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MT 15 MARCH 2015

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The University's Research Trust (RIDT) is resuming its Sunday concert series this month with a change of venue and time. The first lunchtime con- cert will be held on March 22 at 11:30 at Tal-Pilar Church in West Street, Val- letta. Cordia String Quartet will be performing Joseph Haydn's eminent The Seven Last Words of Christ. This work was commissioned in 1787 by the Canon of Cadiz so that the piece could be performed on Good Friday at the church of Cadiz. The work comprises of an introduction, seven slow movements corresponding to the last seven words uttered by Christ on the cross, and a musical depiction of the earthquake follow- ing the crucifixion. Cordia String Quartet is com- posed of David Lang and Emese Tóth on the violin, Jacob Portelli on viola and Frank Camilleri on cello. Their repertoire varies from Baroque to contemporary music. They represented Malta in India in 2012 playing classical music in New Delhi and Calcutta. Cordia String Quartet has released its first album featuring Tango music by the name of 'Jealousie'. Proceeds from theses concerts are aimed at raising funds for various research activities within the University of Malta, via the Research Trust (RIDT). The entrance for the concerts will be against a recommended donation of €10. The next concert concert in this series will be held on April 19. This series is made pos- sible with the support of Heritage Malta. XIII maltatoday, SUNDAY, 15 MARCH 2015 This Week Don't get disheartened Could you give us a brief run- down of how you got into music, and how you arrived at the point you are now, in terms of your musical career? I never expected to be where I am today and never thought I would actually be a music producer and live musician, much less do it for a living. I never had any connections with music whatsoever. I think I first started getting tempted into House and Techno music in my early teens. I used to go to clubs and get an energy rush which felt really different from what my friends had felt. I then started researching by myself and as time passed by I made it a point to pin down various music connections which I thought would help me find my path, and so I did. I was hungry to know more, but since Malta was too limited, I started looking overseas and crossed paths with Pig&Dan – they had been already doing big things back then and to work with them was a big honour. We became very good friends and they invited me to work together on some material in their studio back in the UK. Later on, they released their album on Yoshitoshi, "the label of Deep Dish". This led me to follow my instincts and move to the UK. I got to know how the music business worked and never looked back since then. As time passed by I got invited to play in clubs all around Europe such as Berlin, Zurich, London, Barcelona, Lucern, Geneva and so on. What made you go for the particular genre you are now practicing? It was a natural process. I tried doing other kinds of music but I always went back to Techno and House. I love doing what I do and the good thing about music is that it's constantly evolving, so you never do the same thing twice. I get bored quite easily, so that's a big push for me to strive for perfection. How did you manage to garner international interest, and begin collaborating with international artists in your field? As I mentioned before, it was all about making my music, getting connections and travelling around. As time went by, I always tried to develop my style and be myself as much as possible, so it was interest- ing for other DJs and producers to listen to something different I guess. It's also a matter of luck, be- ing there at the right place and time also helps. Could you tell us a bit about your label, Dazed & Confused Records? How long have you been going on for, and what do you specialise in? Dazed and Confused Records started later on in my career. It was in the beginning of 2013 when I was based in Berlin. I was very expres- sive at the time and I was working constantly on new music. I felt the need to showcase the music I was working on by releasing my own singles. This immediately caught the attention of some big radio stations worldwide including BBC Radio and other big international artists like Luciano, M.a.n.d.y, John Digweed, Paco Osuna, Pig&Dan, Lee Van Dowski and so on. Later on the label developed into a hub for various electronic producers and friends to release on, it became their home. Moreover, I managed to expand the whole concept and it became Dazed and Confused Mu- sic, which is divided into 'Events' – where we host our parties on a worldwide platform – and 'Studios', where we create sounds for various companies and individuals. It's an all-audio solution in one spot, and also includes 'Records', where we release avant-garde music, from Electronic to Techno to House. I also host 'Into the Daze' a bi-weekly radio show transmitted on Sceen. FM. A German platform, the show reaches an audience of 3,000 to 4,500 listeners from 40-50 coun- tries worldwide. What advice would you give to aspiring Maltese musicians who want to break into the international scene? Listen to your intuition and don't get disheartened when things get tough. If you feel you can do it, you will. 'Reporter' will be aired on TVM2 tomorrow at 8.40pm, and repeated immediately afterwards at 9.45pm on TVM. Saviour Balzan will host a disparate 'Reporter' tomorrow – subjects of discussion will include fuel prices, oil purchases from Azerbaijan, Konrad Mizzi's influence, the Auditor General, the decommissioning of the Marsa power station, and the building of a new one. Balzan's guests will be Minister Konrad Mizzi and opposition spokesperson Marthese Portelli. Prices, purchases and power stations TEODOR RELJIC catches up with Dean Demanuele, Maltese-born DJ who is making inroads in Europe – from Germany and beyond Cordia String Quartet will perform the first RIDT Sunday Lunchtime concert at Tal-Pilar Church in Valletta New Sunday lunchtime concert series by RIDT Dean Demanuele

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