ROX-TV gets an exclusive interview from Paris. Tonight we sit down with Don Turi and discuss his music, the new release, and much more.

Welcome back to the ROX-TV website. Tonight, we have another great interview from France, and I’m really excited about it. If you’ve been following along than you already know I’m a fan of Citizen Records, home of the innovative and body moving sounds championed by Vitalic. I really dig the vibrations booming from Paris and this interview is another installment for those that get down on another level. Recently Citizen Records announced the new drop from Don Turi “Blue Ballet” and I decided to reach out to him to continue the conversation. At the ROX-TV website, we have a special place in our dark hearts for music that takes us somewhere and Don Turi’s music does just that. So without further to do, lets raise the anchor and get this ship moving…(Author’s Note: Due to work on several book projects, the articles have been harder to get to. This particular interview was slotted for a November release, but time constraints and life made that a month late. Sorry in advance gang)

 Thank you for taking the time to speak with ROX-TV. Before we get going, I always like giving the featured artists a chance to let the readers know where the sounds are coming from. Don Turi, can you tell the readers where you are from?

I was born on an island, in the middle of Tiber, 800 meters from the Vatican. I grew up in Florence and I arrived in Paris when I was 16.

I like documenting the music for future generations as well as the living. I think that learning about other scenes is vital and interesting…and above all helps shape our perspectives. I have a particular interest in the “history” aspects of an artist. I believe that where people come from helps shape who they are. Don Turi, can you tell us about your hometown music scene and how it may or may not have affected you while you were honing your craft? 

In my learning of music in France, I met a lot of musicians who inspired me, gave me the taste of reserch and experiment and teach me to always push further the limit of creation. It’s the requirement they passed down to me, the trust in our own vision of music and the significance of being honest when you create something without care what people might think about it.

You recently dropped “Blue Ballet” and we will talk about that shortly but before we do I’d like to continue talking about things that shaped you as an artist and brought you to your current location in life. Going back to the very beginning…can you tell us when the music entered your life? How old were you and what was that first song or group that sparked your interest? Perhaps the first album that got you excited?

I grew up listening to the psychedelic rock of the 70’s: King Crimson, Genesis, Area, Pink Floyd and, a bit later, Led Zeppelin, The Doors, Jimi Hendrix… But my first musical shock was Keith Jarrett Koln Concert, it opens the doors of jazz to me. Quickly, I found mysef in the more experimental branch: Ornette Coleman, John Coltrane, The Art Ensemble of Chicago, Paul Bley, John Zorn, Fred Frith. Then, it’s been the turn of the great Europeans improvisers: Evan Parker, Derek Bailey, Peter Brotzman to the composers of contemporary music: Berio, Stockhausen, Ligeti to end with the American minimalist music: Reich, Glass, Cage. And one day I discovered Pierre Henry and Autechre and Aphex Twin and The Chemical Brothers and Ricardo Villalobos and Jeff Mils and Richie Hawtin… I had caught the virus, I was gonna make electronic music!

I enjoy hearing about the journey that artists take while creating music and carving a place for themselves in the pages of musical history. I like to talk about things that seldom get the attention that I feel they deserve. Can you tell the readers at ROX-TV about your earliest recordings? What was the very first track or project that you brought to life? What was it like when that first song was completed? I guess what I’m looking for is a behind the scenes look at those first experiences in the studio making music.

I want to talk about Electronic Mop, this was one of my first band and it was the first time I had experienced the pleasure of production. It was an experimental music trio, a bit rock, a bit electronic… We were still looking for each other, we were young! But I remember this sensation of using the studio as an instrument in its own right, a place where, through the instruments we were choosing, the effects, the different sound takes, we could give a complete other lecture of the music we were creating.

I enjoy the track “Not Ton” (Dub Mix) which featured Owen Blakesley. The music makes me feel a twinge of loneliness…perhaps being stranded on a cold beach near night fall. I enjoy that faraway feeling and whenever I hear that vibe in a song, I pay attention. Can you talk a little bit about the song?

I wrote this track during a convalescence time, I was in my bed with my computer and my keyboard. I wanted to create a rhythmic illusion. I wanted the beginning of the piece to be a bit confusing and I wanted to use a “weird” scale, the half-tone… It’s a bit theorical but it’s the truth. After that, I let myself go. Once in the studio I plugged in my machines and replaced the sounds from my demo with my real synths and drum machines. I wasn’t completely satisfied, so I asked Owen to come and do his voice. It was perfect! So the genesis was done in a bed, I was immobilized, with just a window to see a piece of sky and probably a desire to be on a cold beach near a night fall 🙂

What does your music represent to you? When I listen to your songs, I feel the endless nights calling…a place to get lost for a time and float away with the sounds. A liberating feeling of freedom perhaps. Your thoughts?

It’s always hard to talk about your music but I often see my tracks as walks, journeys. I often let my desires speak without restricting it too much and obviously always bring me to the end of the night.

Going back to the latest drop “Blue Ballet” on CitizenRecords, can you talk a bit about how that relationship with C.R. developed and how the project came together? 

I’m delighted to be working with C.R.! I met Vitalic at a few festivals and we partied a lot together and then one day I sent him my tracks and he said “I’d like to release it on Citizen”. I was like crazy! For me, Vitalic is one of the great daddy of the electronic and techno scene of the last few years and having his support is extremely important and motivating for me! On top of that, he gave me the huge gift of coming to my studio to finalize the tracks together, it was magical to see him working on a kick sound for long minutes, with a flame in his eyes worthy of a child who still wants to play!

When I read the press release from CitizenRecords, I was struck by the description of the music with this line: “Resolutely techno, the track’s pounding beat and bubbling loops harked back to the sweaty raves of the 1990s”. I attended raves in Detroit in the late 1990’s and I would have to agree with this description whole heartedly. In fact, the first things that came to mind as I read that line was the infamous Packard Plant in the Motor City. Shadows moving to the pulsating sounds, nitrous balloons, and everything that came along with the scene. Why do you feel it’s important to pay homage in your music to those glorious times?

It’s important not to forget the roots of a music or an artistic movement. After all, my “homage” is, so to speak, unconscious! I think it’s a music I grew up with and that shaped me deep inside… it comes out without me really wanting it to!

Are there any plans in the near future for live appearances to support the “Blue Ballet” release?

Yes, we are going to set up a tour in 2023 of my live show, with all my set up of machines and also DJ Set in clubs are planned.

Like I said before, I really dig the music that CitizenRecords is putting out into the world. Why do people need to pay attention to what you guys are doing? (I think they need to)

At Citizen there is a desire to develop artists in depth and over time, we are far from certain labels where quantity takes precedence over quality. I think that these are important and rare values and we must support these approaches! And on top of that we make great music 😉 ! 

If there was one message or idea that could explain your music to someone just learning about you, what would that be?

The depth. I like to think that there are many levels of reading and listening to what I produce… so you have to dig deep to find things that are there, but are just a bit hidden. I like the idea that I am addressing people who want to dance but who also have an active listening.

We are getting close to the end but before we go, I’d like to ask you about how you create your music. Is there a particular place that you need to be, for the creative muse to come alive? Are there any rituals that you stick to before creating new music?

Not really. But the creative process is often the same. I work quickly on an idea and I quickly put it into shape and then I let it rest for a week or two. Then I listen again and see if the idea still seems interesting. If it is, I start to detail, I refine and refine a bit like a sculptor who removes what is too much in the material to leave only the essential. The mixing stage is also always the same, it takes place in my studio in Paris, with my coffee machine not far away and all my Synths looking at me in silence

Well, that’s about all the time we have for this one. I’d like to thank Don Turi for coming on with us and opening the door into his world. Before we go is there any parting words for the fans and readers in North America?

I really hope to come and see you soon to make you dance and invite you to a trip on my coach!

 As always, thank you for the opportunity for this interview. It means a lot to me because I enjoy bringing interesting and dope artists into focus for the readers.

Mike Shepard

ROX-TV