Souldynamic‘s Luca and Stefano have been shining examples of the incredible amount of soulful talent that emerges from Italian soil. Since they formed their project in 2007, they have packed a heavy arsenal of dance tunes to their name, working with names such as Louie Vega, Ultra Nate, Robert Owens, Ann Nesby and Joi Cardwell.
But what really got people buzzing with the Souldynamic name was when a 51 second video clip emerged in 2014 of Lil Louis playing a packed party at Concrete Paris. All anyone could ask was, “What is that track he’s playing?” That track was “Equatoriale”… a landmark that would launch the pair into house music history.
Four years later they have gone in almost a complete 180 degree turn in their sound with the advent of their new Excedo Records.
We interviewed you many years ago and a lot has happened with you since then! I’m happy I finally got to see you play at the final Southport Weekender in 2014!
Yes! We clearly remember the first time we met each other in Miami, although it was a little while ago. Was a pleasure to get interviewed and we are happy to have a talk with you again there at 5 Mag!
How to forget the last (but not least) Southport Weekender in Butlins? The atmosphere was magical, even if with a hint of melancholy because we all knew it would be the last edition in that truly fascinating location. In our hearts however, we knew that Southport would be back. And in fact on June 9, we were once again part of the huge Southport Weekender festival lineup in London.
We have to talk about the Lil Louis video of your song “Equatoriale.” So many questions to ask! Was that serendipity that someone happened to video him playing your track? It was so magical, and the response was insane! I believe Louis mixed in his own acappella and took out the guitar? How did it affect your career after that?
Yes, it was a totally unexpected event for us too, we can only feel great pride to see a legend as Lil Louis playing a track from us. Thanks again Louis! Nothing prepared, we even didn’t know Lil Louis had the track which still wasn’t released.
In the video everything seems perfect: Lil Louis in very good shape, the beautiful valve mixer, the warm atmosphere of Concrete, and the track itself that, it seems, was much appreciated by the crowd. Lil Louis arranged his edit using the known Mr. Fingers’ acappella, and probably the most exciting and exclusive thing is the additional phrase at the end “The House That Chicago Built” which perfectly synthesized the essence of that brilliant moment.
Even today it’s still strange for us to see how the video has reached millions of views! “Equatoriale” has now become, in a certain way, our “classic” and it’s always a pleasure to see how even today important DJs play it around the world. It’s very curious to think that track was originally locked in our computer for a few years before we decided to release it.
Record Breakers! Originally published in 5 Magazine #163 featuring Fred Everything, Low Steppa, Karsten Sollors, Souldynamic, Davidson Ospina & more. Become a member of 5 Magazine for First & Full Access to Real House Music for only $1 per issue!.
You are known for your soulful sound, and Excedo seems to be going in a more explorative way, which is fantastic. Will this be your avenue to try out a different side of yourselves, or to showcase both? Will it just be you two or do you have other artists lined up as well?
2017 marked the first 10 years of our career, which have characterized us in the House scene for a more specific (classic) sound, and the anniversary was celebrated with the release of our debut album Origins. The album kept us busy for two years and to produce it we collaborated with many different singers such as Dana Weaver, Deborah Bond, Jocelyn Mathieu, Tamara Wellons, Mr V, Miranda Nicole, Wunmi, Tumelo and Sabrina Child.
After this we had the opportunity to remix a track by the “Maestro” Louie Vega from his Grammy Award-nominated album Starring… XXVIII, such a pleasure!
Origins has ideally closed a cycle, as we felt the need, after so many years, to explore new sounds and dimensions. This is why Excedo Records was born in 2017, an idea we had thought about a few times. We needed to enter in a new era, to feel more independent in terms of music exploration. Always respecting of course our musical origins, we are currently exploring new spaces, from deep house to Italo disco, going through latin, funky and much more.With Excedo, for the first year we want to focus the label on our different projects. However, we are receiving several interesting demos, so in the next future, you will certainly can listen other artists’ music on Excedo Records.
And you have a monthly Excedo Records label party in Terracina! Tell us about it.
Since 2017 we have been part of a stimulating collaboration with the Ribbon Club crew, one of the most respected underground clubs in central Italy and beyond. A beautiful 500 person capacity club with a massive sound system in Terracina (one hour driving distance from Rome). Terracina is a hidden gem in the heart of the Ulisse’s Riviera, a land rich in history, culture and natural beauties that perfectly match our idea of a party. During the winter the Excedo Records Label Party takes places at Ribbon, while in the summer we are moving to the beautiful Rive di Traiano.
It’s amazing to play in Europe and elsewhere, but we always maintain strong roots with our beautiful territory. The idea is to built a strong party we can enjoy with our crew, with its music, its style, its atmosphere we may export out of Italy soon.
I’ve never been to Italy but it seems like some of my most favorite DJs and producers either come from there or play there a lot. What is it about the scene there that fosters so much love and appreciation for soul?
If we talk about underground music and parties, yes, Italy is a prosperous country, every weekend there are a few high quality occasions to dance.
New generations are quite open to discovering new sounds, even during the same party. We see many festival lineups where deep house, disco, funk, techno easily mix together. We just tested this on ourselves playing in Naples for Neuhm – a few weeks ago – with Motor City Drum Ensemble and Joe Claussell! We spun live for three hours and played many styles of house. Despite the colorful lineup and the different styles of music, from late afternoon till night, the dance floor was always hot and involved, we loved seeing so many young generations dance and have fun with us.
You also plan to release your first Excedo vinyl this year. How important is this physical aspect of music for you?
For a record label nowadays it is so important to have music pressed on physical media. The strong and fascinating return of vinyl is now a solid reality and it’s impossible to ignore it. In the digital age, there is a slice of listeners and DJs totally disconnected from the streaming and digital sales phenomenon, and they are dedicated exclusively to buying and listening music on vinyl. We are currently spending a lot of time on this side of the record label, and you will soon see the Excedo Records vinyl series.
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