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In 2016 I met charming Italians Andrea Bonaiti and Paolo D’Angelo, also known as DJ duo Several Rooms. Since then, for obvious reasons (my length vs theirs) I lovingly call them 'my little Italians'. That same year I asked them about their first gig, which didn’t quite go as planned. “The storm destroyed half the stage and sound systems.”
Andrea: “Our first gig at a festival is mainly a funny story. My Several Rooms partner Paolo, our friend Gabriele from Cryptonight, two friends and I left together by car from Milan to the south of Albania. We would perform at the Mental Festival there.”
Crazy ride
“We traveled for three days through four different nations. It was a crazy ride from the Mediterranean coast to the Balkans. During the trip, all kinds of things came our way. We saw a completely different world from what we were used to in Italy. For example, we had to cross one of the most dangerous roads in the world, the Albanian SH8. We passed through deserted towns and over dusty roads… It was quite a journey to reach the small town of Himara.”
Dive
“When we finally got there, we met Anas Cole, the artistic director of the Mental Festival and also owner of the Albanian techno label Blowing Haze Records. He was accompanied by three other guest DJs: the Kosovars Vegim and Flekitza and the German Duzenbacker. Together we took a dip in the beautiful sea and had a nice dinner. We were in the perfect mood for a few nights of partying.”
Beach as dancefloor
“The festival was to take place on a small beach called Gjipe. You could only get there by land via a dangerous mountain road at the top of a cliff. The other option was to go there by boat. That’s what we chose. A professional Albanian captain took us through a natural opening near the coast directly to the beach, which also served as a dancefloor.”
Perfect festival feeling
“After many years of chasing our dream of performing at a festival, it was fantastic to see the stage right on the beach and people dancing to the music of one of the first DJs. The atmosphere added even more to the perfect festival feeling that we already had.”
Milky Way
“On the other side of the beach was a forest with camping areas. There we brought our gear and realized we were surrounded by a giant canyon. In the evening, we returned to the beach where music was echoing everywhere. As we looked at the stage, we saw the skyline and we realized that the Milky Way was clearly visible above the sea. Words fail to describe that image. The visuals on the rocks behind the stage, the lighting and the music… It was the ultimate setting for a fantastic party.”
Lightning flash
“The day after, we spent the whole day relaxing on the beach and in the woods. At 10 PM the music started again. There was not a cloud in the sky, but we did see the occasional flash of lightning. We didn’t worry though, this was going to be our night. The timetable looked like this: Vegim & Flekitza were spinning from 4 to 6, our friend Cryptonight was on the lineup from 6 to 8 and we would play from 8 until the party was over. We thought it was an excellent time for our set. We were ready for our first festival gig.”
Rainstorm
“Unfortunately, we didn’t get to enjoy that moment for a second. At 4:30 AM, a huge rainstorm erupted. The music was forced to turn off. The storm destroyed half the stage and sound systems. We raced with our gear to the caves near the beach to stay dry and watched with dismay as the stage of our dreams was destroyed before our very eyes.”
Small speaker box
“The storm passed after a few hours and together with Cyrptonight, Vegim and Flekitza we returned to the camping area. We tried to keep our spirits up and played music all day through a small speaker box. Not on stage, in front of an audience of thousands, but on a campsite with our friends, the new, beautiful people we had met. In the end, the trip was more successful than we could have anticipated, and we loved every second of it. A trip never to be forgotten Meanwhile, we’re still waiting for our first festival gig, though.”
Pool bar
“Our very first ever gig as Several Rooms took place three years ago on the Greek island of Mykonos. We were both 23 years old at the time. We were on the island all summer to play together and eventually we found a pool bar with a good sound system, the Sueno Pool Bar. The atmosphere was also promising. The bar was located on one of the most beautiful beaches on the island called Parage.”
National holiday
“Coincidentally, we were allowed to play that first time on August 15. This is a national holiday for Italians. So, on the one hand, that date coincided nicely with our debut, but on the other hand, we were extra nervous because all our Italian friends came to listen. The audience ultimately consisted of a mix of tourists, our friends and locals.”
Our very best
“We had prepared a set, but as soon as the dance floor was full, we stepped off the playlist and adapted our music to the crowd. Never without losing sight of our own style. During that same summer we also played regularly at friends’ homes or at private after parties. So, when those friends finally found us in a professional setting, we did our very best not to disappoint them. And we succeeded! We made no major mistakes and except for the lack of a few cables, everything went fine.”
“Since that first time playing in a bar, we’ve learned a big lesson: as long as we can enjoy playing the music we love, we’ll be fine. Don’t think about fame, money and girls, just focus on the most important thing: the music. That’s what we live for.”
This interview with Several Rooms is originally in December 2016 published on DJMag.nl.