Ciao Marnik, thanks for taking the time to chat with us! For those who don’t know yet, can you tell us a bit about how your duo was born?
Hello guys we are Alessandro and Emanuele and we met seven years ago in the studio that we own today. We were working on our solo project and then we decided to start working togheter and produce music as a new project.
How did you deal with the last year’s issues? Do you see a light at the hori- zon?
Since all of our shows has been cancelled/postponed because of the virus spreading, we focused on music and we locked ourself in the studio produc- ing tons of new stuff.
Definitely we see a light at the horizon, we are already booked for some shows and festivals during the summer so it really sounds to be like the last chapter of this pandemy; the vaccine campaigns should help on this as well so finger crossed and we really wish to go back to normality asap.
What has given you motivation to produce and spend time in the studio dur- ing the lockdown?
The love for the music and for our fans. We’ve been lucky to turn our pas- sion into our daily job so, it can sound stupid, but there isn’t anything that make us happier than making music.
What track has been your best release of 2020 and why is it your favorite?
Tough question; probably ‘Butterfly’ because it’s one of the most represen- tative tracks of our ‘Euro-bounce’ sound but to be honest it’s really hard to choose.
Over the years there have been many big labels in your career: Spinnin’, Dharma, Ultra, Dim Mak and counting…with some of them you built a strong relationship. What did each label give you in terms of artistic growth? Have you ever thought about starting your own imprint sooner or later?
That’s definitely a good idea and we are planning to make this happen. We released our music on different labels through years andwe really have to thank them for their support: with Dim Mak we were part of a big family and they invited us many times to play at their events (Tomorrowland, Mia- mi, Ibiza), Dharma is like a second home for us and Spinnin gave us a push through their channels. At the moment we have a deal with Sony and we are very happy to work with them.
You are #8 among the 100 most streamed Italian electronic producers on Spotify. Alone, Up & Down hit more than 20 ML streams. Do you listen to music on Spotify? Do you still collect vinyls??
Of course we do. We listen to a lot of music of every genre and we like a lot of different styles, from Pop to Hip Pop/ Trap to Dance music to even classi- cal music sometimes.
Yes we still collect vinyls and love them. In our studio we still have some- thing like 300/400 old and new vinyls.
What are the pros and cons to be a duo in the music business?
Honestly we can see only pros because the fact we are a duo gave us the chance to split our roles and work much better on our respective roles even if we still work together on shows and music to compare our visions and ideas.
Lele you gave up live shows a couple of years ago, do you regret this deci- sion? Alex after Lele gave up touring… covid came…do you guys have some- thing to declare?!
Lele: I honestly think I made the right decision at that time because I really wanted to be more focused on music production. Actually I still miss live shows so who knows, maybe in the future I could be back touring with Alex.
Alex: covid came after 2 years of solo touring but who knows, maybe this is a sign: should Lele come back on tours? ☺
What do you think about the Italian Dance music scene of the last few years? Are there colleagues you appreciate most?
We think that Italy is finally carving out some space in the dance scene after years of EDM ‘bubble’: our dance identity is now spreading outside again and it’s not a case that guys like Gigi D’Agostino or Gabry Ponte are now back to charts. Also in the house scene Italians are making it right: we ob- viously have to mention Meduza and their latest hits.
Between Beatport, 1001tracklists, Spotify, Instagram what do you check first in the morning and more often during the day?
For sure spotify and socials but we still both check Beatport charts and 1001tracklists for sure.
The ones with Steve Aoki, KSHMR, Gabry Ponte and Don Diablo are only few of your many collaborations … what have you ‘stolen’ from these great artists?
Mostly, from them we learned a lot about business and mindset: all these guys are real professionists who really know what they actually want. They keep working and working and always try to figure out new ideas.
What have you planned for the next months?
Potentially, a release every month from May till the end of the year ( we know, this is the final result of a year of lockdown).
Invite Climax readers to check your music out on Spotify!
Hello guys this is Alex and Lele and we are MARNIK. Go and check our music on spotify clicking on the link below and don’t forget to subscribe to our Spotify playlist ‘Dance Generation’.https://open.spotify.com/artist/6S3KljEiIOWoLMUyZrkQUc?si=ro5wfusKSICx- aNCzCP8BlQ
