Loco Dice / "The Sentence" and "3 Is The Magic Number"

GIANNI COHEN

Loco Dice has been killing it as an electronic dance DJ and hip-hop producer since the early 2000s. Nearly twenty years later, quarantine has encouraged him to branch into some new territory.

One of his latest creative endeavors is creating and hosting “3 Is The Magic Number,” a talk show featured on his Instagram to his half a million followers. Each week a new guest is welcomed on to chat about any three of their favorite things. Since its creation in April, Diplo, Carnage, Carl Craig and more have hopped on to talk about their favs. 

On top of that his newest EP “The Sentence” was released earlier this month. The three-track project is just another demonstration of his ability to produce great content even in less than traditional times.

I sat down with Loco Dice over Zoom to talk about his latest projects. Read our conversation below:

What was the inspiration behind your new EP?

“The Sentence” comes from the same idea like my label “En Couleur” comes from. I’ve been in the studio every day creating, working on ideas, producing and I had a lot of material in the past month, and as you can imagine with the situation we have now I had much more material. And I finished some music, I was listening to the music and I started to put pieces together and this is how the whole EPs, I would say come together, especially “The Sentence” EP.

How would you describe it in three words?

Smoke, Mood, Laidback.

How does it differ from some of your other work?

It is already the third release on my label and with this music... I created this label to put out music where I have more freedom. Means I’m not directed by club or by hype or moods I have in that moment, it’s by a long term mood let’s say, so I go to the studio and I just make music and that’s the result of it.

Do you have a favorite memory from putting this EP together?

I think the memory was when I was sitting in the studio and I was listening and putting the pieces together and you have that moment, that “Ah!” I remember I was relieved because everything was fitting perfectly together and everything was flowing out of my hands, so that was a great moment. 

My new single "The Sentence" from my "The Sentence" EP. Now available for streaming: https://en-couleur.lnk.to/TheSentence See you at http://www.locodice.com...

I want to talk about your Instagram chat show, what was your inspiration behind that?

“3 Is The Magic Number” started during lockdown, so I had a lot of time and I had this idea. we are not in the clubs, the people cannot come to us, why don’t we go to the people and the fans and to the friends. And I started to think, okay what could be the format? I didn't want anything stupid, I leave it to the professionals, to the journalists, to interview DJs so I was like okay what do I want to know from them? I want to know their favorite things and to keep it short I want to know their three favorite things and everything else came show-by-show, by pieces together and it's perfect now. I had like five guys already, girls.

You talked about clubs being closed because of Corona, how has corona affected you creatively?

It's different times, you have to adjust to this time and to  circumstances with where we’re at and I'm concentrating on my outcome from the studio. I’m trying to be creative every day and I try to create music. Being more into the eight-hour work with the other label of mine. Designing t-shirts and designing things and I think I discovered if I keep myself busy enough I don't think too much about the current situation which is quite difficult for all of us. 

What’s the first thing you’re going to do when quarantine is lifted and Corona is gone?

I'm going to head straight back to Thailand to my Muay Thai camp and I train and sweat and just sweat it all out, fight it all out. {Laughs}

Jumping back to your Instagram show, do you have a favorite guest you’ve had on so far?

I love them all. I mean all the guests, that's my freedom. I invite interesting, cool people that I want to know more about. The whole show starts with preparation like I'm forced because I want to prepare it for the fans and for myself to read their biographies, dig deeper inside what they have achieved or done and that is the way that makes me happy in that moment. You know, to share it with the people and also show them, “Hey I want to know who you are that I'm talking to you know besides your three favorite things.” I think they’ve all done an amazing job so far. You can imagine some of them are not very comfortable with IG Live and more the DJ or the producer and I try to tickle it out of them.

Is there a guest that you’re wanting to have on that you haven’t had on yet? 

There's plenty. Let's start from interesting characters to find out how they’re ticking from Kanye West to Dr. Dre to weirdos, designers I don't know the list goes. There’s a lot like Shaquille O'Neal could be an interesting person to talk to right now and the list goes on. 

Where do you see that show going in the future?

I don't know, I don't know. I'm continuing doing this show as long as possible even when everything starts and gets back to normal. You know, it's like music and everything else as long as I have fun with it and as long as I see the people enjoying it and I'm getting really beautiful messages from a lot of people, I’ll keep doing it. Why would I stop?

What is your favorite memory from your career or maybe a more recent memory?

Recent memories... I'm still trying to digest all these beautiful memories that I had and it's an amazing time actually to say now. I would say I would pick the first memories because they meant a lot to me. From moving from hip-hop to electronic music, not being accepted by that time was a hard struggle. And I remember that moment when I went got invited to outside my Residence Club to a club called Tribehouse which had the biggest DJs by that time and they knew I’m a hip-hop DJ and they gave me this platform and the chance to play and I still remember the first gig there it was just an incredible feeling. Two weeks later I was invited by one of the biggest magazines in Germany, a rave magazine, and play on Rave on Snow and they allowed me to include even hip-hop in my set and that was a blessing and I still remember those two things. These are amazing memories.

How has your life and career changed since then? 

How does it change, I mean I became successful in a new genre, in a new music scene. I’m still learning which is amazing. I was able to travel the world and meet really interesting people all around the world and cultures and get to know how people are ticking on the other side, on this side, on the South or North and I'm blessed and I'm thankful and grateful and I'm very humble with the whole situation and I keep doing, I keep sharing and that’s the most important thing. I want to share everything that I learned and what I know with other people and to pass it on so this scene that allowed me to get in and be a part of this scene, I want to help the scene to grow and to pass it over to the new generation.

What are your goals for yourself in the next year?

My goals is first of all in this situation, staying healthy and you know I say this every day, it's stay who I am, not losing the right path, the positive path, the right way. I'm happy where I am now in the state of mind I am. I'm happy with myself and I want to continue this way, sharing love positive energy and being that cool dude that everybody knows or thinks he knows for ages you know nothing special.