In recent months, Residence have proved themselves more than capable when it comes to the underground side of their music promotions. Through the medium of their Sunday night special at The Lost Society, Irish music fans have been treated to a host of top quality international acts, a list which includes the likes of Claptone, Larse, Tube & Berger, SIS and most recently house music legend MK. Well, they’re not done yet and this Sunday we look forward to WWD favourites Flashmob taking the mantle. We sat down with Alessandro, one half of the Italian duo, this week to see what the guys have been up to and we found out that this visit to Dublin is a little bit special!
“You get to the point where you’ve made so many mistakes you more or less know what can give an important twist to your career.” – Alessandro on Flashmob’s big break.
Flashmob, one of the most well respected names in house right now, began their journey nearly two years ago, prior to which Danny and Alessandro had been producing a variety of electronic genres. The new venture was a return to the origins of dance music for the pair. Kicking things off with underground smash “Brick House” on Get Physical, they went on to form a formidable relationship with renowned British label Defected Records. The duo had been producing together for seven years and very much through a method of trial and error had decided that at this point they knew what was necessary to take things to the next level. The success of “Brick House” attracted Defected A & R man Andy Daniell who Alessandro describes as both incredibly “smart” and “competent” when it comes to the music industry. Daniell contacted the boys via Soundcloud, licensed the track for a Defected compilation and the rest was history. After a long slog the pair had finally matched up with an organisation that strives for the same high levels of success and professionalism as themselves, something Alessandro stresses is more difficult to find than you’d think. The relationship for the pair has been “like magic, like a dream”, and the success that has come with it has been amazing.
“In the 90s Italian House music was a big big phenomenon, so I was buying a lot of that, and then I was following the industrial English scene which was also something I liked very much, and from there I started following the more underground Techno/German scene, and that was how I first got involved.”
– how it all began.
For any Deep House fans or Ibiza goers out there, you’ll be very much familiar with what was for us one of the tracks of the summer last year, “Need In Me”, but what you may not know is that it very nearly didn’t see the light of day. After making contact with Defected, the label asked Flashmob to send on any future tracks for consideration. Meanwhile, “Need In Me” had been sitting in the computer with Alessandro and Danny who were “unsure of what to do with it”. One morning on a whim without alerting Danny, Alessandro sent the track over to the imprint. Two weeks later the contracts had been signed and it would go on to become an extraordinary hit all over the world. The track was something special from Flashmob, it didn’t fit exactly among their other productions style wise and as Alessandro refers to it, it is a “track by chance”, though also a result of “years of work”. It hit both sides of the game and the instilled “Ibiza flavour” saw it an anthem on the White Isle as well as receiving a multitude of radio play. The fame has impacted negatively on the duo it must be said! They make a conscious effort to connect with fans and to chat those who want to make contact. Their Artist Label Page is a hive of activity and discussion.
“I always take time to say hello and see who it is, what they do. I like to talk to people and share music.” – taking time with fans.
This summer, the boys hope to press on, with a number of releases on the way including with Defected and a Berlin label we can’t quite give away just yet! We can also look forward to a new album hopefully by the end of the year on Defected. Like with their productions the pair aim for “quality over quantity” gigs wise and fans will get five or six opportunities to see them in Ibiza in addition to a number of other spots.
“If the energy is there, I’m sure we’ll have a great night!”
– on Residence
Lastly we must inform you of why this is no ordinary trip for Flashmob. This Sunday will be quite a return for Alessandro who, after finishing his studies, grabbed two crates of records and chose Dublin as the place to kick start his musical career. Though, after weeks enthusiastically trawling the city in search of slots he retired to London broke but not defeated. Now, nearly a decade later, he returns to Ireland’s capital for Residence at The Lost Society along side Danny as one of the most impressive House duos in the world. How things have changed!