Benny Benassi's Dissatisfaction- The Video Girl Never Called

Like most red-blooded Italian men, Benny Benassi was impressed when he saw the semi-naked models who lit up the video to last year's electro-house anthem Satisfaction, though unluckily for the Italian electro-house star, his status as the track's main producer cut little ice.

"We met the models during the recording of Top Of The Pops in England and spent a couple of days together, but that was it, sadly," Benny told Benedetta Skrufff this week.

"I invited one of the girls for dinner and she accepted at first, then she called saying she was sick. She promised she would have called me back to rearrange, but she never did."

Yet while the model packed highly salacious video undoubtedly helped, Satisfaction became a worldwide chart topping hit principally because it's a great tune; catchy, energetic and dazzlingly dance-floor friendly, with an originality that worked for hip electroclash haunts as much as it did in mammoth mainstream clubs.

Music rather than models also inspired him to pursue a life as a DJ in Italy, despite struggling for years in Italy's famously bland club scene, based around a circuit that Benny calls 'champagne bars.'

"What I mean by 'champagne bar' is the kind of club which is fashionable, but to be welcome there, to fit in you need to buy a bottle of champagne and have a big bosomed blonde on your arm. Music doesn't enter the equation. These places are OK if you want to look at beautiful women, but certainly not for their music. Italy has always been like that though, it's very behind," he added.

He was also eager to share any credit with his cousin and song-writing partner Alle Benassi explaining 'we've been making music together since the beginning'.


Skrufff (Benedetta Skrufff): How much has Satisfaction's success changed your life-

Benny Benassi: "Its success has certainly taken us by surprise, we never imagined it being such a big crossover, the track has entered the charts worldwide and not just the dance ones. For me personally it has been a major scoop, because it's allowed me to showcase my DJ sets all over the world, so from this point of view it has changed my life. From being just a resident DJ at a few local Italian clubs, I have gone to globe trotting around the world."

Skrufff: Have you become rich as a result-

Benny Benassi: "I wouldn't say rich, I've been DJing nearly all my life, but I've never thought of it as a career to make money. I've always wanted to make enough money to keep me going and to allow me to do what I most wanted to do, which is exactly what I am doing. This may have not been easy at times, but so far so good."

Skrufff: Did you realise Satisfaction's potential as soon as you wrote it-

Benny Benassi: "The track came about like this: Alle, who often takes time off from writing dance music to avoid going crazy, as he puts it, was abroad to play some jazz, which is a style of music he adores. Whilst stuck in traffic, he heard the hoot of car horns, wrote the notes down on a piece of paper and when he returned to Italy, he played me the notes. I thought the riff sounded great straight away. Then we recorded it on a CD, I played it at my club and immediately saw it working with the crowd, so we took it from there."

Skrufff: The song's crossed load of genres, do you identify or align yourself with any particular genres-

Benny Benassi: "I usually don't worry about genres. I pick up material from wherever I may find myself. It's great that Satisfaction seems to reflect this spirit, because it has truly crossed over many genres, which is true to my attitude. I regard it as a 'modern electronic' track. Having said that, I love Felix Da Housecat, and when we wrote it, we had his type of production in mind."

Skrufff: Your online biog starts with the line 'Benny Benassi was born in Milan on 13 July 1967 under the sign of Cancer': How much do you believe in astrology-

Benny Benassi: "I do believe in it yes, I'm sure there's some kind of m Tags

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