Beginning in his hometown of Schaffhausen, Switzerland at bars and venues like Kaktus in the mid '90s, Dario D'Attis built up a formidable reputation with his own club night Amaro, which he founded in 1997 with two friends. As Amaro grew in popularity around the country, it didn't take long for his name to start ringing out in the wider world. Before the end of the decade he would be hosting the Dancemachine radio show and headlining Zurich's Club Oxa.
Today, D'Attis is an internationally recognised name. After dropping his first production in 2001, D'Attis has spent the last 16 years honing his skills as a producer as well as a DJ. Via a number of labels such as Purple Tracks, Transport Recordings and Poker Flat, D'Attis has developed his own brand of bass-heavy house music absolutely rammed full of funk. If you somehow remain unconvinced, check out this riotous mix of bangers he's mixed together for us. It's hard, driving, laiden with groove and carried along by some big, fat bass lines.
Tell us a bit about your selections in this mix.
I've selected some tracks I'm really feeling at the moment. Of course I tried to bring some fresh vibes, and hopefully, everyone will like my selections. I was really happy to get asked to do this, so thank you very much.
What was the one track you absolutely had to include?
There is no one particular track—I just love them all! There is so much music I like to play.
Any tracks that narrowly missed the cut?
Oh yes! There is more than one. I just signed a new EP to Defected, a label which is definitely a very important part of my career. The EP is called Sunshine People—so stay tuned for more details on that. Sunshine people! Sunshine people, we are.
What's the first single or album you ever bought?
Michael Jackson's album, Bad. Wow! That was a long time ago [laughs].
What's the last physical record you bought?
I just bought some vinyl the last time I came to London. There was a bunch of records I got, like Jimi Jules' "Hundeblick" on Watergate and a repress of DJ Rolando's "Knights Of The Jaguar". I also bought some funk records to sample.
What do you want to see happen musically over the next 12 months?
Musically? Hmm... difficult question. But I would love to see much more love for the music, instead of just business-thinking. I mean, business is very important—but we need more soul in our business. Money is important, but love for the music is everything to me.
What trend or scene absolutely needs to die right now?
Nothing needs to go away, for me. There is space for everyone in our world, and I'm definitely not a judgmental guy. Maybe hate and jealousy should go away!
Tracklist:
1. Camelphat & Elderbok – Cola – Defected
2. Ninetoes – Defne – Moon Harbour
3. Frankie Watch – Geiri – Nice 7 Remix
4. Ruben Mandolini – Deadloop – Snatch
5. Dario D’Attis – Solera – Pokerflat
6. Sabb - Confessions – Hive Audio
7. Matt Jones – In The House – Snatch
8. Dario D’Attis – Body Somebody – Pokerflat
9. Luna City Espress – Siya – Joeski Remix – Lapsus
10. The Deepshakerz – Want To Want To Get - Demo
Catch Dario D'Attis at Eastern Electrics, tomorrow (Aug. 5), at Defected's Club Stage with Sam Divine, Sonny Fodera and more. Head here for tickets and more info.
