Making a name for themselves thanks to their vibrant energy and distinctive look, Italian duo DJS From Mars are known for their viral bootlegs and huge collaborations. Speaking of huge collaborations, there’s not many fellow producers in the industry that they haven’t collaborated with, but their latest sees them team up officially with David Guetta on a single. Alongside Audio Bullys, ‘Things I Haven’t Told You’ is already lighting up the scene, and we sat down with the duo to talk about all of this and more.
Congratulations on your new release with David Guetta and Audio Bullys, ‘Things I Haven’t Told You’. How long had you guys been working on it?
“Thank you! The track was actually ready in 2024! The production was not really long but we had to try different versions according to David’s suggestions to make it really perfect! He’s the most hard working guy in the industry and he wants everything to be great at 200% so we tried different versions before the release in order to make it BIG!
Then, we had to find a free slot in David’s release schedule, and get the clearance from the original writers so finally it’s out in 2025!”
How did you guys originally connect with David Guetta?
“He’s loved our mash-ups for a long time! We tried to impress him by creating a 5 minute mash-up of 30 of his greatest hits – he loved it (it’s actually uploaded on his YouTube Channel) and we started working together, producing mash-ups for his sets. When he wants to make a new set he starts sending ideas and we work back and forth on several edits and mash-ups, most of them are part of his sets in the last years. But since we had this great opportunity to be in touch with him, we also tried to send him some demos for an original release once in a while… He loves the way we create those UK Bass drops so when he had the idea of using the Audio Bullys vocals we created a drop in this style and that edit immediately worked great in his and our sets! So he decided to make it an official release and here we are!”
What is it that you think makes things work so well between you guys?
“We have different roles, Luca takes care of all the music production, while Max is more the live show guy, so we don’t have conflicts because we take care of different aspects of the project. We think this is the reason the project is lasting so long (we’ve toured non-stop for 15 years). We know a lot of DJ duos that had to split because of different visions, in this case we don’t have to discuss every minute because each one of us is taking care of different things. Also we still feel lucky for living this life, we know it’s hard work but it’s really a privilege to make a living out of your genuine passion for music. So we are thankful for every minute we spend on tour or in studio and we don’t have time to argue.”
The box heads have become your signature look, but where did the inspiration come from?
“It’s funny because it was supposed to be an “anonymous” face. We had a song in 2009 about the fact that nobody cares about djs in a club (time proved us wrong!) and the video was based on this anonymous dj without a face. In the end, it turned out to be our trademark! Everyone wanted a photo with us at the first shows, when we were super unknown of course – but we thought it was a good idea because it caught the crowd’s attention.
Also, it’s recalling the Greek Theatrical Masks, where the actors were identified by their facial expression on their mask. This allows us to play a part on stage, and come back to real life as a totally different personality. Just like Bruce Wayne and Batman!”
Where does the name ‘DJs From Mars’ come from?
“We wanted to keep the “DJS” word in the name, to make it clear we were not a fake dance act like it used to be normal in the 90’s dance scene. So we wondered “DJS” what? What we do? Music that is different, from another planet…from MARS! And it also sounded perfect! So the name was there!”
Aside from original productions, you’re also well known for your bootlegs. When you approach the creation process of a new bootleg, how does it typically go?
“We really listen to a lot of music, we love every genre and style. We really love hip-hop, rock music, electronic of course, but also indie pop, even classical music. We’re omnivorous when it comes to music. So, every day, listening to a new song, or an old one, we come across a vocal that we would love to play in our sets. Or a sample that would work really good in a club. Or, before our show, the opening DJ is playing a song that has a great reaction on the crowd. And so we’re constantly adding titles to our “TO DO” notes app. Then we’re back in the studio, we load a vocal and go through the “samples” list trying to find a good match. We can try 100 samples before we feel it’s the perfect one, but when the right one comes we recognize it immediately and it’s a magical moment! So when we have a great combo we start working on the instrumental to make clear it’s a DJs From Mars bootleg, adding electronic beats and elements to bring the track into our world…. And next thing you know, it’s time to play it in front of a crowd…the first time is always exciting. When the reaction is great, we fix some minor details and when it’s perfect, it’s already on YouTube the day after ;)”
What is next for you guys in 2025?
“More music, more shows, we already have some great releases ready, a brand new bootleg pack is going to be released in September, and we have great ideas for new tracks that we’re going to work on after this super busy summer tour…so we’re super excited for the second half of this year, and also for 2026!”
