It’s not an easy task to find a creative path that you can dedicate yourself to without the overlooking shadow of worry about where your next rent payment is coming from, but the process has been seemingly smooth for DJ and producer Quenum.
His music has found its way onto outlets like Sven Vath’s Cocoon, a label he returns to for his first official release of 2019. We got a chance to sit down with him to chat about the forthcoming track, his work with Cesare as Azimute, and more.
Hey Quenum how are you? Excited for 2019?
Yes! I’m super good and super excited for 2019. I have a lot of projects for this year, releases coming out on a bunch of different labels, I’ll also keep working on my music and with Cesare for our project Azimute, and a new project we have together called Triple Bed on which we’ve worked with musicians released on Ninja Tune and a singer-songwriter from London, all very cool!
You’re kicking the year off strong with a track on Sven Vath’s mighty Cocoon Recordings, tell us about your relationship with the Cocoon guys?
Yeah, starting 2019 with a bang! Actually this will be my track on a Cocoon compilation, Dots & Pearls. I love the guys at Cocoon, they’re such pros all the way from the boss, Sven, to the whole team. They’re very strict about what they want for their label, and I respect that. I’ve already had a few releases on this mighty label and it’s always a pleasure to be part of it.
And you’re not long off your tour in Australia, that must have been good fun?
My partner Cesare (Cesare Marchese) and I were invited to play the 10th anniversary of the wonderful Subsonic Festival. Incredible experience! Such a feeling of freedom, the people are so welcoming and fun, I had the best time. The Subsonic crew and all our friends in Australia are incredible. They take us around to their homes, show us the best food, and are such fun people. We’re totally in love with Australia. We’ve been there quite a few times and will go anytime they will have us!
Let’s go back in time a little and talk about you and Luciano launching Cadenza because no one would sign Orange Mistake, it must be quite the middle finger to those guys now?
I’m sure a couple of those guys are sorry now, haha! Actually you know everybody has their own path to follow. In a way it was good for us to be rejected, we were able to start this great label and do our own thing. It was a great learning experience, like most challenges.
And Azimute, your project with Cesare, what’s the plan for that, have anything else in the works you can discuss?
Loads, yes! First, I will be back in Brazil next month (February) for another round of our great parties there, as we manage the Serialism label together including releases and events. Because Cesare is based there I’ve been going a lot these past two years and it’s been such an incredible experience, the people are so warm and it’s such a fun place. It’s also very cool launching something new and developing a different audience and following.
Also, Cesare and I are working on another project together called Triple Bed. We’ve worked on new music and recorded in studio with guys signed on Ninja Tune, and also a young singer- songwriter from London. It’s a completely different technique and style, some of these musicians have worked in jazz bands, it’s a kind of soul-electronic-jazz-house fusion thing. So we plan to bring out the album this year, watch out for it!
And Quenum plans, tell us what’s in store?
A bunch of releases, on Cocoon, Serialism, on Mathew Jonson’s Freedom Engine label, and others. As I said playing parties in Brazil and other gigs.
Luciano and I are trying to find some time to get in the studio together, should be fun. And as usual working on my music, every day, all the time. There’s no rest for musicians, hahaha. I’m also very focused on taking care of myself, I’m a running addict. I run nearly every day, for about one hour and a half or two hours. And in between that I find time to spend with my family, luckily one of my sons is a musician too so he understands his dad’s obsession.
Lastly before we wrap things up, what was your favourite track of 2018?
Impossible for me to answer that. But I’ll give you one track that rocked my bag: Loidis – The Floating World (&All Its Pleasures).