Wisdom is a quality you don't hear come up in the dance music world too often. On the other hand it's something that comes as second nature for the Italian born Stefano Noferini. Kurtis Hooper of Toronto Rave Community spoke with the Florence native to get the low down on the disco influences that shifted the music world in the 70's and 80's. With the recent uprising of disco in the public eye, we wanted to get a true Italians perspective on the return of Giorgio Moroder and the modern motivators such as Daft Punk. Secondly, we couldn't think of anyone better to compare Toronto's nightlife with the super-clubs of Ibiza and Miami. Stefano Noferini returns with a mini tour through Canada this weekend, appearing at Cobra London on Friday and Toronto's Ryze on Saturday.
TRC: Being an Italian, what’s your take on the recent reinvigoration of disco after Giorgio Moroders association with the newest Daft Punk material?
Stefano: It didn't surprise me. I believe that dance music has always been a continuous circle, an infinite succession of different kinds of the same music. Disco music never died. Before Giorgio Moroder and Nile Rodgers worked with Daft Punk, there were other collaborations, and dance music history is full of new versions of disco tracks and disco sounds are often used. In some moments, in pop music, disco seems to be forgotten but after a few years it comes back. Always.
TRC: How was it developing your craft at a time where music in general was shifting so much with the influence of disco?
Stefano: It’s more than 20 years since I started and I’ve always played disco tracks, funk tracks or soul tunes in my sets. I didn’t find disco music at my door, it never left my dj bag. It is one kind of music that connects more to pop and rock, its roots created house music too. In the past rock stars such as the Rolling Stones produced disco influenced music too, so this new interest did not surprise me at all. If you don’t understand how important disco is, you probably can’t even understand drum and bass, for instance.