Serge Santiago on Italo: “I mean the shit they did in those days blows me away at times. It's a different kind of energy, makes you dance in a different way.”
Brighton boy but now Hackney (London) resident, Serge Santiago, is...
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Serge Santiago on Italo: “I mean the shit they did in those days blows me away at times. It's a different kind of energy, makes you dance in a different way.”
Brighton boy but now Hackney (London) resident, Serge Santiago, is particularly known for his cheeky coloured vinyl re-edits of classic Italo/Disco tracks - including Kano ‘It’s a War’ on green vinyl and Grace Jones ‘Slave to The Rhythm’ on red. In 2005 – after splitting from Radio Slave, the remix/DJ duo he was part of for two years – Santiago started his own label ‘Arcobaleno’ (meaning ‘rainbow’ in Italian). Santiago’s own ‘Atto D’amore’ was the label’s first release and one which gained huge support from the likes of Trevor Jackson, Damian Lazarus and the DFA crew. In 2006, Santiago played in Ibiza for the first time on the infamous Space Terrace for We Love. This summer (07), he will be resident for We Love in Ibiza, as well as mixing their first ever compilation CD, alongside Riton… Here’s the history…
Serge Santiago on producing: “I started producing because I was clubbing so much and wanted some involvement, so, using my old computer I started to teach myself how to write beats. From there I must’ve written about 50 to 100 half tracks before I finished one… And that one was a track called ‘Push it’ (using a sample from the Salt n’Peppa track). It’s funny, listening back now I can hear myself learning within the track; it’s great! Anyway we decided it was a classic ‘Stompa Phunk’ sounding record so ‘Push it’ was released 1999 on Stompa Phunk.
After releasing ‘Push It’ in 1999, Santiago started DJing also…
Serge Santiago on DJing: “DJing was the natural progression from producing; I made music so I wanted to play it out, and that’s why I became resident of Stompa Phunk. I partied there, I produced for them and this was the nest step. First I started playing Disco in local pubs in Brighton, there was no major moment in time of me seeing a famous DJ and going wow, I wanna copy him... I was on the Dole and needed a job that didn’t involve working in Co-op or Boots. I’ve never been a follower, I like to do things my way and work things out I my own time.
Through being resident for Stompa Phunk’s Brighton based club-night, Santiago’s reputation spread and he began being booked throughout the rest of Europe, whilst still producing and releasing tracks including ‘Impendence’ and ‘Come On’ on the Stompa Phunk imprint. In 2003 he hooked up with Matt Edwards and formed Radio Slave. The duo fast became sought after re-touchers, responsible for re-editing Kylie, White Stripes and Justin Timberlake, amongst others. Santiago, after over 15 edits under the Radio Slave moniker, split in 2005, started his coloured edit series – the first being Advance ‘Take me to the Top’ and ‘My Mine’ Hypnotic Tango’ (pink releases) - and formed label Arcobaleno to house his own productions.
Now, Santiago regularly plays throughout London, Europe, Australia and has a residency at We Love in Ibiza also mixed the first ever We Love compilation, alongside Riton...
Serge: “With the residency and the Label about to explode, this coming year is going to be even better”
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