This evening we are in very well known club in northern Italy, outside it is pouring rain, but inside the place is fully packed of people waiting and screaming – DJ Antoine!”.
We are in the changing room together with DJ Antoine, he is in a rush, in few minutes he will be on stage to start the show, yet we manage to ask him some questions.
URLOPOP – Hello Antoine, where are you from? And when did you start as a DJ?
ANTOINE – I am from Switzerland, I started when I was fourteen as a DJ, and in ‘99 I started with my music production.
URLOPOP – How old are you?
ANTOINE – I’m 42.
URLOPOP – How many times do you play per year?
ANTOINE – I usually play between 100 to 130 dates per year.
URLOPOP – Tell us about your beginning.
ANTOINE – At the very first beginning of my career I did what I liked, I followed my passion. I never planned my career I was always following what came from inside, what I wanted to do.
I started DJing doing hip-hop in night clubs, I had a lot of shows. In ‘95 I started my own discotheque, my own record stores, my own distribution for my albums. In ‘99 I founded my own studio and my career gown and grown.
URLOPOP – What is the secret of your success?
ANTOINE – You always have to believe in yourself, and that’s the magic. The people that surround you don’t believe in you.
URLOPOP – In addition of believing in yourself what is the key of success?
ANTOINE – The key of success is to be yourself, to try to create something different and not copy everyone, it is not always easy to make something new, but at the end you always have to do what you want, and sometimes you are right and sometimes you are wrong.
URLOPOP – Do you play some instrument?
ANTOINE – I only play drums. But my magic is that I always have my melodies in my head, and this is what I always like to do. Play my melodies. I want the singer to sing what I want. I have now a new song which is called El Paradiso.
URLOPOP – What does it mean imagination for you?
ANTOINE – That means a lot of fantasy, you have to be open and always positive.
URLOPOP – Is there someone that helped you?
ANTOINE – I have a good studio partner, he is very technical we work together. We are a good team.
URLOPOP – You first club?
ANTOINE – I played at Oxa in Zurich, at that time I played new house, and I got really successful with my music.
URLOPOP – What would you like to do in the future? You’re very young.
ANTOINE – The future.. .is following my heart, I started a lot of new projects, I created my own champagne brand, because a lot of people like the way I live, I create and decide for them, I do a lot of lifestyle events. Also for people that do not want to go to discotheques but want an exclusive dinner with famous chefs, top wine, top champagne and after they have a private party.
URLOPOP – Do you have any children?
ANTOINE – I have a son he is seventeen, and he is also producing, he is following my steps and I am very proud of him.
URLOPOP – What is your own favourite song?
ANTOINE – My own favourite song is Ma Chérie.
URLOPOP – What about Welcome to Saint Tropez?
ANTOINE – Of course that song is very important for me and for my career.
URLOPOP – Did you ever played in East Europe?
ANTOINE – I played a lot in Russia and Ukraine. Moscow, Sochi, Nizny Novgorod, Kaliningrad, Kiev, Odessa.
URLOPOP –What do you think about the public overthere? Is it very different compared to West Europe?
ANTOINE – It is different, but I really like to play there.
