The Standard

Été d'Amour In Flagranti

Jun 06 2012

Sunday June 17 at Le Bain, Nouveau York presents Eté d’Amour with New York beloved In Flagranti. The Transatlantic duo formed by Alex Gloor and Sasa Crnobmja has been a key figure of New York nightlife scene since the early 90’s. Sasa moved to London a few years ago, and he is always welcome back on the 18th dancefloor! We caught him red-handed above the Atlantic a few months ago for a Standard Q&A.

Sasa Crnobmja and Alex Gloor aka In Flagranti.

The Standard: You have been working together with your partner Alex Gloor since the early 90’s. You were based yourself in Basel at that time but Alex had been living in New York since the early 80’s where he had the chance to be involved in the punk-disco scene, the Paradise Garage, the early Madonna days, etc. Alex suggested you met him in New York for a while, and get inspired. Did you instantly fall in love with New York?

Sasa Crnobmja: It was in 1992 that I first came to New York to stay for a month and work on a clothing line for Eight Ball Records with Alex. He designed their logo, and was involved in setting up and designing the Eight Ball Records Shop. We had a small showcase at the Webster Hall which just opened and Deee-Lite wwas hosting the party. It was great fun, and at the end of my stay, I knew this was the City for me. I moved the following year.

Then you started organizing the Organic Grooves parties, djing and producing music, founding Codek Records with Alex… It seems those years were prolific in your life. Were you in a state of ‘New York Flow’ where work, creativity, and inspiration come together?

I was doing all of that already back in Switzerland, but by the time I was 25, people asked me when I will grow up and do something serious… In New York, people took serious what ever I was doing and everyone was supportive. So I was just going for it. To me it was the best environment I could be in.

In Flagranti I Can Thrill and Delight

When you first arrived in New York you were involved in fashion, designing clothes for the Liquid Sky shop, and you said you liked fashion but could not stand the fashion people - which sounds cool, as you are playing in the middle of New York Fashion Week. Regarding fashion, what inspires you today?

I stopped sewing almost 12 years ago, and have not payed much attention to fashion. But if I have to choose one, it has to be Dirk Bikkemberg or maybe Gaultier in the 80’s.

As a DJ, your style has been described as cosmic, your main influences “going from techno to disco, new and vintage”. ‘Cosmic’ seems maybe over-used in the past years. If you had to replace it, how would you describe your style?

I personally don’t like to put any name to my style of djing and ‘Cosmic’ has been totally hijacked by the media. We used to write ‘file under Cosmic’ back in the 90’s when we started Codek Records. But there was no such thing in the shops back then. For us, it was fun to be different even though we didn’t sell much.