Our new series of interviews, entitled BUDAPEST WORLDWIDE, which is intended to show our readers what experiences foreigners living here have about Hungary and within that about Budapest. What do they think about us Hungarians, how they managed to integrate, what they think of our language or Hungarian cuisine, and there are many other interesting things that come to light.

First of all thank you very much for answering my questions. Please introduce yourself, who you are where are you coming from? What was the main reason, why did you choose Budapest? Have you ever been in Hungary before?

First, Thank you for your interest.My mother is from Budapest, she left Hungary when she was pregnant of me. I was born in Vicenza, a small country in the North of Italy close to the mountains. Since my first steps I spent a lot of time in Budapest witnessing the advent of electronic music and its evolution that continues now. I like this place. You know, It’s a city, it’s full of flaws and contradictions but I come gladly. I have a lot of friends here. Every time I come I always enjoy.

Did you know anything about Budapest’s nightlife before you moved to Hungary?

I always follow what’s going on here and not just musically. First time I heard techno in Budapest was in the year 1999, the club was the Supersonic Technicum, few lights, a very dark atmosphere with an unceasing stroboscope. At that time the culture of the electronic music was not developed like other places but, however, there was a lot of activity and a strong desire to experiment. Facts like the birth of Ozora and the Frankhegy parties have been a great help to open people’s minds to electronic music. Since then, these vibrations did not stopped. My first contact with the local scene was with the Electrocat crew of Budapest, they have a show on Tilos Radio. It’s a fantastic crew with a real passion for music. They heard me play at a party and they invited me to play live on the radio. We became great friends and since then our cooperation has not stopped.

When you were going out in your homeland where did you go?

I consider both Italy and Hungary as my homeland. Rather, by now, for me, the borders don’t exist. I travel a lot and I have friends and contacts a bit ‘everywhere. I consider this attitude a good thing that definitely helps me to keep in open to new artistic experiences. However when I go to my birthplace Vicenza, I visit the mountains. They are powerful and they have an incredible energy.

Is there anything strange that is not common in your homeland but it is quite normal in Budapest? Maybe all the way round? What is the main difference between this two countries?

I don’t dwell much on the differences between one place and another. Any where I am, I do what I like to do, perhaps in different ways, but I close the circle like always. I try not to be contaminated by the lack of something that normally I find in Italy. Of course, in general, we are talking about two different cultures. When you enter in Hungary you immediately realize that you are there, especially if you are outside the city, where social life is almost non-existent. In Italy people live more in the open air, outside the big cities there is much more life. Maybe it depends on the climate.

What was the first Hungarian word you learned?

I don’t know. The first words, I learned when I was very young with my hungarian friends. They were street people, I’m sure they taught me bad words 😀 I loved to come here when I was child, you know, I came from a completely different reality. I’m talking about the period before internet. It was very interesting to mix our cultures.

What is / what are your favorite club/clubs in the city?

Any club that offers an event focused on quality music and not on the sale of beer or on the advertising for something. The area where the music is played should be like a sacred place, that is a friendly party or a big festival. Only in this way the music takes the important value that deserves. Rather than following the clubs I follow some crews that organize parties. For example like the Technokunst crew does, they are always careful to offer a diversified techno often proposing emerging artists of the international underground panorama in an environment where the sound is put at the center of attention.
Then there is the „Kulvarosi Techno”, it takes place three / four times a year. It’s a truly underground party. Although they organize it for several years, it has preserved their identity. They often invites me to play, and each time is a pleasure, the dance floor is always warm until late morning.
At the moment I collaborate with the Visionary Mind Records label, it’s based in Budapest. It’s a local project that brings together underground young artists making of a wide spectrum of genres and styles. This is the way I like!!! They organize the „Elements of Techno” parties in different venues of Budapest. The next one will be at Larm. I will play there with Claudio PRC. Claudio is currently, one of my favorite producer. He makes a warm sound, hypnotic, and with a psychedelic mood, which is the part I like so much.

What do you think about Hungarian cuisine? Could you name a dish what you have never had before and you really like it?

I like it. But, of course, depends on who is cooking, where and especially which products are used. The food we eat is too important to be overshadowed. We must be very careful about our nutrition. You know, I’m disgusted for how much junky food is available in town. It seems that eating shit has become a new vague. Anyway, I know well the Hungarian food because my mother has cooked me everything and she cooks very well. I love „madartej”. It’s a crazy stuff!
Apart from going out in a club or pub is there any other place you like to visit? Have you got favourite places in the city?
I have not favorite places. I like to hunt things I have not yet seen and I’m not methodical. Often, I go out without a goal. Sometimes I go to get me a hot bath. Too relaxing, I love it. But I like to go out to explore, I like too the unknown.

If you can specify anything, what is the most difficult thing you will never get used to?

I do not want to get used to anything or maybe I cannot. And to be honest, at the moment I like living in this way.

To be honest apart from “romkocsma-pubs”, various festivals and pornography the foreigners think not always positive of Hungarians. When I used to live in foreign lands I also had bad experiences. Just be honest because our readers are really open minded, advanced thinking people: specify anything you don’t like in this country or how the Hungarians behave?

I think that in any place of the world there are good and bad things. It depends on the point of view. What bad happens here happens with different shades in other countries. The fact that in Hungary the pornography business is developed could be a coincidence, I will not make a stereotype. People that do it are wrong.

Last year u did an amazing set at Alkototabor. How were your impressions about this festival?

Thanks! For his kind of festival it’s one of the best I’ve been. The crew that organize it has clear idea of what they want. The atmosphere is familiar and puts you completely at ease. People enjoy themselves in the way they want without bothering each other. It’s a perfect festival if you want to listen and dance good music. It’s really a camp for music lovers. And one of the most interesting things is that, in the line up, there are many artists of this country, there’s a lot of good stuff. Last year I had a lot of fun. I hope to return again this year.

Which DJs inspired u at most?

At the moment Donato Dozzy is exciting me so much. He produce superlative music, alone and with his project with Neel: Voices From The Lake. I also follow Murcof, I like his experimental sounds, that you do not expect. He’s innovative, he leave in you deep emotions. I always appreciate the psychedelic aspect, like for example Modern Errors does. He’s really talented, especially in live session. I listened another time his live of last year in Ozora with the trumpet Dániel Sajó. It was great!!! He produce for Visionary Mind Records, here in Budapest. I like artists who focus on psychedelic emotions and bring you into the most inaccessible and unexplored part of your mind, the subconscious.