Whether he knows it or not, Nic Fanciulli has become somewhat of a superstar DJ. We’re not talking Tiesto-Oakenfold stadium-filler big, nor are we talking gimmicky Mickey Mouse mask or radical haircut big. Fanciulli belongs to a power league of big-hitting DJs who week-in-week-out pitch their brand of house and techno to clubs and festivals full of adoring fans – minus the “EDM” stigma.
Fanciulli may consider his Saved imprint to be slightly skewed toward house and tech house styles (or sophisticated tech house as described by one magazine earlier this year), but that hasn’t stopped a slew of techno sluggers releasing on the label including Dutch messr Steve Rachmad, Scott’s Gary Beck and Harvey Mckay and Swedish deuce Pär Grindvik and Staffan Lanzatti.
Saved houses an extensive roster of 15-plus artists, but for Fanciulli, there are two in particular he considers dignitaries: Rolando and Mark Broom. “They are two of my heroes. It was really nice to do collaborations with them, especially with Rolando because he is one of my heroes from Detroit, so to work with him was just incredible and we ended up having a great relationship afterwards,” Fanciulli says.
In 2010, UK techno statesman Mark Broom released Acid House on Saved, his first full length in 15 years. “When Mark Broom did the album for us that was probably one of the highlights of running the label,” Fanciulli says. “His sound was changing at the time and he had already signed a couple of singles that we were working on, so I said ‘look let’s do an album’ and he said ‘I’d love too’ – and he did and it was great,” he says.
Fanciulli’s remix and collaborative efforts have been as far flung as Kylie Minogue, Everything But The Girl’s Tracy Thorn to experimental trip hoppers U.N.K.L.E. But what may come as a surprise to some, working with those outside of house and techno music can be as easy – or difficult – as working with those in it. “I think we are all in it together and music is pretty much universal, everyone is in it for the same reasons,” he says while adding, “Working with U.N.K.L.E was great, I’ve know James Lavelle for such a long time and doing the mix for them was great, the same goes with Kylie; not many people do mixes and get a response back saying they really liked it”.
Fanciulli and Saved are in no way only inclined to work with pop stars, seasoned producers and established names. The most recent artist to join the labels ranks is the young and widely unknown Parisian talent Clio. “He is someone I discovered a few years ago,” says Fanciulli. “He only did his first live show about a year ago which was for me in Maidstone, my hometown. I’m really interested in people that come up with different sounds. I think he has a really unique sound, it’s still really dance floor, but it’s really organic and really natural,” he says.
Saved is prolific in its output, averaging 16 releases a year all inclusive since 2005. However, as conveyor belt as this may seem, Fanciulli instils a strong emphasis on maintaining quality control throughout Saved’s busy release schedule. “The main rule of thumb with everything is: if I play it and I like it I sign it. If I don’t play it, I’ll never sign it,” he says. “We don’t sign any records up to six months in advance. I don’t want to sign anything because things change. We are very lucky to have a lot of great artists that give us great music.”
Fanciulli considers Saved to be more of an guilty pleasure than a business, but now with his brother Mark an integral part of the label, Saved could well be considered a family enterprise. “I’m very lucky that I have a great team, I have my brother running the label with me, I’ve got great management that help me run day-to-day life and that lets me concentrate on making music, DJing and being with my family,” he says.
If Nic Fanciulli is a superstar DJ, he doesn’t act like one. He and Mark take the time out to listen to as many demos as possible that make their way into Saved’s inbox, which in some cases has resulted in a signing or two. “My brother and I listen to pretty much everything now. That’s how we discovered people like Clio and &ME – they sent us demos. I think if these kids have the time of day to send you something you have got to at least listen to it.”
Both Clio and &ME appear on episode 21 of the Balance mix series, curated and compiled by Nic Fanciulli. Previous Balance mixees include Will Saul, Deetron, Agoria and Nick Warren, amid a host of others. But how important is the mix CD today when DJs are arguably offering just as exciting and high quality podcasts for free? Can the mix CD survive, even still, is the mix CD still relevant? Berghain and Otsgut Ton luminary Ben Klock is known for taking the exclusive and unreleased route when selecting tracks for his commissioned mixes, while others such as James Murphy and Pat Mahoney (parts one and two of LCD Soundsystem), opted for obscure B-sides and rarities for their FabricLive.36 mix.
Fanciulli’s says Balance 21 is all about longevity. “I think the approach I took with this CD was I didn’t want it to be disposable, I want to put it on in ten years’ time and still say it sounds good. I don’t really want to follow the fashions or trends, so I think there is still a place for the mix CD if it’s done properly.”
Rolando’s 2006 mix From There To Hear And Now for UK imprint NRK Sound Division, was an inspiration, level-setter and lesson of how a mix CD should be done says Fanciulli, offering some insight into how Balance 21 came together. “CD one was a different process to CD two. With CD one I really wanted to create a real organic sound, like I said, you can listen to it again and again, and then again in ten years’ time.”
Work on Balance 21 started as early as September last year. “I started with 400 records and then every month it went down and down, within the last two months of mixing the CD, I was looking for a lot of new stuff that I could fit in between,” he says. “To be fair, on the first CD, only 40 per cent of it was exclusive and the rest of it was maybe stuff that went under the radar, stuff that people had missed, which was quite nice,” he says.
Fanciulli dedicated Balance 21‘s second disc entirely to Saved and says “With CD two, the process was different, it was all from my label, I tried to get everything exclusive for that CD; new edits, new mixes, new tracks”.
As Fanciulli readies his Australia tour to promote Balance 21, it has received a smattering of positive reviews. But since becoming a father two years ago, Fanciulli is aware of the balance he needs to keep with touring and family life. “I try and keep touring to a maximum of ten days now, so even when I come to Australia this time, I’m only coming for four days,” he says.
Fanciulli’s busy touring schedule could have him in as many countries, in as many days, so how does he cater for his many audiences? “There is obviously different situations, like playing at festivals where you play differently because you only have one hour. The majority of the time when I play clubs, I play my own sound, but I play different records, certain records that will work; I get very bored very quickly so music goes through me very quickly. I could play a set in America and a set in Australia and maybe 60 per cent of the records are different,” Fanciulli explains.
With DJs enjoying turning up to gigs with their entire record collection stowed in the one box – a laptop – it makes it much easier for them to vary their sets. “I don’t play vinyl, I collect vinyl, but everything I play is through Traktor,” he says. “I’ve lost so many record boxes and stuff like that in the past, so for me to now turn up with all my music is amazing, but for some people vinyl is their life and they will never go to CDs or a computer,” he says.
Richie Hawtin made the infamous quote “Vinyl is a pain in the ass” – surviving the verbal onslaught from vinyl purists that followed –and although Fanciulli may be a vinyl lover at heart, he shares Hawtin’s sentiments. “You can’t get away from digital, digital is the future isn’t it? There’s no way of going back now.”
BY JAMES MANNING
