DJ Pippi, whose real name is Giuseppe Nuzzo, was born in the South of Italy and arrived in Ibiza, the island where he made his name as a DJ, from Germany. DJ Pippi chose the North of Europe to start to develop his passion for music because, as he himself points out, didn’t see any chance of progressing in Italy. After a brief spell in Switzerland, DJ Pippi arrived in Germany, where he ran a record shop, and in 1976 he stood behind the turntables of a disco for the first time in that country.
It was at that time that some friends of his discovered Ibiza. They recommended that he visit this Mediterranean island and the DJ, as a tourist, landed in Ibiza in 1979. „I arrived as a tourist and immediately began to get known. It was a form of madness, I was in Ibiza almost every weekend, “ he remembers. DJ Pippi started to go to the fashionable discos and distributed tapes of his sessions as a DJ. “When I arrived on the island, I dreamt of working in a place like “Pacha”. That was my wish and my goal.” A dream that came true in 1984.
DJ Pippi started to become known in musical circles in Ibiza, and one of his tapes was listened by the management of “Pacha”, who realised that this young Italian was the right person to make “Pacha” an unmissable venue in the disco circuit of the world. The disco’s owners flew to Germany without hesitation to offer him the contract that would change Giuseppe Nuzzo’s life.
DJ Pippi has worked two different stints in “Pacha”. The first time was from 1984 to 1987, and the second one started in 1991 – and he is still playing there for special events. Between these two stints, DJ Pippi signed a contract to work in the disco “Ku” ( today’s “Privilege”). So this DJ has been playing records for more than 20 years. It is a job that takes up most of the year, as in summer he is one of the unmissable institutions of Ibiza, and during the winter he travels round the world playing music in all the five continents, thanks to bookings he receives through his booking agency.
Although it may not seem so, the way to the top of the DJ’s world is a long and hard one. “A DJ’s job must be taken very seriously by anyone who wants to become one of the best – you have to live it every day. Everything I’ve got is due to hard work, “ he states categorically. And he knows exactly what he is talking about. He’s been living with vinyl for many years, a career which received international recognition when he appeared on the cover of the English magazine “DJ Magazine” (the DJ’s bible), in August 1998. Appearing on the cover of this magazine is most a DJ can hope for, in terms of specialised magazines. The headline of the article asked if DJ Pippi was the luckiest DJ alive, and another headline was even more explicit: “On top of the world?”. Even though he is at the top, he doesn’t object to sharing sessions with other DJs. “You can always learn new things in this job.” So, on various occasions, it has been possible to see DJ Pippi spinning records with DJs such as Franky Knuckles, Tony Humphries, Danny Rampling, Erick Morillo, David Morales, Claudio Coccoluto, Cesar de Melero and Jose Padilla.
“A good DJ is one who plays the right sound at the right time in the right atmosphere; a DJ who has a feeling for it,” is DJ Pippi ‘s definition of the key to success as a DJ, which is not at all easy in Ibiza. “Ibiza has a huge musical reputation and it is not easy to succeed here. There are many people who come here, play some music one day and call themselves “DJs of Ibiza”.
It isn’t that easy.” He recognises that Ibiza has allowed him to work with many different music styles, something that is only possible in Ibiza “because the people who go to discos appreciate it. I’ve been able to play and listen to everything, which has given me the advantage of being open to all types of music.” But it is exactly this which has made it easier for him to define the musical style he prefers. “Basically ‘House’ is what I like.” It was his knowledge and domination of this style which got him nominated in the “House/Garage” section of the first “DJ Awards”, held in Pacha in 1998.
After years behind the turntables, DJ Pippi decided to further his career by moving into the production side, although he still considers himself, first and foremost, a DJ. His years of experience as a DJ have also led him to discover that he can make his own music and that in the future he could produce the styles he likes best.
It is in this last aspect that we have to mention his collaboration with the prestigious Austrian Pianist, Friedrich Gulda, who he tried a risky project with, which has been transmitted live on several occasions. This is “The Gulda Experience”, a show that combines the music of Johann Sebastian Bach and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart with House Music. “The Gulda Experience” has been performed in the Greg Festival in Barcelona, and also in several other cities such as Vienna, Rome, Turin and Munich. “This project is one of the most important things I have done in my life on a production level. It has been two years of hard work, although I have been able to work with someone as interesting as Gulda,” says DJ Pippi. However, this show has also had its critics. “In Italy, during one performance, some of the audience started to boo. Gulda stood up and shouted that anyone who was not happy with the show should come up to the stage. In the end it was successful,” remembers DJ Pippi, who has received numerous compliments from the pianist through the international press. He has also said that DJ Pippi is “a real musician, although he plays a very different instrument to mine.”
Among the recordings produced by DJ Pippi, the most well-known must be “I Luv U Baby” (The Original), which was a great success in discos in 1994. The rest of DJ Pippi’s recordings up to now are (e.g.): “I Can’t Do Better” (Porno); “Be Together” (The Original); “Over & Over” (Plux); “To Your Right” (Virtual Disco); “Luv Is Gonna Get You” (Nosotros); “Struggle” (D.D.D.); “Groove And Shake” (Revelation); “Kamasutra” (I.D.F.); “On The Top Of The World” (Diva Surprise); “Buenos Aires” (First Tango in Paris); “It Feels Good” (Tiffany McMoy); “My Love Is True” (License to Dance); “Feel It” (Natural Colours); “Luvin’ The World” (Creme Fresh vs. DJ Pippi) and more.
DJ Pippi has also left his mark in the field of co-productions. Groups like B-Tribe have counted on him on several occasions (“Fiesta Fatal”, “You won’t See Me Cry”, “Legends”, “Sensual, Sensual” and “Fatal Fatal”) as well as Sacred Spirit and Chris Rea in the remixes. He has also collaborated on work with S. Youngblood, Gloria Estefan, Jam and Spoon, Cesar De Melero and Divine Works. Not to mention his co-production with Mike Oldfield on the Millenium Bell and the project with Friedrich Gulda. He released several compilations mixed by him as i.e. “DJ Pippi presents Undiscovered Ibiza Vol. 1, 2, 3 and 4” or “ DJ Pippi & Jamie Lewis in the Mix Vol. 1, 2 and 3 “. Just recently DJ Pippi and Chus finished a remix for Enrique Iglesias “Love to see you cry “.
To end: One of dj pippi’s most frequently expressed wishes is “love and music. No more wars in the world.”
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