This time we had a chat with Don Rimini, a very active dj and producer with a massive curriculum and an unique style, who’s doing very interesting things with his own record label. Let’s know him better!
01. You’re French with an Italian artist name, living in Belgium, and you love Chicago House. How all this different contaminations influence your music?
Ahahah, everything is true, first of all. The most influence in my music or what I like to listen to, to play, to dance is mainly House from Chitown. Everything there, From House to Techno, and Ghetto House of course. I ‘m a huge fan of Dj Deeon, Paul Johnson, all the Dancemania crew, Sneak, Derrick Carter and his label Classic Music, Adonis, Green Velvet and Relief and Cajual imprints, Trax Records where I had the chance to release a remix couple years ago, Dust Traxx, Dj International, … So many huge labels, artists, vision of the future.
So I’m just a French dude liking the pionners of House Music from Chicago, living in Belgium (cause the peeps, here, are so kind and do love to party more than French peeps). About my Italian artist name, It’s been a long time I chose this name, 2004, It’s just super easy to remember, nowadays. At the beginning it was because I’ve seen on an article in a revue about the Rave Parties at Rimini…
And you forgot to mention I’m spinning as Uk Frenetic DJ ahahah. 😉
02. Who’s Don Rimini when he’s not djing or producing? What you like to do apart music?
Day times is really too short every day. Djing, producing, digging tracks, listening to demos or promos and my label (Bunkaball Records) is a large part of my life and it takes a lot of time to do it right, I confess.
But if I’m not working, I m cooking, I love thai food, so I make Pad-thai, shrimp Curry massaman, or cakes and pies… I’m trying to cook, now, Indian food like Chicken Tikka-masala, Korma, Curry etc… I love Spicy or sweet and sour food …
And if I m not cooking or working I take time to discuss with friends, family or new producers for advices or feedbacks… 24h a day is not enough… ahah. but I love my life.
03. Your label Bunkaball just reached its 10th release, tell us about it and why you decided to start a record label.
This is such an extraordinary adventure, really. It’s been a long I wanted to have my own label. But I had no balls years ago, to do it.
So at the end of 2016, I was looking for a distribution company (1st thing to do, when you want to have a label), and, pushed by my friends, I did it. First start in January 2017, my own tracks on my own label, just to see if my new EP would be really everywhere : Spotify, Deezer, Apple Music, etc…and the result is Yes, it was.
So 2sd step, release other artists than myself. Hi 2 Hat was my first signature for my label, mysterious man from Uk, or something like that, nobody knows who he is really, but he has so many dope tracks, I decided to sign him in July 2017, 6 months after the 1st EP « test ».
Then, I learned a lot from these 2 first EPs. Statistic, Promotion, marketing, etc… I understood really slowly all the process. In December 2017, last year, I said to myself : « What a label does? », the answer for me was crystal clear : Release loads of music to share to the world, and, I only got 2 EPs on the label… So I changed my strategy about the situation in 2017 (test year) : Release ONE EP per month including video teasers, etc…
From January to June 2018, I ‘ve done 6 EPs (Hi 2 Hat, Marvy, Hostage, NiQW and 2 from myself) + 1 compilation of remixes Feat. Gettoblaster , Dinamix and Batenko.
We received a lot of support from huge artists and medias, it makes me really proud of, and it gives me the boost to make it better and better. I think we are on a good way.
And the latest one (BUNK010X), 10th release, is a 17 tracks compilation « Best of » of the label + 1 exclusive bonus track from IERRP. It’s just in case you missed one of our EP during the last year and half.
04. What’s coming next? Should we expect any new project soon?
Everything changes so fast. And each month, I learn something to make my label growing up or be better in marketing or strategy. This is so exciting, man. And all the artists signed on Bunkaball are really happy with the plans I made. I don’t want to fool any one. I take care of them an their tracks as I do for myself.
I receive tons of demos, I listen to every track and try to answer as fast as I can. I do know the wait from an artist when you send demos to labels, it’s most of the time a long waiting tunnel .
My next new plan is : release a compilation with only huge tracks I received as demo submissions from everywhere in the world, maybe would be out in August or September this year, cause I like them and they deserve it… I’m thinking to call this compilation something like : « Don Rimini Presents…. ».
And, of course, we gonna have some fresh new EPs, from Marvy, Hostage, Gettoblaster, a loads more (I cannot tell you for the moment). So the system will be changed a bit, not one but two releases per month… More work but more fun.
I truly thank all the artists, medias, friends, public for their support, for the trust in my vision for the music of tomorrow with my label.
For Don Rimini, I’m finishing approx. 30 tracks, for some EPs, maybe album on my label. I’m starting to send tracks to few other labels too…
My new remix for Enzo Siffredi is out a couple weeks ago on his huge label imprint, Wired.
And really soon, in July, one new EP Don Rimini « Southside Boogie EP» gonna be out on We Jack (Gettoblaster imprint).
Last thing, let me introduce the new Bunkaball EP (BUNK011) out on Monday 2sd July
« Labels try to find good tracks or Artists with a proper style. NOURAD is in the 2sd category. He lives in the Kingdom of Morocco, and when you listen to his track, you can feel the pinch of oriental thing. He loves Techno and House, as well. He has his own identity, his own skills that’s why he is so particular in the eyes of Bunkaball. Hope you gonna dig this “original” house music from his new Disk EP. »
Follow Don Rimini
FB : https://www.facebook.com/donrimini/
IG : https://www.instagram.com/donrimini/
Follow Bunkaball Records
FB : https://www.facebook.com/BunkaBall/
IG : https://www.instagram.com/bunkaball/
www.bunkaball.com