Your latest single ‘Don’t Believe’ EP for Crosstown Rebels offshoot Rebellion feels like Dance music of the future. Can you talk us through how you produced the title track?

I was in the studio with my mate Joshi and we started playing around with some synths, it was quite abstract and moody at the beginning. I wrote and some 70s progressive lyrics over it and it sounded different & real. A dark record with a warm soul. Music is like cooking, sometimes you need to drop a little cream into the tomato sauce to take off the acid edge.

https://soundcloud.com/crosstownrebels/sets/rbl024-dino-lenny-dont-believe

Where did it all start for you: which Dj’s/ Clubs first inspired you?

I actually started in a radio in Cassino called Radio Jolly I was only 13 I just loved vinyl and they had loads. Then I discovered mixing and it was all over. I played for a long time for a club called Axis and the boss and partner Chris used to go to Ibiza quite often to Ibiza and come back with a lot of Amnesia tapes, we used to love the Balearic vibe, was a great inspiration for us. I ended making quite a few Balearic records and playing quite a lot in Ibiza with Made in Italy.

How did you get into producing? Any favourite pieces of studio equipment you like to use these days?

I got into producing buying my first sampler: an Akai 950. That I actually still have it, seems to be very much in demand for the low sample rate it has, people like dirty stuff these days 😉
My favourite piece of equipment is my voice, now that’s really dirty.

What’s the story behind the re-release of ‘The Magic Room’ due out in May on your own Fine Human Records?

This Magic Room was released very softly in 2014, the artist name was ‘Loden In Ny’ which simply is an anagram of Dino Lenny. The feedback was so incredible that people were asking ‘why isn’t this record a hit?’ So I thought about giving it a proper release getting some good remixes. Doorly’s boosted the original mix and it was so spot on that we decided to use both our names to give it maximum exposure.  I think it deserves it’s quite an eclectic record, I just love the message and the positivity.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDXVE352FYE

How would you compare the Dance Music culture of 2015 to when you first began to DJ/ Produce?

I think it’s all back on track now, we had a few dark years when we thought that people were not going to look back anymore. Evolution & Technology is great but it doesn’t necessarily mean quality. I know it’s strange but sometimes I like Djs that mix slightly out tempo but then put it back in time. I like music with an emotion, with a human factor. That’s why my label is called Fine Human Records.

Where can people hear you DJ?

I’m going to be playing with Maceo Plex at the Ellum parties quite often.

http://www.dinolenny.com

https://www.facebook.com/dinolennyofficial

https://twitter.com/dinolenny

https://soundcloud.com/dinolenny/dino-lenny-march-2015-dj-set