Exclusive Lele Sacchi Interview

With Lele Sacchi being featured on the incoming Poker Flat project, we got the chance to sit down with him and dissect his brain. From his favourite tracks of the last 20 years to his dream collab, we got it all

Check out Steve Bug : 20 Years Of Poker Flat Remixes right here

For those who may not be aware, who is Lele Sacchi?

I’ve been Djing since 1995.That’s quite a long time and it allowed me to see all the sides to the music business, work on on many different angles, from label managing, to promoting, to producing music of course, to organizing big events, small events…etc.. At the moment it all brought me to my long running radio shows for RAI (the state broadcaster here in Italy, like BBC in the UK) or the series for NTS, to teaching music subcultures at the Design University, writing a book, brand consultancies….BUT it only all goes back to the fact that I am a dj and I feel like a dj: a scholar of music that selects and mixes music in front of a crowd.

Gives us 5 words that describe your sound

House Music With An Attitude. That’s five, right? Attitude can range from the more electronic, acid-y like this this remix for Poker Flat to deeper feelings I do for Soul Clap records or Rebirth or the funkier bounce for Snatch! Still house music, isn’t it?

We got the chance to listen to the upcoming Anniversary Remixes project. Really digging the tech / electronic dance vibes you brought to the EP. Where did the inspiration come from for this remix?

So proud of being on it! My relationship with Steve Bug goes back more or less 20 years! I always thought he is one of the best DJs around and Poker Flat stands as THE trademark of electronic driving minimal funk. ‘Future 101’ has been one of my ‘weapons’ since it came out, a tune you always bring with you without being the obvious hits (and in the vinyl era you had to carefully select those!) to raise the roof, no matter where and when, so it has been on my mind for a while to give it a refresh by keeping the original subtle electronic funk acid aggression.

If you had 24 hours to live and had to spin the sickest mix, what three tracks are making it?

You know this is a tough, tough one! Let’s say three tracks that give all the shades of things I love but would probably be very difficult to mix: Joe Smooth ‘Promised Land’, Joey Beltram ‘Energy Flash’, My Bloody Valentine ’Soon’ Andrew Weatherall remix.

You’ve been DJing since 1995! Where has been your favourite place/event to DJ?

That’s also a very tough one to answer to……I have a very deep love for the two places I played the most, Tunnel and Magazzini Generali in the years and Apollo right now here in Milano. I always thought that a good DJ has to represent and be grounded to its own scene and then travel! Talking about the rest of the world and historical places I would definitely have to start by mentioning two closed ones: The End in London, probably the best PA and no frills no bullshit pure underground electronic venue and Space Ibiza…well Space, what can you say more, it was blinding. Other places I played that always deserve shout outs are Rex in Paris for being consistent and still alive, DC10 in Ibiza for still placing DJs and music first and of course Panoramabar for creating the right mix of DJ creativity and an openminded and diverse crowd. Just before the pandemic I played Sisyphos Berlin a couple of times and that’s a fantastic venue, probably the best of the less celebrated by the big medias.

What 5 tracks have you discovered during Lockdown that you keep playing?

Underground Evolution ’Soul Searcher’ Joe Claussel remix

Cody Currie ‘When The Time Is Right’

The Prince of Dance ‘Len’s House’

Joesky ‘Worldplay’

Brame & Hamo ‘Floor Nine’

We see you have been producing tracks for almost 20 years. What are some of your favourite Lele Sacchi tracks?

From very old to now: Boogie Drama ’Stalker’s Groove’ from 2004, Sacchi & Sandiego ‘Love Riot’ 2006, Boogie Drama ’The Conspiracy’ 2009, Nick Monaco ‘Ancient Ritual’ Lele Sacchi remix 2015, Lele Sacchi & Whitesqaure ’Try To Understand Me’ 2016, Lele Sacchi ’New Soul Sensation’ 2019, Lele Sacchi ‘Burnin Babylon’ 2020.

Who would be your dream artist to collaborate with?

Ian McKaye from Fugazi…nothing to do with dance/electronic, but if it’s a dream it’s a dream right?

What’s next in store for you? 

I’m part of the vol 2 of Italo Funk on Soul Clap records with a new tune, the liner notes and a general help to my SC buddies to put it together. So proud of how it represents again, after the success of vol 1, the healthy state of the funkier and oblique side of the Italo scene. I’ve also just finished another couple of tunes which are making good rounds and hopefully will be out before the end of the year. Then of course radio is always going on and well….like everyone else so excited to start playing again in this summer, let’s hope, of proper re-start!