The Element is a household name when it comes to melodic house and techno music. Although he is originally from the small island of Malta, he is well known in the four corners of the world thanks to a career that began in the early 1990s and continues apace to this day.
His profile is boosted internationally after his track ‘Judgment Day’ was played at almost every Tale Of Us concert around the world in 2019, while live he has performed alongside some of the biggest names. of electronic music, including Tale of Us, Mind Against. , Matthew Johnson, Richie Hawtin, John Digweed, Green Velvet, Sasha, Dixon, DJ Tennis, Art Department to name a few.
He is also well known for his big Cosa Nostra events in Malta: a Sunday night concept that is arguably the biggest electronic music event in Malta.
We have had the pleasure of interviewing him and this has been the result.
Hi, great to have you with us today! How are you and where are you chatting to us from right now?
I am currently back home in Malta. I am getting ready for my next shows in Italy & South and Central America, which I am looking forward to. It has been a relentless year, so no matter how much I enjoy touring and playing – at the same time I try to spend as much time as possible with my family.
Can you give us a bit of background about your journey in music so far?
The journey started a long time ago… From the days of having my events in Malta – Cosa Nostra was a place to call home for many Artists: Tale of Us, Mind Against, Dj Tennis, Sasha, Dixon… which started more than 10 years ago. At some point I wanted to travel more and leave Malta and couple years ago I signed with the Bullitt Agency, which allowed me to focus on my career. If I had to tell you about the 30+ years of background I have had, it would be one good book.
You’ve worked with a wide range of labels, what do you look for when you’re deciding where to release your music?
I have had a chance to work with great people throughout the years – I would say the vision and feeling of unity is something that I always look for. Since 2019 I have been releasing with Afterlife and it is exactly what I was looking for. Recently I have been working on a V/A project for Zamna Records, “Sound of Jungle” with not only talented Artists, but also some of my good friends. When you build something like this together – it’s not just another release it’s something you do as a family.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3RwjwbLiDiI
Are you back to touring now? If so, has it felt strange coming back to live appearances after the pandemic?
Last year, the number of shows increased drastically and 2023 is not slowing down at all. Strange? I would not necessarily call it strange, because for a long time that’s all we wanted to do. It was exciting, but it was something different… People got used to staying at home and spending their time in different ways, so when the isolation was over, and events started happening people wanted something different from us as well and that’s what we strive to do.
During the pandemic there was a lot of talk about what things people would like to change in the music industry. Now that things are getting back to normal, do you see any major changes?
People wanted the pandemic to be over and just be able to go out and get lost in the music. Of course, I do see the change in the industry and the thought people put in production and the experience itself. At the same time once the pandemic was over, we saw the negative impact as well. A lot of people simply did not have enough resources to organize events because the hit of pandemic was too harmful. Everyone had to take a step back, get into the survival mode and reinvent themselves. Because as I said – everything changed in those couple years, but the future is looking very promising.
What’s on the cards for you in 2023?
This year my plan is to work on a lot of music, tour… maybe an album. There are a lot of ideas and projects yet to be announced.
Links
https://soundcloud.com/theelementmalta