Zagreb’s DEPO klub kicks off its rave season with an appearance by a young Hungarian DJ currently making waves around Europe, Marco Ginelli. From the gritty industrial town of Miskolc, Ginelli attracted the attention of Rijeka’s DJ Phyter, who invited him to make his first appearance in Zagreb this Friday.
We caught up with Ginelli as he was preparing for his debut Croatian show:
Time Out Croatia: When did you start DJing and what was your inspiration?
Marco Ginelli: I fell into the world of electronic music at a ridiculously young age, in 2010, when I was 12 years old. That's when I got to know music genres and mixing techniques. My own first music of acceptable quality was released by a record label in the summer of 2013. From there I was able to bring the quality that can be sold on Beatport. As usual, I tried several genres (Tech House, Progressive House, Trance).
I was inspired by my colleagues living in Miskolc, who had already been involved in the entertainment industry for years, and they gave me a lot of support and advice.
TOC: How much have your circumstances influenced your music?
MG: I can call myself lucky, as I received all the support from my family, friends and my surroundings. It was thanks to the initial difficulties and negative reviews that I moved forward and learned to create a saleable intellectual product.
TOC: How did you choose your DJ name?
MG: This is one of my favourite questions, I get asked this often. Actually, in the beginning, I ran under the name Mark Grandel, but I moved in several genres at first, so I thought it better to choose a more marketable alter ego, which I came up with together with my friend Zoltán Varga (Andre Small).
Actually, the name Marco Ginelli was born from the letters of my actual name.
By the way, Zoltán also introduced me to the world of Progressive House, despite the big age difference, but we have been friends for 13 years.
TOC: How easy was it to break into the Budapest DJ scene – and how easy is it for Hungarian DJs to find work abroad?
MG: I played in Budapest for the first time in 2017, at the legendary Supersonic BLUE HELL & KVLT nightclub at the Goldberger textile factory in Óbuda.
After that, the Supernova Techno team played a big role in starting my career. I can thank David Temessi and Ferenc Erdélyi for giving me the opportunity to perform not only in Budapest, but also Szeged, Keszthely and Szombathely, and I could list more.
After the pandemic, I continued my work standing on my own two feet, organising our own parties with my friends Atmosline, B-Vendel and Mzperx under the name Technomatic Events.
I performed abroad for the first time in 2022, in Dortmund, through the Sixsixsounds Agency, who threw me in at the deep end. For the first time, in a foreign country, alone. After that, I went to Switzerland, Slovenia and several times to Germany.
TOC: How would you describe your music and how has it evolved over the years?
MG: I first wrote Techno in 2014. Looking back on my past years, my taste in music has changed a lot. I started writing faster, stronger and more massive tracks. This style is more energetic and the crowd prefer pounding sounds.
TOC: Have you ever played Croatia before?
MG: This will be my first time in Croatia, I have never been there before. I was very happy when Dj Phyter contacted me at the end of the summer that he wanted me to play with them at the DEPO Klub. This place has been on my bucket list for years, as several of my Hungarian colleagues have had sold-out parties there. My friend SCHIERE is very popular, year after year.
TOC: What are your plans for the rest of 2023 and 2024?
MG: This year, several of my dreams will come true, as I have performances in Rotterdam and Berlin. Looking to the future, I would definitely like to prioritise international success, but I’m also happy to go on stage at home any time, because the domestic audiences are extremely grateful and energetic. Maybe next year I can go beyond Europe, for example to Colombia.
Welcome to the Rave with Marco Ginelli, DEPO klub, Radnička cesta 27. Also with Teo Harouda, DJ Phyter, Mibian and No Fate. Friday, October 27, from 11pm.