Around the world in 80 labels: I-Robots – Opilec

For our next imprint worthy of attention we have not looked to our own dance heartland of Britain, nor the more typical alternatives of Germany or the U.S. Instead we’ve opted for Italy, because on top of a dangerously fragile economy, and recent bitterly cold weather, the country is also home to one of the most difficult to pigeonhole electronic outlets in the world.

One listen to the recent compilation from camp Opilec- We Are Opilec..!, reveals the diversity at work within the mind of its unusually monikered bossman, I-Robots, AKA Gianluca Pandullo. The double disc showcases work and remixes from synth God Georgio Moroder, San Francisco 70s keyboard punks The Units, and pioneering house outfit No More Klein and Mbo. Then again there are also plenty of new school offerings, with Orlando Voorn, Federico Gandin, and, of course, the head honcho himself contributing too.

If variety is the spice of life then this is a medium-to-hot club focused dish prepared in a melting pot of krautrock, disco, and electronica. It’s indicative of the label’s attitude towards music, and appreciation of different genres- an ethos we couldn’t agree with more. As such there’s probably no need to continue articulating exactly why we’ve decided to invite the chief to explain this modus in more detail, so let’s just proceed to the questioning stage…

Opilec – Italy – I-Robots

Describe your imprint’s output. 

My label has successfully served as the platform for the sounds I have been playing in various clubs since I started as a performer. I describe myself as an eclectic D.J. and producer and the label follows this approach.  As you can read in the Opilec biography, my music is influenced by old school Chicago house & Detroit techno, early 80s Italo – electro –  cosmic disco, and the seminal Krautrock & electronic musical genres that inspired modern dance music.

What would you say makes it different?  

Opilec Music has a simple club-oriented vision that is focused on groovy sounds and ideas which are rooted in my personal tastes.  It does not intend or pretend to be experimental nor to be conceptual, but instead just aims to represent the sounds that I personally feel and love.

What is it that makes you keep looking for new talent to expose? 

I am really instinctive when it comes to music so it makes it easier for me to go in the right direction to find good ideas, talented artists, and to create projects. My innate passion, the love I have for music and my creative personality have developed a positive vibe that gives me the opportunity to collaborate with artists that I appreciate and respect.  I think I have this special “something” inside that people can recognise when I promote the sounds I believe in. So for this reason I am sure I can give a lot of opportunities to new artists who are having a hard time establishing a profile of their own in the music scene.

What’s the label’s pinnacle achievement so far? 

In the beginning the I-Robots Law of Robotics project was just an investment but it opened up a lot of possibilities for me to start out as a real artist and to confirm my label profile after I produced releases for other imprints. From here I had the chance to grow and to collaborate with amazing and fantastic artists like Daniele Baldelli, PJ Wassermann, Giorgio Moroder, Headman, N.O.I.A., youANDme, Boys Noize, Orlando Voorn, the Movement Torino Music Festival, and with Scott Ryser to create The Units Connections project, which was actually the most complete and significant project for Opilec Music & I-Robots.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Zj4Qt0inEg&feature=related

If people were going to hear one release from your camp, what would you prefer it to be? 

If I were to share one release it would be I-Robots presents: We Are Opilec…! 

All being well, skip forward five years, where would you like things to be?

My dream is to still release music without really being worried about production costs and distribution, and without having to deal with the music market problems… It would be fantastic just to create projects and play music with artists and friends, and to create events around the planet so as to share this with all kinds of people from different backgrounds, and for them to experience and enjoy our eclectic style.

Recent stops

UK – Futureboogie – Dave Harvey & Steve Nickolls

UK – Lower East – Cozzy D


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