Alexander Robotnick: The Godfather of Italo-Disco Breaks His Silence

"I only made Problems d'Amour back in the 80s because someone suggested to me that I write a dance tune in that genre because there was a lot of money to be made. He told me even crap electro-disco tracks would shift 10,000 units then ironically Problems d'Amour sold exactly 10,000 copies, a pure coincidence that convinced me the track was crap after all. After that experience I decided to leave dance music completely behind, also because I couldn't speak English."

20 years after he first released Problem's d'Amour avant-garde electro artist Alexander Robotnick still prefers to do interviews in Italian though his English is much better and Problems d'Amour is finally acclaimed as an italo-disco classic. He's also a fast-rising name on the still-growing global electroclash circuit, in marked contrast to his earlier 80s electro-disco career.

"I remember a few friends coming back from London and New York City back then told me that they saw my track in the shops, but I never quite believed them at the time," he admits.

"Don't forget I'm a very provincial guy from Florence, who sung Problems d'Amour in French only because I couldn't speak any English; I lived a very provincial life and never took any risks. It wasn't until 95, when I started using the internet, that I realised what impact that track actually had. Before that I had no idea whatsoever."

Appropriately, the track appears on his critically acclaimed new mix CD 'The Disco-tech of Alexander Robotnick' which mixes 80s anthems from the likes of New Order, Yello and Visage with cutting edge electro tunes from FPU, Miss Kittin and Bangkok Impact.

"The critics seem to like the choice of tracks and the sense of continuity I've managed to create between tracks that were written twenty years apart," he points out, "that's what I wanted to achieve and I feel I've fulfilled that goal."


Skrufff (Benedetta Skrufff): When did this new cycle in your career actually begin-

Alexander Robotnick: "Everything started last September, when I was approached to do the mix CD though initially I was reluctant to accept the offer as I had previously made a decision never to record or do any promos. My attitude at the time was if people wanted to hear me, they should come and see me playing live, which I also wanted because when I perform live I manipulate and remix absolutely everything I play."

Skrufff: Though you've also started DJing recently. .

Alexander Robotnick: "Yes, last year I finally decided to let go of my dislike towards vinyl. Someone sent me an email asking if I was still DJing which was something I'd never actually done before, but on this occasion I decided to respond differently for once, to not refuse the offer. So I said yes I'm still DJing, though with a laptop, then immediately went out and bought a laptop straightaway. Fabrice Guarnascione of the French label Grossomodo was the first to book me to play at the club Spartacus in Provence (France) where I ended up playing with Kiko and The Hacker. The club was packed, I felt great, people liked my set and my career has taken off since then. Even now I'm very busy with DJ gigs."

Skrufff: How does the DJ role compare with producing, are DJs the new rock stars-

Alexander Robotnick: "As a DJ I need to keep my musical knowledge constantly updated whereas a producer I never really had to care about it before. Because doing that takes up a lot of my time I consider it the least appealing side of the job, also because I don't like going to record shops though luckily I have people who help me out and others who send me promos. I've also tried to minimize the distance between being a musician and a DJ, by completely manipulating and layering the tracks I play in my set. On top of the vinyl I use a keyboard and a laptop, I sing, do voiceovers and perform a little though I always try to keep my equipment to a minimum because I usually play in t Tags

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