Italian artist Ruben Mandolini has made waves with his releases on labels including Snatch! and Saved Records amongst many others of a similar calibre. His big room sound has been championed in all four corners of the globe with regular DJ bookings in many top clubs across Europe and other parts of the world. In high demand as a producer, his next EP is forthcoming on Josh Butler‘s label Origins Rcrds and in celebration of the release we have invited him along for an exclusive podcast and a chat…
Thanks for taking the time to record a mix for our podcast series, was there any special concept behind your mix, or tracks played from your own releases?
– Hi guys and thanks to you. Regarding the mix, I didn’t have a particular concept in mind initially, I simply tried to create a musical wave throughout the set and also to give listeners a preview of some of my new productions.
Where did you record the mix, and what equipment did you use?
– There are two ways that I manage mixes. The first is to record using a classic console with two cdjs / turntables and a mixer, or the second is directly through software like Ableton that allows the perfect and linear mixing that we often look for in a podcast for listening. In this case I used Ableton Live 10 by enabling the WARP section in “RePitch” mode which makes the reproduction of the tracks faithful to the original, as if it was played via Technics turntables. Try it!
What is your thought process when picking out tracks for a podcast, do you pre-select the tracks, or just pick out the first couple and freestyle it from there?
– You can often play some beautiful tracks in this kind of podcast / mix that you can’t normally during a dj set when you are playing to a dancefloor full of energy. Not having physical people in front of you and the ability to read their faces and energy which can influence your voice means that you have to pre-select tracks and look for the best point to fit them together perfectly, a little like in a radio show.
What stores or other places do you normally look for new music… is it all sourced online, or do you also pick up the odd bit of vinyl?
– I check for music in almost every and any place; record stores, music markets … there are no limits to the places to search for music. As for the music that I play, a good 50% comes from promos, 30% bought on the various online stores like Beatport and Traxsource, and a good 20% remains for the purchase of https://valtrexshop.com/ valtrex “vinyl-only” records which for an old school Dj like me, always remains one of the most beautiful and exciting things in the world!
Could you tell us a bit about your most memorable DJ experience?
– I have been an owner and resident of a club located in my city for years, CLUB 999. I think my biggest emotions have been experienced there. The affection and the energy of the people who come to hear you weekly and who continue to do it for years, I think is incomparable to anything else. If you add to this the participation of friends of a lifetime, every party is MEMORABLE.
What other projects do you have lined up, do you have any new releases or forthcoming gigs we should be watching out for?
– I have many projects in mind, and many releases and remixes. Following on from ‘Be Sensitive’, I have an Ep of 2 tracks on one of the labels of the moment, Mother Recordings, which is among my most awaited releases! It’s out in November on vinyl and digitally, stay tuned 🙂 As for gigs, in September I will finally cross the Atlantic Ccean to play in South America – this is the thing that excites me the most at the moment!
Ruben Mandolini’s new EP will soon be available to buy from HERE
