Apollonia - Three Heads One Label

Leading the charge with the french techno revolution is Dyed, Dan and Shonky, AKA Apollonia - Emily Powell speaks to the trio ahead of their label showcase at DC10 tomorrow.(Tickets and info here.)

First of all what an amazing day/night merger at Mac Arena, how have you all recovered post Off Sonar?  This party was probably one of the best for us this year. The place is amazing and there was more than 4000 people dancing in front of the ocean. It’s always a special moment to play as Apollonia. When we are together, we want to give our best and surprize ourselves while we are playing. The cool thing was that we went the day after to play Il Muretto for another Apollonia showcase which was another great moment. We do Apollonia for this; to be together and try to deliver the best of us.

Can you tell us a little bit more about what the name Apollonia means? Apollonia was the name of the girlfriend of Prince in the movie Purple Rain and also the lead singer of the band Apollonia 6, a trio of three girls produced by Prince. It was part of the Minneapolis sounds which is a mixture of funk,pop and new wave. It represented a mixture of white soul and black music, which is something we identify with in ourselves.

Within these past few years the prominence of emerging deep house, tech house and techno labels has catapulted both in the charts and as club nights. Across the genres all the sounds are complementary, but as individual labels each is promoting its own ethos. Can you tell us more about how and why the three of you came together to form Apollonia and the labels ethos?  After the end of Freak n’Chic, it took one year to come back to reality. During this time it was important to think about what we wanted to do and find a new solid identity. Dan Ghenacia was behind Freak n’Chic but Apollonia is the baby of the three of us. It’s the perfect platform to release our music but also the music of others we like and support. We’re going to open the label to other artists, we’re just looking for a strong set of personalities.

How do you think you/your sounds as individuals complement one another as part of Apollonia? We have the same roots but we each have a strong individual personality and we don’t all play in the same way. We have a lot of music in common and we know ourselves really well and because of that it’s easier to build a story during a 6 or 7 hours dj set. We take more risks together cause we help each other out and also we like to impress ourselves and each other.

From the experiences you've had releasing on other labels across your careers, how does releasing on your own feel in contrast? It’s good to see the process from the beginning to the end. It’s a nice satisfaction. It’s also nice to control all the steps of the production, you don’t get any bad surprises and you’re not caught up in a schedule in which u can get lots of delays.

You are all international DJ's, have commitments to your residencies and label – how do you manage? S: You have to be organized and maximize any time you have. I work less in the studio than before so I can focus on the label and searching for music. When I’m inspired and feel ready I put all my ideas in the studio and then I get the best out of it. I realized it was pointless to be in the studio for 12 hours every day. Also we have so many flights every weekend, it’s really important for me to recover during the week.

A lot of Dj’s aspire to play at DC10 and those who play there regularly see the club as their home above all other clubs. As artists why do you think there is such romanticism?We have going there since 2000 and have spent so many magical moments on the Terrace... so many amazing DJ sets, it always felt good to party there. It was so different from the rest of the island and so close to what we were looking for. It was really the definition of freedom. Having the chance to play there is such an honour, it’s a love story for sure. Of course it’s the perfect place for our Ibiza Apollonia showcase on 8th August. The three of us sharing the decks together, it will be something very special.

Can you tell us a bit about each of your debuts at the club? DS - First time i played at DC10 was really special for me. It was for the closing party in 2009. I was supposed to play at the old Ushuaia but it got cancelled so Dan asked to the guys from circoloco to share his set with me...having been going to this club from the start, it was a dream to play there. We played back2back for 2 hours, it was magic! Since then i became a resident....
S – For me it was for Dyed’s birthday. All the Paris team was there and it was an amazing moment. The dream that comes true!

DC10 often runs the risk of being shut down early by the Spanish authorities, what track would you play to convince la policia to keep the party open? Da Rebels-House nation. The lyrics say ‘one nation under a groove’. We’d like them to understand that it’s more than music, this became a way to be. We live for that.

With a lot of parties starting earlier and in light of your 9+ hour set at Panorama bar for Cassy's birthday last year that saw the three of you play B2B from afternoon, to night to dawn. If you had to pick one track that carries the dancefloor from a day time to night time party, which one would you pick?  For this summer it would be ‘The Look' - March’ (Danny Tenaglia.)

Once this Ibiza season has drawn to an end have you any plans to bring Apollonia to the UK?  We will play a few UK Apollonia showcases at the end of the summer. Leeds crew look out for us at Louche in October, and in December catch us at Face Birmingham and Sankeys Manchester.

More seriously GEMA has been dominating a lot of music publications and websites as of late with online petitions against their proposals. With your home residencies being split between Paris and Berlin how serious are these issues as an artist playing at the clubs at risk of closure? Really hope this won’t happen. From what we’ve heard this could kill important clubs like Panoramabar. Scary to think it could be possible… 

Listen to Apollonia on Pulse Radio