Luigi Di Venere:

5 songs to "break the ice"
Luigi Di Venere:
5 songs to "break the ice"
Selection
5/12/2018
Selection
5/12/18

An organizer of Maximum Joy events at Sameheads, a curator of the MachineSex show on Radio Cómeme, a resident of Cocktail d’Amore gay-parties and a label, a DJ, a selector, and an experienced vinyl collector Luigi Di Venere has been a free-spirit supplier of disco, balearics, funk, afro, house and techno for years, always putting his own unique trademark on top of each set. Apart from being heavily engaged in the life of Cocktail d’Amore, Luigi regularly tears up Berghain's lab.oratory and various venues around Berlin, as well as performs outside the city.

We asked the wildest club nights expert to pick up five tracks that, in his experience, can destroy any barriers on the dance floor and melt thy icy heart.

#1

Guardiano Del Faro

Oasis

This is an Italian new wave record from 1978 by Federico Monti Arduini, a classical musician and precursor of the New Age sound art movement. He met Robert Moog in 1970s and really got into the Moog synthesizers for their ability to create an orchestral sound.

Following this meeting, he walks away from the orchestra and starts re-arranging classical compositions with Moog. The result is a series of beautiful releases and his Oasis LP, composed in collaboration with Italo legends Johnny Farina and Tullio De Piscopo. My choice is B2 - the title track Oasis. This song drags me into luxuriant soundscapes - calming and sexy at the same time. It has been recently reissued on Time Capsule, a label curated by Ryota Opp.

#2

Jon St. James

Trans Atlantic

LA, 1984. A Synth-pop maestro Jon Saint James releases this album expressing the sound of “The Valley.” Well known for having produced Stacey Q, Saint James’s works hit the charts lots of times during that era. I love the whole LP, but my favorite tune is the title track. It’s perfect to “break the ice” during a pre-party or to pump up the vibe of a club night.

#3

Klangwerk

Die Kybernauten

Pioneers of the sound of Frankfurt, Klangwerk, a duo composed of Peter Zweier and Alexander Abraham, made this 12-inch in 1990. This record came to me during the preparation of my first Lab.dance party night set at Lab.Oratory. Apart from representing that era of pure German club music, there is a lot of political message within as well as a very emotional story. This sound, in fact, was pioneered by Torsten Fenslau, a resident DJ of the legendary Dorian Grey who tragically died in a car accident in 1993. When I play this record together with other productions of that time, I pay tribute to him. His legacy will never die!

#4

Metropolis

Time Of War

Another masterpiece of the 1990s Frankfurt legacy. Metropolis is a project made up of Frank Schlingloff, Giora Schein, and Thomas Hübler. Released in 1991 on New Zone, a label responsible for the diffusion of that classic rave sound, this record has been one of my favorites to open a peak time set. Also, the B side is wonderful and very hard to play. Beautifully harmonized, full of emotions and nostalgia, it represents a committed youth, the youth of the post-war German reconstruction.

#5

Fernando

Sunset Trip

This is probably the first record I bought when I moved to Berlin almost five years ago. I am very attached to it, and it represents the sound of my early times in this city when I first met Cocktail d’Amore and fell in love with it. Pure trance cosmic Balearic vibes to get lost and find yourself again.