We sat down with Belgian Techno hero Michael Forzza to discuss his creative process, what he would do if it weren’t for music and much more. Check out what he had to say below.
Hi Michael, how are you? What’s keeping you busy apart from music at the moment?
Hello Feeder crew, I’m fine thank you! Well, a fully booked summer agenda is keeping me busy at this moment. Between festivals in the weekend I’m trying to produce new material.
How does your creative process work? Can you chat us through a typical day for you?
Well, I need to follow a strict structured schedule if not I don’t get anything moving . So if there’s a day in the studio planned I will prepare myself very thoroughly. That means listening to old records to get in the mood.
Or I could be triggered by something from a movie or by reading a book.
Name your 3 favourite artists in today’s electronic scene.
I really like Monoloc, Luke Slater (still) and Mark Broom (still)
Mark and Luke are still very active in the scene and Monoloc is a younger artist but established himself rather rapidly.
If you had not had the chance to become an artist, what would you have done?
Something in sports ! A sports instructor or in schools.
I was involved at a younger age in a football club but you can’t do multiple things 100 %. It was music or sports ! I think I chose wisely, I hope so
Apart from DJing and the “musicians” world, what are your main hobbies?
Collecting rare books and reading them, discovering new music, sports, travelling, and I picked up painting recently. No time to get bored !
What kind of music do you like to listen to in your free time?
I know it sounds cheesy, but classic music in the car and at home ! Such a big world to discover …
And of course bands like Depeche Mode, The Doors, Nirvana, New Wave music
Is there a particular place you usually go to abandon yourself and relax?
The sea, a long secluded walk in the forest, an opera, …
How difficult is it to make a living with music?
Well, I’m a part of the generation that knew only vinyl. So in those years if you had your regular gigs as a guest dj or resident dj plus your sales of your music it was not that bad actually. Now a days it’s a whole other ball game. I have the luxury to be able to combine both.
Connection during live performances is key: do you prefer the intimacy of a club rather than big festival situations?
I’ve just started my summer agenda. So I’m looking forward doing all those great festivals. But at the end you know that when summer is over you are longing for that dark club. So I love both, playing a festival with a large crowd or doing a more intimate set in a smaller club.
If you had the chance to have dinner with a legend from the past, who would you pick and why?
I suppose you mean someone who influenced me in the past musically
Not an easy question, but to stay on the same page here I would say Luke Slater ! Would love to pick his brain over multiple things.
Did your job make you a happy person? Do you ever suffer from anxiety like other musicians?
That’s a valid question! As I said before, structure is very important for an artist. I have the luck that I have a small group of friends that I can trust on all levels. They accompany me to my gigs, support me, motivate me, push me, … That is very important! All these small things make it a happy fresh adventure.
And the biggest thing is control! You have to control your own path.
If you do it how you planned it out you will be a happy person.
What’s next for you that’s really exciting you at the moment?
I have a busy summer agenda with all major festivals and a couple of new ones so that’s very exciting. My remix for Quincy – “The time is now” is out as we speak on Cherry Moon records. Interesting what the release will do and I’m working on a new project in august, so that’s an exciting one as well.
QUINCY – THE TIME IS NOW (w/MICHAEL FORZZA REMIX) IS OUT NOW ON CHERRY MOON.