Interview with SICULAND

Interview with SICULAND

Few words about you?
Paolo Miceli, DJ and Producer.
Music lover and Dreamer.
Founder of SICULAND project (*)
I’ve also produced music under other aliases and for other artists. Since 2017 I produce music under the name of Paul Mind.
(*) Since 2012 Luca Di Bella has no longer been part of the project by his own choice.

When and why did you begin to produce music?
I think it all started in 1999. I was just a 9-year-old kid and I was struck by an old TV in a small shop that was playing the video clip of "Blue (Da Ba Dee)" by Eiffel 65. I was hypnotized. I had a thousand feelings inside me... which were definitely the reasons that pushed me to get closer to music...
I didn't know how, when and in what way... but I already had the awareness that music would be my life companion in the years to come. I listened to music every day. I listened to the radio a lot. Sometimes it happened that I didn't want to get out of my uncle's car... because I wanted to continue listening to Albertino on Radio Deejay.
While I was listening... I tried to reproduce the individual sounds with my mouth... I managed to recreate kick and bass, or synth melodies... using only my mouth and my imagination... I was just a 9-year-old kid, I didn't even know what a sequencer was.
In the years that followed, curiosity pushed me more and more towards this world and so at the age of 12 I started secretly using my father's PC, with the first sequencer.

At 13, my first experiences as a DJ in friends' garages with "consoles" and very artisanal instruments! Every time I approached music, a magic was created... a bit like when you make love to the person you have fallen madly in love with... and it’s still like that today. I still make love with music... So I chose to start producing music first and foremost for personal well-being (for me, music is a natural medicine).
Consequently, because I always hope to create well-being for other people too... there’s nothing more beautiful in this world than leaving a trace of yourself to people who appreciate your works. This is the true nature of art.

My friends often tell me that I’ve no ability to synthesize... maybe it's true! I’m so sorry!

Who is/are you favorite artist(s)?
For the reasons written previously, I love Eiffel 65 of course.
Then I really love Franco Battiato, Depeche Mode, Kraftwerk, Royksopp, Armin Van Buuren, Paul Kalkbrenner...etc. etc.

...but if I have to say a favorite artist, that’s definitely Gigi D'Agostino. He’s a complete Artist and he reflects exactly the musical vision that I have.
I’m a fan and I can’t deny it. I have been to his concerts several times and every time it’s wonderful. I don't think all this is coincidental in any way.

What do you think is the future for Italo Dance music?
Looking at the present... I imagine a positive future for Italian dance music. Unfortunately, the Italian discography is not very well managed and in the last 20 years it has not given much visibility to the dance genre, apart from some very rare cases. But despite this, fortunately many international mainstream artists are returning to typical sounds of the golden age of dance and in those years most of the hits were produced by Italians.
Specifically, I think that Italo Dance has never disappeared... but that it has only evolved.

"...nothing is created, nothing is lost, everything changes." (Lavoisier)

What do you like to do on your spare time?
In my free time I often seek tranquility and calm. I love watching sunsets or sunrises in total silence. It helps me recover from mental and physical tiredness and often inspires me for new musical ideas.
I often work at night and producing music isn’t like working in an office... you know when you start but you never know when you will finish. So I always try to find some free time to spend with my family and my best friends.
I also try to do physical exercise even if I prefer eating rather than moving! I love traveling and playing playstation.

What are your plans for the future? style, project etc.
I have always experimented in music. From this point of view I’m a rebel! I don't always follow rules and I like to mix different styles and different sounds.
Musical research is fundamental in the creative phase and also allows you to be original.
In recent years with the Siculand project I have moved towards SlowStyle, SynthPop, Psy-Trance, Folk Music and many other styles. Siculand allows me to express myself, without constraints, without deadlines and without discographic compromises. Pure Art and Creativity. So I only create something when I am truly inspired.
I think that if you want to tell your emotion in music you have to do it in the most natural way possible and for this reason each song has its own dress... because it’s born in that way... then later on other visions/versions can certainly be born over time.

In these years I have often received private messages from followers and fans of Siculand. Many ask me to go back to doing italodance. However I have never abandoned italodance. I have several unreleased demos and remixes with this style... They will arrive... everything will happen naturally, as it should be.

Here... I can certainly say that among my projects and plans. There are several purely Italo Dance productions with Siculand... and I sense a great desire for ITALO DANCE in the air!

What news can you reveal for us about your future productions?
I usually reveal releases or news only close to the date (also for superstition). But I can definitely tell you that there will soon be a new Siculand’s Album. It’s work in progress so I can't give you a release date... but it’s certain that there will be!

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