i was lucky enough to catch bruno pronsato perform at oslo for the temporary tattoo party at demf this year. the party on a whole had an amazing vibe, but I really got a kick out of bruno's set which was the highlight of the evening for me. caught up with bruno before he heads back to europe for upcoming gigs and he was nice enough to answer a few questions for the berlin readers. also, see below for a live performance from harry klein from september 2006. we will post an updated live performance from bruno soon in another post so check back on regular and enjoy the interview !
favorite venue worldwide and most up for it crowd you have encountered lately?
that's a tough one. i'm pretty sure this is gonna be incredibly cliché, but i would have to say panorama bar - mainly because it's the venue i have played more constantly than any other. you can always count on a great crowd and freak show there.
american techno scene vs your experiences oveseas?
it's hard to compare the two. in the u.s. it's more like a small scene - similar to the days when i was traveling around in punk bands. in the u.s., you almost know everyone at every show. it's small and unique, and for the most part, people are amazing. i have very close friends in just about every city i play in the u.s. - like really close people, inspirational people...Europe is entirely different. it's very clubby there. some places are commercial, some places are homey and awesome. i like both, they both have their appeal
top 5 fav producers - any new talents you have discovered in your world travels?
in no particular order.
Sammy Dee
Herbert
Caro aka Randy Jones
Ricardo Villalobos
Thomas Melchior
in the studio are you a hardware or software producer, if hardware do you have a favorite instrument ?
a little of both, really...I am very 'of the moment' sometimes i'm crazy about max/msp other times i want to do everything on my jomox 888. right now i am in machine mode. sammy dee and i are using a lot of machines of live (his idea) and from that i've sort of got back into really using machines again. he and i are always talking about the next machine for our live - studio studio set up. this year will probably be more machine for me. who knows about next year.
you have a background in music way beyond just the types of tunes you are slinging in the clubs.....what is your favorite genre outside of techno and why? i read last year you were on a classical bing, are you still into classical and do you feel like it has shaped or influenced any of your dance productions/sets?
well i have been a classical music fan for a while now. i go thru phases where it's all i listen to. at the moment tho, i am really into early 90s shoegaze stuff, and indie rock. but i think the phase has just about run it's course. i just spent the entire morning listening to Janacek's Along An Overgrown Path. A piece i'm really starting to get my head around. As far as inspiring me, i think it does in a very subtle way. I'm not dividing my music up into movements, but i am thinking about ways to create and evolve themes maybe. i don't want to make it sound complicated, cuz that is far from what i believe i am capable of, but let's just say it pushes me a little more than anything - pushing ideas on how to compose...in house music, or whatever.
best vacation you ever had?
a trip to florence a few months back - getting fat on food from tuscany is about as good as it gets.
you have a very unique style with your productions which is a way that your music stands out from so many of the cookie cutter tracks that are out there now. the loose, organic, gritty feel that you give the tracks is what brings them to life from the digital mire, what are some of the ways you insure that your tracks don't end up sounding overly digital and polished, and how much of that is planned vs. in the moment discovery?
I think my approach is very simple, and it's something that i say a lot. Keep it sexy. No matter what the circumstance is, it's got to be sexy. this is music for the night. I'm more of the lover type and less the vampire. the vampire goes dark and spooky, i kind of want to keep it sexy. when things are clean and overproduced it just sounds sounds like another club product. I think sexiness keeps more of the FEEL and less of the quantize, so it just comes out that way. for me it's not a production 'style', but more of something that just comes out because of a standard that i have set for myself. altho, it would be nice to have a 'sexify' button in logic, or on one of these machines ;)
do you have any projects we can be on the lookout for?
yes. i have a new 2 track ep coming out on Hello?Repeat in August called, 'Where'd You Learn To Kiss That Way.' Also, Sammy Dee and I, under the moniker Half Hawaii, have a track coming out on a compilation on the 'Diamonds And Pearls' label from Berlin called, "Emperors of Venus." Sammy and I are also working on an album that we hope to finish up my Dec/Jan...
before you leave for any of your trips in europe is there a food you try and get your hands on before you leave that you know is unavailable over the pond?
I try to eat AS MUCH mexican food as i can while i am the US. it just does not exist in any palpable form in europe. I am currently in Austin visiting my brother and I think we are just eating as much as possible, getting totally fat. I'm back in Berlin july 3...a few more days to fatten up ;)
Thanks,
B
thank you bruno !!
live at harry klein sept 06
