Getting a crowd to dance, controlling its collective mood, feeling as one with a whole pulsating sea of people – must be one exhilarating feeling.
Dean Demanuele, a Maltese-born music producer, certainly thinks so. “I live my highs each time I perform in front of a great crowd, it just keeps getting better.”
Demanuele, a music producer and DJ who also has his own record label, has been living abroad for the past few years, mainly in Berlin and London.
Originally, he moved to London from Malta. He later signed to major Cologne label Boxer Recordings and eventually started touring the London and Berlin clubs. Now, in a few days, he will perform at the Isle of MTV, the biggest crowd he’s ever performed to.
“I was always fascinated by how music is made and the layers of instruments a song consists of.”
It was this passion that led him to teach himself to create new sounds. “I’m self-taught and got my musical knowledge through travelling and listening to various artists from all over the world.”
What’s the difference between an electronic musician and a more traditional type of musician?
“With electronic, the music is created mainly on computers and various synths, rather than having an orchestra to record each piece of music.”
What makes a great electronic musician and DJ? “Persistence and trying to be on top of all the bunch is key.” And yes, there is a difference between an electronic musician and a DJ.
“An electronic musician performs his own material and is followed by his fans through his music. It is closer to the traditional musician. A DJ does not produce music to get his following – he uses his performance skills and knowledge.”
Yes, there is a difference between an electronic musician and a DJ
Despite living abroad, Demanuele has maintained his relationship with Malta. “I wish I could do more things here and I’m pretty sure there will be a time when it will be possible.”
Is the Maltese clubbing scene changing? “It’s a small but strong one and it has been going for a very long time.”
The challenge, he says, is that Malta is too small to support a bigger scene. “If you just compare numbers, in Berlin there are three million people and most of them are young and party every week, so it’s much easier to play in different clubs and get a following.”
A couple of years ago, Demanuele felt the urge to develop an alternative home for his tracks. That is how he decided to set up his own record label, Dazed & Confused Records.
“It was a project I had been longing to work on for years and it finally happened in 2013. Since then, it just kept getting bigger and stronger.
“The idea behind it is to have like-minded artists release their music on a stable platform and also have a series of events around the world.”
After the Isle of MTV, Demanuele will be perform-ing twice in Berlin. After that he will be off to the French coast in Biarritz.
The artist also has four singles coming out shortly at intervals.
“I am working on a new album which will be a 12-track and an all-new collection of music I am working on these days. The future is looking bright.”
Are there any lows to his choice of profession? “Seriously I can’t think of any lows at the moment, I’m still enjoying my ride.”
Isle of MTV takes place on Tuesday at The Granaries, Floriana.