THE TAKE 5 SERIES
Gabry Ponte and Moti
Earlier this year, DJs Gabry Ponte and Moti came together to make “Oh La La,” a single featuring the vocals of Canadian singer Mougleta. The song already boasts over a million streams across listening platforms.
Gabry Ponte is an Italian DJ best known for being one of three members of the band Eiffel 65. The group rose to fame in the 1990s after releasing “Blue (Da Ba Dee)” (1998). As a solo artist, Ponte has worked with artists like Pitbull and Blasterjaxx, even entering DJ Mag’s Top 100 DJs list at number 61 in 2014.
Moti is a Dutch DJ best known for 2018 single “Up All Night,” a collaboration with DJ R3HAB and singer Fiora. Pre-pandemic he could be found on tour or performing at major festivals such as Amsterdam Dance Event, Nocturnal Wonderland, and Tomorrowland. He’s made official remixes for artists like Flo Rida and Far East Movement, and collaborated with with the likes of Tiësto and Martin Garrix.
To learn more about the artists, including what their favorite performance has been to date, check out our interview with them below:
Q: Before we dig in, what's next for you? (current or future projects)
Gabry Ponte: Well, since we haven’t been doing shows for more than one year now, I’ve been spending much more time in my studio so I have lots of new songs to release in the next months. More future than that.. mmm I’m not actually sure… If this pandemic has taught us anything it’s that you should not do long-term projects.
MOTi: I recently announced my new workout project: BODYWORX! Same MOTi but with workout references :-D. Also got some cool remixes coming up: Yung Bae, Ella Henderson, Tom Grennan to name a few.
Q: What advice do you have for someone looking into getting into electronic music?
Gabry Ponte: Be passionate about it. You will need to spend a lot of time in front of the computer watching tutorials and experimenting. Look for your own sound, make it as unique as possible. Don’t focus only on one genre.
MOTi: Listen to everything and follow your feeling. The same goes for producing always follow your feeling.
Q: What is the last song you listened to?
Gabry Ponte: Yesterday while running in the park I listened to the brand new album of Justin Bieber. It was released last week. From time to time I like to listen to something totally different from my world, musically speaking. It helps me to broaden my horizons as a producer.
MOTi: Bad Bunny, Don Omar – PA’ ROMPERLA
Q: What/when has your favorite performance been?
Gabry Ponte: Can’t really say which one has been my fav, but I have a memory of a very exciting show I played with my band Eiffel65 back in 2000 at the Dodger Stadium in LA. Together with Bon Jovi. It was incredible.
MOTi: Heineken StarClub in the Ziggodome during ADE ’13. This was my first show performing as MOTi. Slot after Calvin Harris &Tiesto performing for 15.000 people.
Q: What type of musician would you prefer to collaborate with?
Gabry Ponte: It doesn’t make any difference to me as long as I work with people who are passionate about music as I am I always manage to find good alchemy.
MOTi: Michael Jackson such a big inspiration
Q: If you could bring one artist back to life, who would it be?
Gabry Ponte: I’d say, David Bowie, he inspired me so much as a musician and as a performer when I was a kid.
MOTi: Michael Jackson
Q: What will finally break the internet?
Gabry Ponte: A nearby star going supernova
MOTi: Michael Jackson coming back to life
Q: Which fictional character is the most interesting to you?
Gabry Ponte: I’ve always been fascinated by Alice in wonderland’s Cheshire cat.. I remember one quote in particular: “Imagination is the only weapon in the war with reality.”
MOTi: Deadpool
Q: What's the most interesting thing you've read or seen this week?
Gabry Ponte: An article about NASA working to mature solar array systems for the lunar surface. I know this might sound a bit weird but I studied physics at the university and I still love these geeky science readings.
MOTi: Ship got stuck in the Suez Canal could possibly make stores run out of toilet paper
Q: What's the first trip your going to take once the world reopens?
Gabry Ponte: I have no idea where it’s gonna be but one thing is for sure: it’s gonna be a trip to a live show!
MOTi: On a holiday to Bali would be nice..
