Family Matters for Luciano
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Of the 14 techno kingpins who will be joining Richie Hawtin’s ENTER. stage this Halloween for Escape: All Hallows’ Eve, the least likely star is certainly the most recently added: Luciano. The Swiss-Chilean DJ, producer and record label head is more family man than party monster (with a forth child on the way). But he’s reached the upper echelon of DJs with a rich and colorful palette of techno and house that sparkles with elements of his South American upbringing but is undoubtedly European in its sound. No wonder he is considered a legend of the Ibiza summer season, where sun-kissed sounds meet all-night excess.
“The US is catching up on techno right now. It’s like they’re rediscovering the music they helped create in the first place. I guess the EDM phenomenon really broke through and opened a lot of doors for the more underground sounds.”
You just finished the season in Ibiza playing Amnesia. How was it?
Amazing. We had an incredible response to both our Origins parties at Amnesia and Luciano & Friends at Destino. Great feedback and love from the crowd. I’m really proud our efforts worked out so well.
You played 39 gigs in Ibiza in 2013 and only 18 times in 2014. Was that a strategic choice?
What we wanted to do was bring on less quantity but more quality, to deliver a message to the people that it was about doing a party together—about unity. We reduced the amount of the shows, and we focused on the caliber.
I was at several of the closings the week before. A few venues were generally concerned about the number of people crammed into the club. Does that concern ever occur to you, in Ibiza or elsewhere?
At the end of the day, numbers matter; you can’t deny it. The clubs are all doing a great job to let us DJs deliver the best show. That’s what I’m more concerned about: getting onstage and making people happy—make them dance, and give them something to remember. If you do this right, then everything is gonna come together naturally. All is good in the end. I reckon clubs sometimes have to keep an eye on other things such as tickets sold and so on, but that’s okay, no? You gotta run your business right if you want to give your fans a great experience when they go to the club.
You mentioned recently in another interview that you’ve been playing a lot more in America. Is your agenda an expansion of what’s been going on worldwide, or is it its own unique thing?
I believe the US is catching up on techno right now. It’s like they’re rediscovering the music they helped create in the first place. I guess the EDM phenomenon really broke through and opened a lot of doors for the more underground sounds
Looking at the Escape lineup, it almost reads like a week in Ibiza more than an EDM festival. Are you excited about that change? To what do you attribute it?
As said before, after the initial EDM rush, the crowds and the promoters are now looking forward to rediscovering some of the most seminal acts and genres, if I may call them that. It’s a logical consequence of the EDM explosion: now the people are more curious, and they’re willing to look at where it all comes from.
Chris Liebing recently showed me a picture from 2000 or 2001 of you, Martin (Dandy Jack) and him at the Paxahau house in Detroit. I was there as well, though not in the photo. I think that was your first time playing in America. Can you remember that and compare it to now?
I remember it as a great moment for me—another stepping stone in my career, another eye-opening experience that I treasure and hold dearly for myself. Comparing it to now? The world has changed so much. I’m happy that where we are now is [a result of] what we did back then, so I’m really grateful to those people.
You’re playing Sven Vath’s 50th party next month. I know you’re 15 years younger, but can you imagine still DJing at 50? How do you think you’d like to celebrate?
With my family! I have my fourth child coming at the end of November, and that is something that keeps me very young. As for DJing at 50? Yes sure, let’s go!
Besides being a groundbreaking DJ, Sven pioneered much of the non-DJ activities that famous DJs are supposed to do now—have your own night in Ibiza, your own club, your own label, booking agency, and so forth. You have a similar portfolio. Do you ever feel like it’s too much?
I have a great team, and we have a great strength among us. Stay committed to your goals, and stay true to your music. If you do it with love and passion, it’s great. I feed off of it. It’s what keeps me alive, so the more the better!
You’ve also been involved in quite a bit of charity work this year. Was there an incident that finally propelled you to become more active in this capacity?
One Coin for Life is something really vital to me. I run this charity with my wife Francisca and my sister Amélie. We want to harness the power of the electronic music scene to help causes around the world that I believe are really important. My first project was with the Arhuaco tribes in Colombia—we helped them build schools for kids there. I first met them in 2012 on a trip with my family to those regions. We struck a friendship that is really meaningful to all my family. The next project is helping the Vipingo Village in Kenya—a family-run charity that helps the AIDS-affected orphan children in the area near Mombasa. We believe that collectively we can reach these goals, and with the help of other DJs, promoters, club owners and industry people, we can make a difference.
Finally, you’ve said in the past that you consider yourself a producer more than a DJ, but you haven’t had many releases in 2014. Is there anything on the horizon?
I’m releasing as Lucien on my brand-new label Basaec this year. So far I’ve had two releases in 2014, and there’s more coming. I have a lot of music, and in the following weeks I’ll lock myself into the studio for more work, so you can expect a good deal of music from me soon.
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