If you’ve looked at the lineup for major festivals over the past few summers, you’ll almost certainly have seen the name 999999999. The Italian power duo only began releasing tracks in 2016 but have already established themselves as one of the fastest rising names in European techno. In a scene already saturated with acts offering up acid-heavy main-stage techno, they set themselves apart with their inimitable combo of neo-90s sonic sensibilities and trance-inducing, incessant bass leads that are capable of lifting a dancer out of their bodies and onto a higher plain.
如果你看过过去几个夏天主要音乐节的阵容，你几乎肯定会看到 999999999 这个名字。这对意大利力量二人组在 2016 年才开始发布曲目，但已经成为上升最快的名字之一在欧洲技术。在一个已经充满了提供酸性重度主舞台技术的表演的场景中，他们以独特的新 90 年代声音敏感性和令人恍惚、不间断的低音主音组合使自己与众不同，能够将舞者从他们的身体中抬起并进入更高的平原。
All that being said, it really is hard to categorise and pin down 999999999’s music. How would you describe your style?
It is genuinely arduous to define ourselves and define what we do. This is what is behind the “999999999” project, the idea with which this was born: to be ineffable, inscrutable but to get straight to the point. Our beginnings were mainly inspired by 90’s tracks and stinging acid sounds. But we don’t want to limit ourselves and we always want to evolve into the best version – now, after four years, we are delivering hard-hitting techno tracks.
尽管如此，要对999999999 的音乐进行分类和确定确实很困难。你如何描述你的风格？
定义我们自己和定义我们的工作真的很困难。这就是“999999999”项目背后的原因，它诞生的理念是：难以言喻，难以理解，但要直截了当。我们的开始主要受到 90 年代曲目和刺耳的酸音的启发。但我们不想限制自己，我们总是想演变成最好的版本——现在，四年后，我们正在提供强硬的 techno 曲目。
Acid is obviously a major force in your tracks. How do you go about creating the particular sounds that you have on your records? Do you use a classic TB-303, or rather rely on modern counterparts?
The undisputed queen of our live shows is the TB-303: we could never betray it! We love to experiment and research new acid sounds that no one has ever used before.
Many people will probably know our old classic acid sounds that we very often offer during our live sets, but we still want to stand out and not always repeat the same things. It is not easy and very often it takes days before you are completely satisfied with the result.
酸显然是您曲目中的主要力量。你是如何创造你的唱片中的特定声音的？您使用经典的TB-303，还是依赖现代同类产品？
我们现场表演中无可争议的女王是TB-303：我们永远不会背叛它！我们喜欢试验和研究以前没有人使用过的新酸音。
很多人可能会知道我们在现场演出中经常提供的旧经典酸音，但我们仍然希望脱颖而出，而不是总是重复同样的事情。这并不容易，而且通常需要几天时间才能对结果完全满意。
Moving from the releases to your work as DJs, improvisation has often been described as a crucial part of your live performances. Could you tell us a little about how you see the role of improv in your own sets and in rave performances in general?
Because our live-sets are our signature, it’s critical that we work on them day by day, studying and understanding how to improve our performance. Half of it is live improvisation, and the other half is meticulous preparation done ahead of time to make the performance impactful but at the same time the most wanted. In the past, we had few problems or inconveniences while playing live, but that’s part of the game.
从发布到您作为 DJ 的工作，即兴创作通常被描述为您现场表演的重要组成部分。你能告诉我们一些关于你如何看待即兴表演在你自己的场景和一般的狂欢表演中的作用吗？
因为我们的现场布景是我们的标志，所以我们每天都在处理它们，研究和了解如何提高我们的表现至关重要。一半是现场即兴表演，另一半是提前做好精心准备，以使表演具有影响力，但同时也是最想要的。过去，我们在进行现场直播时很少遇到问题或不便，但这是游戏的一部分。
Some DJ duos work effectively as b2b sets, while others focus on each using different tech during a set. How do you split the duties on the decks?
It depends: if we’re playing a DJ set, it works well as a b2b set, as you mentioned. During DJ sets, on the other hand, Carlo is in charge of the acid riffs and synth lines, while Giovanni is in charge of the drums. In any case, there is maximum harmony between us, and everything we do must be synchronized.
一些 DJ 组合作为 b2b 组合有效地工作，而另一些则专注于在组合中使用不同的技术。你如何分配甲板上的职责？
这取决于：如果我们正在播放 DJ set，正如您提到的，它作为 b2b set 效果很好。另一方面，在 DJ 设置期间，Carlo 负责酸味即兴演奏和合成器线路，而 Giovanni 负责鼓。无论如何，我们之间有最大的和谐，我们所做的一切都必须同步。
You played at Exit Festival in Novi Sad, Serbia this summer, which was seen by many as the first real return of full-scale summer festivals. In total, over 180,000 fans were in attendance, spread out over four nights. Can you describe what the feeling was like, being back in front of such a large crowd again?
The pandemic has been a quiet shock to all of us. We artists have lost contact with all the people who surrounded us and who made us live the dream. We can’t hide the fact that it has been tough to go from playing at three events per week to staying closed at home for months. At the same time, we know that we are a lucky and privileged category of workers – our thoughts go out to those who have been through and are still having a really hard time. The EXIT festival, which we thank again for inviting us again, was one of the best moments after the pandemic: we knew that if people were buzzing to be there and at the festival we had fun with them.
今年夏天，您在塞尔维亚诺维萨德的 Exit 音乐节上演出，被许多人视为正式夏季音乐节的第一次真正回归。总共有超过180,000 名粉丝出席，分布在四个晚上。你能描述一下，再次回到如此庞大的人群面前是什么感觉吗？
这场大流行对我们所有人来说都是一个安静的冲击。我们艺术家已经与所有围绕我们并让我们实现梦想的人失去了联系。我们无法掩饰这样一个事实：从每周参加三场比赛到在家待上几个月是很艰难的。与此同时，我们知道我们是一类幸运且享有特权的工人——我们向那些经历过但仍处于非常艰难时期的人表示同情。我们再次感谢再次邀请我们参加的 EXIT 音乐节，它是大流行之后最美好的时刻之一：我们知道，如果人们蜂拥而至，并且在音乐节上我们和他们一起玩得很开心。
And, for those who have not yet been lucky enough to get back to a festival, what was your impression of the mood there?
As we said before, people were excited. We couldn’t tell where the crowd was going to end when we played on the stage. Even though we played late, people danced and went wild. You felt part of a big family and we would have never wanted to stop playing and leave the party.
而且，对于那些还没有幸运地回到节日的人来说，你对那里的气氛有什么印象？
正如我们之前所说，人们很兴奋。当我们在舞台上演奏时，我们不知道人群会在哪里结束。尽管我们玩得很晚，但人们跳舞和疯狂。你感觉自己是一个大家庭的一部分，我们永远不想停止比赛并离开派对。
And what did you think of the testing and safety measures in place at the festival? Was it enough that people were able to feel safe partying and dancing together?
Unfortunately, Covid has infected some of our loved ones. We’ve seen how unpleasant it can be, therefore we take every precaution possible wherever we play. We support pre-entry tests (or alternatively, evidence of vaccination) because it would be irresponsible and blameworthy if someone, who supports us,would enter by faking one of these documents.
您如何看待电影节的测试和安全措施？人们能够在聚会和跳舞时感到安全就足够了吗？
不幸的是，Covid 已经感染了我们的一些亲人。我们已经看到它是多么令人不快，因此无论我们在哪里比赛，我们都会采取一切可能的预防措施。我们支持入境前测试（或疫苗接种的证据），因为如果支持我们的人伪造其中一份文件入境，将是不负责任和应受谴责的。
Lately, you’ve been working with Slam – the legendary Scottish duo and owners of Glasgow’s Riverside Festival – featuring on their five-part project Louder Than Chaos. It also features the likes of Amelie Lens, Héctor Oaks, Rebekah and Perc. What was the creative process like working with Slam, and what can we expect from the records?
Slam are among the artists that we respect and admire the most. They have been in the techno music field for so many years now and we can only learn from them. We were super happy when they asked us to collaborate with them: the track is climbing the charts already and we are super happy to see how many djs are supporting it.
最近，您一直在与 Slam 合作 – 传奇的苏格兰二人组和格拉斯哥河畔音乐节的所有者 – 在他们的五部分项目中出现了比混乱更大的声音。它还以 Amelie Lens、Héctor Oaks、Rebekah 和 Perc 等人为特色。与 Slam 合作的创作过程是怎样的，我们可以从唱片中得到什么？
Slam是我们最尊重和最欣赏的艺术家之一。他们在 techno 音乐领域已经这么多年了，我们只能向他们学习。当他们要求我们与他们合作时，我们非常高兴：该曲目已经在排行榜上攀升，我们非常高兴看到有多少 dj 支持它。
In the past, you’ve played a lot here in Berlin, and multiple times at the old Griessmuehle – which closed its doors in February 2020 following the loss of its venue. What are your memories of that place and the parties that you played? Do you have any plans to return to the German capital to play at the club’s new venue, Revier Südost?
Berlin is one of the cities that has always had a special place in our hearts and where we would like to live (who knows …). Griessmuehle Club welcomed us with open arms. The atmosphere of the old club, as well as the people that came to hear our music, were special and we felt like home. In that club, the feeling of freedom was unique. We recently played in August at their new venue Revier Sudost and it was sick. We have some new gigs planned for the end of this year in Berlin to be announced soon!
过去，您在柏林打过很多场比赛，并在老 Griessmuehle 打过很多场比赛——该场地在失去场地后于 2020 年 2 月关闭。你对那个地方和你玩过的派对有什么记忆？您是否有计划返回德国首都在俱乐部的新场地 Revier Südost 踢球？
柏林是在我们心中一直占有特殊位置的城市之一，也是我们想要居住的地方（谁知道……）。 Griessmuehle 俱乐部张开双臂欢迎我们。老俱乐部的气氛，以及来听我们音乐的人，都很特别，让我们有宾至如归的感觉。在那个俱乐部，自由的感觉是独一无二的。我们最近在 8 月在他们的新场地 Revier Sudost 演出，感觉很不舒服。我们计划在今年年底在柏林举办一些新的演出，很快就会宣布！
Thinking more widely, you have had the chance to play some phenomenal venues in your career so far. Are there any particular highlights for you? What is it that makes a space special in your mind?
We carry all events in our hearts, each for a particular reason. But for sure the most important nights for us were Awakenings in Amsterdam, all night long night at Khidi in Tbilisi where we played for 12 hours and Possession Boiler Room in Paris and also the many warehouse parties in Los Angeles. In general, what makes an evening special for us is the feeling we have with those who dance in front of us: we love to play surrounded by a crowd that has fun with us and this makes the moment unforgettable.
更广泛地思考，到目前为止，你有机会在你的职业生涯中打过一些非凡的场地。你有什么特别的亮点吗？是什么让您心目中的空间与众不同？
我们将所有事件都记在心里，每个事件都有特定的原因。但可以肯定的是，对我们来说最重要的夜晚是在阿姆斯特丹的觉醒，在第比利斯的 Khidi 度过了整整一夜，在那里我们玩了 12 个小时，在巴黎的 Possession Boiler Room 以及在洛杉矶的许多仓库派对。总的来说，让我们度过一个特别的夜晚的原因是我们与那些在我们面前跳舞的人的感觉：我们喜欢在一群和我们一起玩乐的人群中玩耍，这让这一刻难以忘怀。
The success that you’ve had has allowed you to appear in dozens of countries around the world, covering not just Europe but also numerous events in the Americas, as well as a few gigs in Japan and Australia back in 2019. But which cities are still on your bucket list? And is there any chance of an Asian tour once the world is able to open up more normally once again?
Every city on the planet is on our post-Covid bucket list!! Thanks to our job we have the opportunity to touch many cities. We are planning a tour in South America in November where we will go to visit our Colombian and Argentine fans who have been waiting for us for a long time. We have been to Asia in the past and we have in plan to return as soon as possible!
你所取得的成功让你出现在全球数十个国家，不仅涵盖欧洲，还涵盖美洲的众多活动，以及 2019 年在日本和澳大利亚的一些演出。但是哪些城市是还在你的遗愿清单上吗？一旦世界能够再次更加正常地开放，是否有机会进行亚洲巡演？
地球上的每个城市都在我们的后 Covid 遗愿清单上！！由于我们的工作，我们有机会接触许多城市。我们计划11月去南美巡演，去探望期待已久的哥伦比亚和阿根廷球迷。我们过去去过亚洲，我们计划尽快返回！
Interview 作者: Fraser Bonar
Fashion: UY Studio , LEON EMANUEL BLANCK
Photos照片: Keyi Studio WWW.KEYI.EU
Izabella Chrobok & Grzegorz Bacinski
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