Interview – Alan Lumley

FrankyEffe has been on the circuit now since around 2001 and over the last 15 years has really improved as an artist and producer to being a massive name and workhorse outputting some amazing music.  With latest additions on labels like Alchemy, Elevate, and Tronic there is no stopping this artist.  With global bookings we managed to send DaGeneral to have 10 minutes with him for a quick chat.

IU – Over a decade now in music on various labels, was a rapid climb into the ranks.  How have you enjoyed it and what so far in production terms has been your highlights?

F – Oh yes, in the past I made also some mediocre productions hehe 😉 then over time I improved my work to release on labels like Soma – Truesoul – Herzblut and many others. There are tracks who are very tied up like Riot – Yes or Not – Neaps – Crazy Man – Heady and many others, because they gave me a lot of visibility in the world of techno music.

IU – And of course you own RIOT Recordings, which of course has its own pros and cons, how has running the label been, and what do you look for from your artists?

F – It is very difficult to manage a label, there is a lot of work and patience. From my artists I seek quality and a sound that I can play in my evenings or listen to it in my relaxing moments, I’m finding something that gives me adrenaline, emotion … this is what I look for at “RIOT”

IU – What can you tell us you have coming up production wise?

F – In the next month’s i have many top releases to share with my people. At the end of Sept will be out another remix for Mauro Picotto, in October I’ll male my debut on Tronic with a single and in December will be out an ep with two tracks. At the end of October there will be a great Colas with Mauro Picotto, four tracks, and the ep called PRESTIGE. On November I’m back on Phobiq with my ep and after it will be out also an ep on Elevate. There are also the things but I prefer to announce later.

IU – What advice would you give to up and coming DJ’s and producers trying to make it into the scene?

 I advise you to be very humble, to learn a lot from the past, to listen to all the music, and to do a sound that differs from the existing one”

IU – Let’s not keep making you talk to us about only music production because of course you are an established DJ playing in some nice countries across the world.  Do you still enjoy the live stuff, and would you say more than the production?

F – When I play live I’m very happy and get excited me a lot. Obviously my studio work is very tied to my live shows because the work then I’ll try in my DJ set. There are two different jobs that give me so much energy.

IU – Been a busy year for you in Colombia, Germany, Italy, and more! What special moments will you remember for a long time, and what is this highlights so far this year?

F – Each of these were great gigs. I have great memories. I have A particular memory in Calabria at VIBE, at 7 in the morning when there is the sunrise and the sun has risen from the sea. it was a fantastic moment.

IU – What events are coming up over the next 12 months? Where can we see you and what can we expect?

F – These days my agency organizing other dates in Italy and abroad. I hope to play in many important festivals and clubs.

IU – What do you like to do when you’re not listening to music and making music, what hobbies etc.?

F – I play with my cat, walks surrounded by nature and I love to watch football.

IU – If you could pick any place in the world, where would you love to play a fantasy event, and who would be the 10 DJ’s that would be playing?

F – There are many places that I love to play… it’s difficult to choose on place… but can I say it would be great to play with Adam Beyer – Mauro Picotto – Stephan Bodzin – Joris Voorn – Laurent Garnier – The Advent – Apparat – Jeff Mills – Carl Cox – Christian Smith

IU – Which producers and DJs do you think are great, ones that people may not have heard of?

F – There a lot of producers that are great that are not part of the circuit. This is also my commitment to Riot, that is to discover talents and in the next few months you will hear a lot of new music from artists yet to be discovered.