Olivier Giacomotto Interview

Olivier Giacomotto is one of France’s most well known underground tech house producers, and over the last couple of years he has become one of the globe’s best. He is no stranger to the multimedia world either, having licensed his tracks to Hollywood movies like Date Night, and even the video games like FIFA. But it is the club world where Giacomotto is shining the brightest. A regular visitor on the Beatport charts, Giacomotto productions are an amalgamation of techno and house styles which are extremely accessible to dance too while never straying too far from the underground. Big basslines, interesting breakdowns and massive drops is an hallmark of the Frenchman’s productions. Ahead of his Australian tour we had a quick chat to Olivier…

When you took on the role as a producer assistant at Townhouse Studios in London in 1999, did you already know that you wanted to become a music composer?

I started music at the age of 8 when I played piano in the house where I grew up. Then I practiced more instruments like guitar, bass, synth, etc… so when i had that first big studio experience in 99 I already had that project in mind, even if it was a blurry picture of it. I wanted to do music, or work in the music business as a producer or A&R – anything related to the music industry.

What was the most important thing you learnt at Townhouse Studios?

I was an assistant of Magnus Fiennes, the producer of All Saints, Tom Jones, Morcheeba, Neneh Cherry, etc… i learnt a lot just by watching him work every day, writing, composing and programming. His studio was full of gear, all kinds of vintage synth, effects, samplers, drum machines… I started making coffee and tea, then one day he teached me how to use an Akai MPC3000, a Mini Moog, an ARP 2600… that experience was priceless. This is also where I learned to work hard during hours, arriving at 9 in the morning and leaving the studio at 10 at night. But it didn’t matter, I was happy learning how to make music!

How did you come about making music for video games and movies?

I don’t really write for video games. The company Rockstar Games was looking for new music for a new game they were developing, so they contacted Definitive Recordings and we licensed a few tracks.

With that much music being released by you each year, you must spend a lot of time in the studio! How often do you produce, and can you tell us a bit about your studio set up? (If you have a photo of your studio to send us too even better!)

Well, nowadays I spend less time in the studio, but it’s a minimum of 30 hours per week and can go up to 50 hours a week. It really depends on my touring schedule, and my family commitment. With more than 10 years of experience I work quite fast, so I know how to translate my ideas into music way faster than before. In the studio i like to keep things simple: a laptop, a soundcard, a pair of good monitors, and a small room with a great acoustic treatment. Everything I produce is made by plug-ins, even the mastering, and there is no hardware involved at all. That gives me the possibility to work in a hotel room, in a plane, on a train, etc…

You have also been doing a lot of collaborations with other artists such as Los Paranos, John Acquaviva, Umek, and Popof to name a few. What is essential to make a collab work well?

John and I are now long time friends, and we have worked together for 10 years. We cook together too, so it’s easy to express ideas and to write songs with such a good communication. Umek and Popof was both one-off collaborators, we had similar sounds at that time so we exchanged ideas to develop new songs. One send an idea to the other, the idea is developed in the studio, then it is sent back with some feedback, then it goes back and forth until the end of the creation process. Communication is essential, once we agree one something we move forward to the end.

Where are your productions taking you at the moment?

i listen and produce all kinds of music, movie soundtracks, reggae urban pop, etc… Lately I have been working on a project to mix real instruments and electronic instruments, no matter the bpm or genre. It’s just an idea at the moment and I need time to develop that concept. It’s all about making music for the beauty of it, like art, far from the industry standards and not for Djs. I just need to write beautiful songs. Music needs to come out of me every day!

Melbourne will be very lucky to have you back again, this time at Brown Alley for ‘Tomorrow Never Comes’ on March 24th. What can we expect this time, a year since your last visit to Australia?
My last gig at Revolver Upstairs was so good that I left the club and forgot my midi controller on stage! I loved playing in Melbourne. The thing is i never know what i will play: it depends on the crowd; what is played before me; who is playing after me. Anyway, my goal is always to get the girls on the dancefloor, so expect some sexy grooves, a couple of new remixes, and some collab tracks I just made with my good friend Noir.

Tour dates

Thursday 24th March: Brown Alley, Melbourne
Friday 25th March: Rabbits Eat Lettuce Festival, NSW
Saturday 26th March: Bridge Hotel, Sydney
Sunday 27th March: I Love Sundayz, New Caledonia