EXCLUSIVE: The Return Of DJ DONNY Interview

THE RETURN OF DJ DONNY

an exclusive HOLIDAY SHARE interview

HI DONNY. HAPPY NEW YEAR! IT´S A PLEASURE TO TALK TO YOU NOW. I HAVE BEEN LISTENING TO YOUR REMIXES ABOUT 4 YEARS. I´M GLAD TO KNOW YOU´RE RETURNING TO MADONNA´S WORLD AND I´M SO ANXIOUS TOLISTEN TO YOUR NEW PROJECT.

(tomorrow will be released another EXCLUSIVE track, get ready!)

Hello Inco. HAPPY NEW YEAR to you, too! You said you have enjoyed my remixes for about 4 years. Thank you. It makes me feel good. My new project, called “Madonna – Into The Mood: Donny’s Acapella Project” is my most recent project of remixes. I hope to have all 15 tracks ready for release on January 21, 2011. Depending on when it’s finished, I may release it earlier or later. This project is VERY different than my normal mixes. Usually my mixes are based on the album version “sound” but this project uses the acapellas laid on top of ambient soothing melodies. When this project is complete, I plan on returning to my original style of remixing.

WHERE DO YOU LIVE? HOW OLD ARE YOU? WHAT DO YOU DO FOR LIFE?
I live in the United States. Kansas City, in the state of Missouri. I’ve lived here, more or less, all my life. As of today, January 7, 2011, I am 46 years old. For my career, I work in a retirement home for 22 years, entertaining people (singing, dancing, playing games). Throughout my life, I have always worked a second job, usually DJ-ing at a local dance club.

WHO IS YOUR “LUCKY STAR”?
Hmm. That’s an interesting question. I’m not sure if you mean the love of my life – or who has inspired me. My first impulsive answer was Madonna – for her music inspired me to remix her songs – and through doing remixes, I have made MANY friends and fans. I thank Madonna for changing my life and setting my passion for remixing into place. However, if you’re asking about who has captured my heart, I would answer that I have been very blessed, as a gay man, to find a handsome man last fall who has “opened his heart” to me. We are very happy.

DONNY IN ONE WORD?Ambitious.
LIKE MADONNA HU?!

WHY MADONNA?I fell in love with Madonna’s music because she pushed the envelope with “Like a virgin” and “Papa Don’t Preach.” She has proven to be a strong advocate for human rights, especially the gay community. Her continued passion keeps me loving her.

WHEN DID YOU START LISTENING TO MADONNA?

WHAT IS HER INFLUENCE IN YOUR LIFE?I remember the controversy of LAV played on the radio. Parents were concerned about the word “Virgin” used. The United States is scared to discuss sex with their children. They would rather have violence displayed in movies instead of sexual imagery. This saddens me. (Sorry, I digress). This song caught my attention towards Madonna. Then all of a sudden, I hear “Holiday”, “Lucky Star” etc. I’m sure I heard her first album singles on the radio prior to that, but it wasn’t until LAV that I took notice of Madonna. I’ve been fascinated by her ever since. She has helped mold the individual that I am today: I am an advocate for human rights, always wanting equal rights for gays that are given to heterosexual couples freely. Madonna has helped shape the world, even if only in a small way, to the way it is today. If she had never been so free to push for equal rights and gay acceptance, we would still be in a world of deeper prejudice. Because of her, more people accept gays, making it easier for gays to feel comfortable enough to come out of the closet today. Because of the things she has done, I felt comfortable enough in 1988, to tell the world I was gay – and I have been extremely happy since.

WHAT MADONNA ERA DO YOU PREFER?I can’t really answer that, as each era is unique to its own. I mean, I really enjoyed the “Dick Tracy” era (I’m breathless and Truth or Dare) but I also love the “Confessions” era a lot. Each era has something great to it.

TELL US WHAT’S THE BEST MADONNA:ALBUM, - Confessions (love that dance sound) I AGREE WITH YOU
VIDEO, - 4 Minutes (she has never looked better for her age)
MOVIE, - Evita (I saw it several times at the theaters and cried every time)
TOUR, - Confessions (Visually and artistically the best tour in my opinion)
AND OFFICIAL REMIX. Can’t narrow down to one. I like the Love Profusion and Nothing Fails remixes. Nothing fails is my favorite Madonna song in album format. My favorite Madonna official remixer is Oakenfold.
This is not a question from you but I’ll share this: I wish they would make a CD of MADONNA remixed by various remixers (official) of NON-SINGLE releases. Like a 10 track remix compilation with new reworked remixes of one song from each album that had never received a remix before officially. (Ahhh, Just a DREAM). 

TELL US THE WORST THING TOO:Worst album: Erotica. I DON´T LIKE THIS ALBUM EITHER Worst video: Lucky Star. Worst Movie: Certain Sacrifice. Worst Tour: none. Worst official remix: Let It will be (too distorted).

WHAT MADONNA SONG CAN YOU SAY “IT’S ME”? EXPLAIN PLEASE.
Haha. A friend once told me Madonna’s “Cry Baby” was my song ‘cause I cry so easily. I cry in movies, television shows and even commercials. I’m very sentimental. I can no longer watch the movie “Ghost” because the end makes me weep like a baby. ONCE WE KNOW THAT I´M LOOKING FORWARD THIS DONNY REMIX!

WHAT DO YOU EXPECT OF THE NEXT MADONNA ALBUM?
I expect her to return to strong dance beats and strong remixers of today. I would love to see her and David Guetta put an album together. Or Digital Dog (great remixers). Dave Aude’ would be amazing as a co-mixer on an album.

BESIDES MADONNA, WHAT SINGERS/GROUPS DO YOU LISTEN TO?Currently, I am a big fan of Lady Gaga, Pink and Katy Perry. I love Top 40 pop music. My favorite style of music is ambient and trance dance.

MADONNA IN ONE WORD.Strong.

WHEN DID YOU START REMIXING?I started going to clubs at 18 to dance and meet people. I was amazed at the many “remixes” the DJ played and my interested eventually lead me to “attempting” a remix. This was the mid-1980s. I wanted to make a remix like the ones the club DJ played – something “different” than what was played on the radio. Inspired by DJ remix services, like Ultimix and Hot Tracks, who specialized in re-editing existing remixes – I made SEVERAL mixes – none of which are any good, lol. Trust me, one starts off bad and can only get better. In fact, there is STILL a lot for me to learn. But back then, my editing source was a cassette tape player, the record button and the pause button. Looking back at those old mixes, I can tell how awful they were! But I learned from my mistakes. Funny thing is, back then, I thought the mixes were amazing and great. But I hadn’t grown to be the remixer I have become today. Sometimes, after making a Madonna remix, I would not put my name to it – because I was so scared of how bad they were (no confidence!) And trust me, several of my mixes that I didn’t put my name on but had made – they’re out there…they’ve been shared. For example, I made many Madonna mixes once and was scared to put my name to them in fear of rejection, so I compiled them – and called them Beat2Beat mixes. Yep, that was me in my very early years of cassette tape mixing and an occasional sampler device. Eventually, I retired the cassette tape recorder and bought an actual computer and computer program to edit music. That was when I made several “Power Mixes” of songs, as well as a compilation of “Clubthumpin’” Mixes. After a lot of practice, I started to become really good, much closer to what I am today. I still had low confidence (I released “Human Nature” as the “Black Wax” mix, which also has shown up as “black label” mix and “white label” too. – Surprising to me was that when I heard Madonna do Human Nature on her Sticky & Sweet tour, I noticed the similarities of her version to the one I remixed years ago. VERY similar. I wondered whether the remixer had heard my “bootleg” version and improved it.) But TODAY, I am not afraid to put my name on my mixes because I have much more confidence.

ABOUT MY MADONNA REMIXES FROM THE 80’S THAT GOT ME RECOGNIZED: When I started to have confidence in my remixing skills, I had a goal: I wanted to remix EVERY Madonna song ever made … in ORDER of release. So I started from the 1st album and remixed all the songs, creating full mixes, “radio” edits, and dubs. I ended the album project with a megamix. That is when I started to get recognized for my remixes. Sometimes I strayed and did songs out of order – usually upon a request from a fan (“Donny, would you remix this song for me?” – which sometimes I was happy with the end result). I made my way up to (and including) the Who’s That Girl Madonna songs. That’s when I stopped, and some of those songs were never released. I plan on releasing those mixes sometime in 2011.
TO REMIX EVERY MADONNA SONG IS A WONDERFUL GOAL, WE CAN´T WAIT.

DO YOU REMIX OTHER SINGERS?Over the years, I have remixed MANY singers. Early cassette years included Pet Shop Boys, Blondie, and Paula Abdul. As I went to computer to remix, I mixed Cher, Pet Shop Boys, Kylie Minogue and a variety of Top 40 artists. After coming out of remix retirement, I started doing this Madonna acapella project – I have not mixed another artist yet.

WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST REMIX? HOW DID YOU FEEL WHEN YOU RELEASED IT?After 25 years of mixing (wow, 2011 is my 25th anniversary for making mixes) I can honestly say I don’t remember what my first mix was. At 46 years old, my memories are a bit cloudy. I was scared to release the older mixes. But once I put my name on them, I found myself very proud to release my mixes and was pleasantly surprised to find out I had a fan-base. (Thanks guys!)

25 YEARS! CONGRATULATION.

HOW HAS YOUR LIFE CHANGED SINCE YOU STARTED DJ-ING?For years I enjoyed DJing at clubs and parties but the past 10 years or so, I do very little DJing – sticking with remixing only. When you DJ, there is a lot of pressure from those who hire you to play the correct songs in the correct order to keep the patrons dancing. The more they dance, the more they drink from the bar. That pressure was difficult for me, so I decided to retirely mostly from DJing and focus on remixing music. But in answer to your question, being a DJ changed my life because it gave me a better understanding of music and what people liked and didn’t like at dance clubs. Through that experience I was able to become a much better remixer.

IS THERE ANY RELEASED REMIX THAT YOU THINK WAS NOT GOOD ENOUGH TO BE RELEASED? WHICH ONE WOULD YOU REPRODUCE?Yes. “True Blue” was a difficult song for DJs to mix in and out of, and the horse trot shuffle of a beat made it weird for fans to dance to. I would have loved to been a professional remixer at that time and remix it with a strong 80’s type club beat. I also wish they would have made a better mix for “Cherish”. I wish they would have made SOME effort to release a remix for “Dear Jesse”.

WHAT MADONNA SONG DO YOU DISLIKE SO MUCH

THAT YOU WOULDN’T WANT TO REMIX IT?Unfortunately my goal is remix all her songs, so EVENTUALLY I am going to have to tackle “American Pie.” What a yucky song.

WHAT WAS THE HARDEST MADONNA REMIX TO PRODUCE?
Of the ones I mixed, I would say “Why’s It So Hard”. I have never really been a fan of the song, and had NO motivation to mix it. Then I told a fan “Pick a song you want me to remix for you.” He picked that song unfortunately. I rushed the mix to get it over with and didn’t put a lot of energy into it. I didn’t think out clever edits for it, and therefore it is lackluster. It truly is different than my other mixes from that period. When I get to that album for remixing, I will tackle it again with greater enthusiasm. I am sure it will be much better.

I THINK YOU LOVE MADONNA’S 80 ERA. AM I WRONG?
Yeah, you’re wrong. Don’t get me wrong. I love all her eras. For different reasons. I believe you and others think it is my favorite Madonna era because of all the mixes I made from that era. Unfortunately, those mixes were made because I wanted to do the mixes in order of release, so that’s why they are out there in the Madonna fan community. Yes, her ‘80’s work is great, but so is her ‘90’s and ‘00’s. I CAN´T WAIT TILL YOU REMIX BEDTIME STORIES AND RAY OF LIGHT.

THERE ARE A LOT OF FAMOUS MADONNA REMIXERS.

HOW DO YOU FEEL REMIXING MADONNA.There are a LOT of great fans of Madonna who remix her material. I have a huge admiration and appreciation for them. So many of them have talents that I cannot touch! They’re fantastic. My favorite is Dubtronic. Dubby, you’re awesome! Other favorites off the top of my head are Lukesavant and Bit Error. There are plenty of others too. While I am a fan of Auto-Tune, I would rather a remixer auto tune the music to match Madonna’s melody instead of altering Madonna’s melody line to match the music.

HAVE YOU EVER THOUGHT ABOUT PRODUCING A REMIX WITH ANOTHER MADONNA REMIXER?This one is hard to answer: I honestly can’t remember if I have done this suggestion already. I mean, I remember it was suggested for me to co-remix a Madonna track, and I remember talking about it with the other remixer (whom I cannot remember the name). For the life of me, I don’t remember if we did. Part of me says yes, part of me says, nah, it never happened. (So if I did co-mix with someone, refresh my memory). The future? Sure, sounds fun.

DONNY’S BEST AND WORST REMIX.Worst: “Why’s It So Hard” (see above for details) tied with “Burning Up” (Live version remix) because I rushed into it and made a mess out of it. BEST mix: Too hard to narrow down. I like my mixes of “Look Of Love” and “Love Don’t Live Here Anymore.” Those are my first impulses. Oh wait, I absolutely LOVED “Jimmy Jimmy.” Yes, probably my favorite mix of mine is Jimmy Jimmy. “White Heat” was good too, lol.

WHAT PATTERN DO YOU USE TO REMIX A SONG? WHAT DO YOU HAVE IN MIND WHEN YOU CHOOSE A SONG TO REMIX?Well, first of all, determine what songs are going to be remixed over the next month or two and in what order. Then, for a specific song, I take a few days to study the song’s music and lyrics, and then another few days to figure out fun ideas (i.e. vocal stutters, line loops, special effects). It’s very important for me to keep the original album feel of the song, without just making an “extended” verison. Therefore, I base my remixes on album versions instead of existing mixes. Then it is time to start the project. First I find a beat or create a beat from scratch. I tend to use 32 beats of drum to start the mix as well as 32 beats of drums to end the mix. Quite often, after the bridge of a song, I’ll throw in a middle set of 32 beats of drums. When finished, I make a short version, and then make a dub version using the best elements of the song. Haha, a lot of information, but you asked.

WHO AND WHAT ARE YOUR INFLUENCES?I guess my biggest influence for remixing would be the remixers at DMC remix service. I always admired their quick stutter edits and special vocal effects. My megamix influence comes from the old issues of Ultimix records who made many megamixes with multi-edits.

WHAT IMAGES AND EMOTIONS DO YOU

WANT YOUR MUSIC TO INVOKE IN THE LISTENER?
I just like to keep the intent of the song. For example, when I mixed “Love Don’t Live Here Anymore” I wanted a sad feeling to be invoked in the listener. “Into The Groove” was meant for non-stop-happiness emotions. “Love Makes The World Go Round” – bright happy groove with energetic drum loops.

WE MISSED YOU SO MUCH.

WHEN AND WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO COME BACK TO MADONNA’S WORLD?Thank you. I missed being away – although I never really left. I just lingered quietly on the sidelines, watching everybody. I started my “Donny” mixes in the late 90s using a program called “Club Tracks”. It was a music editing program for Windows 98. Unfortunately, at some point, I upgraded my computer and no longer had Windows 98 – thus my music editing program was no longer available to me. I panicked – it was the only program I knew. I tried some other programs but was not comfortable in those programs. For me, I had given up. With no computer program, I was forced to stop. Add on top of that some health issues, and well as a very bad relationship breakup, and I found myself unable to focus on my hobbies, especially my remixing. I had to put taking care of myself as my number one priority. MOVE FORWARD in time to 2006… by 2006 I was getting used to my new audio program “Cool Edit Pro” which was bought out by Adobe, who changed its name to “Adobe Audition”. This is the program I use to this day. But I still wasn’t ready to come back to the Madonna remix scene. You see, one thing I noticed around the time I left and ever since then, was the NEW style of Madonna remixes: clubby dance versions. They were much different than the style I used to make. I thought, “Why would anyone want to hear Donny’s mixes, which sound like fun edits of the album versions, when they seem to enjoy the sped up club versions fans are remaking these days. I’m old news.” But then I explored various sites and saw my mixes floating around here and there (a couple had been re-edited by somebody else and kept the credit as my own – this did not make me happy). So when I saw my mixes online and realized there was a fanbase still for my style, I gave it some serious thought about whether to return. Now it’s 2011 and I’m finishing up an acapella ambient project before release some dusty remixes of mine that I never shared. After that, I’ll resume my old style of mixes again. I´M REALLY HAPPY TO KNOW YOU´RE BACK.

HOW DOES IT FEEL TO BE ONE OF THE MOST WELL KNOWN MADONNA REMIXERS?

It’s an honor to be up there with other fan remixers like dubtronic and lukesavant, etc. They are my peers and I’m proud to be lumped in the same category with so many talented remixers.

WHAT DO YOU THINK IS THE BEST THING IN MADONNA’S FANS? AND THE WORST?
BEST: Loyalty. They’ve never given up on her. WORST: I can’t think of anything. I would imagine Madonna was express the worse as obsessive fans who stalk her. Dunno.

HAVE YOU EVER BEEN DANCING IN A PARTY AND SUDDENLY ONE OF YOUR REMIXES START PLAYING? HOW DID YOU FEEL?
There’s a certain amount of pride, satisfaction and thrill when you hear your work played and people dance to it. I’ve been at dance clubs several times when my remixes have played for the dancefloor and I stare in awe as people dance. It’s very exciting. Once I heard my “Open Your Heart” mix played in a weekend “continuous mix” radio station program locally. I was like, “Wow, how’d they get that?!” Too cool.

YOU TOLD ME YOU REMIXED FOR THE TV SERIES “SORDID LIVES” AND HAD A PROJECT FOR DISNEY MUSIC. HOW WERE THESE EXPERIENCES?In 2005, I made a dance club mix of Tammy Wynette’s “Your Good Girls Gonna Go Bad,” for a local stage production of “Sordid Lives.” My remix was well received and won an award. (lol, in fact, a local drag queen requested it for a lip sync number…) The writer of the play/movie and eventual TV series of “Sordid Lives” Dale Shores heard about the remix and we communicated with each other. He mentioned his upcoming TV series of the same name and how he was very interested in my remix and other Tammy Wynette remixes I might be able to do, to tie in with his character Brother Boy (a drag queen who adores Tammy). So I compiled a CD of new Tammy mixes I made just for him and his show. In the end, my mixes were not used although he was quite pleased with them. Shortly thereafter, I was contacted to remix a song used on the ABC soap opera “One Life To Live”. ABC is owned by Disney. I was sent several stems (elements of the original song) to make my mix. Unfortunately, I never finished the mix by the deadline, and have probably destroyed any good relationship there. One of life’s lessons.

TELL US ABOUT YOUR UPCOMING PROJECTS.Currently the acapella project, followed by releasing tracks made years ago that I never shared. These include True Blue album dubs, and mixes of Madonna’s Who’s That Girl songs. I have an unfinished mix of Supernatural that I made years ago and would love to finish and share. After that, it’s back to my old style that got me recognized where I’ll tackle the next album (Like A Prayer). Then I’m Breathless, followed by Immaculate Collection. THEN I will take a long break from mixing but I promise not as long as before.

WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN YOU’RE NOT MAKING MUSIC?I like to read, write, play piano, watch tv and movies and listen to great songs current in the top 40 radio. Also hang out with friends and my boyfriend. Besides remixing audio, I found a great talent and enjoyment in remixing / re-editing music videos to match remixes. COOL

DO YOU HAVE ANY TIPS YOU’D LIKE TO SHARE WITH

YOUNG REMIXERS LIKE ME (LOL)?
Stay on top of the current music and styles. Find the style of remixing that is your own. One that defines you. In the beginning, your mixes might not be the best in comparison to others, although it is hard to see flaws when you’re so proud of your accomplishments. At least, it was that way for me. Practice makes perfect. Don’t take criticism too personal. Use it as a way to improve yourself. Practice editing with the current programs. Plan things out in your head first as to what you want your mix to sound like. Don’t lie and say your mix is official. It’s been done so many times and die hards and music analysts can find the tiniest unrecognizable flaws that an official mix would not have. Keep at, improving yourself and then promote them!

HAVE YOU EVER BEEN IN BRAZIL?No, but I would love to! Unfortunately, I’ve never left the United States.

DO YOU HAVE A MESSAGE TO YOUR FANS?Thanks for keeping me company on this journey of mine. I left you once, I may leave you again, but I will always return – as long as you’ll have me. There’s still some passion in this old man. Take care. Be kind to one another.

DONNY,´THANKS SO MUCH FOR THIS EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW, YOU´RE SO KIND. WE´RE WAITING MORE DONNY REMIXES AND PROJECTS.