Visualizing the Night: An Interview with MARCOPAC 2

by Hila • Interviews • Tags: ,


We’ve interviewed DJs, producers, and singers, but we’ve never gotten to know the people behind the scenes who add so much to our most memorable nights.
Meet MARCOPAC – an Italian VJ who’s just trying to do what he loves and shine a light on a profession in the music industry that people tend to forget about. So what does a VJ actually do? Do people wake up one day and decide to be VJs? And who is MARCOPAC? Read on to find out.

Let’s start with the basics. What’s your name and where are you from?
MARCOPAC: I’m Marco Valentinsig also known as MARCOPAC and I’m from Italy, precisely in the north part of it called Gorizia. A very small city where I’m born and where I live.

For those of us who don’t know, what role does a VJ play in an event?
MARCOPAC: Actually there’s a lot of people that don’t know this role, everybody thinks it’s the expert of the lights or the vocalist, but the VJ is more than this, it’s a live performer like the DJ. The VJ is a Visual Artist, he plays when the DJ is playing, this new role mixes and creates videos in the same moment of course in time to music. There are styles of vjing like the type of music for the djing.

Most people want to be DJs because of the glam, the traveling, the fans, and the parties. What made you pursue a career in the entertainment industry that has less of a spotlight on it?
MARCOPAC: I agree completely with this question, at the beginning this thing started very quiet, I mean I played in some cool parties and I saw that there was interest in what I was doing, people started asking about me, about my videos, and so I said maybe I can do it professionally, so it began.

Is there any formal training and/or education a VJ has to go through in order to acquire these skills?
MARCOPAC: I don’t think it exists. I know there are courses for become DJ, but for VJ, like we say here “ALL IS FLAT”. Unfortunately it’s a new role and the world is starting to know it better in the last few years. One thing is certain, you can do it if you like music, videos and I think if you have a minimum of taste. Otherwise it’s better leave it alone.

How do you prepare for a show and how long does it usually take you?
MARCOPAC: Normally I prepare my playlist following three steps. The DJ, the club, my taste. DJ is very important because he determines the music, the club is also important because it gives me the background so I can plan my visuals, and finally, my taste, this last one, shows my style. It shows the VJ that I am so maybe it’s the most important of the three. All this takes me one hour, one day depends of the kind of night I gotta face. Sometimes more than this.

What was the best show you’ve ever been a part of and why?
MARCOPAC: I always say I don’t have a best show because I really liked all of them, but if I gotta choose one it’s definitely Berlin. The German crowd is awesome, they are able to transmit something to you. I remember perfectly in the end of the show they screamed my name and I was like embarrassed, you know? Amazing feeling.

Who are some artists you’ve worked with and how was the experience?
MARCOPAC: I played with a lot of artists like John Acquaviva, Adam Beyer, Joseph Capriati and many other leaders of the techno scene but the best one was John Gaiser. It was a great show in Slovenia, everything worked amazingly, the crowd was jumping the whole time and there was a good connection between me and him. After the show he congratulated me and I was glad of this because Gaiser is one of my favorite artists.

Who are some artists you’d like to work with in the future?
MARCOPAC: I hope to play with all the Minus family, I admire all of them. I think it’s a big family composed of amazing Djs. I hope my future holds this opportunity because I really care about it. It’s a kind of dream.

Is there a specific VJ whose work you admire?
MARCOPAC: I hoped you’d ask a question like this one. Yes, there is one VJ I admire deeply. His name is Ali Demirel and he’s a visual artist from the Minus label. It’s like an honor for me to mention him in my interviews. I met him this month during one of his Plastikman shows with Richie Hawtin, it was great, I mean I spoke with him for just a few seconds but it was really nice. I adore his style because it’s totally unique and I try to take as much as I can from him with the prospect to work with him one day.

DJs usually build a reputation and fan base by releasing music, promoting themselves, and eventually getting booked. How does a VJ get him/herself out there and get gigs?
MARCOPAC: A VJ builds a reputation as well by releasing videos, but it’s different because the VJ is associated to the DJ he plays with. If everybody likes the show everybody is gonna wanna know the VJ of the show, so through the show they learn the style of the VJ. Through this method the fans start to know the profiles of the VJ in the scene, they start to ask and talk about them and so the VJ starts getting booked. Actually, I don’t know this but at least it’s what happened to me :-)

Most DJs go to their gigs with an idea of what they’re going to play but ultimately build their set as the night progresses. Since your role is to synchronize visuals with the music, how do you stay on track with the DJ?
MARCOPAC: I always compare the DJ role with the VJ role because for me it’s exactly the same with small differences, I’ll give you an example. A DJ can play with different methods, with vinyls, with a CDJ or like now, with laptops and controllers. The VJ has to stay synchronized with the DJ and can play with a CDJ as well but he can also play in MIDI mode and so everything is easier because the BPM is set by the computer. You can also play the way I used to play, controlling the BPM manually so you you have the freedom to create, interrupt, loop, change everything you want to do and do it LIVE.

Have you ever worked at any non-music related events?
MARCOPAC: I worked at some video shows for contemporary design. The atmosphere that you have to create is completely different because the message you’re trying to get across is also completely different. You have a different crowd with different emotions and like all things, you have to find the right way to communicate.

How does VJing an outdoor event differ from an indoor one? Which do you prefer?
MARCOPAC: For visuals of course it’s better indoors because you have less problems with the weather and everything is very concentrated, the output is clear and all you can see so it’s like you are obliged to watch it. I did a few outdoor shows and of course the background that I could use was huge and I felt like God, you know what I mean? But I still prefer the indoors.

Did you ever have serious technical difficulties during a show? If so, how did you deal with it in the moment?
MARCOPAC: I remember one time, one of the LED screens stopped to work, I was shocked, because all my backgrounds were on two big screens and one of the two was OFF, so I played for the rest of the show on only one. I tried to do my visuals in a clever way, basically I reduced the background range and so the result was good and nobody realized that one of the screens was broken.

If you had to VJ only one genre of music aside from Electronic, which would it be and why?
MARCOPAC: Of course it would be techno and minimal, normally I play more in this music genre because it’s the music I love and because it’s the kind of music that is closer to my style. Everything’s very clean, very tidy and is good to dance to. I can’t go too far out of these genres. I’m only able to play these genres and I think playing away from them would be inappropriate but this is only my opinion.

Ideally, where do you see your MARCOPAC project going in the future?
MARCOPAC: I said before and I’d like to repeat it, I really hope to become one of the visual artists for the Minus label. This is what I want to see in my future, I want to play with the music that I like, I want to play with the DJs that I admire and for their crowds. I try to be positive in all that I do because it’s fundamental. In my future, I see innovation and a continued evolution. I hope to make it come true. Keeping fingers crossed.

What are your plans for 2012?
MARCOPAC: I want this new year so badly. In 2011, I played a lot in Europe and I hope to continue to do that in 2012. I hope to play in the U.S.A as well, I gotta check a lot of new things and set all my new projects with DJs and shows. I’m pretty sure it’s gonna be a good year, all I can do is stay positive.

Anything else you’d like to say to say to anyone reading this on BeatDreams?
MARCOPAC: Only one thing, for everyone who wants to be a VJ, never give up, guys! This is the new era for us, we are coming out right now, follow your dreams and keep it positive.
Finally, I wanna say thank you to the whole BeatDreams staff, I wish you an amazing new year. All the best!