Background Notes
After dj-ing in the early ’80s, spinning funky stuff, disco dance and jazz funk, dj diskobolus left his native Italy and moved to London. There he dedicated himself mostly to campaigning for animal rights, environmental and social issues.
He got involved with London Greenpeace ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Greenpeace) and London Vegans ( http://www.londonvegans.org/lvhome.php ) partecipating in various meetings, demos, campaigns and events, from the first “stop the city” of 27 september 1983 ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stop_the_City ) to the “reclaim the street” in Upper street of 23 july 1995 ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reclaim_the_Streets ).
His wide range of interests did not affect his love of music, from classical and world music to new age and jazz. He kept playing his guitars, composing over one hundred songs and tracks not yet released. (https://www.diskobolus.com/stefan-marno-music/)
He started nightclubbing again in the late ’80s early ’90s when working as a freelance correspondent for Tam Tam, a music/club culture/nightlife magazine from northern Italy, visiting many London clubs ( Heaven, Iceni and Paradise, to name just a few), and interviewing promoters, musicians and djs (among others Gilles Peterson, Patrick Forge and Jonny Haywood).
Listening to their radio programs, he discovered jungle/drum and bass. Fascinated by this new sound he got hooked on d’n’b after visiting Speed, the legendary Thursday d’n’b night at Mars, where he could listen to djs like LTJ Bukem, Fabio and Kemistry & Storm) and The Metalheadz Sunday Sessions at the Blue Note hosted by djs like Grooverider, Doc Scott, Goldie.
When the magazine stopped publication he moved back to Italy and at the beginning of ’97 he returned to dj-ing and became resident dj at “Aria Pura”,(Fresh Air) a weekly acid jazz and jungle beat night at a commercial discobar in Trento called Bollicine (Bubbles). Then he also hosted and produced pioneering radio programs 100% d&b, “Planet Jungle” and later in the new millennium “DB Sound” and “Basswaves fm”, which was broadcast all across Italy by a network of several independent radios ( https://www.yumpu.com/it/document/read/34295176/on-air-e-on-line-news-musicgel-italy-tilllatecom )
Over the years he has played several gigs in various clubs and events.
In 2002 he was on stage at the Summer Session festival ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBR5sYrco1A ), and in 2005 on the beach at the drum & bass international festival Sun & Bass . ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5BKsPSMgDI )
He remains firmly hooked on drum’n’bass, “the sound of the underground”.
Dj attivo sin dagli anni 80 quando per il dancefloor selezionava funky, jazz funk e disco dance, ha vissuto negli anni 80 e 90 a Londra, dove è entrato in contatto prima con la musica acid jazz e poi con la scena jungle/d&b delle storiche serate Rage e Speed, e collaborando con il periodico Tam Tam inviando reportage della vita notturna e del nightclubbing londinese. Rientrato in Italia nella seconda metà degli anni 90 è stato tra i primi dj italiani a suonare e proporre d&b, allora genere underground del tutto sconosciuto, sia in radio con i programmi Planet Jungle e DB Sound sia nei club. Nel 2002 ha suonato al festival Summer Session ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBR5sYrco1A ) e nel 2005 al Sun & Bass, ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBR5sYrco1A ) storico festival internazionale di musica drum & bass che si tiene ogni anno in settembre a San Teodoro in Sardegna . Nei primi anni 2000 è stato il direttore artistico e producer del canale drum & bass del portale Musicgel.com. Si chiamava Basswaves.fm ( https://www.yumpu.com/it/document/read/34295176/on-air-e-on-line-news-musicgel-italy-tilllatecom ) e i programmi settimanali erano trasmessi da un network di radio in tutto il territorio nazionale e in streaming sul portale Musicgel. Più recentemente ha riproposto il suo programma 100% d&b DB Sound trasmesso dalla web radio www.sanbaradio.it,
Attualmente è attivo perlopiù con mix caricati su youtube e mixcloud.com e sul suo sito www.diskobolus.com