Meeting: DJ BUDINO

22.8.2017 by Julia Schwenner

Today we would like to introduce to you BUDINO, aka VALENTINA BODINI – an amazing young DJ from Italy, co-founder of the Berlin-based label and party OSCILLATOR. We talked with her about her love for DJing, ways of breaking established boundaries and finding her own artistic path in Berlin.

Valentina, how did you get into DJing?

I didn't just wake up one day thinking, 'I want to be a DJ'; I slowly got into it starting when I was about 15 or 16. At the time I was already going to clubs and started by buying turntables and a few records, but it was nothing really serious. After about a year I realized how much I really liked it, and started to take it more seriously. It's a process that continues until today, every time I'm more into it.

What kind of music do you like to play?

I don't have a specific kind of music that I play, I follow the flow of the day. I like all kinds of music, from African to Disco to Funk, music that comes from real instruments to music that comes from synthesizers, like electronic music, Techno, Progressive, or also styles that are somewhere in between like Italo Disco. I am really into all kinds of different music styles, it just needs to sound good to my ear.

You're from Brescia, Italy, but have been living in Berlin for the last five years. Why did you move here?

Brescia is a small city in the north of Italy, where you have very little possibility to be a DJ and actually play what you like. People in Italy are not that open-minded when it comes to listening to different types of music, so it was too limited for me there. That's why I decided to move to a big city after high school. In Berlin you have so many different people that are into all kinds of music. You receive a lot of different input and have so many more possibilities to play your own style - and there will always be people who enjoy it.

Where do you get your inspiration from?

Berlin is definitely a great city to be inspired by, there are so many things going on at all times. So the city in itself is my biggest inspiration. I also get a lot of inspiration from Beppe Loda, a famous DJ pioneer in the 80ies in Brescia. He started playing music that nobody was playing before, which is called Afro and which combines many different styles – like a big soup in a way. I used to listen to tapes of Beppe Loda all the time because he inspires me to play creatively.

I also get a lot of inspiration from the records themselves, listening to a big variety of styles.

Together with the two Italian DJs Andrea Dama and Luca Trentini you run a record label called OSCILLATOR and a party by the same name in Berlin. What is that about?

We started this project about three and a half years ago with our first party in Sameheads, Berlin. The last three years it took place in Griessmühle [a Berlin dance club]. In the beginning we started with the idea of bringing something 'new' to Berlin by introducing Beppe Loda and other Italian DJs from the 80ies to the city and its party scene. Beppe was playing at OSCILLATOR for two years. We

try to create an alternative to the existing music in Berlin with DJs that haven't played for a long time or that produced records in the 80ies or 90ies and then didn't play any more. We try to give the people something fresh and with a story behind it.

The next OSCILLATOR is on September 22 - check out the event!

Recently you`ve had more and more gigs on your own in Berlin and other cities in Europe. Is this the direction you would like to go into?

There is no clear direction for me, but it's definitely something that I would like to develop further. I really enjoy playing with other people. First of all, you have the input from another person and you play something that otherwise you would probably not, and, second of all, it's great to be behind the dj booth with someone else enjoying the moment together. So there are a lot of positive sides to playing with others, especially if these people form part of your personal life.

But at the same time I think that it's important to develop your own style, your own story, and to follow only your own feeling while you're djing and to try to share your own journey with the audience. There are two different ways of looking at it, and I believe the best is when you can develop both aspects.

What is it like to be a young female DJ in such a male-dominated environment? Do you see it as an advantage or a disadvantage?

I honestly think that it's neither an advantage nor a disadvantage in my case. I never felt that being a woman was an advantage to me in this sense. But I know that a lot of people pay a lot of attention to this. In Italy, if you're a DJ and you're a female, you have a lot more possibilities than a guy.

But Berlin is so open-minded, and there are so many different kinds of human beings around, that it doesn't really make a difference. The important part is that you play great music and that people are happy, that you create a good party with good vibes.

What excites you most about DJing?

I feel that the best thing about playing music is playing for others. It's great when you're DJing and you have the feeling that the crowd is really into your music. The reaction of the people on the dancefloor lets you feel this amazing energy.

You play regularly at a famous party called Cocktail d'Amore in Griessmühle, Berlin. What is special about it?

Cocktail d'Amore is a party in Berlin run by Discodromo, an Italian DJ duo. I play there often and everytime really enjoy the people and the vibes. In fact it's my favorite party and it's always a pleasure for me to have the possibility to play there. I get the feeling that I can really express myself and that people will understand me. This is something that you can not find everywhere.

What are your next steps? Are you interested in producing music at all?

At the moment I am really into records, so I spend all my time searching for new tracks, developing a style that might still be unknown to myself. I'm really into researching records and different music. I would love to start producing as well, I have a lot of ideas in my head from listening to records each day, but I still need to find the right way of entering into the production world.

In any case, I would love to learn how to play a couple of insturments before producing anything. I believe that if you're able to play musical instruments, be it percussion, drums, guitar, piano etc, you have a much better understanding of music. And the music that I would love to produce would definitely include real instruments and not just synthesizers. So that process takes some time.

Favourite track of the moment?

Mashisa (Dub Mix) by V.O. It's a South African record from 1990. I love it! When I listen to African records in general I always get a good feeling as I imagine the moment when somewhere in Africa a group of people play together. To me, this music exudes happiness and freedom.