Hey guys. Sorry I haven't posted in a while, but I've been crazy busy producing new original music. Anyways, here is an exclusive interview I did with upcoming trance artist DJ Eco. He's a local guy from NJ that I met a couple of years back at the first Electric Zoo, and when I hung out with him again at this year's festival he agreed to do this little interview for you all. He's a cool guy with some good insights, and you should definitely keep your eyes and ears open for him in the future.
1) Let's start with some basic info. Tell my readers who you are, where you're from, how long you've been in the scene, etc.
My name is Marcello, my artist name is Eco and I'm a trance and progressive producer/DJ from New Jersey. I've been listening to the genre for almost a decade now and have been producing my own music for a good 7 years or so, maybe more!
2) What draws you to uniquely to trance that you don't find in other forms of music? Describe what you think makes it special.
Feeling! I am drawn to all types of music that have some thought and feelings and emotion in it. What's unique is that trance is music you dance to. While I like a lot of progressive rock bands and producers, maybe the live experience of hearing them live is kind of a quiet one, people sitting down or nodding their heads. At a really good trance event with a really good trance DJ playing, you can really get sucked into a whole series of emotions, all while really dancing energetically.
3) Tell me a bit about your creative process in production. Where do you typically draw inspiration from, and how do you go about designing a track once you've got the concept?
I listen to a lot of rock bands and more ambient chillout producers as well. I don't listen to too much other trance these days so the inspiration I do draw from is from the rock bands I listen to. What usually forms in my mind is a melody and the main melody is usually the first thing I start producing around. The beats and percussions of the song usually come after!
4) Producing vs. DJ'ing. Which do you find to be more rewarding and why?
Producing! I think flying around every night and playing a lot of other people's songs for a living can only be rewarding to a certain extent. For it to really mean something, I think the producer factor is really necessary. It's incredible to see a crowd's reaction to your own song(s). And that can all be traced to the moment you were sitting down in your chair and putting all the music in your head onto your screen.
5) What led you to realize that you wanted to make a career out of music? What was the transition like from being a casual fan to becoming a professional and one of NYC's brightest upcoming artists?
Funny question, because I still don't consider this a "career". I work about 5 days a week doing architecture, partly by necessity but also by choice. It's stressful as hell but helps me be a better producer as well. Maybe when it picks up to an more enormous degree, I might consider myself "professional"! It's more fun doing this for fun though haha..
6) When we were hanging out at E-Zoo, a bunch of people recognized you even though you weren't performing and came up to say hello. Is being recognized by complete strangers something you ever really get used to?
I've gotten used to it. I'm a bit of a shy guy so I try to steer clear of it when I can. When I see DJs, I might just hang out in the back or in a dark corner. But it's quite amazing how many people recognize me, from all over the world. I may not be packing out clubs all over the world, but at least I know my music made its way all over the world. It's an amazing feeling!
7) What are your thoughts on the recent production trend of people making full tracks using only samples and loops like from the Vengeance packs? Do you think this is ok or do you think producers should make more effort to create their own sounds? (I asked Aron Scott this same question lol)
I think it's okay, depending on a certain degree. Percussion samples are a good basis to start your productions on, and using some of them here and there give your tracks some sort of skeleton to grow around. I would never advocate using loops as melodies, vocals, or basslines though. I think those things should all be made from scratch. On the flip side, there's some popular producers NOT using samples and making everything by scratch. But who cares, if their music sucks? If you're writing incredible songs with great melodies and cool vocals, using a few samples to back your track (to a light degree) doesn't kill your credibility as an artist, in my opinion.
8) Who are some of your role models as an artist? Ya know the kind of people you aspire to be like as your career progresses.
I have to say I really respect Ferry Corsten as a producer. He has risen to the top and stayed extremely popular throughout the past two decades. He's done so by continuing to "do his own thing". He never completely reinvented himself (except at the very very beginning) by trying to conform to whatever was hot at the moment. He just kind of stayed the course and you can tell a Ferry Corsten song is a Ferry Corsten by the way it sounds. Too many big DJs go out, pay another producer, and tell him to "make whatever's hot at the moment with 1 or 2 of my classic sounds". That's what's killing the genre.
9) What songs, if any, have you heard that made you stop and think "Damn! I wish I made that track myself."?
"Halcyon And On And On..." by Orbital!
10) What upcoming projects and gigs of yours should we be on the lookout for? Anything recently released that we should check out?
I've been working on a lot of new stuff since the release of the album. Early 2012 is going to be really exciting, I'm really trying to put out a few big-room tunes out again, similar to my older stuff! They do have a new twist to them though and I think they're a really exciting step in the right direction.
11) Lastly, say anything at all that you'd like to my blog readers.
Don't let DJ Mag dictate what artists you listen to or go see. Dig further and you'll find amazing artists who aren't on the DJ Mag poll and will probably never make it to the DJ Mag poll! Give them your support.
DJ Eco latest track "Wide Open", a collaboration with artist Breakfast, was just recently released on Armada records and is currently available on Beatport! Check out the release here and stay tuned for more from this guy rapidly rising in the ranks of the trance community!
Follow DJ ECO online:
Official Website
YouTube
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