Supernova are an Italian duo that have released on some of the biggest labels in house music like Defected, Moon Harbour, King Street Sounds, and their own label Lapsus Music. This year they have been celebrating 20 years since they started back in 2003, an amazing achievement by any artists across music. We spoke to them about their journey, how things have changed for them over the last 20 years, and some of their highlight moments…
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How has your musical journey evolved since your first album, “AFTERBEACH,” in 2003?
Yes, of course, we are in constant evolution with the music and the performances. For example, we were one of the first DJ duos to bring a real live set on a club night back in 2003, while now we have gone back to the essence of DJing playing sets with 4 CDJs back to back. If we speak about musical evolution.
Reflecting on 20 years in the industry, what are some key lessons or memorable moments that have shaped Supernova’s career?
The day we opened our first label Lapsus Music in 2009 that allowed us to share our music worldwide without filters or waiting a feedback from a label A&R. The email we received from Defected back in 2010 from Simon Dunmore was asking us to go to London to speak about future projects with them.
That meeting brought us to build a strong business relationship with the most important House Music label of all time. The opportunity we had to remix some of the most iconic house classics of all time like Soul Central’s “Strings of Life”, Frankie Knuckles’ “The Whistle Song”, Chez Damier’s “Can You Feel it” and Kerri Chandler’s “Bar a Thym” just to name a few. We have now been asked by Chez Damier to remix a track from his new album project that will be out in 2024.
Celebrating two decades in the industry is a remarkable achievement. What do you believe has been the secret to Supernova’s longevity and success?
The passion and real love we have for music, DJing and clubbing helped us never give up even during difficult times. The friendship, respect and great consideration that we have towards each other.
With three record labels founded during your career, how has your experience as label owners influenced your approach to music production and curation?
Labels are an important side of our artistic journey. We loved to share music from many talented artists we discovered during these 15 years of Lapsus Music and 5 years of Downtown Underground and Blackboard. There are many genres of music we love so much and we are influenced by them when we are in the studio too. We know our origins and artistic background but every day is a new day and we love to feel new vibes to be added to our artistic path. Managing 3 labels is a good opportunity to do that. We are always excited when we can challenge ourselves artistically.
Looking ahead to 2024 and the new album, can you offer any hints or insights into the direction or themes that Supernova is planning to explore?
We like to be very eclectic in our music especially if we think about an album, that’s why it’s hard to define a direction now. For sure it will not be made just by club tracks, but we are going to express our musical side and skills as musicians in the album. We already have some very cool vocal features from the likes of Stee Downes, Ann Saunderson, Richard Walters and Mizbee just to name a few, and we will do some studio sessions with some of our favourite musicians friends that play bass, guitar and percussion.
In the world of electronic music, the connection with the audience is crucial. How do you maintain a strong connection with your fan base, especially during these times of increased digital interaction and streaming?
We always dedicate a time portion of our working days to managing our social media to be in touch with our fan base directly. We have our monthly radio show and Spotify playlist updated weekly and called “The House Of Super”. This is where we share our favourite music and vibes. At the same time, to keep contact alive with real people and clubbers, we manage, play and organize events in our city Florenc. We do the artistic direction and are regular guests for an amazing beach club in Costa Smeralda (Sardinia) called Vesper Beach Club.
With 20 years of experience, you’ve likely witnessed significant changes in the music industry. How do you navigate the evolving landscape, and what advice would you give to emerging artists entering the scene today?
We have seen the electronic music business grow a lot in the last 20 years. It has gone from an underground movement to a huge and popular business nowadays that connects many people around the world. Today looks like it’s more important to be a good social media entertainer rather than a good producer and DJ and it’s fine. It’s part of the evolution of this business. But we still believe that music is the key to success. So, our advice to a young artist is: do your best to stay connected to your fans and possible audience but don’t forget that the music is the real key to your future.
Our advice to a young artist is: do your best to stay connected to your fans and possible audience but don’t forget that the music is the real key to your future.
The 2024 plan for a new album is exciting news. Can you share any themes or inspirations that will influence the creative process for this upcoming project?
We have always been inspired by house music, electronic music and pop we listened to around the late ’80s and the ’90s when we started to DJ and enjoy club life. But we always keep our eyes open for new tendencies.
Celebrating 20 years must be a reflective time for you. Are there specific individuals, events, or artistic movements that have had a profound impact on Supernova’s artistic journey?
Yeah, 20 years marks a really important step in our career. It’s not so easy to keep a project live for such a long time. Especially when we talk about a duo, but we still love to do what we do and do it together. We look at the next 10 years now stronger than ever! We’ve experienced so many beautiful moments during this long journey, this is a selected short list of some of them:
- The release of our first Album “Afterbeach” has been the beginning of the Supernova project.
- Our first Beatport n.1 with Beat Me Back alongside Kevin Saunderson.
- The moment Defected asked us to mix their most important and iconic compilation Defected In The House Miami 2013.
- The meeting with Frankie Knuckles in an Amsterdam hotel’s hall during ADE to deliver him our official remix of The Whistle Song and the incredible words and gratitude he had for us.
- The first time we played for Elrow in Barcelona was back in 2011 at one of the first parties of the brand that brought us to a very close collaboration for the next 10 years.
The December gigs mark the end of the year-long celebration. Looking back, what has been the most surprising or unexpected aspect of commemorating 20 years as Supernova, and what are you most looking forward to in the next chapter of your musical journey?
We started this journey as Supernova intending to become a well-respected and recognized duo of the electronic music scene and we still aim for that stronger than ever. We look at being more and more successful with our music and keeping it alive and strong the Supernova project for the next decade. We are going to celebrate on December 25th with a great party at Tenax club in our hometown Florence!
Supernova’s EP Dancing On The Moon” is out now on Bamboleo. Grab it here
