If you’re a NYC dance partygoer with a taste for gritty disco beats with Euro and Italo spice, you’re likely familiar with iconic international DJ fernanDITO whose “Scandalo NYC” flagship event will soon turn one decade old.
Thotyssey: Ciao fernanDITO, happy April! Recently you DJed a Kylie Minogue Concert Week kickoff party at Metropolitan in Brooklyn. How did that go?
fernanDITO: Happy April… The Kylie tribute party at Metropolitan Bar went amazingly well; we were very happy to have had a packed venue all throughout the night! I also attended Kylie’s concert at MSG last Saturday, and it was an amazing show. I wished I bought tickets for both NY shows, because I honestly couldn’t get enough…
Do you think Kylie is the most timeless diva of current gay culture?
She’s definitely in my Top 5, though I don’t have a set ranking for the other divas. Kylie is definitely making waves right now with her tour, and all the excellent music released since the pandemic.
Overall as a DJ and event producer, what do you want your nights to sound–and for that matter look–like?
Number one priority for a party is for people to dance, enjoy themselves and facilitate that bit of escapism that a festive environment can provide. Also, creating a temporal space where you can relax, be yourself and share fun moments with old and new friends is important. At “Scandalo NYC,” we focus on Italo disco, classic house and Europop. This emphasis in an old school sound can also be translated into the aesthetic.
Whenever I’m in gay bars, DJs are usually serving Top 40 and patrons seem to want only that. Do generations of young partygoers need to be schooled, or are the people who want something different always going to go out and find it?
Fortunately for us, New York is big enough to accommodate a lot of different tastes; that’s one of the reasons I decided to live here. I also feel certain music is more appropriate for certain occasions. Some tunes that I play now were Top 40 some time ago. Younger partygoers have a wider exposure to different types of sounds nowadays. But also if they are looking for something more specific, it’s easier to find it.
Can you tell us about where you’re from, and what music you grew up with?
Since my love and curiosity for music started very young, I always looked to experience as many different sounds as possible. As a teenager, I loved American and British pop and dance music. Whilst being born in Venezuela, I grew up with the pop, dance and rock from Latin America. My family is Italian, and that exposed me to a lot of European pop and music culture. I also studied classical musical while in high school, gave organ recitals, and played a couple other instruments with an orchestra and school band.
How did you come to be a DJ in NYC?
I’ve been a DJ since the early 90s, and have had the fortune of having lived in many places such as Venezuela, Australia and several European countries before moving to the USA.
When I finally made Brooklyn my home, around 2013, I already had friends here (and had actually DJed on a few occasions before). My friends introduced me to their DJ friends and the rest is history. I started to get booked at friends’ events and became more acquainted with venue owners, and in 2015 started my own party “Scandalo NYC” at C’mon Everybody, which also was just opening back then.
And years before it ultimately became the essential queer Brooklyn destination it is today!
Indeed… we were one of the few queer events at C’mon back then!
Tell us about what your original mission was with “Scandalo,” and how it evolved over time.
Scandalo’s mission has been quite steady over the years. It was inspired by the re-discovery of Italo disco and synth pop in general, which started becoming popular by the 2010s and that I experienced at queer events in Berlin and other European cities.
The mix with the old and new created a mix in the crowd as well that felt electric, refreshing and exciting.
Having grown up in the 80s and 90s, Italo and Europop was all music I knew very well. It felt natural to work with it and mix it with other (newer) types of dance music, once again being greatly inspired by other DJs who were doing this already. What sealed the deal was noticing that this kind of sound wasn’t being played much in New York’s queer scene by the 2013-14s.
It seemed like a perfect opportunity to launch “Scandalo,” and on a more personal note to fulfill a lifelong dream of hosting a queer ongoing party in NYC. “Scandalo” is proud to have had as guests many of today’s NY leading DJs, as well as many European ones. Music tastes evolve constantly, and we’re not a strictly Italo-disco / Euro dance party like we started out to be, but Italo is still a strong element in our brand and something for which we get discovered / searched by people who have yet to experience our parties.
On Friday, “Scandalo” returns to Brooklyn’s Jade Bar as the party approaches its first decade of life! You’ll be DJing with SPRFRK and SYNES. That’s exciting!
The actual birthday party will be in July (spoiler alert!), but yes, I am proud, grateful and fortunate to have this event going for ten years now. I never have enough time to thank the collaboration of so many supportive and dedicated friends (including those who don’t work with us anymore) who have helped build our community. SPRFRK is the co-resident DJ at “Scandalo” since 2020, and apart from being an adorable person, is also very passionate about music. I’ve known Synes since “Scandalo” started, and regard him as an incredibly talented and exciting DJ.
We’re reminding everyone that 2025 is our 10th anniversary, aiming to make every party very special on this year where so many of us don’t feel in the best of spirits. So yeah, very excited is an understatement. I’m ecstatic!
And on May 2, you and DJ Mainiero will be bringing us the return of the very cruisy “Come For Daddy” party to Red Eye!
Very cruisy indeed! Love playing that party since my selection becomes darker, deeper and more sensual, and it lets me explore other sounds that I love, but don’t get much air time at my other gigs.
I feel it’s best for the organizers Leo and Jordan to explain their vision of the event; music-wise, I love that the organizers envisioned this type of party with no circuit music. So all I can add is that I’m grateful for being part of it. I’m happy that it’s turning out to be so successful, and that it’s a very uninhibited, sexy good time… with really good music!
What else is coming up for you?
2025 is going to be a busy year with “Scandalo,” the big birthday party in July, etc. and proposals of doing “Scandalo” outside of New York are in the works. “Come for Daddy” also will keep happening, which is always fun. I’m getting back into music production, which I haven’t done since early 2000s, so I’ll be riding that learning curve as well.
Amazing! To close, what’s your best advice for a baby DJ who wants to make it big on the scene?
I think there are DJ schools now that have better answers than me for that question. Just keep at it!
Thanks, DJ!
Check Thotyssey’s calendar for DJ fernanDITO’s upcoming appearances, and follow him on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and his website.
Thotyssey 