For upwards of 20 years now, DJ and label owner Mike Simonetti has been a slave to the beat, DJing for club kids in some of the most prestigious clubs and discos worldwide. Hailing from New Jersey and currently residing in New York, his sets span decades of dance music focusing on unjustly obscure post-punk and disco tracks, as well as occasional hip hop, house and anything else he can dig up to keep the floor moving.
Still think disco sucks?
For upwards of 20 years now, DJ and label owner Mike Simonetti has been a slave to the beat, DJing for club kids in some of the most prestigious clubs and discos worldwide. Hailing from New Jersey and currently residing in New York, his sets span decades of dance music focusing on unjustly obscure post-punk and disco tracks, as well as occasional hip hop, house and anything else he can dig up to keep the floor moving.
For 15 years he has manned Troubleman Unlimited records, releasing albums from artists ranging from free-spirited folkie Devandra Banhart to Japanese metal drone-masters Boris to the lilting synth-pop of Camera Obscura. Currently, he is dividing his ceaseless energy between his new dance-oriented label Italians Do It Better, maintaining a hectic schedule as an international DJ and answering a few questions for the Vanguard.
Brian Veysey: Portland isn’t exactly known for having a substantial dance music scene. What compelled you to base your label here?
Mike Simonetti: Well I don’t live in Portland, I live in New Jersey…We [Glass Candy’s Johnny Jewel and I] base it out of both New Jersey and Portland. I am the NYC connection.
BV: You and several bands on your label were originally into hardcore/post-punk. Do you still listen to your old punk records? How have they influenced the content of Italians?
MS: The bands weren’t into hardcore, it was myself, I am still into hardcore! I love it, it made me the person I am. We run Italians by the punk philosophy of fairness and artistic freedom…
BV: Your label features acts from fairly disparate corners of the U.S. and Europe. Some, such as Professor Genius and Mirage, seem to be aesthetically in tune with the greater scope of Italians from the get-go. Meanwhile, Glass Candy and the Chromatics had a noticeably different sound until recently. How do you decide whether an act is a good fit for your label, and what prompted you to stick with Glass Candy until their sound gelled better with the rest of the bands on the label?
MS: We both must like the bands (myself and Johnny). Johnny plays in Glass Candy and Chromatics as well. I used to release these bands on my other label, Troubleman, before I decided to start a dance label.
BV: In addition to owning two labels you also moonlight as a globetrotting DJ. How do you have the energy to curate two labels and still come up with original DJ sets several nights a week? What do you look for when trolling through the bins at a record shop?
MS: I love DJing. It doesn’t take up much energy. I love buying records as well! It’s very easy to me. I guess doing something you love doesn’t take up much energy!
