It was back in 2003 when Domenick Filopei and Bo Pericic met and from that point onwards transformed themselves into the international duo that we now know as Filo & Peri. Since hooking, Filo & Peri have been setting the world of trance on fire. Their early work spoke volumes about the quality and potential of the pair. Tracks like “Closer Now” and “Ordinary Moment” were snapped up straight away to the VANDIT imprint.
In 2007 they released their biggest hit to date, "Anthem", which clocked up major success across all continents.
2008 has seen Dom and Bo take on more countries than ever with yet more stunning productions under their belt such as “Shine On” and “Buzzed Up” leaving the door wide open for the future.

With a new album set for release this year, we had a great reason to interview them. We caught up with Dom for a chat.
Hi Dom. You’ve announced that you are going to release a new album this year. When can we expect it?

The album should be out around September of this year.

Tell us more about the album. What can we expect from it?

The album has been an amazing experience to make but also a very difficult one. We’ve overcome a lot of obstacles (a fire in our studio, just to name one) but I can tell you that from over forty different productions we’ve made our favorite 15-20 will be chosen to make the final cut! There are some great vocal collaborations with Fisher, Eric Lumiere, and some other less known singers. Plenty of club bangers and instrumentals too – I guess you will just have to wait and see!
The "Drops Of Jupiter EP" has just been released on Vandit. A great release if you ask me. Are these tracks going to be on the album too?
Definetly. We’ve been very careful to make sure that the album will have enough tunes to please both the underground and the mainstream clubbers!

Your track with Eric Lumiere, "Anthem", was a huge success last year, and got you a huge number of new fans. On the other hand, some of the older fans didn’t seem to like the sudden change of style you had with this track, calling it too commercial and cheesy. How do you guys feel about that?

It is one of those things where its’s near impossible to please everyone. I don’t believe the style of music was drastically different from our other trance releases but a lot of people felt the vocal made it cheesy. At the end of the day, we make the music we connect to most and Anthem happened to be on our level. It was the first trance in a while to reach the Billboard #1 spot as well as the national UK Top 40. I think this type of visibility is great for dance music because it gives more people a chance to discover the genre. It’s not like we stopped making music for the club!

What sparked your interest in Eric musically and how did you two come into contact with him?

Bo knew Eric from University and the two clicked as friends first before we decided to work on music together.

You also released a follow up of "Anthem" called "Shine On". Are there more tracks of this style on the album?

We have definitely made an effort to find the right blend between vocal and club tracks. There really are two sides to Bo and I. We love the underground club stuff and its reflected in our DJ sets, but we also love the vocals people can relate to.

Your tracks have been remixed by the likes of Nic Chagall, Cicada, Thomas Gold, and John O’Callaghan who are heavy weights in the industry. When a producers/DJs like these men take a liking to your work, make a request to remix it, how does it make you feel?

It’s great because Vandit works with us in choosing the remixers. We selected Nic Chagall and Vandit selected JOC to remix Anthem. There’s a mutual respect we have for each other and everyone has their say.

Leading from the above, is there perhaps any advice you could give for any other producers yearning to make their breakout?

The key thing is to be original. Artists who have broken out have brought something unique to their sound.

I’ve always wondered, how is it like working on a track in a team? How do you overcome the difference in ideas both of you get while doing production work?

The differences in our ideas and the creative tensions between the two of us are a big part of what makes our sound unique. Because we come from such different musical backgrounds it effects the productions. I think it’s a major reason why our productions have always sounded a bit different than everyone else’s.

Your work has been heavily used by Armin van Buuren and featured in his compilations as well as his radio show quite early in your career together. He also signed your first release. What events led to him finding such gems like yourselves?

Armin came to town one week so we decided he would be the first trance DJ to hand our music to. Bo wasn’t old enough to get into the club so I went solo. The night was packed and it was difficult to get near the booth because I didn’t know anyone involved in the scene at the time. After standing in the crowd for 20 minutes holding up the CD, Armin finally saw it and took it. Sure enough, he personally contacted us the week after and said he loved the song and wanted to sign it! Since then we have always maintained a great relationship with him.

You are currently signed to Vandit, and have been releasing your music for quite a while there. How did you get in touch with them?

When we first started out in our careers, you could say we were both a little impatient. We thought that becoming a superstar DJ was an overnight thing. Of course, its 5 years later and we were very wrong in that matter! We bounced around quite a bit early on in our careers trying to find the right fit for our style of production and a company that would get behind us 100%. We sent a demo of Ordinary Moment to Paul and after he played it on his radio show, we asked if he wanted to sign it. Fast forward to today and we are on board with Vandit Bookings and Management! They are a pleasure to work with.

What are your plans for the future, guys?

Spread the FNP style to the whole world!!