We chat to the superstar DJ ahead of his set at XXL tomorrow
Originally hailing from the sunny climes of Sicily, you can now find Pagano touring the super clubs of Europe, keeping dance floors heaving with his pounding house beats. He’s going to be stopping off at bear cave XXL this Saturday for their St George’s Day party, so we slung some questions his way ahead of his latest poppers-huffing set!
How long have you been DJing for?
I have been paid to DJ in clubs for 25 glorious years!
Describe yourself in three words.
Decent human being.
What do you like best about playing XXL?
The crowd and the fact that they get what I do musically.
Song that shouldn’t work, but just does.
Not sure, but some tone-deaf circuit party DJs seem to think that those off-key mash-ups actually work. PLEASE MAKE THEM STOP!
Track that you used to play to death, but not anymore.
The Game by Filterheadz.
Guaranteed to save an ailing dance floor.
Midfield by Roberto Capuano & Luigi Madonna.
Favourite reworking of a classic.
My official remixes of Danny Tenaglia’s classic ‘Music Is the Answer’. No seriously: check it out!
Best track from 2018.
My forthcoming single with Sweet Female Attitude and Reza ‘Give It To Me’. It is an instant floor filler and crowd pleaser.
A track that made you think differently about house music.
Masters At Work featuring India – To Be In Love. Although I’ve always been more into harder music such as techno, tech house, progressive and trance, this full vocal number from Vega and Gonzalez got me into the more soulful stuff.
A track released ages ago that feels like it still sounds fresh today.
‘Rej’ by Ame from 2005 and the 1992 Jam & Spoon ‘Watch Out For Stella’ Remix of ‘The Age Of Love’ both still work a treat for me.
Song you wished you’d written.
Young Folks by Peter Bjorn and John; probably my favourite love song ever. It’s not a ballad and it’s kinda quirky.
Something you’re going to slip into this week’s XXL set.
I always slip in a couple of edits and reworks of classics to keep their legacy alive. Come to XXL this Saturday to see which ones I will dust off this week!
Catch Pagano this Saturday at XXL St George’s at Pulse, 1 Invicta Plaza, South Bank, SE1 9UF, 10pm-7am, members £10, guests £15
