Shonky Talks

We caught up with the Apollonia honcho for a chat about DC10's enduring appeal, the label ethos and future plans ahead of his appearance next weekend at Musiq Concrete. 

Hi Shonky, hope you're well and had a good summer. Where for you have the best parties been?
All good for me, I’m just back from an amazing Apollonia showcase at Nordstern in Basel at the weekend. Still tired but happy about it. Working now on my new Apollonia EP so nothing could be better. The summer was amazing, we had an Apollonia house in Ibiza also joined by Djebali. So I was based there for the 5 months, had an amazing time at DC10 every Monday and also with my mates at the weekend playing together as Apollonia.

And your best gig of the year so far?
So many to name this year, but our Apollonia night at DC10 in August, my 12 hour back2back set with Dan Ghenacia at Panorama bar and the Apollonia Showcase at Fabric in Room 1. They are my three favourite clubs and it was an honour to be invited to all of them. I will also say that all the Apollonia showcase have been great; including Louche Leeds, Nordstern Basel and Movement Fetsival Torino playing alongside Derrick May .

How long have you been travelling to Ibiza.  What is your earliest memories of playing there?
I’ve been going there since 2000, my first year was with Dyed Soundorom when we were working on the beach doing party promotion. I was supposed to stay three weeks and ended up staying five. Dan Ghenacia was also there that year playing for Pacha. I have some amazing memories, DC1O was already there and I guess it was one of the main reasons why I came back the year after. Since then I have never missed a year and 2012 was my first proper full season.

How does it feel to be playing at DC10 with other amazing artists and friends, does it feel  like one big family?
It’s an amazing feeling. I have been going to and admiring this club for more than thirteen years and now to get the chance to play there, it’s a dream come true. The place is full of energy, the sound system and the crowd all are always amazing, it makes you want to give so much to the people. I love this place.

What do you think has been the reason for it being so successful since it’s re-opening?
Because it’s the combination of good music and a great venue, it’s a proper experience to go to DC10. Naturally it’s successful when it has so much quality. Some people don’t like Ibiza but then I guess they’ve never been to DC10. God bless Circoloco!

Explain the ethos and plan behind the label
The main idea is to release our music and the music we like, we are not looking for anything in particular, just good music. It can be deep house or techno, as long as Dan, Dyed and I all agree about it. After Freak n’Chic closed we needed another platform to release music and Dan asked Dyed and I to join him this time. It seemed like the right moment to do it together and we took almost two years to make it happen. We also want to release all stuff that will show our roots, what we were playing back in the day and where we are coming from. The first classic track that will be repressed on Apollonia is POINT G’s ‘Underwater’, pretty hard to find right now, and we will also repress an old Kerri Chandler.

Are you happy with the progression of the label?
I’m super happy about it, we had really good feedback with the first two EP’s and we have a lot of new stuff in the pipeline; the debut album from Chris Carrier and Hector Moralez is coming soon and we are also working on an Apollonia EP from the full trio. 

How do you feel the produce of vinyl releases is helping the scene… and do you still buy vinyl yourself?
I don’t know if it helps the scene but I always loved vinyl and I’m still playing it today, so for me it’s important when a label releases its music on vinyl. I go record shopping every week and I spend around €600 on vinyl every month. I guess I love the vibe of the record store, and it’s easier to find good music when you buy records, some bad digital music that didn’t make it onto a vinyl release is erased.

Plans for future releases?
The next EP ‘Trax On Da Road’ is from Dan and will be released 4^th December. Then early 2013 watch out for an EP from Daze Mazim with an amazing remix from Dyed, the POINT G ‘Underwater’ repress, the new album from Chris Carrier and Hector Moralez and then the Apollonia team EP…. A lot of good stuff, I’m super excited.

I know it's a bit of a cliche but if you had to describe the label, what 3 words would you use?
Actually someone asked me the same question the other day… for me it’s friendship, quality and afterparty.

Has your style of DJing changed to accommodate your B2B sets?
What I like when I play with Dan and Dyed is that it’s more easy to choose the next record to put on as you have a bit more time and also its more possible to play an obscure vinyl you might be afraid to play if u were alone. Also we always play 6 hours or more so it gives us more time to do what we want. We never prepare the DJ set but I feel more and more confident every time we play together.

Finally, some closing Q's, name your go-to dancefloor filler track?
Dyed Soundorom remix of Daze Maxim, from the EP out soon on Apollonia

Name your label of the year so far
Too many to choose. But DJ Qu as a producer. Everything he did this year was goldName your DJ of the year so far?

Name your DJ of the year so far?
I was just really impressed by Derrick May when he played after us at Movement Torino a few weeks ago. Four hours of pure techno with an amazing touch and feeling, he’s still one of the best.

What can we expect from your set on 24^th November?
I always try to be eclectic in my DJ set from deep house to techno, playing a lot of old tracks mixed in with the new stuff, I try to be super open.

Shonky plays Musiq Concrete on 24th November at Crucifix Lane alongside D'Julz. Full details here.

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