Miki: Outside The Box
For our next interview and podcast series we present the legendary DJ and producer Miki aka Major Hypnotic Key Institute aka il Delfino. Miki started his DJing career in 1980 at 18 years old (as well as being a member in New Wave band Photogram) and has been riding the waves ever since. Founder of labels Sun Generation Records and Major Ipnotic Key Institute, as well as a key figure in Florence’s 90s prog house and trance scene with productions in the cult label Interactive Test, the “Sound of Tirreno” was coined to define his sound. More recently we’ve enjoyed his Mudd Show at Opal, Milan with Jane Fitz and Seeker’s Flash Dynamic Triade Color Test compilation, of which he collaborated with Alex on the A&R and officially contributed with the track “Cavern”.
He effortlessly shares his extensive and heavily researched record collection in a 2.3 hour mix for us, with the belief of music as an instrument of unity.
In Miki’s bio it states that he’s a lover of people having fun, and so this mix would make the perfect soundtrack for a successful afterparty indeed. As well as something that can be played with friends, the mix’s hypnotic ways can easily get you in the zone alone.
Miki’s essence is profound and cutting edge and we are honoured to showcase him on the mag.
Hi Miki, how are you today? Where are you right now?
I’m good thanks. I am in my studio in Ferrara - I arrived last night from Florence.
You’ve said that there is a mystical aura in Ferrara, your hometown. I feel a lot of magic in your music. How important are your roots?
Thank you! Ferrara is special. It has esoteric and artistic aspects that stimulate creativity. There is a history of musicians coming from this area. Your roots are important wherever you end up. However, having lived in Florence for many years, I also have a lot of “Tuscanity” in my bones!
Where do your psychedelic / progressive roots come from?
I only have to put my headphones on and I’m already in that mood; it is the core of who I am, of my experiences and the music that I have researched and produced over the years. My DJing is kind of like weaving with logic and my senses - it’s a particularly effective and varied mixing technique that creates the journey. This is also present when I produce limited edition compositions for research, with the single ultimate goal that people let go of their emotions.
Why is your label called Sun Generation?
The name came empirically, from my intuition. Trusting your intuition is fundamental. The sun is light, and it has been discovered that its diameter is related to the frequency 432hz. Diameter of the sun = 864,000 miles (432 x 2). There is the idea of generating music by bringing together more people, and the idea of several generations united at the same time to listen to music. For me, the sun has always been a synonym for energy in this concept.
How did you get your nickname, “Il Delfino”?
The nickname came from the 90s with the MC Roberto Francesconi. I would wear t-shirts with dolphins on them, and wear earrings and other pendants. I would put stickers of dolphins on the covers of my records and on tapes. It started to become a kind of thing, and caught on at parties. Eventually it became a real nickname to which I am deeply attached.
The term and concept of hypnotism is connected to your art. What does this word mean to you?
I don't know if DJing is art but rather a manifestation of creativity. Composing music to make people move becomes art when it is recognised as such. From the dawn of time, dance has brought humans into the stages of hypnosis, up to the most transcendental and therefore purifying, or to the most superficial as a valid way of letting off steam.
A clubber wrote something really nice to me, referring to my last set at Club Der Visionaere with Seekers. He was so involved that he held his pee for 4-5 hours, he didn't want to miss anything!
There are many articles which discuss the benefits of music tuned to the frequency of 432hz. Could you briefly tell us about your research on this frequency and how you apply it to your craft?
I had just started researching 432hz about twenty years ago when my wife and her legendary father Dedo introduced me to the essays of Archeosophy by Tommaso Palamidessi. In all music, what is especially essential is to trust the instinct of the heart and the spirit. To simply tune to 432hz is just a preference. It is valid mainly for mathematical reasons.
Are you aware of other artists using tuning methods like Aphex Twin and Aleksi Perälä?
Lennon, Pink Floyd are examples of previous music geniuses. I did not know this thing about Richard David James aka Aphex Twin. I started going mad for him in 1991…Analogue Bubblebath, Polygon Window...super! Aleksi Perälä I do not know that well. It is nice to know that many artists today have adopted this tuning method. If you want to produce 432hz music, you must set the tuning at the beginning of the compositional process and not convert it at the end as it’s commonly the case. Often we prefer what is stronger, which is why it was raised to 440hz. Today it should be the rule of softwares even for those who handle audio only to be set to 432hz.
You also play the drums and the saxophone. How would you convince a “pure” instrumentalist of the authenticity of electronic music as “real music”?
I studied the drums at school. Knowledge of percussion has been useful for the arrangements of the rhythmic parts of tracks. I have played the sax in many of my productions as a riff, but being a musician is certainly another story. In the past it may have been easy to understand why people misunderstood or distrusted DJs who produced music, but today electronics are widely used in music production. Great authors such as Franco Battiato or Giorgio Moroder took electronic music to the mainstream and opened its doors. People will always be wary of us, but I certainly do not want to convince them otherwise. Some songs composed by instruments should stay that way.
You use other genres in your electronic music productions. How important is it to listen to other genres?
Electronic music is limiting. The beat is defined by components of a drum machine, whose perfect timing helps us recognise it as electronic music but limits the overall harmonic part, which is also outside quantising. Whether it be jazz or blues, new wave, progressive, funk, something that makes you dance can be injected by anything and it can always be healthy!
I listen to ambient; I like the music that Melania, my wife, uses for her yoga lessons; the funk elements in my music that are always present come from my Ferrara roots; I am fascinated by Lady Gaga, but I also listen to Jazz. Radio always has an editorial agenda for its programming, but I enjoy it…I had a radio show at the end of the 80s called Extasy FM Station.
How was playing b2b with Jane Fitz for the Mudd Show? How did this collaboration come about?
In 2019 Jane contacted Leonardo Brogi, my agent from Reflex Booking, to play at the Pickle Factory in London in October. She played first and then I continued and then we naturally finished the party b2b. When there is empathy, you feel it and so do the clubbers. It was a special night for many reasons and we became good friends. We played for the Mudd Show in May of 2021. After that whole period of inactivity and with some joint projects cancelled as well, there was a big desire to play together.
I really enjoy sharing music with people. It’s a way of finding new music. I have very nice memories of those days in Milan with Jane.
How did you become part of the Seekers family? We shared a review of Freedom In A Dark Age by Franco Falsini and of Integrated Consciousness (Seekers 8.0), the first record to introduce the ‘Flash Dynamic Triade Color Test’ 4-part vinyl VA and cassette. The compilation was a great idea!
In 2018 in Ibiza a mutual friend came up with a great idea of introducing me to Alex Picone after years. Alex knew that I had started playing vinyl again, about my dj sets, that some well known DJs were playing my tracks again, that I had dropped some excellent quality releases on Life Of Marvin and also on Howl Rec. We agreed to start something together, and we started by going through my record collection. I recorded a set which was released on the label’s Soundcloud. Shortly after positive feedback on the comments section we went to Slovenia and played at OD:VOD festival. We played 6 hours b2b – you can imagine what went on. On the way back Alex offered me the position of A&R of Seekers, which was a big honour for me, it was honestly a great feeling. I started with a lot of humility and it is on this line that I am moving, at the same time editing works by various producers, releasing EPs on quality labels, Seekers showcases and gigs abroad which are managed by Gianna Sasso, my agent outside Italy.
I saw your review of Franco Falsini’s record on Baffling Noise, and thank you, I am really happy about this project. We tested the record in various important venues. Franco is really unique. On Seekers 08, the Flash Dynamic Triade Color Test triple vinyl V.A., tape + 45 rpm, finding the combination of the tracks was like putting together a Rubik's cube. The colours are the same as the F.D.T.C.T among other things. Alex sent me works written by Corrado Malanga, his studies being the reference for the release and the graphics which were designed by the talented artist, Mona Bitoiu. During the Seekers Party in December 2021 in Barcelona, Alex started his set with Cavern, my track from Seekers 08. It was a great party in partnership with Mad Radio and with Alex, Desyn and me in front of two turntables that hung in the air with a crowd that had just come out of a lockdown.
Did you work on the series with Alex?
Yes with maximum intensity. Seekers is not immediate, it must be reached gradually. Alex Picone has a way of thinking that is a source of great inspiration for everyone and we have similar visions. Following its flow was essential. If a release lasts over time you have hit the mark.
If the 90s are the Generation of Dreams, what would our generation be... ScreenSlaves? Would you have ever imagined it would come to this?
The Screen Slaves Posology release on the Outer Place label in 2020 is a stimulation to gradually abandon the belief that everything must be digitised, but it is not aimed only at the new generation. Too much digitisation weakens human instincts, intuitions, cleverness and other skills that must be cultivated and not only in relation to music. Digitising everything I think is hellish.
What do you think are interesting aspects of today's generation?
Many. The first is the desire for renewable energy as a main source of energy - it’s a desire felt more now than in any other previous generation. This is magnificent. But for implementation, you have to fight and I want to be on their side. Moving towards a circular economy seems possible. Solar energy is the main road.
How is house and progressive music of the 90s interpreted by the current generation?
There is a new desire to free oneself with music. Many use vinyl where research offers an infinite database. The records are cyclical…tracks from 25 years ago that had gone unnoticed have become incredibly contemporary today. I see many producers feeling good about their music being noticed today and I am overjoyed by this. Covers of cult tracks from the 90s are constantly being released, and they are criticised by many people, but I’m pretty easygoing in this regard. I mean, I would never play these commercial hits but I understand the need in certain contexts. There are young people who follow this music and who are inspired, always on the lookout for hidden gems, and eventually finding them is a magical feeling! Of course, the after party is always a place where you can dare!
To what extent does access to the past hinder our ability to live in the present moment and create our own story?
Access to the past is negative if you want to relive it. The nostalgic part must be avoided, which is why I have played at very few ‘remember parties’ (90s only music events in Italy) in my career. I have turned down a lot of money but have gained contemporary credibility. The past is useful if one uses it for research: discovering hidden gems and giving it new energy for current times - even for productions.
How does one become an avant-garde artist these days? Is it sustainable to rely purely on your art?
Starting from scratch and working your way up is not sustainable today if you are not wealthy. It was once sustainable because money was less important, life was cheaper. If you become avant-garde it is because you take a path. For me, a long DJ set on a beach for 100 people has its charm, just like playing in a big event has its own. If you want to be avant-garde in something you have to give up certain things and you have to rely on agents who know how to convince promoters to follow new paths with courage. Many are starting to cultivate small clubs in detail all over the world, festivals immersed in nature with names chosen for quality. Big clubs are the hardest to manage with music at the centre - they must be supported and recognised as cultural institutions everywhere.
There isn’t a method to value music like for example a points based system with sports. How would you value a dj or a record for example?
With records, having a database that explodes in my head, I make marks with felt-tip pens by writing acronyms on the covers... I hardly judge a DJ if I don't like them. If I know him, I know that the incentive to do better is always present. Generosity towards others is essential, it's important to never lose that.
How much do you trust your instincts?
Sometimes too little. Sometimes it's good to choose a record using only your instinct but preparing yourself with reasoned choices can on the practical side surprise the audience. Instinct, gambling with music is a mysterious aspect. In composition, however, instinct is essential, too much study limits you!
Instinct and intuition are separate?
Yes but they are related. Instinct works through feeling, intuition works through awareness. It is awareness that allows you to intuit (literally "see inside") events and situations. The process of intuition is closely linked to that of creativity. What unites them is awareness.
Do you believe in fate?
Yes
Do you believe in luck?
I don't think it exists. I have a maxim: "the more chance happens, the more it is the explanation of a mystery".
Do you have any advice for young artists today?
“Artist” - never say it about yourself. Let others say it. If you are at certain moments in life, be yourself always!
Thank you so much for recording a podcast for the magazine! What are your thoughts behind the mix?
I was thinking about the importance of PEACE and mixing good tracks. I was thinking about Ukraine, of friends over there, of simple people who have to pay for all the shit, of the utopia of disarmament, of John Lennon. We have to for now only hope for peace and give hope of peace. Believe in it and don't give up!
Miki: Outside The Box
Interview translated from Italian
Graphic Design by Domenico Nes
Miki Official Web https://www.mhki.com
