Norman Doray

Brings French disco to Arkadia with sounds from an Ibiza-inspired summer

By Michael Hamersly | mikehamersly@gmail.com9/13/2011

Just can't get enough of that French disco sound - c'est fantastique, non? Oui, oui! The latest Parisian producer to hit the Magic City is Norman Doray, who spins Thursday night (Sept. 15) at Arkadia in the fabulous Fontainebleau Miami Beach (4441 Collins Ave.) for all you naughty children looking to party on a school night. Doray steps behind the decks in support of his debut mix CD, "Strictly Ibiza to Amsterdam," featuring the new sun-kissed single, "Kalifornia," which is getting heavy support from the likes of Swedish House Mafia, Tiesto, Dirty South and David Guetta. Doray talked to Miami.com about the show.

Are you looking forward to coming to Miami?
Yeah, I'm really excited to go there. I'm getting ready and leaving in a few hours.

You've had quite a summer in Ibiza. What are a few of the highlights?
Yeah, it was a big summer in Ibiza this year. The best moments were probably with Swedish House Mafia at Ushuaia, a completely new place in Ibiza. It's just amazing. It's outside and looks a bit like Miami, actually.

How often do you visit Miami?
I come to Miami about every three or four months, so I will be here for New Year's and for sure I'm coming for the WMC, as I have for a few years now.

What can we expect from your set at Arkadia?
I like Arkadia because it's different from the other places I have played in Miami - it's way smaller and more intimate. I never pick my set - I try to adapt to the crowd, and play more underground stuff. At a small place it's easier to play groovy and sexy house.

Will we hear tracks from the new CD?
Yeah, for sure. In this compilation I tried to include all the biggest tracks from Ibiza this summer, like Dirty South and Thomas Gold's "Alive," and all the tracks like this in my compilation, plus my new single "Kalifornia."

What inspired you to become a DJ?
I always listened to music in my life when I was a child - my parents were always listening to funk and disco music. So I was always inside living with the music, and I discovered house music in the late '90s, and I was like, "OK, I just want to be a DJ" to share this kind of music with the people. So that's how i started - just sharing the music. And today I'm trying to get influenced by everything - from disco and funk to something really strong and progressive.