Fabio Stein is quoted by DJ Mag to be tipped as Breakthru DJ for 2008 by Judge Jules, in the Top 100 DJ Mag issue and voted into the Trance Addict Top 250 DJs, Fabio Stein is one of the leading names of the trance scene hailing from South America. He will be appearing for Dinky Slinky at Dusk Till Dawn.

1. Hi Fabio and thanks for agreeing to the quick interview. Could you briefly tell us who you are, where you are, and what’s playing on your stereo?

Hi Slinkers! :) Well my real name is Fabio Benedetti Isidori, I was born in Italy and moved to Brazil with my family when I was 5 years old. I’m one of the very first trance DJs/producers from there, and I modestly believe that I had an important role in the rise of our small brazilian trance scene. By the end of last year I moved to London, UK, and I’ve been living here since then, working at the Riot! studios with BK and Scott Attrill.

Some of you might be familiar with some of the tracks/remixes that I’ve been releasing since 2006, getting support from the likes of Judge Jules, Paul van Dyk, Sander van Doorn, and many others.

Well, I’ve been working on several projects...I’m finishing up a remix for a classic tune by Mark Sherry, called “Fractured” and giving the final touches to my forthcoming mix CD “Riot! In Ibiza 2009”.

I’ve just signed two of my newest tracks, “Agent Of Chaos” and “Stroboscopic”, on Spinnin’... expect the release somewhere around September (including remixes from Danilo Ercole and Asoteric). I’m also gathering up all the masters for the first releases of my forthcoming label 40 Degrees.

So basically, that’s what buzzing on my boombox at the moment! :)

2. You’ve achieved a huge amount in your DJ’ing career so do you have any ambitions left in the music scene?

I think that was only just the start, because there are so many dreams I still want to fulfill. Yeah, it was amazing djing at the Dance Valley festival, it was absolutely emotional djing in Ibiza for the very first time at Judgement Sundays, it was so much fun to play at The Gallery when it was still at Turnmills and it was like an adrenaline rush playing to a Scottish crowd at Unifi...I want to fill up my agenda with gigs every weekend, all over the world, maybe even a residency... because that’s what I most love doing in this world and that’s what I want to do until the day I die.

3. Given that the Slinky date is the 4th of July we’d like to know who your favourite American is and why?

Seth McFarlane! Definately! He’s the genius behind the TV show “Family Guy”. His show is my personal favourite... it’s absolutely funny and, at the same time, it dives fearlessly into some really serious issues regarding politics, war, character and common sense.

He was able to create a dynamic picture that shows America’s ugly side and, even though there were several attempts to shut him up by the FCC and the Fox network, he came back by popular demand.

4. There seems to be many types of awards now available to DJs and producers. Do you personally place any value on accolades such as the DJ Mag Awards and is it important to you to receive that type of recognition?

Oh, don’t get me started on “Pop 100 DJ Mag”... I think it represents 1/3 of everything that is wrong with dance music today (the other 2/3 would be top DJs supporting radio-friendly music, instead of floor-friendly music; and the easy access to pirate mp3s, which made music so disposable today).

Personally I don’t care at all about all that crap, I think if a DJ wants to ask for votes he should be a politician. There’s absolutely no sense at all in a poll that gives the “12th best DJ in the world” title to a guy like Deadmau5... who can’t even dj in the first place and told the whole world that all DJs are idiots.

So honestly, I don’t care about polls, votes, “best of that”, “number 1”... because the best DJ in the world is the one who’s making you dance right now, not someone who made a bunch of good tunes and pre-records his “live sets” in the studio.

The problem is that the press will never let all of this go, until the public keeps giving it credit. So it all creates a ridiculous vicious circle: the public wants to see the “number 1”, the clubs book who the public wants to see; the DJs have to ask for votes to get booked, and so their marketing team bombs our inboxes with all that lame “vote for me + picture” eflyers.

I think it’s ridiculous and the DJs should be the firsts to sabotage such a ridiculous popularity contest which does nothing but summarize everything each DJ is, into a 3 digit number.

5. You travel extensively as a DJ, other than the UK where’s your favourite place to gig and why?

I have several different favourite spots around the world... the first one has to be our beloved S.O.T. event in Brazil, where I get to DJ to all my friends, with my mate DJ Jack. It’s so much fun everytime. There are so many great memories, since the event was held in small bars to 50 people, until it became a massive club phenomenon at Pacha, with more than 2.000 clubbers.

I can’t forget about Ibiza... and I don’t mean all the hype behind it, but there’s something magical about the atmosphere that makes the experience absolutely overwhealming.

And yeah, of course I love djing anywhere in the UK... it’s funny, but it seems like the british crowd always “gets me”. :)

6. On your travels have you seen any evidence of the global credit crisis having any effect on clubland and dance music?

To be honest, from all the places I’ve visited, it seems like the UK was affected the most by this crisis! I don’t need to say how much, as I’m sure most of you have experienced it as much as I did.

In Brazil it seems everything is still happening like always, after all the club scene is ran by and aimed at the rich minority. I’m talking about Ibiza like prices (which are really not that affordable if your currency is worth 1/3 of the Euro).

So only the wealthy 8% of Brazil has the chance to go out clubbing, and this crisis didn’t affect them that much.

7. We've been asking DJs recently what they would do if they were Prime Minister or President for the day, given the current economical and political climate we’ve just discussed. If there was a President Stein, what would he be doing right now?

Well, it wouldn’t really be fair to all the British folks for me to talk about how to fix their country. But there is one thing that I would do for sure, no matter what: I would withdraw all the British troops from Iraq and Afghanistan right away. Enough is enough.

I would also try to incentivate industrial and commercial development, even harder than ever: if there is something I learned by living in a country in an ever-lasting crisis like Brazil, is that if you stop investing in front of a crisis, you will only make it worse.

Now, if I was the Brazilian President... oh, that would be a big headache! I’d probably create a big campaign in Europe and North America, promoting the endless resources and possibilities that the country can offer to investors.

Try to bring more multi-nationals over and CONTROL THEM (don’t let them abuse workers, but instead create programs to integrate schools and hospitals for their families), then invest in the appropriate infrastructure to accomodate all of that.

This would all result in more jobs, more schools, more hospitals, houses, sanitation...Lula’s administration (besides all the shameless robbery) was a bit like the Robin Hood myth: he wanted to give the fish to the people, crushing the ever-warping middle-class. I say teach the people how to fish and provide the fishing net.

Finally, I would send in the troops in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro... do whatever it takes to put an end to weapons and drugs smuggling.

If a civil war is what it takes, it would be a war worth fighting. I’m a very peaceful person, but I can’t bear the idea of crack-headed kids smuggling drugs and shoting people for a pair of shoes. How many more have to kill and be killed before something radical is done?

8. If the economy isn’t scary enough, I’d like to know what your scariest ever moments have been when DJ’ing, or failing that, the weirdest?

Well, my scariest moment was when I djed at Judgement Sundays, in Ibiza, in 2007. Let me paint you the picture... I, like any other DJ from Brazil, always saw Ibiza in a very romantic way... like if it is graceland, the holy grail... and well, you know the rest.

It’s always been a far away dream for all of us that only knew it by the picturesque images and magazine articles. So needless to say, that night was very emotional... my first time in Ibiza, and I would be djing as well, in the main room of a huge club (Eden)... I have to admit, I shed a few tears that night!

Anyway, I was obsessed with the idea of delivering the best set I would ever do in my life... the best technical skills, the best tunes, the best crowd reading skills... so I gave 200% of myself.
I was djing on 3 decks, going nuts on the effects, layering accapellas on top of tracks... and after the first 10 mins, seeing everyone responding and enjoying it, I had the chance to relax...

...and that’s when I ejected the playing CD... those were the longest and darkest 5 seconds of my life.

As far for the “weirdest moment”, I should mention the time when I accidentaly spat all my drink at the S.O.T. crowd during my set, in Brazil... weird!

9. So what can the Slinky clubbers expect from you on the 4th of July?

I never plan my sets, as I take the crowd reaction very seriously, so it’s really up to them, but I can tell you that: I’m dying to show my new stuff! There are so many new tracks and remixes, due to be released soon on Spinnin’ and on my forthcoming label 40 Degrees (keep an eye on this one!).

Also, expect to hear at least one Michael Jackson tune in my set... I think every DJ in the world should play at least one of his songs on a recent set as a tribute to the mighty musical legacy he left us all...

10. Thanks for the interview, we’re looking forward to having you at Dinky Slinky so without further ado I will you have the last word:

Thanks for having me! I can’t wait for it, I’m sure it’s going to be a massive night. If you need a warm-up, make sure to tune in on Slinky.fm and check my radio-show Full Pack (this saturday, at 8pm)!

See you all on the floor! ;)