DJ, producer, remixer, record label head honcho and 3 times Olympic Gin & Tonic champion, Dicky Trisco is addicted to the way music connects people and makes for better days. A night owl since he was born, he has devoted his life to mastering the ways of the night and the art of the discotheque. As a disc jockey, DT packs a little bit of everything into his sets and is committed to the idea that music and club nights should be all about collective joy and ecstasy. Some call it having a good time.
Disco music has always been at the forefront of his musical passions, although he is a lover of all sorts. For him Disco is a state of mind, a place where people mix, let loose, hang out and dance like maniacs all night long. The kind of place we all need to find now and again to recharge the batteries… These days Dicky tours the world constantly looking for the next party…often with his DJ partner and fellow disco deviant, Pete Herbert. Pedro & Dicky have produced many tracks, remixes and reworks together, as well as knocking out countless DJ mixes. They play regularly together back to back and all night long, and have turned up for numerous late night hotel breakfasts still in peak condition.
Whether it be beach parties, after parties, underground disco dens, super clubs, supper clubs, hippie markets or festivals, DT is always ready to rock the dance floor and has done so all around the world with regular tours to South America, Japan, China, South -East Asia, Australia and the USA as well as all over Europe and the UK. Plus annual appearances at events like Mareh Festival, Electric Elephant, Festival No 6, Glastonbury and out in Ibiza at super clubs like Space.
First of all the name Dicky Trisco how did that come about? You must be familiar with the rave classic from the early 90s Tricky Disco – any inspiration from then?
Yes big inspiration. Tricky Disco and the whole Warp bleep scene in the UK to me was all about taking disco music and turning it into something more electronic that suited the times. But by the time I was starting to DJ out a lot in the early noughties people had a real fatigue with the relentless sounds of House and Techno, and basically nights that sounded the same all night long. So I felt like it was the time to put the Disco back into dance music. And I also liked the idea of a caricature that sounded like some disco hustler from LA in the 1970s. I am also just a bit silly to be honest.
Where are you from and also currently residing?
I am from Scotland and I am currently floating around the globe.
What else from the 90’s inspire your music and day to day life?
I danced for most of the 90s. That experience, the people I met and the places I went to has shaped me as a human being. I constantly try to recreate, capture and share those experiences through the music I make and play. And I also drink gin.
https://soundcloud.com/dicky-trisco
Describe your sound for those that haven’t yet had Dicky Trisco pop on to their playlists for us!
I like that sound and that place where Disco music blends into House music and vice versa. And I like music that leaves enough space for people to dance to it, go wild and be free. That is where I want to be.
Apart from playing at Koh’s Thursday night concept your doing some other shows in Bali correct? Tell us where else your playing?
I am playing at Koh because I love it. It has a proper underground club atmosphere and a really great set up. And I am also playing at the wonderful Ku De Ta which for me is the definition of a top class beach club. So I am getting the best of both worlds really.
This isn’t your first time to Bali correct? How have you seen the Bali clubbing industry evolve since your first visit as right now things are growing at a very healthy rate with more and more events popping up each year and lots of new clubs pushing new sounds and concepts?
Yes the scene seems very healthy right now with both Ku De Ta and Potatohead pushing things forward. And there seems to be a wider choice of options now with the underground vibes of Koh and boutique parties like the Safari Tropical events. So things are looking good for those who want to dance in Bali right now.
How about elsewhere on your travels where are you seeing some amazing and healthy growth right now within your sound and bookings?
Just now I am loving playing in Asia. This is my 3rd trip this year and places like Ho Chi Minh, Seoul and Phnom Penh just keep getting better every time. I think a lot of people have been introduced to the scene via EDM, but now thankfully want something better and more authentic. Brasil is also an amazing place to play and I am going there as much as I can for festivals like Mareh. And perhaps more surprisingly (as I avoided it for a long time because I was always headed the other way…) but I love the USA right now. And every trip I go on gets better and better. NYC and Washington have been great for me and this last trip I went to Detroit for Movement festival and that city and its wonderful people totally rock!
How about some artists that you have discovered on your travels that you would like to share with our readers? We are always looking out for new music.
I would check out Selvagem from Brasil who are super hot DJs and producers. Pontchartrain from Detroit is on it. JKriv from NYC is a musical maestro. Peza is a man with real production skills. Love Drop from the UK is producing some reworks of real power and energy that don’t just rehash some classics. His stuff really does remind me of early Moodymann when it’s good. Labor Of Love from Denver also deserves a big shout for some killer reworks too. And some old friends like Frank Booker, Faze Action and The Revenge are like fine wines that are just getting better with age.
Whats been cooking in the studio lately? Any new tunes you can share with us?
I have been focussing on some remixes lately that have been going down really well.
https://soundcloud.com/dicky-trisco/file-under-disco-14-jkriv-the-disco-machine-feat-adeline-michele-cant-give-it-up-dt-mix-clip
https://soundcloud.com/dicky-trisco/pete-herbert-mango-moon-dicky-trisco-mix-clip
I also had a rework out on Frank Booker’s Down In The Basement label recently.
Then Pete Herbert and I just finished off a nice EP for our Paradise Row imprint which has been sounding sweet when we play it out. That will be out in the Autumn.
I also have a release scheduled on Rahaan’s Street Edits imprint. PLus the usual capers I do on Disco Deviance and Secret Squirrels.
So pretty busy I suppose! But it’s what we do…
The Dicky Trisco top 5 of 2016 so far is?
1. Faze Action – Mangwana – FAR
2. Medlar – Body Action – Wolf Music Promo
3. JKriv & The Disco Machine – Can’t Give It Up (Dicky Trisco Mix) – File Under Disco
4. Chitty Disco (Selvagem Edit) – Disco Deviance
5. Secret Squirrel No 11 – Side A – Secret Squirrel
Last of all whats new for Dicky Trisco after your Bali expedition 2016?
I’m off to Oz for a short tour from here in August and then back to Europe to kick off my residencies there in September. Then off on tour to Mexico in November followed by Brasil in December.