Dj Amoroso was spinning at Icon on the club's opening in December. We said hello, but Steve was already busy spinning so there was really no time to talk. Therefor, I was so grateful (with special thanks to Barbara Sobel) to be able to learn more about the fabuloso Amoroso when he agreed to do this interview.
Dj Buddy Beaverhausen: Hi, Steve! It's such a pleasure to
finally get to interview you since I heard your set at Icon's opening
night. You're now resident dj there on Wednesday nights'
Fierce. What can club goers expect from your sets, and are they indeed
promised to be fierce?
Dj Amoroso: I’m glad you asked! Wednesday nights are
indeed nothing short of fierce. Patrons can expect to hear something new
and fresh or even classic at times. I believe music shouldn’t have
rules, and being different is what makes a party memorable and unlike the
rest. I believe most of us are tired of hearing the same songs over and
over. I remember when people used to go out to discover new music, to hear
songs they never heard before and fall in love with them. My fondest
memories of some of my favorite songs is where I first heard them, usually
at the nightclub with my friends dancing our asses off and screaming,
“What is this track? Oh my God!” I don’t get the same
enjoyment hearing music for the first time on the radio, tv, internet;
it’s just not as special an experience. I look to recreate that
experience as best as I can during each and every one of my sets. If I can
make life long memories through my music or even one song for one person
that night, then it was all worth it. Music-wise, you’ll hear a mix
of all sorts of house music, with the goal of making everyone shake their
asses off. I am also bringing in my very talented special guest DJ /
producer friends now every week, who are both well-known locally and
internationally, and that will turn you out each and every Wednesday.
I see that you live in Astoria, the neighborhood in Queens where Icon
is located. Does that make your bringing your records and equipment to the
club convenient; less of a schlep for you?
Records,
no [laughs], it’s been a long time since I’ve brought out the milk
creates with vinyl records but I would love to one day, especially since
it is so close to where I live. I literally walk to and from Icon;
it’s about a 15-minute walk and I’m not lugging records or
CD’s any more. I recently went all digital spinning on USB sticks.
All my music loads up just like a CD on the Pioneer CDJ’s at Icon
and I can bring hours, even days, worth of music on one tiny stick.
How did you become a resident dj at Icon? What brought you there in
the first place?
It’s actually been years in the making.
One of the owners always really enjoyed my sets, and constantly compares
me to Danny Tenaglia, who is my biggest influence so that’s the
biggest complement anyone can give me. Since the first time he heard me, he
always said, “When I open up my next club, you are going to be my
resident.” The rest is history.
You're a native New Yorker, so you should know the score by now. Grew
up in Brooklyn (where I currently live). What was it like growing up there
and what music did you grow up with? What dance-music influenced you in
your youth?
Growing up in Brooklyn was great! The block
parties, backyard bbq’s/pool parties, Coney Island, and the
pizza… fooogettaboutit! Since it is such a melting pot I was
exposed to many different cultures and music growing up. From freestyle
played by my Aunt and Uncle’s in the late 80’s, to hip hop and
alternative music in the early 90’s, to dance hall / metal /
industrial / dance music in the late 90’s. It was in the late
90’s that I was first introduced to trance, dance and house music,
I was a big fan of Daft Punk which led me to the clubs. Shortly after, I
was out seven nights a week in Manhattan. Armed with my fake ID, I headed to
Roxy, Tunnel, Sound Factory, Exit, Lime Light, Centro Fly, World and
Vinyl. My biggest influences dance music-wise during this time were Peter
Rauhofer, Johnny Vicious, Jonathan Peters, Tony Draper, Erick Morillo,
Danny Tenaglia, Green Velvet, Hex Hector, Junior Vasquez.
You have some remix work upcoming from Sobel Promotions. Can you tell
us anything about that?
Yes! I’m currently putting the
finishing touches on a remix I did with my record label partner John
Spinosa for KC and The Sunshine Band’s latest track “I’m
Feeling You." John and I are also collaborating on two other remixes
for Sobel Promotions: aremix to a remake of “Baker
Street” by RexKwondo, and a new song by Toca's Miracle
singer Coco Star called “AC/DC.”
What was it like to dj at Cielo, as you did very recently, as that
chic spot in Manhattan's trendy meatpacking district has become something
of a legend?
Amazing, every time! I’ve spun at Cielo
more times than I can count and every time is like the first. The
vibe in there is unreal, the crowd is always the best, the sound system is
beyond amazing, and the DJ booth… Mama mia! Cielo has been open
for a little over 10 years now, and for god reason, it’s, as they say,
“where house music lives” in New York City. Aside from
DJ’ing at Cielo I have spent some of my best nights on that dance
floor as a patron.
What do you feel sets you apart from other club djs on the scene right
now? What makes an Amoroso set special or distinctive?
My sound
has been described as very New York but has been praised internationally
too. I’ve done it all from day parties, to night, to afterhours, to
gay, to straight, to upscale, to underground, and I have never gotten
pigeonholed because I believe most people can relate to my sound; even
those that don’t usually listen to house music have told me that
they love the way I do it. Genre-wise, I blend new tracks with that classic
house sound, upbeat, in your face, latin and retro, lots of drums, and
most recently I’ve gone back to my roots playing primarily deep b/c. That’s the music that’s inspiring me most right now. I also
love throwing in classics whenever I can because some are just timeless,
go so well with the new deep house coming out, and bring back so many fond
memories. I guess most of all what makes my sound distinctive is that
it’s so hard to describe, but it’s most definitely
“house.”
Steve, when you have time off and you can just kick back, what do you
like to do?
I love spending time with my 10-month-old
daughter, she’s the most important and precious thing in my life.
When I’m not working on music or DJ’ing, I love just spending
time with her, taking care of her, watching her grow and making her
laugh/smile as much as possible.
I think people can have very stereotypical ideas of what the
"swingin' life" of a club dj is like but I know it can often be
a lot of blood, sweat and tears. What can you tell us, from your own
experience, about leading that life? And what day jobs might you have had
to take on to help support your passion and true calling?
I
haven’t had a day job for six years now. It’s been a struggle
but I believe every artist needs a starving moment to test his or her true
passion. I’ve done the ramen noodle and peanut butter and jelly diet,
lived in a rented room in Queens not knowing when my next gig (paycheck)
is coming in. The last couple of years have been great for me, though.
I’m not rich but I make enough money to pay my bills while
doing what I love, and that’s all I ever wanted. I have bigger
aspirations and work hard every day to make a better life for my family.
Most people think it’s just a party lifestyle, but there is so much
work behind the scenes. I love what I do. My biggest reward is making
someone’s night, having people dance/smile/laugh/carry on. Going out
dancing is a release. My job is to have all these hard-working people in
the club forget about their day jobs, their worries and their stresses.
My job is to make the people on the dance floor forget about all that and
dance the night away. You can’t put a price tag on that, and it
makes all my hard work behind the scenes worth it.
Your views on the club scene 2014?
It’s getting better and better every day!
EDM is on its way out, and deep house is on it’s way in. The
quality of music had been a little dull and redundant in the EDM scene for
a while now, the fact that Daft Punk took the GRAMMYs this year
shows that dance music is going in another direction and the club scene is
evolving rapidly. Most of all for me, the new club scene is a breathe of
fresh air! If your readers want to see the future of dance music
that’s blowing up in the scene, I’d tell them to Google,
“Disclosure - F For You ft. Mary J. Blige.”
Steve, thank you for your time and cooperation in doing this Q&A
with me. Before we conclude, what might you still like to say to our
readers around the world?
I believe great music saves the world,
keep your ears open, try new things, you never know when that one song
might change your life or how you view things. Music has changed my life
in a positive way. I am humbled and blessed to be able to share my music
with you, and the rest of the world. Thank you for taking the time to read
this Q&A with Charles and I. God
bless.
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