POSTCARDS FROM 88… Alfredo

There’s no doubt that the summer of 1988 marked a watershed moment in the history of dance, as the house rhythms of Chicago, artistic exuberance of Ibiza, and electronic soundscapes of Detroit surged through club culture. Acid house had arrived.

With this in mind, 909originals presents ‘Postcards from 88’, a series that sees leading DJs, promoters, journalists, club owners, photographers, and of course the clubbers themselves, shed some light on just what went on during those halcyon days, 30 years ago.

We’ve now reached the end of the ‘Postcards from 88’ journey, and what better way to wrap things up than with a catch up with the father of Balearic beat, whose residency at Amnesia in Ibiza helped light the touchpaper for the formation of acid house… the legendary Alfredo Fiorito.

Alfredo has also kindly put together a playlist of some of the tracks that helped soundtrack the summer of love, click one of the images below for the link… and turn the volume up!

Q. Do you remember what you were doing as the Summer of 1988 started?

I would have been preparing the opening of Amnesia, buying some records, probably in Italy, Switzerland or Germany. Some of the most interesting moments were at the start of the summer; the opening party was a real celebration.

Q. When or where did you first realise that ‘something different’ was happening with music, particularly dance/club music?

The first thing I realised when I started DJing, was that disco music was becoming commercial, and that house music would be the most important thing for the dancefloor, together with what they called Balearic beat. By 1988, I had been already playing this sort of music for four years.

Q. Was there a particular tune from the Summer of 1988 that stood out for you? Why?

I think that Joe Smooth’s Promised Land was for me the track of the summer, because Amnesia represented a real Promised Land for most of the people that passed through or ended up staying.

Q. Why do you think that people are still so interested in the origins of the dance scene, old school and everything that goes with it?

I think people have always been interested in the music from the past, as that knowledge can give them an idea of the evolution and the sound of the present. This is even more the case when the past is so rich, and precedes the digital era of the current day.

Q. If the ‘you’ from 1988 could give the ‘you’ from 2018 a piece of music-related advice, what would it be?

Keep your mind open. Keep your record collection as well, as the music changes with the times… and lastly, beware of excess!

Click here to access the DJ Alfredo ‘Amnesia 1988’ mix for 909originals, via Spotify

[Thanks to Alfredo for this week’s interview, and to all the other participants in our Postcards from 88 series over the past few months. Check out the other interviews in the series by clicking here]