| Sacre bleu! It's Dimitri from Paris
DIMITRI FROM PARIS
Sunday, October 6
Skybar
One of France's most high-profile and highly revered DJ-producers – currently on tour promoting his record After the Playboy Mansion – Dimitri from Paris is set to bring his unique take on a good time to Calgary for a one-night stand at Skybar. True to his nature, Dimitri intends to play tunes for a night of toe-tapping, rump-wigglin' good times, complete with his own, carefully honed style.
Dimitri's greatest achievement as both DJ and producer has been to make a career out of recycling disco themes by putting a polished spin on dance music. By bringing the past back to the present, he's developed a cohesive style that is both accessible and fun, but never resorts to full-on fromage. With his distinct electro-ganic sound, and a long association with Paris couturiers, Dimitri has developed a reputation as a dance music innovator with a great fashion sense.
If you ask him about the success of his merger of fashion and music, the former Chanel DJ will gladly tell you that his good taste simply suited the times.
"Style never goes out of... style," he quips. "I am convinced that people will always need a sense of that style that is bigger than themselves or else why go out at all?"
Surprisingly, Dimitri is far more pragmatic than his persona as a debonair ladies man in pursuit of "cocktails, shits and giggles" would lend one to believe. Dimitri, as a franchise, is well aware of the reason that he's part of the jet-set DJ world. Given that his latest record celebrates the kitschy allure of ’60s Playboy bunnies, he doesn't see that changing anytime soon – remarkably, he's as comfortable with the movers and shakers of porn as he is with a small intimate club full of undulating beat babies.
"Well, I don't think I set out to be one thing," he says. "I wanted to play music that appealed to me, that was organic and danceable, so I guess that is the element I found in disco that suited my style. Something had to be fun and have energy, but still be good music, and that was the key when it came together – good music is universal."
Despite a lag in the sales of house and dance music worldwide, Dimitri certainly isn't about to call it a night or switch formats.
"Dance music won't disappear. When people said disco was dead, it wasn't – it was a lie. Disco moved on and it's been with us ever since, whether in house or another genre. Whether the media pays attention to it or not, disco and dance music is here – people will always want to dance."
Dimitri has spent a vast portion of the last five years playing the DJ circuit, and is currently producing his next full-length album, which won't necessarily be oriented toward dance music. Not unlike his stellar Sacre Bleu, the new record will explore his preference for home listening pleasure.
"I like to listen at home and I am making an album that is full of elements that are listenable – just something that isn't a dance album, just to lay back with and spend some time getting to know it."
Beyond that, Dimitri leaves the future wide open, but one thing is for sure – there won't be any more buxom playmates in his scene.
"I don't think I'll feature the bunnies this time.... Yes, that was fun, but not for this album." |
