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Danny Tenaglia  must give his publicity team fits. I've interviewed Danny on several occasions and we've always exceeded the amount of time I was allotted by his reps. Sorry, everyone. But it really is DT's fault. And wholly telling too. Tenaglia has built his reputation by playing marathon sets so it only seems appropriate that the geezer would be longwinded too, spinning tales of DJ yore - 30 years and counting.

Tenaglia's latest triumph is Futurism, his first commercial DJ mix compilation to be released in six years. And it's come along just in time as Danny celebrates his first Ibiza residency at Space this season. Why the wait? Most DJs of his repute are shilling CDs annually and it's not like the offers for a residency on the island haven't been forthcoming. On the contrary, the man has been inundated with offers since his longstanding residency at Vinyl cum Arc in New York came to a sad close in 2004. Tenaglia, however, true to form, has never been one for the quick fix. If it isn't the best he can make it, then he won't bother.
       

And passion is what most shines through when you're chatting up Tenaglia, one of the few DJs around who can still actually remember the heydays of Studio 54 and Paradise Garage. The word "legend" can be tossed around pretty liberally in the music industry, but DT most certainly fits the bill. Not only is he a phenomenal talent, an incredible DJ and producer, he is without doubt one of the most sincere and gentlemanly diplomats the dance scene is privileged to have.

IV: So, where have you have been?
DT: Ha. Where have I not been?

IV: If you weren't paying close attention it might appear as though you were on a long hiatus.
DT: Oh no. I haven't stopped. I'm still going. I'm busier than ever.

IV: The last time we spoke, you had a plan to move down to Miami.
DT: Yeah, I think there was a misconception held about that on behalf of a lot of people. But it was never my intention to leave New York City and the loft space I have here - I call it my happy space. My recording studio is up there, our offices and it's where I house the original Vinyl/Arc sound system. All I did say was "OK, Vinyl is closed now (that was 2004) and I'm going to think about the future." So, I got a condo in Miami, but my life is still 100 per cent in New York. Miami is more of a winter getaway and it's good for the Winter Music Conference.

DT interview in his loft : Play video »

IV: When you got the Miami property, had you sought to establish a club residency in the city also?
DT: I did think that once Vinyl closed, I may have some opportunities to do things in Miami in 2005. Vinyl closed in April 2004, so summer was already upon us and I wasn't ready to make any decisions, whether it was a residency, nightclubs, travels or even production. I am always very careful about my projects. Because of my 20-year history with Miami and the WMC, and as Twilo was about to open there, things were looking really good and upbeat for downtown. Even Sound Factory went so far as to get a lease down there - the owner there was even offering me part ownership. But I was 100 per cent not interested.I'm an entertainer and all I want to do is play music...

IV: Why not?
DT: I know how much politics are involved in owning a nightclub. I'm a DJ, I'm an entertainer and that's all I want to do is play music, make people happy and get out of there. I don't need the drama - and that's exactly what was starting to happen in Miami at that time.

The city was starting to push all the clubs into a very confined area where it was becoming OK to have 24-hour liquor licences - it was just too much. It wasn't what I was in favour of. And Miami Beach was becoming more like a mini Las Vegas where they were really going for the celebrities and catering only to the rich, the tourists. I'm not frowning on Miami, but I know where my roots are: the underground.

IV: Does the advent of VIP areas and $2,000 table service surprise you? I'm sure some of that must date back to the days of disco.
DT: It wasn't there nearly to the degree it is now. In places like Studio 54, there were VIP areas, but there also areas in the club for it like balconies if you had celebrities who needed the space. When I do go to clubs, right away some owners want to give me a VIP area. And I'm like, "No no no. I just want to go out on the dance floor, hear the music and catch a vibe."

IV: The whole idea of special treatment seems counterintuitive to your "Be Yourself" concept at Vinyl.
DT: You're right. We didn't really have any VIP areas at Vinyl. It was really about the dance floor.

IV: I managed to make it there when it became Arc and it was really a no frills venue.
DT: Yeah, I miss it so much. I never realized that I would mourn the loss of a venue. Many of us who went still talk the place to this day. It was such a dream for all of us.

IV: Because of Vinyl, you certainly didn't travel to the degree that other DJs of your caliber did.
DT: If it was still open today, that's exactly where I would be, in that room happy enough to pay my bills. My purpose is to wake up and get on straight away with the music. Sometimes I amaze myself, at the age of 47, that I still have the passion I did when I started out at 17.

"My Space residency? I wanted something long-term. I wasn't just going to dive in for one season. I knew if I took this on, it would have to be a minimum of three or five years..."

IV: Obviously, since it's closed, you're much more open to the idea of travel.
DT: As I said, in 2004, it was too late to consider a summer residency in Ibiza that year. So, I did a little touring. When 2005 came, it still wasn't a good time for me to do a residency in Ibiza - and I was getting offers. In 2006, was when I started talking about a 2007 residency in Ibiza at Space - I had been doing gigs there already. My history on the island started at Space on Sundays for Home with Darren Hughes, formerly of Cream - that was in 2001-2002. I've played Pacha, Amnesia, DC10 … Like many DJs, though, I think my heart is just at Space - I like the rhyme "Space is the place."

IV: What do you like about Space so much?
DT: Wow. What's there not to love about it? Just arriving at the venue … there's something magical about it. It's like being child going to Disneyworld - if you love nightclubs. You feel like you've left reality and entered Space (laughs).

IV: Hence your new "Space Dance" single.
DT: Right (laughs). I have to give respect to all the venues on the island, but there's so much passion that goes into every night at Space, from one party to the next. Whether it's Carl Cox or what I'm doing there, I just think Space has an incredible grip on marketing and promotions.

IV: You're clearly particular. Even Futurism represents your first mix CD compilation in six years. You must have certainly been courted to do a new compilation every year.
DT: Oh yeah, probably more than one between America and England. The best way for me to answer why is, even if it's just one event or one remix of a song, I don't just give it 100 per cent - I give it 1,000 per cent. For me to do a compilation, it's me going through all of my favourite songs and then trying to get them licensed - and that always leads to some disappointments. But then I really try and deliver it in my own way, getting to the heart of the songs with edits of highlights, overdubs, custom loops … that kind of thing. I treat compilations more like a remix production. I used to work more with Protools but now it's Logic and adding Ableton, especially on Futurism.

I try and incorporate a lot of signature sounds, adding them to other people's tunes without disrespecting their work. Y'see, Futurism hardly has any vocals on it, just like a lot of today's techno music is instrumental driven with maybe a word here and there. I had to make a CD that really reflected what I currently play; I couldn't go back and make another classics CD yet … although I want to do many more in the future. But I wanted people to feel the energy of what I am doing today and not some old geezer playing classics.

"I miss everything about the record store culture: the artwork, the physical aspect of it, needle to the groove and just watching it go around."

I probably won't wait another six years to do another one - I'm already thinking about the next one. I work with two very talented DJs and producers, Antranig and Burchan, in my studio and loft and we're there almost 24/7. We're always sharing music, hitting sites like Beatport and Juno, making edits. Antranig was the engineer on Futurism and Burchan helped me finalize the tunes. We've gotten so much music since then that I've asked them to put together their own CDs which I will present because they really deserve it. They opened for me at Pawn Shop at WMC and they were guest DJs for me at Vinyl.

IV: Are they playing with you in Ibiza?
DT: Antranig will be. Burchan won't be able to get away this summer, but will next summer for sure.

IV: So, you're going to be at Space for a while.
DT: Yeah, I wanted something long-term. I wasn't just going to dive in for one season. I knew if I took this on, it would have to be a minimum of three or five years. I'll be past 50 by then. But I've a very young spirit and young mentality. I'm actually more active than ever. I haven't kicked back and gotten lazy. It's funny because I know a lot of people have made names for themselves as part of a team - whether it's Deep Dish or Murk - I've always worked solo. That's just the way the cards played out. However, at the same time, I've always wished I had people to help me because it was getting overwhelming. The amount of music I was receiving in the mail everyday, before MP3s, it was crazy. So many promos! But I was also fanatic about needing to know what music came out that week. I used to hit every record store in New York, like Satellite Records which is where I met Burchan.

IV: Do you miss the record store culture?
DT: 100 per cent. I truly miss it. As a teenager, even if I didn't have enough money to buy a record, I was still at the shop listening to them. I miss everything about it: the artwork, the physical aspect of it, needle to the groove and just watching it go around. In the loft, I actually have an acetate machine from the '70s. It's a museum piece. It took six men to get it up the stairs to my place - it's cast iron. It looks like something from a mad scientist's laboratory.

IV: Not long ago, I seem to recall hearing that Roger Sanchez was selling off the bulk of his vinyl collection.
DT: I'd never do that. For me, a good half of it is having acquired the original Shelter sound system - it's extremely powerful. It probably would be an award winner if there was the ability to rate it. I don't let many people in my loft. When you went to Arc, by then it was already a Steve Dash sound system.

The six stacks there were similar to what I have in the loft, but mine is so powerful I only ever have four speakers turned on. Gary Stewart of GSA Sound spent time in the loft refurbishing everything. When I came back, I was drawn to tears at how incredible it sounded. Going back to the vinyl - and we played MP3s, .wav files, etc. - but when you play vinyl on that system … holy shit, there was no comparison. I'll still buy vinyl copies of songs just to play them on that system. Sonically, it's unbelievable. It's such a blessing to have inherited that sound system which has such history in New York City. It was part of the post Paradise Garage mentality - big analog clarity and sub bass.

IV: Does it ever get frustrating playing at clubs where the sound and DJ setup isn't what it should or could be?
DT: Sometimes. I've been to many venues where you get DJs who aren't all that experienced or skilled and they just want to play everything at maximum volume not realizing that less is more. So, what happens is that club owners end up putting compressors and limiters on great sound systems. A lot of DJs don't respect that.

IV: I think you're more at risk of playing too long than too loud.
DT: Ha. I'm not going to stop until you stop me...

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