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The most valuable elements of the Heineken’s Found@Thirst events, is the connection that people make through the series. Finding new talents, and making their dreams come true, by teaming them up with the world’s top DJs and producers, Daniele Davoli, as an example, found his prodigy Miss Motif on this tour. Being the lead singer of an up-and-coming band, signed by EMI, Miss Motif joins Daniele Davoli to tell us all about this ride-of-a-lifetime.
D: Daniele Davoli
M: Miss Motif
A: Alyson for HKClubbing.com
A: Welcome to Hong Kong, both of you! First time around this city?
M: It’s my second time. The last time I was here, I was here for one day, so it was a stopover. From Chengdu kinda via Hong Kong to Vietnam, and we stopped here for one day and went off. It’s nice to be back.
A: Didn’t get the chance to see what the town was like last time then?
M: We went to the market, we went to the lady’s market, we hope to go back again this evening, we thought it was really good.
D: Trying goods and all these stuff… we’ll have a blast!
A: So the two of you actually met through the Heineken events? Tell us about that.
D: Correct!
M: Well I was one of their finalists in the DJ competition, and Daniele was one of the judges, with Paul Oakenfold, and I was the only girl obviously in the competition, and I did some live vocals on the mic, and I think I impressed Daniele that night, and he called me. But I didn’t actually know when I won second place, which wasn’t so bad. I think was like 200 entries and all, so I was kinda proud, it was the first competition I’ve ever done. So I was pleased. So Daniele called me back a few months later, asking me if I was interested in working on a track that he was doing, and to do some vocals. Went to London and recorded it, and went really well. We worked so well together, and that we just continued.
A: You’re very famous with your presence on stage…
M: Really?
A: Yeah! Like all the things you do altogether. You sing while you’re mixing… How do you do that?
M: I find it quite easy actually. I thought it was natural, I thought everybody could do this.
A: That’s some talent!
D: Oh yeah, you bet! That’s what you call a talent because it’s easy. If people find it difficult, that’s the opposite!
M: I think it’s probably because I love singing as much as I love DJ-ing, just the two together, just goes really easy for me. So I find it no problem.
A: Would you find it not a problem if I asked you to do a bit of a cappella for Hong Kong?
M: (Up And Down)
A: Wow! Looking forward to your performance tonight!
M: Thank you. Me too.
A: So what kind of a crowd are you expecting from tonight?
M: I think like you said earlier on, it’s gonna be a big mixture, because we have a mixture of DJ, we’ve got Ferry doing trance, and we have the Found@Thirst winners, one is doing hip-hop, the other is doing breakbeat.
D: I’m gonna play a mix between electro breaks itself.
M: So, I think we’ve got a mixture of everything, so I think the crowd is gonna be quite a mix as well.
D: Quite diverse.
M: It’s gonna be quite interesting.
A: Speaking of the event, being able to tour around the world, with the finest DJs, and being a part of the finest DJs. How has it been like for both of you?
M: For me, it’s been a dream come true, I think. From when I started out, this has always kind of been my aim, my ambition to be in the same level as these guys,
so to be on tour with them, it’s like absolutely amazing, that’s what I’ve always wanted to do. So I think things can only get better from here.
D: I couldn’t agree more! I mean obviously I’ve done it for so long now, but I still find it exciting to go to places I haven’t been, or haven’t been for a while. And actually it’s challenge, because every place is different. Although the dance community is the same, it’s a big global thing, however, there are difference in locals from place to place, locally. And you have to bring your own message, but you’ll have to adapt to it, to translate it and make it accessible. So every place you go, it’s a different challenge, and I quite like that.
A: I think especially for playing for parties with a theme, let’s say Found@Thirst, or I heard you’ve played at a Madonna’s party, it’s gotta be different, right?
D: Oh yeah, completely different. Obviously the aim for what we do with Heineken Thirst is not just playing, performing, it’s also finding new talent, as obviously happened with Mandy, she’s the success story at the moment. But there’s others who we met are very good. Obviously she got quicker to the main attention because she sings as well. So my recommendation to all those that wants to become a superstar DJ, you have to find something that is actually more than just DJ.
M: There are so many good DJs out there, you need something extra. I think they kinda looks for something visually as well, because you don’t wanna see somebody just mixing…
D: So you may wanna be a page 3 girl… I don’t know!
M: I’m not saying that! Anything that could just stimulate them visually or anything… something extra.
D: You have to be kind of unique, obviously, she didn’t have to work hard to find out, you’re a natural singer, so it happened that way. However, so many other people, when they have completely different things. So you have to discover what you’re good at, and bring it over, because you need a little difference.
M: Also for the Found@Thirst finalists, their aim should be to produce their own music as well, they should start thinking about that now, rather than just trying to make a big time as a DJ. Coz there are so many good DJs out there, that you have to be able to make your own mark.
D: In a way, if you look at it, all the biggest DJs in the world at the moment, are all people that made successful record. I mean, I have several number 1’s with Black Box, Fatboy Slim… I mean think about it, Paul Oakenfold, Tiesto, Ferry Corsten… it’s all people that make big records.
M: I think you could a DJ for the rest of your life and not go anywhere, and be really really talented, but as soon as you make that hit record, that’s when people wake up and realize you’re there.
D: People are just gonna copy you. It’s a vehicle to get to the main stream. It’s a strong recommendation. Unless you wanna become a hector like Brad Pitt or whatever, that’s not the way of doing it!
A: Are there any songs within 2004 you heard, that you think are really groundbreaking?
D: Well the last record I can think of is Benny Benassi. That is… some of that actually changed.
M: Oh yeah, Satisfaction.
D: He brought electro to the… it’s so unique! I mean his life changed, I’ve known him for 20 years, and he was a local DJ in a bar, although he was talented, he couldn’t find his way out. He kind of said, “I’m gonna have to do what you did”, he was copying in a way, he say it, in the way I did it, to make a record, and he paid off! It took him a little while, because not always things happen overnight. But he’s now probably the busiest DJ in the scene, he’s playing 7 nights a week, so it works for him! And he’s the latest success story, I would say.
A: I’ve been reading some diary that you wrote on the Internet.
D: I’m writing every 2 weeks, for what we do, and what we’re gonna do next for Heineken and in Hong Kong.
A: One of those things that you wrote in there, is that you’re still dreaming about another Ferrari!
D: Well I have 2, and obviously this Ferrari dream will never come true. It’s not just buying it, I mean you put the money on the side and buy one. But it’s very hard to maintain this car, and it’s very dangerous, coz the F40 is probably the most dangerous car ever built, and you’ll need to be a racing driving to drive that. I live 20 miles from the factory of Ferrari, in my area, 2 people died just driving it. Because you think you can, because it looks like a normal car, but you’ll kill yourself.
A: Another thing that you wrote that I find it interesting is that you’re feelings for supermodels… you’ve given up on them! What happened?
D: Stay away from that! Actresses and supermodel, stay away from them! Because they live the same lifestyle as we do. And it’s impossible to combine the two, if you wanna have fun with them, then it’s super fun, as we are, but if you wanna have a constructive, successful relationship, forget about it, because you can’t merge the two worlds together. It’s impossible, you need to spend time together, and the job we do, one of the two have to give up, and you can’t toss a coin, and decide who it’s gonna be, so it’ll have to be realistic, it can’t work. It’s very glamorous, but in the end, it’s not constructive.
A: Back to some more music questions. You’re well known for your passion for music. What is music to you then?
D: It’s everything! I sing while I’m sleeping, that’s why I have to sleep on my own, coz nobody can bear that. I sing in the shower, sing when I’m driving, and sing when I’m cooking.
M: I woke up in the middle of the night and sang on my own!
D: Benny Benassi is a friend of mine, and he comes to stay… and he knows the house I’ve been living in, and he said, “I’ve never seen anyone that has a stereo in every bloody room!” He made me close it! I just tell everybody I can’t. Although actually sometimes I enjoy silence. No wonder I love Ferrari, they have the best sounding engines ever!
A: Ok!
D: I’m a hearing person. We have different senses, right? Visual… I’m a hearing person, I love sound, I’m attracted to people that have the sound of a voice that I like. We all do in a sense, but I’m very much into that area. I remember my mom, when I was 3, she used to put me on the side of the road, shoulder to the road, everytime a car is passing by, I had to guess what car it was, and I never missed one.
A: What you’re 3?!
D: I was 3-year-old, it was a test, she noticed that everytime a car was passing by, I used to say the name of the car. And she was like, “Wait a minute… Turn the other side!” And I used to guess right all the time. So I used to guess by the noise, what car it was.
A: Now that’s another kind of a talent!
D: You can tell I’m a hearing person, so the worst it could happen to me is if I go deaf.
A: So do you listen to your own record?
D: I never do. I do in the progress of making it, yeah, and then I lose interest, coz when you make records you listen to the same old song, over and over and over again. No, I actually listen every now and then occasionally to all stuff I made, because I kinda forgotten what happened. But the fun of it is when you make them, but when you made them, when you made them, it’s all gone. So I’m more interested in other people’s music, to discover things I don’t know about.
A: It’s time for my last question. Plans for the rest of the year?
M: My plan is to finish off the rest of the tour, and also I’m working on an album, with my band Scent.
D: Check it out, www.scentmusic.net
M: It’s a really really good album, I think actually. It’s co-written by myself and Daniele, with me as the lead vocalist, so it’s a kind of different project from Miss Motif, Miss Motif is DJ, and Scent, I’m the lead singer of the band. It’s a mixture of sounds really, I wouldn’t call it dance music. It’s kinda more poppy-rock, a little bit of electro… so it’s very interesting.
D: It’s a mixture of what I would say, it’s very strange, Dido and Garbage. It’s melodic, it’s rock-n-roll…
M: It’s kinda new, it’s a new sound.
D: Yeah, she’s obviously got that Irish melancholy writing talent, like the chorus, maybe… obviously we did it in our own style.
M: So I’m gonna be quite busy with the band, I think, for the rest of the year.
D: As well, finish the tour, and obviously working on Mandy’s album, and also I have a band that I’m producing as well, a rock band, more electro punk, I would say. It’s a mixture of electro and rock, called Youth Of Britain. So you can check them out at www.youthofbritain.com . So I’m split between the two things. I would say helping Mandy, making her album, that’s the nice side of me. And YOB, is the naughty side of me.
A: So all HKClubbers, we have to check that out. Thank you very much for joining us today. Have a great time tonight!
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