#MusicInTheAir Podcast hosts this week :
NO PARACHUTE

DJ and producers, an artistic and life couple: for #MusicInTheAir today Villahangar hosts No Parachute, a Romanian electronic music duo formed by Livia Andrei and Valentin Ilie.

After five years around the world, living in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates and other countries in the Middle East, today they live in Bucharest, in Romania.

Founders of DARE Events Agency, their music style associates ethnic sounds to melodic vibrations, which allowed them to score more than ten successful tracks on the past three years on Beatport’s TOP 100 in different genres.

Always present at Festivals and events all over the world, they were the first Romanian duo invited to Burning Man, one of the most renowned festivals of the planet: in fact, they performed for the digital platform Dusty Multiverse IIR at Incendia Camp on October 17th 2020, when the Festival was held digitally because of the current pandemic.

A special event for them, great occasion to perform considering the cancellation of many dates because of Covid-19 and a tour in Europe expected from 2018. It was their first emotional and creative virtual stage and for such a prominent festival, new frontier of virtual and live entertainment: they proudly represented Romania, preparing a video production together with Cătălin Dârdea, of Man Kind Pictures, also with an outfit created together with their designer Gia Festival Dresses specifically for the occasion, in a full famous Burning Man style, in perfect harmony with the sound and the atmosphere and beginning the set with a re-interpretation of an authentic piece of Romanian folklore, inspired by the culture of the Festival.

Between the events that over time saw their participation, Neversea and Untold in Romania, and DreamBeach Festival in Spain, another absolute first in their music career: events to which they plan to be, pandemic permitting, also this summer 2021. 

Which is the recommended track in this DJ set?

Jochen Pash, Shahd – Ya 3omri (Yamil Remix) [Wired]

How do you approach a dj set? Which is your way of conveying emotions?

We approach the dj sets by finding the proper mood and listening to some of the dj sets from the label or Podcast that we have to record for. We don’t get influenced but it’s always good to get in the vibe and check out other djs.

Configuration: 1x DJM 900 Nexus 2 and 2x CDJ2000 Nexus 2 if we are in the studio, or at home with 2x KONTROL X1 and 1x KONTROL Z1 from Native Instruments Traktor and some instruments on the side like Maschine or Roland Pads.

We transmit emotions via our unique sounds that we select over the tracks in the pre-selected playlist. It gives a certain vibe over the dj set and it’s our touch.

Which song do you listen to when you take off your DJ headphones?

If the question is about the set, then the answer is the next one! :)))
If the question is related to other genres or music that we listen to when we are home, then we listen to samples and instruments. A lot!
Studio time lately. But also, classical music to unwind and chill. It’s good for the brain.

Which are your artists / DJs / producers of reference?

We tend to go our own way. What works for others does not necessarily work for you. We keep it fresh and original, as always. It’s also very good to listen to big names in the scene and to get on top of new sounds and grooves. Our advice: find your own unique sound.

What were the reference artists over time? 

We had the pleasure of performing with and supported by lots of them over time. Here are some names that we really appreciate and respect: Sasha, Nick Warren, Danny Howells, Frankie Knuckles, Solomun, Eric Prydz, John Digweed, Hernan Cattaneo and many more.

How do you foresee your summer, both in your everyday life and from an artistic point of view? 

Amazing! As we are very optimistic people, we always make the most of it.

If one of us is down, the other compensates, as a couple, and as DJs in general.

Even if we passed some hard times, we believe that our industry will come back even stronger and people will appreciate more this beautiful scene.

As artists, we will be very busy this summer. With our project No Parachute, and as solo artists.
Here are some of the gigs we have confirmed but we are waiting on the COVID 19 restrictions to pass;

• Bedouin Forest Carnival (Bulgaria): 12th of JUNE 2021 – Main Stage, Main Artist
• Neversea (Romania): 8th – 11th of July (To be confirmed under COVID restrictions)
• DreamBeach Festival (Spain): 4th – 8th of August, Main Stage (To be confimed under COVID restrictions)
• Untold (Romania): 4th – 8th of August (To be confirmed under COVID restrictions)
• Saga (Romania): 11th of September – Main Stage, Opening Act

How did your meeting with Villahangar come about and how and why did you decide to promote yourself here?

We were approached to do a DJ SET for VH. I believe we are on the same groove as the label and resonate with Everything Counts. Therefore, we believe that VH has established a good reputation in the industry and have awesome releases.

What are your hopes for your artistic future at the moment?

We are working intensely on our LIVE ACT as we will start performing this summer with live instruments and other controllers to spice up our game. It’s always cool to bring new “toys” to the booth and play new sounds for the crowd.