To start, we’d love it if you could take us back to the early days of disco. You were a pioneering figure for the genre in its infancy, making music designed for clubs. Can you tell us about how you came to discover disco and what you think caught listener’s ears?
I discovered it at the time back, in the early 7os, when I was the drummer of my afro-rock band Kongas. In the middle of our concerts we would perform a long moment of solo percussions and I had the idea of this ‘4 to the floor’ rhythm with the kick, and the hi-hat in sixteenth notes, which gave my percussionists a rhythmic base. The audience was really excited by this and it would even put them in a trance.

A sense of joy is key to your sound, which was perfect for dancing, loving and having a good time. What was your secret to keeping people connected to each track?
When I produced my first album Love In C Minor, I wanted to use this kind of rhythm over a length of 16 minutes and 30 seconds, and all the arrangements were designed to keep this atmosphere for the discotheques to embark the public on a journey with me.

Outside of music, you’ve produced giant sound and light shows, written books and made films. How did you approach these different forms of creativity and in what ways were they infused with your signature style and flair?
As a matter of fact, I have always been involved in productions where the events as well as the music were the key elements, not to say the paramount leaders.

You’ve recently reworked many of your classic tracks, updating them with new instrumentation and modern technological tweaks. How did you approach the task of reworking these tracks but ensuring they retained the same sense of energy and ecstasy of the originals?
It’s thanks to the fact that I started DJing for about ten years now, and as I only play my repertoire, I started to perform with the public track by track creating additional effects or the equivalent of a live remix. Since I use DAWs like Ableton Live Push and have the separate tracks, it came naturally to me.

You’ll be performing these tunes at the Brisbane Powerhouse on Friday June 2 – what do you hope partygoers take away from the experience of seeing you live?
At every event or concert I’m performing, my role, so to speak, is to take people on a journey with festive, sensual music as far as I can. I must say it all has been going amazingly well so far.

Your career has had an incredible legacy, with many contemporary artists citing you as a major influence. In what ways do you see the impact your work has had on the current musical landscape?
Well, I guess the rhythm with which I came on Love In C Minor has made its way, and mind you, today, 50 years later, there are actually very few productions that do not use this kind of rhythm! I also think that from decade to decade, having been remixed, sampled or even through covers, it has allowed my sound to survive for all these years.

Are there any artists working today that you think currently embody the best parts of disco, even if they don’t necessarily perform disco music?
Yes, of course, artists such as Daft Punk, Dua Lipa, Purple Disco Machine, to quote a few. There are so many. And the most amazing thing about this, I have the feeling of reliving in festivals more or less the same thing that was occurring in the 70s, with crazy atmospheres, people moving and dancing to the music with their arms in the air and not caring if they’re being watched, just as we did in the disco years.

Outside of music, what are you currently finding inspiring?
Music, music, concerts and music!

Catch Cerrone performing his hits at Brisbane Powerhouse on Friday June 2 – head to Ticketek for tickets!