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Oakenfold / Cattaneo

ogmiami

By ogmiami
in Miami

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ogmiami

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Monday - 25 November

OPIUM GARDEN

PAUL OAKENFOLD WITH HERNAN CATTANEO

AND ARIEL BAUND

I hope you guys all turn out for this one...I know it's a Monday night, but it should be a very cool event. The club is in amazing shape since they re-did it a few months ago. The weather should be perfect. The dress code will be very relaxed.

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ogmiami

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Interview with Hernan Cattaneo

South American leader of the pack.

Hernan Cattaneo is one of the new generation of big name DJs on the trance and progressive circuit. He tours with Paul Oakenfold, warms up for Sasha and Digweed, and is now a name in his own right. He's signed to Perfecto Records and resident at Pacha in Argentina. His new mix CD is about to hit the shops a Perfecto presents double CD, we got the chance to talk to him on while he was over in England.

"I was in England for six months in 2001, and it was great you know? I was really busy the whole time. It was four or five gigs a week in different cities, so a lot of travelling was involved. But being a dj from somewhere so far away like South America, it's just great to have the opportunity to play. I played something like a hundred gigs in six months, which is crazy but at the same time it's great because that's the only way to get real exposure if you're an unknown dj, and now I'm on the way to being "known"."

You've been djing for over ten years now, and 2001 was really the year for Hernan; you reached the sort of 'A' list of djs and now you get to play with Digweed and Sasha, how does that feel, good?

"Hernan: Yeah, I've been doing really well in South America but that's another story. But I never thought at any time that I would be coming here and playing with these guys."

So why this year, why did it take so long for you to come to the UK?

"Well it wasn't really planned. The thing is, in the last four years I've been playing for Perfecto at Cream, and travelling back and forth from South America so at the end of the year I was dead. Last year we did a big tour in the US with Paul Oakenfold, and he asked me why I kept travelling back and forth and suggested I do six months in Europe and six months in America, and that seemed to make much more sense. Then Cream heard about this and offered me an Ibiza residency and a fortnightly residency at Cream in Liverpool and lots of other free stuff. Even when I was working for Ian at Perfecto, and playing for Perfecto, I'd be getting lots of support from more underground clubs, which is unusual. I've been lucky to have the support from big guys."

It been a fantastic year for you really hasn't it?

"Yeah, that's why I can be happy. But the travelling in the last six months has been killing me, honestly. But it's definitely worth it; djs travel, get paid and meet nice people, so there's got be a bit of difficultly somewhere, otherwise it would be too perfect to be true!"

So it's the travelling that's the downside to it for you?

"Yeah, but that's the only downside, trust me. I can't complain, I'm really happy. I'm happier now than I was in South America. Before I came to England in April I was playing in small bars, we toured all over South America last November. But the thing is in the last year the scene in South America was too small; all the good djs needed to go out to work y'know? But there's a really good balance there and the best thing about it is the people. Here in England, dance is such a big business; the clubs, the radio, djs etc. It's really hard for the people here to get away from all that. But in South America, it's not such a big business."

It's just about the music and the people?

"Yeah, they always keep it positive and in touch with the music, and that's really good."

So how did you find Ibiza this year, you said you had a residency at Cream at Amnesia.

"Yeah, but last year was the first year I had residency in Ibiza. I'd already been playing there for four years for Cream and Perfecto, but having a residency gives me a chance to play there for fifteen weeks. It was great, y'know, and I was also lucky enough to play Tuesdays for Perfecto at Pacha, and Thursdays for Cream at Amnesia, the two are quite different. Pacha's a more older crowd so I can play more house-y stuff, deep house, and at Amnesia I'd play more big records, with more energy, for the kids."

So what's it like to play alongside Paul [Oakenfold]? Do you have to sort of hold back from playing certain records before he comes on?

"No, I mean, I've been doing it for five years now with Paul, and he has never said anything like I should play this record or that record, or don't play this, which is another reason why I respect Paul. I respect him a lot for many reasons, but it's [being Paul's warm-up act] great for me because I can do my own thing. Of course I hold back with the music, but that's because he's the man on the night. Ninety-nine percent of the night is about him, not myself, so I've got to understand that and do my job and that's it. But even so, if it wasn't Paul, even if it was a dj more unknown than myself, if you play first, you hold back; there's no sense in starting banging straight away. I've been doing this with Paul before but I toured a lot in South America with Sasha and Digweed, and it's always the same. Then there are other dates where you are the main dj, then you can play the bigger records, you know. This though gives people the opportunity like myself to play. I've been doing this for five years and it's great because I've been doing loads and loads of gigs that I would never be booked for otherwise. We did many places in the US and Europe with Paul where they would never book me, I was there just because I was working with Paul. But, at the same time everyone who goes to see Paul, they see me as well."

You've almost become synonomous; if Hernan's there, Paul's there kind of thing; almost a double act!

"Well, I'm not sure. I mean, as I said before, he's ninety per cent of the night so…"

From our point of view and the people we speak to, twelve months ago it was basically Paul Oakenfold and a guy called Hernan. But now, twelve months later it's Hernan Cattaneo, and Paul Oakenfold.

"Well the things is, as I said it's been six months hard working, but it's paved the way, really really paved the way."

The free mix you did for Ministry last year. Do you think that helped you along?

"Ministry magazine reaches more than a hundred thousand people, so that means a hundred thousand people get your CD. Lets say half of them don't like it and throw it away, that still means half of them keep it and probably think its okay; so that's fifty thousand people who have your CD, that's brilliant. I wasn't expecting it and was really surprised when I got offered it, it's usually something that bigger djs do.

"Now I'm going to put out a Perfecto presents double CD, which was really good because sometimes there are restrictions in doing free cover CDs; you have just sixty/seventy minutes and also, because its free, Ministry don't pay the labels, and sometimes they don't want to give you tracks. However, when you do a proper CD, you can choose nearly everything you want, so it can reflect my true style. Perfecto presents Hernan Cattaneo, it's coming out really soon.

"Hopefully this will help out the DJs in South America, because there is plenty of talent in South America, and anything I can do to help them or help the dance scene there then I will. Hopefully a CD like this will direct people's eyes to my continent and to those DJs.

"I'm also doing a new mix of my last single "Deep Funk" for the CD, it's going to be a break beat version hopefully it'll work."

Is there another possible single on the cards, after your excellent 'Deep funk' release?

"For Perfecto?"

Yeah.

"Yeah, but it's not going be that soon, probably later on this year, April or May maybe. I have to do lots of remixes and work for the label, and unfortunately, or luckily, I don't know which to say, I haven't got much time to get myself into the studio. I have to do new tracks and remixes for Perfecto, serious work; I'm going to be very busy. I was in South America for a few dates before Christmas, and then I have to do the US, Japan and Singapore later this year."

You've not been to the Far East before, have you?

"No, I've never been. I'm really looking forward to going. Of course, I've done all over South America, lots of touring in the US with Paul, and Europe now, but never the Far East. Everyone's saying great things about Israel as well. There's supposed be a couple of really, really good clubs there, so I look forward to going there. But in Singapore, there's a club called Soup. Everyone says it's brilliant. It was good because I won an award in Ibiza, the Ibiza Dance Awards, and the owner of the club Soup was there and said he wanted me to go over and play there. That was great because for years I was saying to myself how am I ever going to get to play there because I don't know anyone there and they don't know me. Anyway, everyone was saying Soup is brilliant, and now I'm playing there. So I can't wait to get out there. "

I read somewhere that you're a football fan, is your team Boca or River Plate?

"Boca Juniors."

They're not doing too well this year, do you still follow them?

"Yeah. We're not doing too good in the national league but I'm not sure if you know but we won the American Cup last year. And we were the actual World Club Champions last year, we beat Real Madrid in Japan! After that one, they sold all the best players, and that's probably why they're not doing too well lately. Paul (Oakenfold) is a big Boca follower, he sometimes plays with a Boca t-shirt and I always try to get him a new version when it comes out. "

Is there anywhere in England you've not played that you'd still like to play? It must be difficult because Perfecto must sort of direct you to places you need to play.

"No, no, I've done lots of gigs by myself I played Renaissance, Back to Basics and Shindig in Newcastle, all those places I did by myself. I don't know, I think I've been nearly everywhere. I mean, the places I know, I've been, and I've been enjoying them a lot. What was really good was 'Colours'."

You like it there, yeah?

"Yeah. I enjoyed it there. I really enjoy it up north."

Yeah I heard. I read that you prefer the north, why is that?

"Because there's more enthusiasm in the people."

Yeah. It's not just about the clothes and everything, it's the people and the music that are most important up here.

"I mean there's really good clubs in London. I played three times at The End, and I love it there because it's more darker and serious, y'know."

How about Fabric?

"I haven't been there because there's some funny things going on between Fabric and the End. That's what I've been told, I dunno. The Gallery's good, it's good fun. And then there's Bedrock that was really good I played on their anniversary with John and Sasha. That was brilliant."

Has Sasha told you about Tribal Sessions in Manchester? Have you been there yet?

"I've heard of it but no I haven't been. Obviously there are hundreds of clubs I haven't been to, but I'm back here again in April for another six months."

So when you're here for those six months are you just going to do the north or will it be the whole of the UK again?

"Yeah, yeah. I'll be living in London again. It'll pretty much be the same as what I'm doing now, but I think I'm going to do maybe less in Ibiza and more in England. Because last year I did like thirty gigs in fifteen weeks and it was maybe too much for me. But nevertheless it was great for me to set up my name, you know. But now I can start choosing a little more."

Do you get time to do anything else other than djing, have you got any other interests?

"Well, the thing is I'm djing nearly all the time. Then, if I have some free time, I get on the computer to do some tracks or remixes or whatever…you mean like, hobbies?"

Yeah. You must be so busy with the djing.

"Yeah, I haven't got much time at all, but I love movies."

What CDs do you listen to, music that isn't Dance music?

"When I'm not playing records at home, instantly my girlfriend puts some really diverse stuff on. And that's good because she likes really good music, but quite different to what I'm used to, lets say from Bob Marley to Morrissey, it's good. And I love some drum 'n' bass stuff. There are these two guys, I think they're from Germany Kueder and Dorfmeister, they are fucking wicked. It's really good stuff to listen to when you want to relax. I like LTJ Bukem as well."

Have you heard DJ Shadow?

"I heard one of his albums. It was really slow, dark. I love that dark stuff my girlfriend loves that stuff as well."

The magazines have given you maximum exposure they give you lots of coverage. What do you think of the Internet and website interests, what's your views on all that, I mean, people like ourselves?

"I was really surprised at how much attention I was given by the magazines, I wasn't expecting that. But, you know on the internet, you reach people all over the globe. In England, the magazines just seem to be there for and serving the people in Engalnd, but the Internet reaches everyone, everywhere."

We have people reading from Japan, South America, South Africa.

"Yeah, and that's why I'm really excited. I've come over here and started to do well, but I don't want to be an English dj, a dj in England. I'd prefer to be a global dj, maybe it's because I'm not from this country. But I love England, I fucking love it. I'm really grateful and thankful for the response and support I've had over here and the way things have been going. But if you travel, you can easily see that dance music is a global thing, you can go anywhere. Like, we played with Sasha in Peru, and Peru is a small poor South American country, and there were thirty-five hundred kids going mad, mad about Sasha, you know what I mean? So that tells you a lot, dance music is not just popular in Europe, it's everywhere, and I love that. I want to do everything I can for the South American scene. I mean, for me South America comes first but at the same time I feel obligated, but in a nice way."

I thinks it's difficult for djs from South America to become well known, you've sort of paved the way in Ibiza as a dj.

"Yeah, as I say I want to do anything I can for up and coming djs there. I know I must be a good dj if I've reached this point, but I've been really lucky as well. Being a good dj is unfortunately not enough."

So to become famous there's two elements involved, you need luck, and you need the skill as well?

"I've been really lucky. So, I should try to give something back, and try to pushand promote others like me a little."

DJs in South America?

"Yeah, or just up and coming DJs, and talented DJs."

So where are you looking forward to playing?

"I'm enjoying my residency at Pacha in Argentina, at the moment, and then I return to England in April so… "

Do you have any closing words for us Hernan?

"Well I always wonder who it is that I am supposed to thank for all of this, only God I guess, but I always feel so lucky for where I am and what I have been allowed to do. "

You've done it all through your own talent though.

"Yes I guess, but I do know that I have been lucky and I also know that there are a lot more talented DJs out there. Talent and luck without one you'll never make it I guess."

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ogmiami

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Ariel will open...Hernen will warm up for Oakenfold...Oakey will do 2 hours...Hernan and Ariel will close together.

Hernan and Ariel are friends from back in Argentina so they have played and produced together before.

As far as a CP list...How about a CP discount???

Pod's right about the club. The renovations are complete and the place looks amazing. The main room has plenty of coverage if it rains and there are other rooms as well.

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