Our series, “We are the night” presents artists, promoters, production managers, label owners and others who are bringing the music world of the Czech Republic forward, from the past to the present and the present to the future. This week, we spoke to DJ and producer Franz Scala from Slow Motion Music, an Italo disco label based in Berlin.…
I remember the first time I felt the urge to write about music in the Czech Republic—it was during my first visit to Bike Jesus in Prague: a community center, a bar, a club, a bicycle hub, an ever-shifting form, a movement being born right before my eyes, with an audience already gathering, already alive.
Years later, I recall how this ‘We Are The Night’ series was all about that, presenting a place through the artists who came to play there, like everything in life, brief, temporary, fleeting.
I barely knew the new wave of Italo disco, so I seized the chance to interview Franz Scala—DJ, producer, and founder of Slow Motion Music, a key label in the Italo disco scene, rooted in Berlin.
Because, like Bike Jesus, and like the artist in that interview, the night is multiform, the night is many things at once, the night never stays still.
BD: Where are you from? And where are you based now?
I’m from Chieti, a small hilltop provincial city in Abruzzo, central Italy, and I’ve been based in Berlin since 2006.
BD: What was your first memory of music?
The long vacation car journeys with my family listening to Italian pop music cassettes.
BD: Do you have any musical education?
No music education, but plenty of hours listening to music of all kinds.
BD: When did you start mixing?
I started to mix around my 20s. It was a slow process to get to play in clubs, that started to happen 4/5 years later.
BD: What kind of music do you usually mix?
It’s always a mix between disco, Italo, synth pop, house, acid, new beat, wave, balearic and everything in between.
BD: Where do you get your music resources to mix ?
It can come from many sources. At the moment mostly from Bandcamp, YouTube and promos I get from other DJs and record labels.
BD: About your record label, can you explain to us how you started that adventure, what are the main difficulties of running a label and what are the satisfactions of it ?
I started with my label partner Fabrizio Mammarella in 2009. The idea behind Slow Motion is to create a platform for Italian producers only, in order to create sound with the same music heritage.
BD: A documentary was produced about your label by [Franco-German art and culture channel] Arte lately. How did that come about, and what did it represent to you for your music and the roots of it?
The Arte doc was a very nice opportunity to show a larger scale of audience where we come from, related to what we are doing now with our music activities. It was three days of filming our daily routine, from normal social city life to music creation, and we hope it gave an idea of what we aim to express with our music label and production.
BD: How would you describe the music scene in Berlin nowadays compared to a decade ago?
The Berlin music scene is always vibrant. Since 2006 I have seen a big change in terms of diversity of music genres. Now it is normal to showcase more eclectic multi-genre sets in clubs, while before it was mostly house or techno.
BD: Do you often mix abroad? Was it the first time you mixed in the Czech republic ?
Yeah, I’m lucky enough to have a good amount of gigs outside Berlin. The first time I DJed in Prague was for Disco Cirkev in Ankali, and it was one of the best parties I can recall.
BD: How did you like Bike Jesus, and that night in particular?
Bike Jesus is a very nice venue, one of the best I have played in Europe. I love the vibe and the audience enthusiasm.
BD: How do you see the club scene in the Czech republic?
I love it, there are many good DJs and great venues. I also like that the crowd is very open to different dance music genres. This doesn’t happen very often.
BD: Do you agree that the real alternative music scene is now moving slightly from Berlin to more eastern cities like Prague or Warsaw?
Yes I do agree. East and Central Europe are playing a very important part for alternative music at the moment.
BD: Can you give us three songs you would like to share with our readers?
- Stage – “Ocean Of Crime” (Fabrizio Mammarella Remix)
- Dandolo – “I Won” (Cosmo Dance Dub mix)
- The Rhythm Squad – “Manhunt” (Instrumental)
You can find out more about Slow Motion Music on their website, or on Instagram. The Arte documentary about Slow Motion Music is on YouTube (English subtitles available).
