Carlita

0:12Hello and welcome to the Monaco Weekly. This time I had the pleasure to speak with Turkish-Italian DJ and producer Carlita. We spoke about fashion and music and her latest release, a mixed compilation by London's most important club, Fabric. Here's Carlita with more.

0:46Carlita, what a pleasure. Welcome to Monaco Radio. Let's talk about your music. There's lots of exciting projects. And actually, if you don't mind, shall we start with Fabric Presents Carlita, which is a new compilation that just came out this month. So tell us a bit more. How was the process to make this selection of music, which includes new music for new as well? Actually, I'm very proud of that project. It's a really exciting one. I basically compiled. I did like a compilation of people that I admire that I asked their music, like if I could use their music. And it was kind of like a licensing.

1:23You have to ask them, can I use your track for this compilation? Is it out yet? So it was kind of like a long communication between artists and myself. And I compiled. And meanwhile, I gave two exclusive tracks to Fabric. One, it was already produced. And the other track, the second one, I produced according to the compilation. I'm like, okay, I want to do something to help it's going to fit to the mix. So the second track, which came out just right now called Can't Stop, it's just basically written for the compilation. And other track, first track, Ralph, I wrote that track for my best friend, Ralph, who's an amazing fashion photographer, Rafael Pavarotti.

2:03He's amazing. And actually, basically, long story short, like for that song was like, I got like a phone call from him and he's like, hey I'm doing some exciting project for Bogitalia I'm like okay and he's like do you want to play like we're just basically teaming up with Katie Grant and Francesco the editor of Bogitalia and myself and I'm like okay that's amazing of course I'm in and then the event was fantastic he took the pictures like meanwhile that it was gonna go for a cover and the event was actually so fun and like it was like iconic night for sure and that cover is beautiful Vogue Italia by the way I think he came out it was the December issue from last year right it's it's quite iconic very disco-esque as well it was very unexpected it was when I didn't know that he's I was gonna be in the cover but like yeah I love it so much like apparently it's the first DJ ever in a Vogue cover so it's it's very special for sure basically that he asked me to do a music for the video of that night and that's why I saved the file name as rough and I never changed it.

3:11So that track is completely written for that memory.

3:21That's beautiful. You have amazing music. I love your solo album from last year as well. But what was the vibe you're going through with this compilation? Because of course it's a mix of different artists. Is it something you wanted a lot of kind of different music together or something that you can just listen along and just feel the vibe? I wonder what was the process of picking some of those tracks? To be honest, Fabric is an institution. And every time I go there, I always listen to an amazing underground ravey music. And so I wanted to go a little bit more underground compared to my album.

3:59My album was more for it to, it was more chill and more like a journey. No, Fabric was a completely journey also, but Fabric was for me a dancing and ravey journey versus my album is more listening, chilling. No, that's a good comparison. And, you know, you mentioned your friend, Rafael Pavarotti, a great fashion photographer. What's your connection actually with the fashion industry? Because I know they love you. You're on the cover of Vogue Italia and you play, you know, a lot of parties from that industry. Was it something quite organic or are you someone that is actually very interested in fashion itself?

4:37Both. I love fashion. I'm very into fashion, of course. But also everything happens very organically because nowadays music is not house music, I would say. music been always connected to fashion but i think especially right now house music is extremely connected to fashion you see a lot of creative directors coming to for instance to circo loco you see them in circo loco dancing and i was at the right time right place out of the times i would say a lot of people saw me playing and they're like okay she's amazing like let's let's get her to this fashion gig and then um after that like slowly last two years I start getting invited to the shows to watch more it's become a more than DJing it's just becoming I think it's more becoming a persona that goes to the fashion events and yeah it's or it's now become a first started as a love and then now it become like a lifestyle I would say well and let's be honest here music and fashion is such a powerful combination and even when I'm you know when I watch the shows from Paris, Milan, New York to be honest the soundtrack of a show can can kind of sometimes make or break a collection maybe I'm exaggerating here but I do think there's a massive importance to the the music right?

5:57Absolutely absolutely like sometimes I even get it there like oh like the music was even better than the yeah well actually I got it a couple times for people talking about it yeah 100 percent it's like as I feel like people criticize the collection and also they criticize about music also they're like oh music was good music was not good music was insane so i feel like they're like music and fashion walking together and it's been like that for since the beginning and one thing you know of course i've been reading a few articles about you that i think is fascinating you're a dj but you you know how to I play a few instruments with cello, for example.

6:37So how do you use that knowledge of the instruments, you know, to play with your music? Is there kind of a connection? I mean, tell us a bit more because it's great. I mean, you're very much a professional. You play classical cello and I think other instruments as well, right? I do play drums, guitar, bass guitar, a little bit of piano and cello. I do record some of the instruments on my music. Not always, but when it's appropriate for the track, I love recording, especially like percussions and drums. I love live recording it and the bass. And also, of course, playing instruments helped me to songwrite easier for myself because for me, I didn't learn the software first.

7:22I learned first the instruments. And then I had to learn how to write the instruments and the software. So it's kind of easy writing. You are Turkish-Italian. Are those countries influenced somehow in your music? But you're also based between Paris and New York. So, you know, you're everywhere in that sense. But was there any country that perhaps influenced you more musically? I grew up in Turkey, I would say. But Turkey is a country that you meet East and West. So when you grow up in Turkey, that makes you influence all of the Eastern culture, which is like a Middle Eastern and those kind of music lifestyle and culture.

8:07and when you also think that the Western culture that you can get a lot of influence from it. So actually it's very funny because people, when you're Turkish, people, it's hard to understand that if you're Turkish or not, because they're like, oh, where is she from? Is she Mexican? Is she like, no, she's not even European. Maybe she's from like Middle East and I'm like, so it's a country that you don't really understand where are you from. So I think because growing up in Turkey, I got influenced by so many cultures. because of the country's position, the history and music, the culture. But also because of my grandparents, my grandpa mainly, I listened to a lot of Italian music, old Italian music.

8:49So I'm really into, I think, a lot of things. And of course, studying in the US, like getting into so many music culture in the US, hip hop, like I feel like I have a very, very diverse style and that comes from me changing my locations and of course my culture, I would say. I think that's fascinating. And here on Monaco, I kind of do the playlist here on our radio station. I'm using more and more Turkish artists. I think there's an interesting scene happening there, I would say, with pop music and other styles as well. I wonder if you could give us a preview of where will you be performing this spring, summer.

9:28I know there's a place that I would like to be at Sunset DJ set in Paris. is a thing that's at the end of May, right? Yeah, that's a really exciting one. Like, it's like a one-off gig I got. Like, they're like, do you want to play in Eiffel Tower? I'm like, of course, that's iconic. You and Celine Dion. Why not? That's an exciting one. Secret Lock opening is end of April, 28th of April. That's also an exciting one. I'm really looking forward to play for Primavera Festival in Barcelona. It's on June 8th, I believe. Exactly, Glastonbury Festival, of course, I love. That's also end of June. I might or might not do a pop-up in Paris for Fête de la Musique, which I'm excited.

10:17Yeah, many shows are coming. EDC Las Vegas, May 17th. And I'm going first time to Japan. Extremely excited. And I turned my show to a holiday for 10 days, so I'm really looking forward to it. And yeah, many shows in summer, really exciting. And next week I'm speaking in Harvard, which I'm also very excited. And then I'm going to play in a fret house in Harvard. It's going to be like a surprise-ish show. And yeah. I love it. What a diverse list of places to be playing. And finally, I'd just like to ask you, Kalita, what song do you always have to play? because you know that it's going to make the dance floor be in a very good vibe.

11:04I always play my track Time and of my sets because people really like it and they know the lyrics usually and they start singing and if they don't know it, they usually shazam it. So I actually play it. But yeah, I think that's the only song I play 100 % on my sets for sure. I love your song TV Disco from your album Sentiment. It's really nice actually. I'm so happy you like that one because that's one of the tracks that didn't get the most attention, I think. And it's actually one of my favorites in the album, too. Like two tracks, one is that one and the other one is falling. And those are tracks that got the least attention.

11:41After this interview, people will start listening to them again. Amazing. Listen, Kalita, what a pleasure talking to you. And hopefully I'll see you in one of your gigs. Who knows, maybe the Sunset one in Paris. But thank you so much for chatting with us.

12:10Thank you very much, Kalita. The show was edited by Elliot Greenfield. Thank you for listening.