Coffee Break with Curses
Luca Venezia is an Italo-American artist, who you may be more accustomed knowing as his alias, Curses. He’s someone who really has more than one trick up his sleeve: from producing his albums alongside music for fashion houses, he also sings, DJs and plays guitar - it’s easy to see why he’s made such a monumental impact in so many musical directions. He’s worked with the likes of Perel, Jennifer Cardini, and of more recent times, Chinaski (on his ‘Forever’ EP released earlier this year), who have all been as huge fans of his dark orientated soundscape, which blends a mix of Post-Punk, New Wave and Disco, as much as we are. We spent some time with him during the lockdown period to get to know about his musical evolution and eclectic lifestyle in a bit more detail.
Hi Luca. First of all, how are you and how are you keeping us during those strange times?
Taking it one day at a time and keeping as busy as possible, creating and collaborating as much as possible!
Let’s start from the beginning. You are Italian and grew up in New York City. Can you tell us more about growing up there?
Was it like A Bronx Tale or Goodfellas? Not exactly haha. Although I have many friends who did match the stereotypical Italo-American upbringing, I was raised much differently. My Father was a bit of an outcast from his family, he became an abstract painter, and my mother a photographer from the midwest, who left home at an early age to explore the world (she lived in Lebanon for a year during the war in the late 60s for a year for example).
So I grew up in a very artistic, and curious household. I didn’t play sports, I played guitar and they supported this hobby with a passion. We didn’t have a lot of money but we knew how to enjoy life, they immersed me in Fellini and Jim Jarmusch films, Philip Glass and Talking Heads. I grew up in downtown Manhattan in a massive loft, before lofts were anything trendy: I remember friends never wanted to come over because I lived so far downtown -- but then all of a sudden when I was 16/17 everyone always wanted to come over because the area began to get trendy. It wasn’t rough, but I remember it being very desolate. This wide open space, mysterious and dark… some find it creepy, but I still have nostalgic comfort walking down streets like this. I’d spend my summers in Italy, and this is where I grew a close appreciation for European culture - the food and the music.
You’re excellent at blurring genres with influences from post-punk, new wave and other guitar sounds mixed with italo-disco, EBM and techno. Tell us a bit more about where it all started.
As a teenager I was in punk bands and skateboarding, so the skate scene brought together a lot of different cliques and styles of music - Goth, Punk and Rap began to have a steady rotation in my Walkman, amongst New Wave and early Electronic music like House, Jungle and Electro. I carry this attraction to mixing styles with me today. I think what ties everything together is the punk attitude of these sub-genres. I am always naturally drawn to the counter to what's popular.
Curses is a two-headed beast. You DJ and produce as a solo artIst, but play live as a duo alongside bass player Dame Bonnet. Which came first, and are you equally passionate about both, DJing and Playing Live?
I started out in bands before DJng, so I even approach DJing as a sort of jam, like in bands. I love both though, and find they go hand in hand. DJing is a solitary journey for me. Traveling alone, you experience some hilarious things, but can’t share it with anyone but yourself. When you click with the crowd during a DJ set, its a group experience, I think you really collectively share an energy. There’s a trust that is built between your music selection and the environment of the place, the time of night and the collective mixture of people. All of these elements are crucial to having a good party. If one thing doesn’t click, like if the lights are too bright, or the sound isn’t bass enough, then that euphoric connection is most likely not going to happen.
Performing live becomes more of a collaborating experience on stage, and the audience embraces the comradely. Since I have Dame Bonnet with me, all the funny and crazy things that happen on the road can be shared with someone. So really, I am passionate about both, they balance one another out. I like to keep the gigs 50/50 live and DJng.
In your own words, how would you describe the feeling of performing in front of an audience?
When I’m DJing, I’m constantly thinking about the next move, what song will fit best and where to guide the flow of the set depending on the crowd's reactions. A million thoughts a minute really. Never letting the guard down. With performing live, I fall more into a trance, embracing intuition and get lost in the moment. I think because we rehearse and the songs become second nature, there’s more room for experimentation and jamming. A higher state takes over, and time disappears from the moment you step on the stage and leave.
Run us through your worst gig or music experience ever…
It was the summer of 2015, and I had been booked last minute to replace a DJ who had to cancel this new open air ‘fake beach’ club in Berlin. To be kind we’ll keep it anonymous. Daytime, sunshine, Sunday vibes… I was so ready. That Sunday morning though, it was pissing with rain. PISSING. Anyway, I wasn’t DJng until 4pm so it could easily let up, and the promoter said it was still on. I turned up with a crew of friends, and even though the rain did in fact let up and become a light drizzle, this cold and wet damp beach club attracted the strangest of the strange dance floor. All of a sudden it began raining hard again. The dance floor cleared EXCEPT for this dude who we ended up calling the ‘Trench foot raver’. The guy was barefoot with a wet and bloody bandage on one foot splishing and sploshing and dancing in a puddle in-front of the DJ booth. Four hours later, still dancing. It was by far one of the weirdest and dumbest gigs, but now that I re-tell the story it’s pretty memorable. All hail Lord Trench Foot.
You are the owner and driving force behind the label Ombra International. Tell us a little about the imprint, your initial goal when you launched, and whether there has been any key lessons that you’d share with somebody thinking of starting their own?
Ombra is a concept label I launched in 2016 to bring focus to artists from different countries sharing the same Post-Punk, New Beat, and Wave influences in Electro, Techno and doomy Disco. The visual content and vibe all derives from imagery that stuck with me since the late 80s and early 90s as a teenager: public access shows like Emergency Broadcast Network and Niche Action, and horror films by directors like John Carpenter.
The main advice I give to anyone who asks about launching a label. Do you. Be honest, and make it personal. Try not to imitate what the current trend is, or what inspires you. Be inspired and create something that is an evolution of your inspiration. And be very, very patient.
Ombra International has recently released its first compilation, featuring 13 tracks from a variety of artists, some label regulars and some debutants. It feels like there is much more to this album than it being simply a collection of tracks….
I spent a long time compiling these tracks and really felt it was important that each song fitted together in a seamless way that told a story. Little did I know the message of countries uniting, and pandemic change would be so relevant with the release date. This was all somewhat of a coincidence, or premonition - depends on how you see things.
Night clubs and festivals became two much different scenes. How do you feel about it? Do you find one better than the other or do you think they complement each other?
I come from a Punk background, so underground, smaller and more intimate crowds is always where I feel more comfortable and excited to play. For festivals I really love how boutique festivals were on the rise before COVID-19. DJs and bands on same lineups, genres blending. This is my favourite concept, when art and music come together. I hope this has a strong return once the raving wheels get back in motion.
And how do you think these will evolve post Corona?
I really believe Corona was a hard reset button that will cause nightlife to shift its focus from being a Capitalist driven medium and more about the music. The underground will have its shine again, and smaller more intimate venues and artists will have a voice again like the early rave days.. warehouse parties, forest parties... the path has been reset.
Finally Luca, (and thanks for speaking with us today), What does the rest of 2020 hold for Curses and OMBRA Intl.?
A packed schedule on all fronts really. I’ve got the second Curses album dropping in the fall on Dischi Autunno. I’m producing two singers, and we have some amazing new EPs dropping on Ombra, with music from artists such as Günce Aci, Skelesys, teniente castillo, Daniel Monaco & Futurist to name a few.