Victor Calderone's Mispent Youth

"I got into music when I was 16 years old and that was it, I'd stay home and DJ all day. I had no interest in anything else, sports, school, nothing. School never interested me at all, unfortunately, whereas now I wish I hadn't gone through school daydreaming."

Though 30-something New York house star Victor Calderone is finally beginning to regret neglecting his studies to concentrate on music, his single-minded devotion has brought him fame, wealth and a superstar DJ lifestyle that virtually encapsulates the American dream. Particularly since he grew up in the down-at-heel Brooklyn neighbourhood of Bensonhurst.

"Bensonhurst was a mostly Italian area that was a pretty tough neighbourhood that was also a very music driven neighbourhood, a lot of DJs came from there,'" he recalls.

"There were lots of house parties and loft parties, that's how I got interested in DJing, in the early 80s. But what did it for me was a the Funhouse in Manhattan, where John Jellybean Benitez was the resident DJ. My older brother took me there once and that was it, I was hooked."

Twenty years later, Victor works with the likes of Madonna and Donatella Versace (her people call during our chat) though while his career's soared, New York's clubland has shrunk, to a point where it's so bad it can only get better, he suggests.

"I can't see it getting any worse," he quips.

"Usually things go in cycles and it's been at its lowest point for years now. it seems like the wrong people are opening clubs in New York these days, certainly people who don't have the same idea I have about clubs, which is to build music driven parties," says Victor.

Outside New York though, he remains a top draw on the DJ circuit, regularly touring the world including a recent trip around England (including a London date at Turnmills, for the club's always packed Gallery). Chatting to Jonty Skrufff, he admits his UK gigs are different from elsewhere.


"I usually don't like to change my set or sound too much, I prefer to present exactly what it is that I'm doing but I take into consideration where I'm going and certain places allow a little more freedom that others. In England, it's a little more progressive compared to the States where they like the vocals a bit more."


Skrufff (Jonty Skrufff): Given that you're travelling constantly, how are you tracking down tunes on a week by week basis-

Victor Calderone: "I'm on a constant hunt for new records and I make it a point to do my record shopping wherever I am. Lots of guys also send me music. I still sort through it all mainly myself, which is really time consuming. There's so much music out there and so many new producers. It's always a big task but that's the homework aspect of DJing."

Skrufff: Making music is a lot easier now with technological advances, how do you think that's affecting the overall quality of music out there-

Victor Calderone: "It's affected it in a negative way. I don't know what the A&R guys are doing out there but these days I receive lots of music that I simply wouldn't touch. Sure you can find some real gems out there but there's been an overflow of really bad quality music out there that's have a really negative effect- it's overwhelming. Even when I go record shopping I'm having a real problem in the shops, they'll hand me a pile of records, I'll listen to 100 records and end up leaving with two."

Skrufff: You've been in Moscow and Tel Aviv recently, how do you see the security situation these days-

Victor Calderone: "I've found myself in the middle of what's going on, for sure. I go to Israel four times a year, only because I really like the scene out there, but I've been there for quite a few scary moments. Just recently in Moscow I arrived there just after those two airplanes crashed. I've noticed the increased security, in Israel, for example, you can't hope to go anywhere without finding it. Just going out to a restaurant for dinner entails being searched. Wit Tags

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