Currently residing in Milan (Italy), Pelussje formed by James Nayler & Chiara Benelli are one of those acts you don’t often come across.
Their versatility when producing music and unique DJ sets makes them one of the groups with the most potential in the EDM scene that is growing rapidly all over the globe.
Their new single “Pelussje Fear Satan” is getting heavy support by the likes of Sean Tyas, Far Too Loud, Gigi Barocco, W&W, Anne Savage, StereoHeroes, Tom Deluxx, Access Denied, You Killing Me, Belzebass to name just a very few and is currently available at Beatport via Big Alliance Records (including remixes by Andy’s iLL and Jan Waterman) but how did the journey begin and how did the track come about? Read this short interview so you can get to know this mysterious masked duo.
– Hey Guys, first of all congratulations on a killer new single, its been getting a lot of support by some of the biggest Djs in the scene, many people are wondering and we know you have shared a little bit of the story of how “Pelussje Fear Satan” came about on your FB Page but for those not familiar, please explain to us how did you guys produced the track and what was the inspiration behind it.
We started working on “Pelussje Fear Satan” a while ago, it’s a track that we wanted to do for a very long time! Years ago, before being Pelussje, we had a Post Rock band called Ballet Mecanique…we always loved post rock music.
We had this idea to create something between Electro and this “dilated” genre of music, strongly influenced by our musical roots. The result really surprised us, ’cause the two genres (apparently different) were absolutely perfect together. It was a risk, ’cause the two audiences are diametrically opposite, but we wanna feel free to do what we feel right in that moment.
This single is a tribute to one of the best Post Rock bands ever, The Mogwai.
In 1997 they wrote an incredible song, “Mogwai Fear Satan”, 16 minutes long, so intense and structured. We love that song, and we wanted to create the same sensation in one of our songs, that thrill under the skin.
– I’m sure a lot of people wonder the reason behind the “Luchador Masks” which were made famous by the Mexican Wrestlers, how did the concept came about and when did you guys decide it was how you guys wanted to be seen by the fans.
Our masks are something linked to our musical roots at first, we took inspiration from bands like The Locust, Vitamin X or the Italians Almandino and OvO.
We loved their attitude on the stage, and inside our minds their masks added something more theatrical to their performances.
We wanted to bring this attitude into our shows and the Luchador masks were perfect for this aim! We’ve always been fanatic about Mexican Lucha Libre, so we choose one of the strongest luchador of the past (Huracan Ramirez) and the strongest of the present (Mystico), customizing their masks with our own style. Now a loooooot of djs wear a mask, but when we did it…it was something very original!! hahaha
– How was the Pelussje born? How did you guys meet? Are you guys related/siblings?
Ahahaha! You know what, at the beginning we wanted to build a story around our relationship…like the mystery of The White Stripes! Siblings? Married?
…but it was hard to manage, and we’re an historical couple. We have been together since 2001, when we met at the seaside.
– Just like many other artists, we all find inspiration in the most uncommon places. What place would you guys think is the weirdest when it came down to getting a new spark/idea for a new track?
We find a lot of inspirations everywhere, like when we’re out with friends the Sidechain Massacre Crew, it is always a well spiring of learning but the weirdest place where we always find that spark is our car! When we drive, no matter where we’re going, we always have a lot of wonderful ideas.
(James says also during his daily “number 2”)
– When it comes to Djing, how do you guys get prepared for a new gig? Any pre-gig rituals you guys stick to?
We never prepare anything before the show, ’cause all the audiences are different, so we wanna see first people who comes to our shows in order to decide the best tracklist for them. We really love to play always new stuff by us, something that nobody else has in their tracklist, so sometimes we really love to produce a special bootleg as a surprise for the show. No pre-gig rituals, but we’ve always had a rule: never customize your t-shirt before the show, ’cause it’s synonymous of rotten luck!!
– I don’t know about you guys but when I like a track I can just put it on repeat for the whole day, what are some of the tracks you are currently enjoying to the max?
James: It could be strange but during our real life (and when we’re not producing) we never listen to electro/dubstep music. It’s because we don’t want to be influenced by other sounds, even if we obviously know our “business rivals”! We listen to tons of different genres of music, old & new.
Chiara: This week James’s listening to an old school emo band of our friends, the Sorry We Are Silly and I’m set on “Gather, Form & Fly” by Megafaun….
As you can see, strange choices!! ahahah
– Who are some of the current producers you would like to collaborate with? What makes them special in your eyes?
Talking about producers, we’d love to collaborate with Madeon. He’s a sort of mystery for us. I mean, he’s soooo young…but he has THE FUNK running through his veins! We’d be really curious to have a conversation with him.
The biggest dream would be working on a track with the amazing Jack White from the White Stripes because everything he puts his hands on… becomes gold.
It could be absolutely EPIC.
– Besides Electro/Dance Music, what other genres or styles of music do you guys enjoy?
mmmhhh…do you have a couple of free days?? ahahah
James: we both come from a lot of different genres of music, starting from hip hop back in 1993, then Old-School Emo, Hard Core, Indie, Glitch, Post Rock.
Chiara: I come from Rap, Punk and Crossover…even if I also always loved the Beatles and Classical music! I think that our versatility in producing the music we love comes from this wide-ranging background.
– What does James and Chiara do on a regular day when not producing music? What hobbies do you enjoy?
James: Mostly we hang out with our friends, play videogames or watch movies, when we’re stressed we let off steam at the park, skating or playing basketball.
Chiara: when we’re at home I love to prepare awesome dishes, everybody says I’m a talented cook! I think that sooner or later I’ll open a restaurant…who knows! And I also read an absurd amount of fantasy/sci-fi books!! ahahah
– Lets do some word association, tell us the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the following words: Electro, Politics, Rockstar, Food, Hate, Love .
Chiara: OK…off the top of my head: STEVE AOKI!
James: Yeah, I’ve got it! The Refused!
Thanks guys for the interview, we wish you all the best with the release.
Follow Pelussje: www.facebook.com/pelussje
