DESTINED FOR GREATNESS
Anthony Attalla is a ball of boundless energy. Whether interacting in person or watching him spin live, the animation level is at a constant high. Born in Detroit, but now based in Chicago, the rising musician and son of parents of Lebanese and German descent is swiftly making a name for himself, not only locally but also globally. Constantly touring between Vegas, Chicago and Ibiza, amongst others, the tech house and techno up-and-comer has been in high demand all over the world due to his kinetic, massively upbeat sets. We had the chance to meet him during his weeklong stay in Chicago, the birthplace of house music, at the second annual Wavefront Beachside Music Festival - that took place over the Fourth of July weekend.
We were immediately drawn to his super friendly personality, low maintenance attitude, and high sense of humor. Relaxed and easy to be around from the very start, he told us, ”I never get nervous; nervousness is a byproduct of unpreparedness, so nothing intimidates me. Put me in front of 20,000 people, more pressure, I love it! I love it because it’s a challenge to me, and who I am as a human being. I’m a very driven person!”
Don’t mistake the confidence for cockiness, though. His demeanor and friendly attitude are more inspiring than intimidating. “I’m not like the pretentious DJ at all. I like to play and then run down to the dancefloor. I love to be in the pit with the people grabbing me, sweating. When I deejay, I’m like, ‘let everybody in the booth, I.D.G.A.F.’ If something happens, if someone hits pause or something like that... I feel like I came from the vinyl days so those beautiful little disasters are kind of cool and are part of the set.” Sure enough, these words are immediately backed up by actions. Cracking jokes and high-fiving us through much of our hour and a half-long interview, we feel like our time with him is too short. We know we’re not alone in this opinion as even the world’s most talented producers can’t get enough of him either.
This year, Anthony began supporting Axwell and Sebastian Ingrosso’s ‘Departures’ residency at the Ushuaia Beach Hotel in Ibiza. “I can’t say enough great things about them, they’re just amazing, amazing, amazing!” he exclaims. He goes on to dispel any notion of their god-like celebrity by clarifying that what it really comes down to are the individuals themselves. “Fuck the music, fuck the stardom, fuck everything else. When it comes down to it, they are just really, really good people, and that is what attracts us all together. They can pick any- body to go play with them, but they see talent and we get down on an interpersonal level. Everybody has these preconceived notions. Don’t become a figment of your own imagination and act like they’re doing something that you couldn’t do. They’re just working harder at something that you might not be. It’s all about a mindset.” Although his label may be called Incorrect Music, it’s obvious that the mindset here is actually correct.
Although Incorrect Music has experienced a lot of growth and success over the course of the last two years, Anthony admits that starting a label is not easy. “There are so many aspects to owning and running a proper label. You have to have the marketing down and you have to be super, super picky with your music. Now that the label is established, I don’t pressure myself to have a release come out every two weeks. It’s all about qual- ity rather than quantity.”
When we ask him about advice for anyone who is looking to start their own label he says: “Make sure that you have a straight up, hardcore business planm and also you have to have tons of capital. Make sure you have proper art, proper videos, a guy that does all of your mastering; listen to all of the tracks and don’t just release stuff just to have a label out there.” How’s that for some sound advice from a guy that never does anything half-assed?
048
djmag.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104