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Brad and all the guys. I’m really proud and happy to be a part of that group because I think Beatport does a lot of good for the music business.”


Underground It’s almost impossible to argue that the Internet — and by proxy, sites like Beatport — haven’t been an integral part of the recent explosion of dance music. But that hasn’t made everyone happy. Artists and purists argue that all the money and attention are detrimental, and creativity is being sacrificed for mass appeal, though John has a more measured approach to how he does things. “We want to appeal to people who want more, who aren’t happy with eating at McDonald’s and drinking Starbucks while listening to the Top 10,” John tells DJ Mag USA. “We’ll just have a bigger underground base. The pop scene can come and go where it needs to go. Artistically, I’ve come to terms with that. We are where we are because that’s where we want to be. I’m not afraid. I’m not driving the oil tanker. The buses that I drive, I’m very careful not to run them into the ground. But someone will drive an oil tanker into a reef and there’ll be a big disaster culturally.”


Understanding the relativity of cool, not only from person to person but era to era, is what has helped shape John’s sound and vision — and that of Definitive Recordings. “Sometimes I feel like Goldilocks, we’re always in the middle,” he says. “I always let other people go to the different extremes. For example, six or seven years ago, we were tired of techno as it was, house music was also old and clichéd, so we kind of did a hybrid and called it electro.” But, as John explains it, things quickly took a turn for the worse. “We decided to step back and chose not to ride that wave, and get more commercial and easy. Pop culture’s all about making things easy and accessible, and I don’t think that if you’re an artist that’s necessarily fulfilling.” The porridge can’t be too cold, either. “In the ‘80s, I loved alternative music, but some people were so underground that they didn’t even want to have fans. You’re not accessible, or maybe you’re just such a tortured artist that you don’t want anyone to understand you. But often as an artist you try to somehow connect with people — ‘here’s my idea, here’s my passion’ — and that’s how you create a career.”


Turntablism John’s opinions don’t only extend to the “house wars” that are currently being waged by House Gangsters and Swedish Mafiosos. Years ago, when he was pushing the Final Scratch format of a turntable-laptop hybrid, John said: “I think DJing really is about turntable culture. I don’t think CDs are the way to go.” That might lead some to believe he’s planted firmly on the side of the


vinyl-only, anti-synch button argument. Not the case. “I’ve definitely come on board with thinking that controllers are very important,” he clarifies. “Controllers allow people to consider and express themselves differently than they would have with just turntables or CDs. CDs are the transient controller. Turntablism is a form of expression that will always be there. “There’s a certain charm to a turntable, but I think for young artists and performers, controllers really are important because it helps you rethink things,” he adds. “But me as a DJ, I’m still pretty classic. I love playing good music and not manipulating as much. I view myself as more of an entertainer than a performer or an act. I’m a selector. I choose the right music for the right people at the right time.”


Successful selectors need music — lots of it — and John is no exception. Having been in the game for some 30 years, Acquaviva has amassed a vinyl collection of over 50,000 records, he estimates. “I used to buy double copies because I’d need a mint copy and a play copy, so if I don’t come across as a vinyl collector, I don’t know too many people who are,” John half-jokes. “I have probably 300 pieces just of Kraftwerk — every kind of pressing, every color vinyl — Gary Numan, Depeche Mode, Heaven 17… over 30 years of clubbing, from disco all the way to techno and house. I’ve decided since I don’t look or listen to them anymore — I can’t, I have so many — I’ve decided I’m going to let them go. Like Sting said, ‘If you love something, set it free’. Who knows? Maybe I’ll come full circle again.” He’s planning to sell the whole lot of them, much like he did with his studio equipment a few years ago. “I had almost a museum of equipment, two 303s, 909s and 808s, and often Hawtin would borrow them when he broke his. But about seven years ago I decided to sell all my equipment because I found I wasn’t really making music,” Acquaviva remembers. The funny thing is, once he purged, he got creative again. “I’ve probably done more music in the last six years, and have had a bunch of hits, constantly put out tracks.” One of the most famous of his latest string of hits is the aforementioned ‘Good Music’.


Soul John first heard Dan Diamond on Peace Division’s 2005 track ‘Club Therapy’, out on NRK Music. That track sampled Diamond’s now famous ‘Therapy’ vocal, though no credit was given to Dan at the time. So as much as John liked the track, he had no idea who the vocalist was. After the Peace Division song, John heard another track featuring Diamond called ‘Bad Habits’, out on the Miami label, O Records (who credited Diamond), while sitting in the Beatport offices with his label manager. Immediately recognizing the voice, he grabbed the contact info from his manager and got in


touch with Dan as soon as he could. It turned out that Diamond was having a difficult time making a living as a vocalist, moving from place to place, and had wound up in Pittsburg doing construction to make ends meet. Dan had grown up in Detroit, immersed in the famous techno scene there, and consequently was a huge fan of Acquaviva. So when one day out of the blue Acquaviva called to tell him how inspiring his lyrics were, Dan was shocked. “He was like, ‘I can’t believe you’re calling me!’” John remembers. “But the lyrics just touched me, my total soul and underground heart. It’s one of the top five acapellas, up there with Fingers Inc.” From there, Acquaviva and Definitive Recordings helped Dan get credit for the Peace Division track, as well as with his publishing, and of course, remixed the vocal with ‘Good Music’. The track turned into such an anthem for Acquaviva and Definitive that last year he decided to memorialize it once and for all with a video. While passing through Detroit, he met up with Diamond and their good friend, Bill Abby, someone Acquaviva describes as a “compulsive creator”. They grabbed a camera, threw up a black screen and let it flow. “I’ve done videos, but haven’t appeared in a number of them,” John laughs, “and I’m a lot more in the video than I had anticipated.” ` Though John is anything but a spotlight junkie, he’s fine with this. “Definitive have had a lot of club anthems for people who are in the middle,” he observes. “This track sums it all up for someone who maybe doesn’t know who we are. We just love music.”


It’s been such a seminal hit that Definitive are re- releasing the track in January, when Acquaviva will be making his first appearance at BPM playing at Kool Beach alongside Pleasurekraft. “I’m really looking forward to playing with Pleasurekraft, they’re both great guys,” he says. John explains that he’s known the BPM crew for years. “It’s a Canadian-based festival in Mexico. The Canadians needed a reason to go to Mexico during winter, so officially for the first time I’ll be playing at the festival. I’ve played many times at Playa del Carmen, but this will be very special for me.” As far as the rest of the year, John says he’s lined up quite a bit more studio work over the next few months, as well as a special new project. “We’re working on a new track with Dan Diamond about loving the music and club culture, due out in the spring, depending on how long we need to let ‘Good Music’ breathe.” He’s also planning a Definitive night at SXSW. “I find it’s becoming more important in a much broader picture,” John explains. He says Miami might not be on the cards this year — a sentiment that seems to be felt by more and more artists these days. And besides, according to John, “SXSW is a bit more balanced,” a lot like the masterful business-minded artist himself.


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