Such was the strength of their kinship and shared musical mantra that early last year best buddies Dan Ghenacia, Dyed Soundorom and Shonky decided to pool their considerable dancefloor resources together. Record label and DJ collective Apollonia was promptly born. The three, all big fans of Prince, took their name from his girlfriend in vintage Eighties movie Purple Rain. Here, Defected’s Ben Lovett finds out how else the The Artist has inspired the collective.
“We are not trying to emulate his [Prince’s] music but identify with what he called the Minneapolis Sound [the Prince-inspired, late Seventies fusion of funk, rock, pop, synth-pop and New Wave]. It’s a mixture of white soul and black music and this is what we are” the trio declared at the time. “Our name could have just as easily been Minneapolis...but it’s Apollonia because we also found her terribly sexy.”
And that, perhaps, is the best description of Ghenacia and co.’s united sound; the sound of their colourful collaborative DJ sets and, of course, the punchy output of their label. Apollonia’s is an ultra-funky, swinging, anything goes disposition that in today’s boundary-less music climate has seen them go far in no time at all.
“We definitely feel settled now as a unit” Ghenacia suggests, some 18 months or so later. “As individuals we have been working within the electronic scene for over a decade. And we capitalised on this experience by joining forces.” The fact that they’re doing this interview poolside at their Ibizan “Apollonia” villa says it all. They really have made themselves at swanky home within the clubsphere.
“We’ve been lucky to grow and develop pretty quickly – we’ve done some great gigs already like Mexico’s BPM Festival, Panoramabar in Berlin, Movement Torino, the We Are FSTVL in London and, of course, DC-10,” Soundorom says. “And now we’ve got the opportunity to release the latest compilation in the fabric mix series.”
Do the boys have any weaknesses? No, it seems. Even the weaknesses they point out can be easily construed as yet more strengths. “We have always shared the same music roots and vision of music, plus on top of that we are friends and love to spend time together” Shonky begins. “This solid friendship is definitely one of our strengths, and weaknesses... when we play together sometimes, two of us wanna play the same next track!”
So what of fabric 70, Apollonia’s compilation debut? “It was pretty straightforward in terms of how it came about” Shonky explains. “The club asked us if we’d be interested and of course we were! It’s an honour as we all respect and enjoy fabric as one of the best clubs in the world. The sound system is amazing, as is the vibe.”
Recorded over a handful of weeks at Apollonia’s Berlin studio, the fabric mix is a spritely reflection of how the guys like to work a crowd when out on the road. Classic underground house from the likes of Nail and Mood II Swing blends well with recent 4-4 beats from The Mole and Detroit’s Ryan Elliott. There is plenty of drive and purpose but rhythmic complexity too, and skilful twists and turns of groove, tone and melody.
“Very simply we wanted to show who we are – it’s the perfect definition of what we do and have been doing for years” Ghenacia urges. “There’s some really ‘old skool’ tracks in there that we have been enjoying since the beginning, as well as some brand new material, including two new Apollonia tracks that are being released as our debut EP in July. Making the compilation really was a team effort, and when it came to track selection all three of us had to love the track.”
Ghenacia, Soundorom and Shonky all have their solo roots deeply entwined in the buzzing underground club scene of Nineties Paris. The trio met and subsequently thrived as co-residents at infamous Parisian afterparty Batofar, renowned for its unique – at the time – fusion of deep house and jackin’ techno. Ghenacia, in turn, founded his own label Freak N’ Chic (which touted releases by the others, not to mention a debutante Jamie Jones), Soundorom produced for Tsuba, Wolf + Lamb, Crosstown Rebels and Real Tone, and Shonky scored cuts with Mobilee, Culprit and, again, Crosstown. All three DJ’d themselves furiously and famously across the world in a whip-smart solo capacity, further fuelling their reputations and evident style. Looking back, Apollonia seems like it was always meant to be....
“Again, it’s about expanding upon that natural synergy we have” Ghenacia reflects. “Simply put, we aim to perform as one artist with Apollonia, not three individuals.”
After an initial phase of set-up and bedding down, the trio’s organic momentum has finally carried it to its first work in the studio – the aforementioned two exclusive fabric tracks, Trinidad and Visa Americain. Both make up Apollonia’s debut (outrageously retro and hi-hatty house) EP, which will be released (on the Apollonia label) next month.
“I can’t tell you how much we’re looking forward to releasing our first material together” Soundorom says. “And we’re already working on a debut LP for next year. It’s true that DJing, and places like Ibiza, take time away from the studio – although we do live together for the summer in the Apollonia villa so we are still able to work – but our Circoloco gigs every week are very important for us. And one of the reasons for producing is to drive your DJ gigs. Spending our summers in Ibiza is a conscious decision, to allow us to grow by playing one of the best clubs in the world on a regular basis.”
How exactly does Apollonia view the wider Ibiza scene today? “For our part of the electronic scene, it continues to be really strong,” Ghenacia responds. “Where else in the world do you find so many of the leading DJs and producers in one place? Our favourite club on the island is, without a doubt, DC10; we all have gigs lined up there individually for the Monday Circoloco parties as well as the Apollonia ‘all night long’ set on August 24. We can’t wait!” That’s not forgetting DC10’s fabric 70 launch party next week. Don’t expect FX and fancy loops; just straight up vinyl, CDs and bravura back-to-back transitions. Simple as....
Such a dizzying whirl of calendar activity would have lesser mortals running, panicked, for cover – Apollonia’s insane enthusiasm, however, is inspiring them to super-human levels of gig juggling. Balancing the solo and communal has, impressively, become second nature; and there’s room for the studio too. Shonky, however, is keen to flag where priorities currently lie; if there was any doubt: “Of course, every week, we each have our own solo gigs but we spend a lot of time working on the label together and, now, the album. For the moment we are all putting a lot of energy into Apollonia.”
The collective’s label has motored along since its inception. Since release number one, Shonky’s aptly-titled The Minneapolis Touch EP, its fanbase has grown steadily – in tandem with the trio’s extensive touring. Releases have followed for Ghenacia, Ghenacia with Shonky (including the excellent Close To The Edge), Daze Maxim and, most notably, Point G (AKA DJ Gregory); the latter, a re-release of 1998’s deep garage-edged Batofar classic Underwater. Apollonia’s own debut, release number eight, brings us to a satisfying climax. But, fear not, there are more in the pipeline.
“We wanted our first two years of the label to be defining ones. We have now finalised our own first solo material, released a debut album from Chris Carrier & Hector Moralez [Lotus S7ven] and a massive repress of one of the most iconic tracks for us – Underwater. Now we look forward” Shonky reflects. “There is much more to come. Our own new material and more represses – next up Callisto! [the Guidance-associated deep-house producer]” Add to that ongoing individual commitments; not least, Ghenacia’s forthcoming remix of Peace Division’s Club Therapy and Soundorom’s recent collaboration with Cajmere, 1+1=1. There really is no stopping them.
Nor their home city. “Actually Dyed and Shonky are based in Berlin during the winter, and I’m nomadic!” Ghenacia confesses. “But for Paris, it’s true the scene is back and getting stronger and stronger. There’s some forward-thinking and determined promoters there really improving the party, and afterparty scene. And as for the world... house music is taking over!”
The time for Apollonia is most definitely now.
Words: Ben Lovett
fabric 70, mixed by Apollonia, is out now; Apollonia’s debut Trinidad/Visa Americain EP arrives on Apollonia Records early next month.
