I click play and feel like someone dropped my soul in St. Paul, Bristol 1994: jazz-tinged beats with off-kilter atmospherics. The creativity and freedom prospered in Dee Jay Park’s music offer. Emerging as a fresh force in modern turntable music, anchored in the rich traditions of hip-hop and funk/soul, this Trieste-based DJ and producer inject a distinctive trip-hop flair into his music.
“The Dustronomist” is his debut instrumental album. The title evokes the nocturnal and spatial atmospheres in the tracks and defines a producer capable of combining and connecting elements from entirely different worlds.“The Dustronomist” ranges from trip hop to boom bap and is dominated by heavy drum breaks, scratches, and layers of sound fragments.
As a turntablist, scratching also plays a significant role on the album, serving as a solo instrument and as part of the soundscapes of the tracks (see "Way Too Good").
The sounds of “The Dustronomist” also aim to pay tribute to the 'Mo' Waxian' trip-hop (referring to the British label Mo' Wax, home in the 90s to artists like DJ Shadow, Blackalicious, Nigo) - contrasting with the sounds offered by the artist in his mixtapes and mash-ups, but revealing a complex web of influences.
Since 2020, he has begun remixing and incorporating classics from Italian music into his selections. His unique approach lies in the daring fusion of Italian musical legends—Domenico Modugno, Lucio Battisti, and Loredana Bertè—with contemporary beats. A musical exploration that pays homage to the past while boldly pushing the future's boundaries.
Interview
Congratulations for “The Dustronomist”! As a big fan of Mo’ Wax and similar labels, I was amazed to hear such sound - how much did that kind of music from the 90s foundation have influenced your evolution as a DJ and producer?
Thank you! I’m glad you like it; it means a lot to me. I knew it was somewhat good because I enjoyed listening back to it – something that's often difficult for musicians. There are many moments in my life where I can trace the emergence of that particular sound in what I was doing.
As a b-boy, "Organ Donor" by DJ Shadow was a must-listen, marking my first contact with his music. One day after b-boy practice, my teacher played "Protection" by Massive Attack, which was a mind-opening moment for me and sparked my search for similar tracks.
Another significant moment was at the office when my business partner and mentor, Fulvio, played "Psyence Fiction" by UNKLE. When I realised it was DJ Shadow's music again, I thought, "I might be onto something here." I've always been drawn to dark, moody atmospheres, and this music resonated with something deep within me.
Listening to your music on Bandcamp, I found a diverse range of genres and sounds. Could you share the philosophy behind your music research?
It depends. Sometimes, I go through a label’s catalogue because I heard something nice from them. Other times, I want to explore a specific artist’s discography or delve into a particular period for a genre. It keeps changing, and everything is always different and “colourful.”
When physically digging, I usually go through by the year (always around the 70s, mainly), trying to spot familiar names in the credits. If the album cover looks great, I pray the music is too.
Your “Domenico Moodoom EP”, a creative mash-up of Domenico Modugno and MF DOOM, received many reviews and attention. What sparked this innovative project?
I think I told this story just once in the three years since its release—it wasn’t supposed to be Domenico Modugno and MF Doom. I was working on another mash-up EP with Pino Daniele, Nas, and Common for a couple of months and then discovered that “Doom transitioned.”
A close friend of mine (maybe one of the most excellent music selectors I’ve known, but she doesn’t play in public, so we’ll keep her anonymous…) told me “Man, you could do a DOOM tribute like the one you’re doing with samples from an Italian artist”. So I started thinking, and at first I thought: “Maybe Adriano Celentano could be nice”, but she wasn’t impressed (she loathed him).
I went through a list of Italian music artists from the 60s and 70s, and then I started laughing at the thought of DOOMENICO DOOMUGNO… but then the laughter turned into “let’s see if I can make it work”. I started listening to his discography from the beginning, before the actual stardom, and I found this crazy bassline in “Magaria” - a tune from 1955 (the year my dad was born), and I thought “OK, this doesn’t sound like 1955 at all. Let’s do this” and here we are.
Remixing with beats in some Italian tracks is very cool. What inspired you to embark on this process? Was it the Italian music that watched for the beats or the opposite?
I have a love/hate relationship with a habit of my brain: when I listen to music, my brain often hears something very different, but that’s the primary thought behind most mashups.
When Lucio Battisti’s music finally became available on Spotify, I listened to albums I’d only heard with my dad. But when I heard that guitar riff on “L’interprete di un film,” my brain said, “Dude, it’s the riff Walk this Way.”
Again, for Lucio Battisti, this time with “Nobody Speak” from DJ Shadow, I was helped by Serato. I had all my tracks lined up, analysed with BPM and keys, and saw that “10 Ragazze” and “Nobody Speak” were suspiciously close, so I loaded them up and started fiddling with intros and loops. When that made sense, I remember sweating a lot, like, “This thing fucking rules!”.
I think hearing our beloved voices and musicians in new environments is more interesting.
To what extent have Italy's musical and cultural landscapes shaped your sound? Is it something you have been exposed to since you were young?
A bit: As I mentioned, I listened to Lucio Battisti and Fabrizio De Andrè with my dad. Then he started listening to Gigi D’Alessio. No disrespect, but…
The Italian musical landscape came into play during the last seven years or so of my career. Meeting David Nerattini, aka Little Tony Negri, and his incredible “Extrafly” mix for Red Bull Radio changed my life. It helped me discover a wonderful world of Italian music I never thought existed.
You've mentioned plans to support other Italian artists through your new label, Orange Cut Records. How do you plan to work with the Italian music scene?
Before talking with you, I thought that I would just do instrumental albums on my own and 5-track EPs or singles with rappers. Right now, I’m trying to picture a full producer album with Italian MCs AND another small instrumental album, a bit more cheerful than “The Dustronomist”, for this summer.
I’d love to oversee the production of other albums - giving tips, making connections, and helping out on some parts.
For instance, I’m working with a close friend whom I met almost 15 years ago at the beginning of this journey. He was and still is a dope producer but never really put out his work, so I approached him: “Send me some drafts, everything you have or consider dope, and let’s work on an album. It’s YOUR album, and we’ll figure out together what we can do.”
We’re brainstorming ideas: I’ve re-played a bassline on a track, recorded some scratches and gave him some tips overall. I can’t wait to hear the final form of it.
As electronic music continuously evolves, do you consider yourself part of a scene? Also, what emerging trends do you anticipate, and how do you plan to adapt?
(laughs in trip-hop) - all jokes aside, I’ll always consider myself part of the Underground hip hop scene regardless of my output. It may be trip-hop or rap, or I may delve into something completely different, but I’ll always have a hip-hop way of doing it and playing it.
The same goes for my music research. One day, I’ll find something that strikes a chord within me and follow that feeling. Does that sound like a trend? Who knows? But I’ll do it because I think there’s a part of me doing what I’m doing.
You're massively passionate about your craft. Is there a dream project or collaboration you aspire to realise? Also - who do you pick between Gruff, Vadim or Krush?
It’s a close call between Gruff and Krush, which would be easier if I weren’t Italian and grew up with Gruff’s music. Fuck it, I’ll go with Krush.
But Gruff is still otherworldly.If everything goes smoothly soon, I’ll realise one of, if not my most anticipated, collaborations. I’ll keep my mouth shut and cross my fingers, and I’d love to make a track with Yugen Blakrok. She’s a dope MC from South Africa, featured also in the Cyberpunk 2077 Soundtrack, and her “Anima Mysterium” record is one of my favourites from the last five years. I’d love to make some music with her.
What advice would you give to a young wannabe DJ or producer eager to forge their distinct paths?
It may sound cheesy and commonplace, but follow your heart, mind, and ears. At the same time, you must become aware of your surroundings, such as who’s making music around you, and try to link up with them. Create connections.
If you’re a DJ, the crowd is also part of your surroundings: you have to learn what to play, where to play, and when, and to do so… you just have to play.
As a producer, do what you really like, but then ask yourself: Do I want to put out this music? Will people associate me with this? Do I think that’s the best I can do at that moment? You’re good to go when you have the answers to those questions and they make sense.
Enjoy and cherish every moment you have doing this because it’s the most amazing journey you could have.