01. How and when did ViP200 form?
ViP200 formed in 1999. Surely, our biggest input came from the represses of old Italian soundtracks, in a moment (which for us was transitional) during which a general change could be felt from the nervous precision of the Nineties, towards more genuine forms of expression, rich in atmosphere and artistic content with which music could often also become image. Times were changing: from the more posh restaurants things were moving to simple and good eateries, just like from the Mojo Club in Hamburg, the youth scene would move to the adjacent club, the Mandarin Lounge, made in an ex-Chinese restaurant. The word “easy” was being heard more and more.
02. What does ViP200 mean?
All and nothing! We move from one of Bruno Bozzetto’s cartoons, to a Seventies Farfisa model, to a catering/ discount of the Italian Adriatic Riviera. Lately, through the Net, we discovered a new airplane with our name, but an especially new model (vip200) of a technologically avant-garde American toilet! In reality, the word VIP, in its most common use, means very little, since anybody can be a “very important person” in their own way: it could be the leader of the ultras on the terraces of a football stadium, but also a brave surfer could be a Super Tube “VIP”. As far as we’re concerned, let’s just say that currently the meaning of the word ViP200 is half way between an old Italian keyboard and a modern American toilet. Not bad, you think?
03. What is your live set about?
Our shows blend faster, danceable rhythms with others that are ethereal and psychedelic, while others still are very soft, a mix of irony and seriousness. We like to think that our concert is the soundtrack to a complete film, in all its different moments, a hypothetical film that changes every time depending on the scenario and the characters. Obviously, live sets can change, and besides, we rarely follow them exactly as planned: the surprise factor is a small luxury we often grant ourselves.
04. Why do you only play covers of Italian composers?
For one, that Italy’s music can compete with what comes from abroad, why not take advantage of it with a little pride? Sometimes you spend your life looking for something incredibly exotic abroad, and you end up finding it by chance in your neighbor’s greenhouse. Often, the true paradox we see is that we perform Italian tracks which are famous and renowned worldwide, yet are completely forgotten in contemporary Italian popular culture. Italians are so used to receiving from abroad that they have forgotten what their “parents” have left in the basement. For us, having based ourselves exclusively on Italian music (or foreign music which was deeply rooted in the Italian culture of the time) was very important for the credibility and the exclusiveness of our projects.
05. What instruments do you use for your live sets and recordings?
An anecdote to answer this question could be what we often ask
ourselves: what will break first, the old Hammond organ we take on the road or uour backs from constantly lifting it onto a stage? There’s a strong component of “fetishism” (maybe even masochism) that leads us to search for vintage musical instruments, for their design, their sound and the atmosphere they’re able to create. Our live approach is that of a simple combo, while in studio the instruments we use can increase, according to the type of arrangement we need.
06. Where and how do you record your tracks?
Tam Tam Studio follows us during our recording experiments: besides the normal studio set, we have often moved part of the equipment so as to create unthinkable and technically incorrect situations according to modern recording standards, but always in an attempt to create interesting atmospheres in a natural way. Without ignoring our great interest in technology, obviously, if used correctly.
07. Do you feel you are a part of the so-called Lounge or Exotica phenomenon?
That’s alright with us, even though out of the two names we prefer the more feminine one.
08. Do you also work on mixes or remixes?
Each one of us, individually, has already worked on mixes and remixes, but as far as ViP200 are concerned, we have only appeared and participated with various DJs, trying to give value to and represent the best we could the more “live” part of the project.
09. Tell us about your best show, where, when and what happened in particular.
Rome, September 1999, for the launch of your magazine’s issue number 0. The perfect situation for us, since we had the honor to meet and play on the same stage with the legendary Marc 4 and Alessandro Alessandroni, with his “Morricone” whistle. To top things off, there was the great maestro Piero Umiliani, whom we were excited to meet for the first time. All this with a large and warm audience: a mass delirium!
10. You have often worked with foreign artists, such as Maki of Pizzicato Five, Maxwell Implosion (DJ of Bungalow Rec.), and Peter Thomas. Which of these experiences gave you the most from an artistic point of view?
We enjoy working on a 360-degree level, with many artists who have things in common with us, both musically and humanly. That’s why it was such a great satisfaction for us to work in the wonderful Saint Tropez with a great soundtrack composer like Peter Thomas, to often collaborate with an artist like Maxwell Implosion, who has a great deal of good taste and musical creativity, or to record in the fabulous Capri, in an atmosphere almost from the past, with Miss Maki Nomiya and her entire staff.