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Thank
you Dave for this interview, this is really an honor for me! For me too!!! I hope to satisfy your questions!! Aleph or Dave
Rodgers! What's the name you like more? :-) Both names are names put big
influence firstly on Italo Disco music, in the 80's and then on Eurobeat
of the 90's and 2000's. |
Before we move further
with music questions, could you introduce yourself in few words please?
I believe in my work, first of all because music is my life and secondly cause
music takes me from the early days of my life and I think she'll never leave
me!! Never!!
How you decided to make
and play italo disco music and did you have anyone who inspired you? And to
not forget, how you choose name Aleph? And later Dave Rodgers?
I've never decided to make italo disco music or to become an Italian disco artist,
I simply started like a real artist in the 80's to write, sing and produce the
music I liked. I was ever attracted by David Bowie, Genesis, Quincy Jones and
many others. If you could remember, the name Dave Rodgers appeared for the first
time, like a member of Aleph, in the second single called Fly to me.
Your first song was
«In Your Eyes» released for Caravel label in 1984, if I'm right?
Could you tell me how you made that song?
It was a song we used to play during our live performance...in the middle of
different pop rock songs...One day, a deejay, from a famous local disco "Caravel"
called Antonio Caranci asked to us to produce our own song for his label.
Then came "Fly
To Me" released for Italo Heat label. Dave could you tell me something
about people you were working with on these two songs. Who are they and what's
their contribution to the italo disco music?
"Fly to me" was my real first song!!!! I always remembered nights
and nights spending to create this track! There was a lot of energy....a lot
of passion and patience shared with the other members of Aleph. I can't forget
of this period a man called Luigi Raimondi!! I remembered that we spent one
month to create Fly to me, days and nights, nights and days. I felt responsible
to create this kind of sound with the help of Luigi.
After these songs you
made "Fly To Me", your first song released for the famous and legendary
Time Records. Not that you only started to work for Time but you also started
to work with legends of italo disco music, Mauro Farina and Guiliano Crivellente,
the co-founders of Time Records together with Giacomo Maiolini. What can you
tell me about them, about your first impression in Time, about "Fly To
Me"?
I was very young and not so much clever in that period of my life... Anyway
I had a mid-good time with them.
I wonder, what did you
know about Time Records before you sign an agreement with them?
I've ever known that Maiolini had a Ferrari and I hoped, one day, to have a
Ferrari too working for him.
After "Fly To Me"
came "Fire On The Moon", "I'm In Danger", "Big Brother",
all singles, and then was the time for an album "Black Out"! After
these many new songs. What an amazing discography!!! "Fire On The Moon"
was sold in more than 100.000 copies. Comment of that period?
Woa!!!! I've never known about 100.000 copies of Fire on the moon!!!
I have to call immediately Time Records!!!! I know very well about 30 millions
copies of my records sold in Japan in the 90's but I've never known about 100.000
copies of Fire on the moon! Woa!!
You made great success
with Time and you became one of the legend of italo disco. The next logical
step was to move further with your own label. But first tell me when you started
to think about leaving Time. Is there was any other reason of leaving except
"art" reason?
You've already said "logical step ". The only reason was to be independent
and to be responsible of all my actions. In fact I can say that my success was
in the 90's more than 80's. I played in front of 50.000 people at the Tokyo
Dome , I received some important awards in Japan , I sold million copies of
cd produced by myself , what can I say more...
During your italo disco
era and in Time, could you tell me some other names you were working with?
I remembered some song composed and produced with Federico "Fred Ventura"
in my studio. I had a very good time with him.
What do you think about
Italo Disco era? How you would describe italo and in your opinion what is the
most precious thing in italo disco music and what put a mark on it.
I didn't like to put labels on my kind of music. My will is to create good music
and to give something to the people, make them remembering their positive memories...it
doesn't matter, the important thing that I have to say is: “I was with
them in that's moment".
Your favorite italo
disco song from your production is? And why?
Fly to me, because it was the first and Fire on the moon because it help
me to find my way to Japan.
A. Beat C. is your first
own label? What is mean A. Beat C.? Could you tell me about the beginning, the
history of A. Beat C.? "Your Body Lies" by Norma Sheffield was the
first song.
A Beat C is a fantasy phrase and this label was created because I wanted to
be independent by starting a new adventure with Alberto Contini, as mentioned
before. Yes, it was and I remembered with a lot of pleasure that moment.
The "speed"
of songs, bpm's, increased a lot in songs then in italo of the 80's! Evolution
is natural process so in music we have evolution as well. Do you think that
super eurobeat music was logical step after italo disco of the 80's? Couldn't
you go in some other direction?
I think the direction I chose was the right one, in fact the market rewarded
me. Honestly, now I preferred to keep low bpm, in fact in the new album of Nuage,
you can find songs with a 135 bpm.
Dave, tell me in chronological
order, in short, the history of super eurobeat music you were making and still
making for Asian market? What is different in eurobeat at the beginning of the
90's and today?
Super eurobeat music started silently but then it exploded with all its excitement.
I always remember the first years when I discovered for the first time what
means a life full of concerts, interviews, covers, fans, success.
Dave, what is confusing
for me a bit, the eurobeat music is so fast and I can't understand how anyone
can sing so fast, following the music. In my opinion you have to accelerate
vocal in studio after recording. Is that true and if so, that's mean that's
all is in "technological hands"?
It's absolutely wrong, I don't need any "technological hands" cause
I work only with professional artist. If you only could see one of my or my
artists, concerts, you could hear with your own ears that's true. I don't know
about what the other labels do.
Also, I was thinking
then at the beginning of the eurobeat how anyone can dance on so fast music,
sometimes sounds hysterical :-) I can't say I wasn't so surprise when I saw
first video clip with single dancer and moving mostly with hands! Do you know
how to dance on the euorbeat? :-) If I should dance it seems to me as an impossible
mission :-)
Eurobeat music is so fast that the only way to dance it is "parapara style"
where you can see the dancers move a little bit the body but move a lot hands
and arms. It's a kind of "mission impossible" but anyway it's not
easy to do that. I cannot do that :o)
To be honest I can't
recognize difference between eurobeat music and parapara music. Could you explain
it to me?
In fact there is no any difference between them.
Dave in your opinion
where the supereurobeat music today is and where will it be heading or what
way is it evolving?
Today Super eurobeat is looking for something fresh. My staff and I are working
for that and I'll let you know as soon as possible the evolution even though
I hope you could hear it before I tell you.
It seems to me that
you are a God to Asian music fans? :-)) On your concerts we can see dozens of
thousands of fans!!!
Yes, they call me "king of the kingu", anytime I go to Japan I recharge
my battery because my fans give me the energy I need.
Am I wrong if I say
your most favorite music instrument is guitar!? In one of your songs, as guitarist
played a woman who was Michael Jackson's guitarist if I’m right. This
is really interesting and I wonder how hard was to get her to play? I guess
musicians like her ask for lots of money for playing?
Yes guitar is one of my favorite instruments especially when I can have some
guitarists as Jannifer Batten, KiKo, Steve Lukather and so on. Yes, surely,
if you want to work with professionals artist you need to spend a lot of money.
At the end of the last
year (2003) I had an interview with one Croatian producer Denis Curman. He told
me all the best about you, his work with you, and about two other your co-workers,
Alberto Contini and Andrea Leonardi. What could you tell me about these guys?
I've worked with Alberto Contini since 1990 and I believe he is a wonderful
person professionally and humanly, in fact we're still working together without
any problems.
Domino is your wife!
Could you tell me something about her? How you met her and how you began to
work together on your songs?
Domino was my wife. She was one of my fans that's why we met.
Domino is the name of
your studio as well? In that studio you made and still are making legendary
eurobeat songs. On your site we can see the studio. You must be pride on the
studio?
Domino was the name we used to call one of my three studios, where we produced
a lot of big tracks. Starting from 2000 I changed the name of my studios: the
main studio once called "Sound and Vision" is now "A", the
second studio once called "Domino" is now "B" and the third
called "Attic" is now "C"
Could you tell me what's
your favorite’s names in your eurobeat production?
Nuage, Manuel and Lolita
"The songs I wrote
are all part of me." This is your statement you said in the 90's for Japanese
Beat Freak Magazine. We all know what's that mean but could you explain in few
words your feelings about your songs and what are you experiencing in the process
of making songs, till the final product?
I confirmed what I said in that moment...I can say I built something very
important and I hope to have given to my audience almost the best I could.
Another statement from
you "I'm first of all an artist. And not a merchant." Dave, what is
the force who's pushing you forward in creating songs? Money, you said, isn't
but making songs is your job so it's in your interest to sell records as more
as you can?
The force that push me creating songs is the possibility to express myself through
out the music.
I know I didn't ask
you many things, I only scratched the surface of your music life and career.
Do you wish to say something what is really important and I didn't ask you?
I repeat that music was, is and will be a part of me and of my life!!!
Dave, I could talk with
you days and nights about your music, about italo, about eurobeat but I know
you don't have much of free time. I appreciate very much you took some of your
precious time for me and for this interview. So far I made interviews with many
italo disco legends and all the time I was thinking and wished to have interview
with you because you are big part of italo disco music who's the most precious
thing I have at the moment in my life. You as a person and your vocal left big
mark on italo music and later on eurobeat. I can't say anything more than BIG
thanx!
Thanks to you, it was a pleasure and I hope to see you soon!
Best regards,
sincerely yours
Dave Rodgers
My big thanx goes to my dear friend Mark Knight who helped me to make some of
the questions above. Thanx Mark!!!
©
Zeljko Vujkovic - 2004 |
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