Train Wreck Mix

Alexander Robotnick

Hot Elephant Music, Italy

It's not often you get to hear tips and advice from an original untutored electro rebel. While Kraftwerk were deep into the western classical ting, Alexander Robotnick mixed jazz and his influences from punk and new wave groups to deliver his very own take on late '70s dancefloor culture. He began his musical career with a Roland TR-808 and TB-303 and laid down some demential electro, before Giampiero Bigazzi from Tuscan independent label Materiali Sonori suggested he should try recording some disco tunes to make a quick buck. 'Problemes d'Amour' - a self-confessed flop - sold 10.000 copies way back in '83 and went on to influence Chicago house and Detroit techno along the way. Always looking for a new challenge, Maurizio went on to experiment with multimedia art collective Giovanotti Mondani Meccanici and music from India and Africa. His motto could easily be 'Never avoid doing something just because you're not sure how to do it', and he's applied this to his music, studio equipment and DJing throughout the decades. He says: "So the method is, if you are not able to do something right, invent your personal way to do it - at least you are original!"