Antonio Pica is a DJ and producer that we have appreciated for a long time. He was born in Naples, a city that constantly churns out artists of great value.
Antonio is a “self made dj”. He started playing in the small clubs of his city and in a few years he traveled the world playing in Ibiza in clubs like Pacha, Destino alongside a techno titan like Marco Carola.
His is a beautiful story of music. And we are convinced that the best chapters have yet to be written. Ibiza By Night met Antonio Pica for an interview about his musical past, present and future.
IBN: Let’s start from the beginning…How was Antonio Pica born musically?
PICA: “The first things I listened to were the productions of American DJs. Musically I was born with that sound, about when I was thirteen. I was lucky enough to live a stone’s throw from a vinyl store called Deejay Store, managed by Emanuele Esposito and Lello Russo, two people I respect very much and to whom I am bound by a particular affection. At the time I listened to House artists such as Danny Tenaglia, Frankie Knuckles, Deep Dish, also following the Italian artists who literally drove me crazy such as Flavio Vecchi, Ricky Montanari and Massimino Lippoli. Around 2006 a wave of minimal techno arrived in Italy and so I listened to Marco Carola, Richie Hawtin, Ricardo Villalobos, Luciano and my musical vision has profoundly changed. I have not abandoned house music, but I have set it aside to give priority to the new minimal sounds. It was in this period that I started following Marco Carola who immediately became my idol.“
IBN:From bars and micro clubs to Ibiza nightclubs and festivals around the world: how was the jump?
PICA: “I started playing at my school’s parties as a child, passing through various small underground clubs in the historic center of Naples. I started in these clubs, those who dance and who play really have a passion for music. When you enter a micro club in this area of Naples there is no attraction outside of the music, the sound system, the console DJ. I was lucky enough to find myself in the best years of Neapolitan clubbing working with the group of promoters I loved: Orbeat.
Orbeat at the time were leaders in the city and in its sector. They brought all my favorite artists to play in Naples. They were fantastic years. I started collaborating with them first as a PR. After a few years they gave me the opportunity to start performing in some after parties, and then they organized my debut in a “One Night”. I wish to say thanks to the Orbeat Management :they have always believed in me, and after a long apprenticeship they also opened the doors of Ibiza to me.“
IBN: At some point in your career you met Marco Carola and many things have changed. Tell us how it went…
PICA: “As I said before, Marco Carola and his management have always been present in my artistic life from the beginning. They have always represented for me an example of how to do this job with passion, love and professionalism. Personally, I am lucky enough. I have realized my dream which was to play with my idol, Marco Carola. Even today after sharing the stage with him many times I always feel the excitement of the first time. The emotions I experienced with Marco, especially the vibrations from the dancefloor, I have never experienced with any other artist in the world. I will thank him for life. The relationship with Carola’s management was fundamental: thanks to them I received the right training in this job. They continue to take care of me on a daily basis with Salvatore Assante and the entire Orbeat Bookings team. I am particularly proud to be part of this family.“
IBN: Tell us some particular anecdote from your life as a DJ.
PICA: “In these years there have been many anecdotes, one more incredible than the other. What certainly impressed me most was during a tour in South America. I was in Bogota in Colombia with my friend and colleague Agustin Klein. After playing about six or seven hours at the Baum Club in Bogota, I returned to the hotel dead tired but incredibly happy. The exact moment I got into bed I began to feel the room shaking, and soon after strong earthquakes left. I was so devastated that I was the only one not to evacuate the hotel. I only realized the seriousness of the situation many hours later.“
IBN: The last few months have been difficult for many DJs, how have you lived them?
PICA: “The last few months haven’t been difficult, they have been dramatic. Even today the situation has not improved at all. I spent the first quarantine period mainly dedicating myself to the production of new records, organizing some live streams to feel closer to us all, even if I don’t particularly love them. Today I terribly miss playing with the public ahead and being in contact with them.
Music and DJing are my passion but also my job. Thinking that I’ll be without my audience on the dancefloor is really tough.“
IBN: Let’s talk about your relationship with Ibiza, what the island represents for you…
PICA: “Ibiza is a second home for me. I’ve been going there for eleven years now. The first time was 2009, I was 18, and I immediately fell in love with it. Ibiza is a magical and unique place in the world. This summer just passed without Ibiza made me notice even more how much I miss those party nights until dawn… following with a long after. I’m sure that next year everything will be as before, in fact I’m sure it will be even better. “
IBN:What future plans do you have?
PICA: “Fortunately, future projects are not lacking. Meanwhile, there is all the work I do following my Dirtyclub Music label, with the newly created sub-label DCM Lab, for which I select music mainly produced by very promising young talents. We have a lot of things in the pipeline that will be published soon. We are working to plan the next season of my party in Naples called TimeUp, even if we do not yet know what the laws will allow us to do. We have been working on this party for two years and it has really given me great satisfactions. The warmth, the affection, the vibrations I receive from the clubbers of my city are always something overwhelming. For the rest my next date will be November 14th when I will play for the first time in Hungary in a new club called Trippin Club and located in Gyòr. In addition to all this I hope to return to normal as soon as possible. I hope that we will have party all together…very soon!“
Thanks Antonio!
