Desyn Masiello is a busy young man. So busy, in fact, that he didn’t have time to do any interviews prior to his current tour of Australia with the Good Vibrations Festival. Well, none except this one! Cyclone catches him in a few moments of downtime, learning he has somewhat of a penchant for classic rock radio…
You first toured Australia properly in 2005. What was your experience like?
I loved every second of it. Most importantly, I met a lot of really friendly people, interesting people and not as important but definitely very amusing I met a TON of party animals! A few people that were off the scale of lunacy, but I felt a lot of vibe there and a lot of love for life from everyone. All in all it was a really cool trip and I got the feeling there were a lot of really special music lovers there. That made it really worthwhile and made the trip feel like more than just work. From the outside it might look like us DJs are living a 24 hour party lifestyle, but in reality we can’t do that all the time or else we’d be sick. We need to look after ourselves, bodies and minds – so sometimes my work feels like any other job, with all the traveling and late nights it’s important to eat and sleep well and not put bad things in the body. A lot of the time I’m playing I’m detached from the party and really concentrating on the job at hand, but in Australia there was a feeling of freedom and holiday there too… it makes the trip even more special.
What kind of response did you get to your ‘Balance’ CD?
I think most people liked CD 1 the most… I think it’s my choice of the two as well. In general there were people that were not that into it, and there were people that were crazy for it… I think I’m a bit of an unusual DJ in some ways, so I always expect varied responses. I’m starting to love the negative responses more and more, as it fascinates me why people don’t like certain music.
How are you evolving as a DJ, and what kinds of sounds are you feeling at the start of 2007?
Musically I get off on a lot of styles and try not to sit in one place for too long – I can be really happy and emotive sometimes, and other time more dark and twisted… I try and get as much across to people when I play. The longer the set the better I can do this. Shorter sets are more ‘wham, bam, thank you mam’. It’s probably gonna be a bit wham bam for the Good Vibrations tour, as the set times are short because of the amount of acts… but this is cool, it means I’ll pick the biggest baddest bruisers. In general, I’m trying to focus more on the rhythm in the tracks now. The most important thing is to get the bums shaking and the feet stomping… I’m evolving more that way you could say.
What is happening on the production front for you?
I’m working with the expanding SOS collective – Demi and Omid currently – but more members on the horizon soon. We’ve just set up a new studio in London and the focus the next few years will be that. We are working on a number of mix CDs now too, they’ll be out in the next 6 months.
You’ve cited old rock as an influence in your youth. Do you still listen to much rock today?
Definitely do, and as much as possible… it’s a right bugger finding the time out of listening to electronic music day and night, though. But when on the road I like to listen to the radio to golden oldie stations when I’m in the car, I get my fix that way. I love a good old sing along, and the oldies still sound as good now as they did then.
What trends are you discerning in electronic music culture at the moment? Do you have any predictions?
The special music rarely comes from one source, but is scattered and you have to hunt hard to pick up new threads and trends. I think it’s the DJ’s job, as part of the cycle of dance music evolution, to sniff out the beginnings of new trends and put them together into a complete whole or new message. I can’t put in words what music can make you feel, so predictions are very tough. That’s what makes it so exiting too, not knowing where or what is going to grab you next.
You have a relatively young label, Alternative Route. What can you tell us about how you’re developing it?
It’s really a labor of love for my partner and I. we just put out stuff we love and it’s as simple as that. There is very little profit in putting out records these days, so it’s been very tough at times, but we’ve had the odd biggie to see us through the hard times. We are big vinyl fans and are doing our best to continue selling vinyl even though it’s harder to sell now in the digital age. We plan to release some mix comps this year on the label too. The first one should be the SOS compilation.
What are your interests outside music?
Being with my best friends, my girlfriend and my family. There is no better time than sharing moments with those special to you. That’s what makes life really worth living for me.
What can we expect on this Australian tour with Good Vibrations?
I’m always preparing music, editing things, hunting out the best things I can find to my ear. The collection expands every day and there is a mountain of so much different stuff I could play… if I try and prepare too much it can backfire as the energy or vibe of the place can not suit what I’ve been picturing at home… so I will pretty much leave the exact selection to when I see the crowd and soak up the vibe. What to exactly expect on the day, I don’t know, it will almost be as much a surprise for me as the listeners.
Desyn continues his national tour with the Good Vibrations Festival this weekend:
Feb 17 – Good Vibrations, Sydney
Feb 17 – Good Vibrations After Party, Sydney
Feb 18 – Good Vibrations, Perth
