He also had the chance to play in some of the biggest events in 2015 with Funf Touring in Melbourne as “OH YES OH YES!” (with Carl Cox), COCOON (with Sven Vath, Seth Troxler, Green Velvet, Art Deparment and Apollonia), Future Music Festival 2015, Darkbeat and Funf Touring (with Fritz Kalkbrenner, Martin Buttrich, Audiofly, Blond:ish, Guy J and many more).
Valerio Sinatra founded The Intergalactic Crew (psytrance and glitch hop). All that and he still has much more magic up his sleeve still to come. These days he resides in Sweden where he’s once more a top organizer of many events, where Valerio Sinatra himself naturally also takes place in the DJ booth.