RCRD LBL

Serge Santiago

MusicPhotos

"The "Disco Sound""

Location: London, United Kingdom

Website: http://myspace.com/sergesantiago

Bio: Serge Santiago on Italo: “What they did in those days blows me away at times… It's a different kind of energy, makes you dance in ... (more) a different way…

Serge Santiago knows Italo Disco. Since 2003 he has released edits and produced Italo inspired EPs; educating us on the world of electronic music that bridges the gap between Disco and House Music.

Santiago began DJing in 1999, becoming a resident at Stompaphunk in Brighton. In 2003 he met Matt Edwards and formed the remix/DJ duo Radio Slave. For two years they produced re-edits for the likes of Kylie Minogue, Tiga, White Stripes, Justin Timberlake, Christina Aguilera and the Neptunes, quickly gaining the reputation as the hottest edit-masters of this time.

In 2005, Santiago split from Radio Slave to go solo. After releasing his first solo ‘coloured’ re-edit in 2003 – of Italo classic Kano’s ‘It’s A War’ - he realised where is passion lay and decided to focus on his own productions and re-edits. He set up his own label Arcobaleno (meaning ‘Rainbow’ in Italian – each release having a different colour) and released his own ‘Atto D’Amore’ as the label’s first EP release, also his first proper solo production. The release gained support from Damian Lazarus, Trevor Jackson and the DFA crew, affirming Santiago’s solo status.

From here, coloured vinyl re-edits followed Italo artists including Roxy Music, Grace Jones, Baciotti, Goblin’s ‘Tenebre’, Thai Break’s ‘Flowers in The Rain’ and Droids ‘The Force’. As well as official remixes for Hercules And Love Affair (DFA), Shit Robot (DFA), Goldfrapp (Mute), Cagedbaby (Southern Fried), Kris Menace, Caspa, Simian Mobile Disco and more.

In 2007, Santiago was picked to mix the first ever compilation for the world famous We Love… Sundays at Space, event. The mix CD, which included tracks from Daft Punk, Cosmi Vitelli, Ame and Frankie Knuckles, received countless ‘Compilation Of The Month’ reviews and features. Bookings at the main events in the UK and the world followed, including touring Europe, Asia, Australia, USA and South America.

In 2008 and feeling the time was right, after spending years perfecting the Italo genre, Santiago began work on a career-defining album. He felt this was a job for two so hooked up with fellow producer and very good friend Tom Neville. What came out of the sessions was a modern day Italo/Disco sound, straight off the bat… This was the birth of the group Retro/Grade.

… I like its originality; Italo being the first to use synths in this way makes it more interesting to me, as I know it hasn’t been sampled or re-hashed. It’s the way it is.” – Serge Santiago (less)