Globally renowned dance music superstar, Fedde Le Grand talks to us prior to Sunburn B2B in Mumbai & Bengaluru!

Enjoying artistic freedom afforded only by an elite few, Fedde Le Grand is a masterful pioneer of electronica, considered by countless fans and artists as one of the single most defining figures in house music. Whether as DJ or producer, Fedde’s influence can be felt throughout the electronic landscape; his creative beats, grooves, melodies and rhythms surround us. Not only indulging in his own perfectionist musical tendencies, Fedde also nurtures new talent through his imprint Flamingo Records, using his years of hard-earned experience to push them towards superstardom. Yet through all the success, the international chart-topping heights and global DJ fame, his  focus is simply fixed on making and playing great tracks.

His dedication to music and his unwavering passion for the dance-floor continues to make him an intrinsic and dominant part of the ever-evolving dance music scene. A touchstone, an inspiration and a pioneer; he is definitive, he is essential, he is house music at its finest. He is Fedde Le Grand.

We had the pleasure of interviewing the globally renowned Dutchman prior to his tour of India as part of Sunburn B2B in Mumbai & Bengaluru. Hit past the break now to know what he had to tell us about the direction he feels dance music is headed in, India being a hub for dance music, a producer who’s fidelity he admires, his chance encounter with David Beckham & more!

We are “The Bangin Beats” – India’s premier dance music portal & we’re proud to welcome one of the most noteworthy figures from the world of dance music, Fedde Le Grand!

TBB: Hi Fedde! Welcome to thebanginbeats.com, thank you for taking time out to speak with us. To begin, could you take us down memory lane and tell us how it all began for you? Who or what first influenced your decision to produce music for a living?

Fedde Le Grand: No worries guys, thanks for having me. So it’s actually quite hard to pin point where it all began and who or what it was that sparked it, because music has always been huge in my life. I grew up listening to MJ and funk and soul music, influenced greatly by my parent’s tastes. When I came to my late teens, at 17 or 18, I started to play around with creating music and from there it just snowballed. I started to get local gigs which progressively got bigger, my tracks got interest from some people and it’s been my living for years and years. I can’t imagine doing much else!

TBB: Whilst you were starting out how much of a support were your family & friends? What role did they play in shaping your career?

Fedde Le Grand: Their support was huge to me. It’s not exactly the career parents want for their children but when they saw how much work I put into it they were fully behind me – my mum drove me to my first gig!

TBB: In a career packed with numerous accolades, you’ve witnessed a number of phases of electronic music as it has evolved from the UK to the other parts of the world. Would you say that you’re satisfied with the direction it’s taken? What do you envision as the future of house music?

Fedde Le Grand: You’re right, but in my opinion music tends to repeat itself every 10 to 15 years. House is booming right now, not even just in the clubs but also on mainstream radio. Same as it was in Europe in the 90’s with all the EuroDance, but now everything is on a global scale which is a very good thing! And I think house music will always find new ways to innovate itself like it did back then, and is doing / will do now. So I see a very bright future for dance music.

TBB: Quite a few stakeholders of the industry have criticized its increasingly commercial nature. As someone who is involved in so many aspects of the electronic music sphere, we’re very intrigued to know your thoughts?

Fedde Le Grand: Unfortunately when something gets commercial for some people there are other stakes at play than the creativity of it all, so I would agree that there is more music that is just a format that ‘works’ instead of the creative view of the artist. However as long as you guard the creative integrity of your music, then you’re fine. And the popularity of house music in whole is something I’m extremely happy with.

TBB: “Put Your Hands Up For Detroit” was a very clear indicator of your prowess. It went on to top a number of charts and is held as an anthem. When you first brought out the track did you believe it would work up such a storm?

Fedde Le Grand: Gosh no, you never expect a track to create such a storm! When it does happen its amazing and humbling in equal measure. It’s a marker of lots of hard work paying off.

TBB: In our conversations with Deniz Koyu, David Berrie and Danny Avila in the past, each of them said that you’ve been like a mentor and helped them in a number of ways, how does it feel to see all of them do so well under your guidance?

Fedde Le Grand: I love discovering and supporting new and raw talent. In Danny’s case I even helped him produce. I think it’s important to keep your eye on new artists, for me as a producer and label owner. At the moment I’m super excited about guys like Jewelz & Scott Sparks and Roul and Doors.

TBB: You shall be coming back to India, for Sunburn Mumbai & Bengaluru in just a few more days. What draws you back to the country? In your opinion how are the crowds in India different to anywhere else in the world?

Fedde Le Grand: The energy of the place draws me back. I had such an incredible time here when I played the Goa Sunburn that it was a no brainer when the opportunity arose to play again. The crowds response is actually unique – they respond the same to the big hits and also to the new tracks – I think it’s all about the dance music for them and not about only the tracks they have heard on the radio.

TBB: Talking about India, do you reckon as a country we have the potential to become a global hub for dance music? What in your opinion is the general word about the dance music scene in India amongst your peers in the industry?

Fedde Le Grand: I think it already is and Sunburn is a huge reason for that. This feeling is shared amongst all of the producers and it was in fact Ned Shepard who was like, ‘Man, you have to get out there and see it for yourself!’

TBB: Your latest collaboration, “Where We Belong” with DI-RECT is somewhat unusual since DI-RECT are a rock band. Could you tell us a little about how the track came about and the production process you followed?

Fedde Le Grand: It came about very naturally and the process kind of followed that. The guys all came to my studio; we got out the instruments and had a jam session to come up with all the component parts. When it all started to come together it was very exciting because we were all in the same room and hearing it take shape. Usually electronic tracks are passed back and forth online so you don’t see that exhilaration from the creative process.

TBB: We heard you had a chance encounter with global soccer star, David Beckham earlier this year in Miami. Could you tell us how that came about?

Fedde Le Grand: Yeah that was really cool. It was at LIV club in the Summer and David came in to the booth, I think with a group of friends. I couldn’t speak to him though because I still had ages left in my set! Another time like that won’t come about!

TBB: Speaking about encounters, we’d be very keen to know one of the craziest experiences you’ve had while on tour through your career?

Fedde Le Grand: Ah yeah, well one time stands out when I was playing the Street Parade on one of those big moving floats things. People were in the whole carnival spirit but then this guy takes it too far, starts parading in front of me wearing this G string…I’m scarred from that image I tell you!

TBB: Lately, there have been rumours of you having an upcoming album in the works, to be released soon. Could you tell us more about it? Any upcoming releases, remixes or collaborations set to be released in the near future you’d like to talk about?

Fedde Le Grand: Can’t say too much at the moment, but keep your ear to the ground on that one. The rest of this year there is a lot of touring to come and I’m really enjoying the reaction from ‘Where We Belong’ so seeing how that develops is kind of a focus.

TBB: Since we are thebanginbeats.com, we have to ask you our traditional question; tell us your top 3 #bangin tracks presently?

Fedde Le Grand: dBerrie – Switch and also Decibel are huge tracks that I’m loving playing out. Also John Dish – Homme, that’s huge!

TBB: Finally, time for a few rapid-fire questions! (You have to answer these in a few seconds)

The best track of 2013 until now?

Thrift Shop

A producer who’s fidelity you admire?

Nicky Romero

Your go-to track to begin your set?

Got to be one of mine…Rockin N’ Rollin maybe

If not a producer/DJ you would be?

Race car driver

Three essentials you always carry while on tour?

Laptop, Headphones, Speakers

TBB: To round things up, would you like to give any message to your fans here, in India who are eagerly looking forward to catching you live?

Fedde Le Grand: I can’t stress enough how excited I am to come back and play for guys! Make sure you bring you’re A Game for me!

TBB: Thank you so much for taking time out and speaking with us. We are thebanginbeats.com. It’s been an absolute pleasure!

Fedde Le Grand: Likewise, thanks guys!

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