Category: Interview
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH B.R.E.E.D!
We’re fresh off the recently concluded MTV Bloc Party, Mumbai and still can’t get enough of it. The two days showcased a whole lot of fine music alongwith some great sound and production set up’s combining forces and giving the unbelievable crowd present a super spectacle.
One artist who stood out for all of us was a man out of our own backyard who has gone on to scale international heights and has effectively played at all big music festivals across the country. Truly one of the finest products of electronic music to spring out from our very own India, we welcome the amazingly talented B.R.E.E.D!
B.R.E.E.D on stage at the MTV Bloc Party!
We at Team Bangin Beats were lucky enough to interview the raging bass mastermind and know more about him and what he had to say about the MTV Bloc Party and further on!
So without further adieu, we (thebanginbeats.com) welcome one of the best & most sought after names in music to originate out of India! Give it up for the king of wobble, B.R.E.E.D!
Q) First things first, you have received astounding success in recent times in terms of dub music. What inspired you to produce dub influenced music?
B.R.E.E.D: Well I was heavily into playing breakbeat when I first started out in my early EDM days, and I have always loved reggae, so by the time EDM had started evolving more and more with the influence of dub and finally dub step, I actually journeyed along this path simultaneously.
Q) You won DMC (India) in 1999 and 2000 and ever since that have grown from strength to strength. How have you seen the electronic music scene evolve in India through the years?
B.R.E.E.D: Well it has been a slow evolution in India in regards to the type of underground EDM that I am into. Otherwise the EDM scene in India has continuously and steadily grown, but again, mostly in house, techno and trance. In terms of bass music or underground EDM, the scene has grown, with more and more EDM fans in India getting down to first dub step and now glitch hop, drum step and moombahton, however the broader EDM scene in India has not quite embraced some of these alternative forms of EDM yet, especially the venues and sponsors promoting EDM in India. So yes, the EDM scene has grown and evolved a bit in India, but we are still at the beginning of really having a very strong underground EDM fan base in India. It is there, but it is small compared to mainstream EDM, and there is still a lot of room to grow.
Q) You changed your moniker from DJ Nasha to B.R.E.E.D. What’s the story behind that?
B.R.E.E.D: Basically DJ Nasha was (and still is!) an Indian-based, commercial, Bollywood dance music DJ and producer, and B.R.E.E.D is an international bass music DJ and producer. So it is not totally about the change per say, from DJ Nasha to B.R.E.E.D. It’s about the separation of the two identities. DJ Nasha still exists, but Nasha gigs or releases are strictly based around Bollywood, and commercial house or hip hop, with a strong focus on the Indian market. B.R.E.E.D is a completely different identity and project and is an international project focusing completely on bass music and underground EDM. No asian underground, no mention of Bollywood, period. Enforcing the separation of these two identities has been pretty tricky in India, in regards to guiding the fans of both names, but we have been extremely strict about not allowing the two identities to be used in reference to each other in any way, and we have drawn an extremely thick line between the two in order to avoid any confusion or cross-over. One last note; B.R.E.E.D is my true passion, but DJ Nasha will always live on in its own way.
B.R.E.E.D mesmerizing the crowd at the Bloc Party
Q) Just a couple of days back Mumbai witnessed you live at MTV Bloc Party. How was the reaction of the crowd to your set?
B.R.E.E.D: The crowd was ecstatic with the sounds I was dropping at the Bloc Party. They were hungry and ready for it, like at most of the festival performances I have done in India. It is just a matter of fewer people in India understanding and being aware about the type of music I play, which might be one of the only things holding people back from loving the type of music I play. But I think with each and every set I play in India, there are people in the crowd who say, “what was that?” And they go home with a totally new sense of EDM and wonderment.
Q) That said, do you usually play your set for the crowd or do you prefer to playing what you like and see how the crowd responds?
B.R.E.E.D: I play what I like, and what I love. Unless I am playing in a small, sensitive environment or at a very different venue or for a serious crowd that is not familiar with EDM at all, I might break my sounds out a little on the mellower side and work from there. But usually I always play what I love, and it almost always goes over well with a new crowd. I never want to have an obnoxious presence in an environment where it just doesn’t make sense, but at the same time, I always play what I love.
Q) MTV in a way introduced a new concept with the coming of the MTV Bloc Party in Mumbai. Your thoughts about the same?
B.R.E.E.D: I think it is great. I think it’s a new way of really growing as well as diversifying the EDM scene in India. I think they brought some really great and “new” (to India) artists down for this event including Alesso, and of course my personal favorite, Opiuo.
Q) Lately we’ve seen you sporting the native red indian head gear while you play live. What’s the secret behind that?
B.R.E.E.D: There is no secret. I actually love rocking really unique outfits while I perform. I don’t like to stick to the mainstream as you can tell. It is always fun to dress up for the occasion, throw something new at the crowd, and get the excitement growing. So the native Indian headgear is the latest addition in my unique wardrobe which will continue to evolve and grow in time. 
Q) Any favourite artist of yours on the lineup of the Bloc Party who you were most excited to watch and share the stage with?
B.R.E.E.D: Of course that would be Opiuo. I was actually heavily involved in getting Opiuo to fly down to India for this party as well as for the mini-tour the two of us performed for prior to the Bloc Party. I have always been a huge fan of Opiuo‘s sounds, and I drop a lot of his tracks in my sets, so it was awesome to finally tour with him and share the stage with such a trend-defying and talented producer.
B.R.E.E.D on stage with Opiuo dropping bass-laced bombs!
Q) In your opinion, how do you think Dubstep has evolved in the country? Internationally, its gone from underground to mainstream, do you feel that’s bound to happen soon in India as well?
B.R.E.E.D: Well I think we might miss this step in India, because dubstep has practically been declared “expired” and “gone” in the international market, (although it is still a huge influence in the upcoming EDM trends). The switch from dubstep to new underground EDM genres like trap has been so swift that before you can blink an eye, those sounds will start popping up across India, if they haven’t already. It is not so much about dubstep becoming “mainstream” anymore, but more about “bass music” showing its face in the mainstream market. I don’t think either of these musical terms or genres will ever fully become mainstream but they might show some part in the evolution of mainstream music.
Q) Could you tell us a little about your affiliation to High Chai Records?
B.R.E.E.D: High Chai is the devoted music label from NYC whom I have worked very closely with over the past 5 years or so. They were the label that allowed me to release my first tracks under the name B.R.E.E.D, and we have worked together ever since, and I am sure we will continue to do so. They have also been hugely instrumental in helping me to evolve the B.R.E.E.D name in the international market, as well as by promoting my releases under their label in India.
Q) With 2012 gone we can easily say it was an incredible year for you. What does 2013 hold? Could fans all across expect a new EP soon?
B.R.E.E.D: 2013 holds a lot of excitement and unknown changes already. With the B.R.E.E.D headquarters now expanding its base out to Los Angeles California, (one of the main hubs of underground EDM music in the world), we are really excited about what is still to come in 2013. With a lot of new collaborations down the line, we can’t even say what 2013 will hold yet, but we know it is going to be big. And yes, there will definitely be a hefty EP out soon, that is almost ready for release, and features some awesome surprises from the B.R.E.E.D family. The EP is getting stronger by the day, so please hang on to your seats and get ready for this 2013 release.
Q) Any final words to fans who came to witness your set at the MTV Bloc Party and others all over India?
B.R.E.E.D: Thank you for your amazing energy and support and I look forward to rocking more stages and festivals with all of you soon! Stay tuned on the B.R.E.E.D website and on the B.R.E.E.D social media pages for all of the latest gig dates, news and release information. And, as always, bless up!
Thank you for the interview and thank you for the superb set at the MTV Bloc Party!
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B.R.E.E.D Website
B.R.E.E.D Facebook
B.R.E.E.D Twitter
B.R.E.E.D Soundcloud
B.R.E.E.D Beatport
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH DENIZ KOYU!
One of our favourite producers and DJ’s, the extremely talented Deniz Koyu will be headlining today at MTV‘s MTV Bloc Party in Mumbai and it is our utmost honour to bring to you an exclusive interview with the man himself!
Q) So Deniz, how’s it going? How’s India?
DENIZ KOYU: Great! I arrived yesterday very early in the morning, I went to sleep and then I just worked in the hotel room. I haven’t seen that much yet, but yeah I’m excited.
Q) So today you’re playing in Mumbai. This is one of your first festivals that you’re headlining right?
DENIZ KOYU: Yup yup, that’s true.
Q) We believe you were Artist To Watch Out by MTV in 2012. How was the feeling when that came about?
DENIZ KOYU: Oh that was amazing. It was a great feeling. I remember seeing it on the internet site and then I read it and it was amazing.
Q) You started off listening to Indie pop and a lot of pop music and then you went on to electronic music. How did you go about this transition?
DENIZ KOYU: When I was a kid, I used to listen to a lot of Michael Jackson. He was my first idol. Very mainstream, and I think it’s very normal. And then when you’re very interested in music then you dive into it. You don’t listen to mainstream, you look for something more interesting. I’ve always been more interested in everything that’s more electronic, not only music related but I also work a lot with computers and create a lot of stuff with computers, I’m more of a technical guy so that’s maybe why I like electronic music, I’m more of a synth loving sort of guy.
Q) At what age did you start producing?
DENIZ KOYU: I started at the age of 15, when I was trying out my first music program and then at 17-18 I started to buy some synthesisers and some more studio equipment and then I got more & more into it.
Q) We heard Fedde Le Grand heard you for the first time and then went on to bring your track out on his label?
DENIZ KOYU: Yes that’s right. I think that was in 2010. Pretty recent, not too long ago.
Q) We’ve heard your track, “Follow You” featuring Wynter Gordon and it’s been very successful and is very popular here in India as well. Tell us a little about how you got down to doing the track?
DENIZ KOYU: Actually that production took me quite a while. I started with an idea which is quite different from the final song, I had this idea lying around for half a year maybe and I didn’t know what to do with it and then I looked at it again, and I added the main melody where Wynter Gordon adds her vocals, and first I played this melody on an instrument and then I sent the melody to Wynter Gordon and then she added her vocals and then basically I changed it a lot I cut her vocals. I did the technical bit, haha.
Q) Did you know Wynter Gordon before the collaboration?
DENIZ KOYU: Well not personally, but she’s working with Atlantic Records and I know those guys very well and once I went to New York into the studio with her basically, and she was recording her album and I’m a big fan of her and I just went inside to listen to her and see how the session goes and yeah we spoke a bit and we said we could do something together and in 2-3 months I sent her the record.
Q) Since we’re getting technical, what does your studio compromise of? Are you more of a hardware guy or a software guy?
DENIZ KOYU: Totally software, everything’s software. You don’t really need to spend money, it’s totally unnecessary. I use Cubase and I got one macbook that I use on the road but in my studio, my studio computer is a PC and I got all my software on it. All you need is some good speakers and a good room so the acoustics are good, it’s important. I got a Virus Ti too, but I never use it.
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Q) What can we expect from your set today?
DENIZ KOYU: Well I will be playing some new tracks, some new productions. One new track from Refune records called “Rage”, I have one upcoming collaboration with Dirty South. I think it’s a very exciting track, I’m very happy with it, I will play that one and one more of my tracks which I have released yet, an ID and then some edits mashups etc. I like to play not commercial, but not underground either.
Q) A little controversial, but do you just press play or do you like playing to the people?
DENIZ KOYU: Well I like to observe the crowd and see what they are into and I like to show them as much new stuff as possible, depends how open minded they are. So Yes, I always play my sets to the crowd!
Q) So what is Deniz Koyu’s most #bangin track?
DENIZ KOYU: At the moment it would be my track “Rage” and I also like “Reload” by Sebastian Ingrosso and Tommy Trash and then I love Fedde Le Grand’s new track “Raw” quite a bit too.
Q) Since we’re talking about the future, do you have any plans on opening your own recording label, like Fedde has ‘Flamingo’ and Ingrosso has ‘Refune’?
DENIZ KOYU: I definitely want to do that but it’s too early for me at the moment because I’m so busy with everything. I believe in the beginning you have to be fast, that’s important. I’m planning maybe next year, 2014 maybe.
Q) Koyu is derived from your last name, Akcakoyunlu, Do you believe a stage name is important for an artist to keep?
DENIZ KOYU: It is. Atleast in the beginning because people have to remember the name. After a while if you’re very successful and if your music is good, people will learn your name no matter how complicated it is.
Q) Any advice for upcoming producers?
DENIZ KOYU: It’s always very hard to give one general advice, it’s all about working very hard and putting a lot of effort in it. Whats smart is that, these days don’t try to find a record label and then send out all your very early works to the label, because if you’re honest with yourself your initial work will not be very good. If you compare your initial work to your current, you’ll know it’s not very good. That’s why in the beginning I wouldn’t send out my work to all record labels, because the thing is they’ll listen once and if it’s not good, in the second email they’ll ignore it. I think it’s good in the beginning to spread your stuff on the internet for free and if it’s great, people will recognize it and you will get attention.
Thank you for the interview! We’ll catch you at the MTV Bloc Party today!
Upcoming Artist: HIIO
We are back with another #bangin upcoming artist to introduce to our readers and this time it’s South America’s latest exports, the dynamic duo who call themselves HIIO!
HIIO are touted as one of the best new elements of house. An exhilarating collaborative partnership of South America’s two most exciting and talented DJ/producers – Argentina’s Nico Hamuy and Colombia’s Ortzy. Studio based full time in Buenos Aires, HIIO are already letting loose with their engaging, full throttle & emotive progressive house rockets.
Their brilliant inaugural release took-off in mid 2012 with a heart-starting remix of Chuckie’s ‘Who Is Ready To Jump’ and continue to work with him on new projects. ‘Lose Control’ also hit it big and with the support of Roger Sanchez amongst other major players in the international scene.
Ortzy is Colombian born and raised. Nico Hamuy has called Buenos Aires home his whole life. However as Buenos Aires is fast becoming a mecca of music, it’s no wonder in late 2011 Ortzy relocated and now works full time in the studio on their collaborative partnership – HIIO.
Nico in the studio with Chuckie
Ortzy says ‘ I really felt the need to step out of the spotlight and focus on the essence of what Nico and I are trying to do with HIIO. Buenos Aires is the place for this. It’s fresh, it’s new, it’s one of those inspirational places where the music just flows out of your head. It’s me now. It’s HIIO.’
Nico reflects a sentiment shared by most South American artists saying, “People who aren’t from here, don’t really gauge just how difficult it is for South American’s to break and make it internationally. It’s literally a jungle down here and we’re just happy that both Ortzy and I are already getting some global recognition. It’s what drives us to work hard, get to the parties and make people go crazy for our music.”
Nico Hamuy and Ortzy are already stand-alone internationally-recognized artists. Between them, they have more than 20 tracks in the Beatport Top 100 and are regularly on tour with David Guetta, Swedish House Mafia, Erick Morillo, Tiesto and the list goes on. When they’re not in the studio they’re on the road with shows that span across the United States and through all South America. With residencies at the most prestigious clubs in the South East America – Madame in Punta Del Este and Crobar Buenos Aires to name a few, it’s fair to say both these guns already show the fire that’s putting them in the international spotlight.
All in all the new South American powerhouse HIIO are grabbing the attention of the international dance community at the speed of sound.
Here are a few #bangin tracks by HIIO which you could check out:
and their latest and most recently released track!
We also caught up with the duo for an interview. So skip ahead and read on to know more about these immensely talented, future stars from South America!
Hey Nico And Ortzy! Welcome to Bangin Beats (thebanginbeats.com)
Q). To begin with, tell us how did the two of you meet and decide to start producing music together?
Nico: Well, I used to go to Colombia to play shows, and a mutual friend out in California, where Ortzy used to live, introduced Ortzy and I. We became friends and decided to do a track together. We loved that track, and it is something very special for the both of us. It will actually be out this week, January 17, 2013. After we made that track, we made another one, and then we played some gigs together and finally decided to create a project together, now called HIIO.
Q). Recently the two of you had back-to-back collaborations with an internationally acclaimed producer like Chuckie. How was the experience of being in the studio with a talent like him? Does it also provide a basis for improving your knowledge and skills when you work with such an artist?
HIIO: Of course! Chuckie is one of the biggest names in EDM, but he is a person just like us, and is such a good man, and is very very funny! When we are in the studio, he has good ideas and is very fast working. Sometimes he’s a little bit crazy with synths and stuff, but in the end they sound amazing.
Q). Your track “CUBIC” with John Dish which released recently reached an exceptional 12,000 plays on 24 hours. Could you tell us a little about the track and the process of production followed?
HIIO: John Dish is a very good friend of ours, and he is a young Colombian producer who is very talented. He wanted to collaborate with us, so he started the project in Colombia and then sent it our way, and we finished it up in our studio in Buenos Aires. From the start, the base was a BOMB! We received amazing attention as we had full support from Fedde Le Grand, as he played it on his Radio Show Dark Light Sessions. Other DJs also included the track in their live sets before the release date.
Q). Tell us a little about how the “scene” is developing in South America? We understand that it is really tough for South American producers to get recognized globally, as Nico also quoted as saying recently?
HIIO: It’s true that the EDM scene is growing a lot in South America, a lot more in Brazil and Argentina. Why are there so many producers from Europe, USA, Australia and not South America? We don’t even know! – Hahaha. We believe this could be a coincidence for us!
Q). HIIO currently hold residencies at the most prestigious clubs in Argentina – PACHA and Crobar in Buenos Aires just to name a few. Could you tell us a little about how they came about?
HIIO: In the beginning of 2012 Crobar wanted a new season with progressive house and house music. Nico was a resident at Crobar a few years ago, when he used to play alone. The owner called him directly to invite him back. As for PACHA, our manager is the artistic director of the club, and he booked us there in March, 2012. We got a positive reaction from the people and now we play together 1 or 2 Saturdays each month.
Q). “Something About You” is another track of yours which is soon going to be released and we hope it proves to be an immensely successful release. Could you tell us a little about the track?
HIIO: As we mentioned in the beginning of the interview, this was our first track as HIIO. To be honest it was really difficult to find it a record label, as we had no management at the time. We used to do everything ourselves. We believed in this track and would play is every time we had a commercial gig and the reaction of the crowd always was amazing. We also made a video clip for this track in Buenos Aires because we felt it was so special to us. This is the only track we’ve made one for. It was such a nice experience for us, and a fun 3 days making it.
Q). Talking about your releases, tell us what it’s like having your tracks get supported by some great producers like Dirty Sout, Roger Sanchez, John Dalback, Otto Knows, Chuckie and more?
HIIO: In the beginning we were surprised to hear that Roger Sanchez made a Bootleg of our track “Loose Control.” Also, seeing it in many of the big name DJ track lists was very rewarding. The same goes with “CUBIC” – When the Fedde Le Grand crew wrote to us asking for the track for his Radio Show, we were very excited to hear this.
Q). Your remix of Chuckie’s track “Who Is Ready To Jump” has been a very successful release and has been played by a few big names and at possibly the biggest festivals. Could we probably call it your biggest track until now?
HIIO: YES SIR!!! The results of that remix were insane. The funny thing is, when Chuckie sent us the parts, we looked at each other and said “What the fuck are we going to do with this crazy man shouting like this?!” Ha Ha Ha! We guess magic came into the studio after that.
Q). Could you tell us a little bit about “Elements” – Your monthly radio show?
HIIO: We both actually used to have our own monthly podcasts. Ortzy had Blast The Speakers and Nico had Inspirations, each with a good number of listeners. When we formed HIIO, we decided to create a radio show for all of the people who have been supporting our careers up until now, calling it ELEMENTS. We believe it’s the best way to give the fans a gift, and an injection of our music.
Q). As we have now advanced into the New Year, what does 2013 hold for HIIO? Any future releases or collaborations we could expect?
HIIO: Yes, we have so many bombs coming out in the next 3 months. Some huge collaborations, some commercial stuff and a few Big Room tracks! So stay tuned!
Thank You for the interview! We hope the two of you have a fantastic year ahead!
It’s been a pleasure talking with you, and a big honour to be in The Bangin Beats! Thank You!
- HIIO (Ortzy and Nico Hamuy)
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HIIO Beatport
Exclusive Interview with Sick Individuals!
Sick Individuals are Dutchmen Ray and Jim. Multi-talented and educated musicians, they have been slowly (but steadily) making themselves a force to reckon with. Ray & Jim studied Music Composition & Production at the Utrecht School of the Arts in Hilversum and this was the birthplace for Sick Individuals. Their mutual love for House music led to their formation.
Initially resident DJs at the exclusive Club Drop in China, their performances started spreading across Europe. This duo are committed to bring in a fresh sound and say: “We want to be part of the whole production process when we decide to make a new track. From chord progressions to recording vocals & samples, from refining the mix to the final master”. The Dutchmen are now roped in by a variety of established labels, such as Universal, Warner / Atlantic, Virgin Records, Spinnin’ Records, Armada Music and Steve Angello’s SIZE Records. Big name artists like Far East Movement, Justin Bieber, Flo Rida, Freestylers, Nadia Ali, Graffiti6, Tiësto and Nicky Romero have opted for a Sick Individuals twist to their tracks and from what they told us, 2013 is only getting bigger and better.
We caught up with them over Skype and had a lovely session discussing music, touring and life in general. Here’s what they had to say:
Hey Guys!
It is a matter of immense pleasure to interview you for our portal- The Bangin Beats. We love your work ! Also, we’re hoping you’ve formed a favourable opinion of our portal.
Q) Tell us how you came up with the name?
SICK INDIVIDUALS: In the beginning there were three of us and the third person was an MC. He used to keep saying “these guys are sick individuals” and “you guys did a sick performance” and kept using the word “sick” all the time! And that’s how our name came up..Also, the MC was an older guy and he was a gym instructor as well. So he had two passions and we had just one and so we both wanted to focus on the music and we finally dropped him..
Q) We read a bit about your past and you guys are multi instrumentalists and have graduated with a degree in music composition and production. Tell us about that.
Ray: I play the the piano and guitar and I started singing as well. Jim can play the piano really well and I’ve tried giving him some singing classes! I did a little course on drums and we know a lot of instruments but yeah I concentrate on the piano and he’s focused on the vocals. And a couple of months back we got our degrees and it’s nice because we’re finally finished with it. So now we intend to be solely focused on Sick Individuals. In fact, we decided to team up during the course of our education for projects in school since both of us were into electronic music.
Jim: He liked my taste and style of music and I liked his. So yeah it was an easy one..
Q) Did you always want to be dance music producers?
Jim: Ray started with hip hop and I started with trance and a little bit of hip hop and slowly got into dance music.
Ray: I think that was a good combination because I was writing the songs and all that and Jim was doing the beats and combining those elements brought the chemistry together..
Q) Were you DJs first or producers? What is your setup like?
SICK INDIVIDUALS: Producers definitely! We started DJing about 2 years ago. We have 3 sick CDJs and we feel its really important to create a good atmosphere when you’re playing. So if you look at your laptop (no offence to the people who do) you don’t entertain the crowd. A pioneer setup is the best way to do it. And when you’re touring its easy because the clubs have it already and you don’t have to carry any equipment with you..
Q) What inspired you to get into dance music?
Ray: Stevie Wonder, Frank Sinatra and later on it became more electronic with Daft Punk, Fedde Le Grand etc..
Jim: I always followed house music so Laidback Luke, Axwell, Sebastian Ingrosso etc..
Q) You guys have certainly made a name for yourself when it comes to remixing records with releases on numerous renowned record labels such as Size, Virgin, Spinnin etc..Did they start out like bootlegs?
SICK INDIVIDUALS: No bootlegs involved. We did some because we wanted to have some fun. But the older remixes were official ones. We started remixing with smaller artists and then the big labels heard us and so we moved onto bigger labels. (like with the Flo Rida remix). We like remixing because we get focal and inspired because we are producers and we wanna try things out. We switch the mood of the original project and the next time, we always wanna do something new. So anyways we ended up making 22 remixes last year!..
Q) What is your personal favourite remix?
SICK INDIVIDUALS: Some we like more Live and some we like more when we’re in a chilled mood. You’d mentioned that y’all liked the Hook N Sling remix and we took inspiration from the icona pop remix for that one. We like the progression we got for vegas girl and we liked the climax of Pauly D. If we have to warm up for another DJ, we like to play on fire – the second drop is pretty original because the crowd goes just mad when we play that..
We’re more focused on originals this year and we really like it because we get to work and collaborate with singer songwriters. We’ve already made six..
Q) What does the touring calendar for 2013 look like? Coming to india any time soon?
SICK INDIVIDUALS: We had a really nice time last time we were in India. We’ve just switched booking agencies and now we’re with Sushi 3000 that also represents Deniz Koyu, Fedde Le Grand etc..We saw the live stream of the Sunburn Festival in Goa and Fedde’s set and the production looked amazing! Right now we’re working on our visa for America but january is all about making new stuff in the studio..
Q) What are you working on in the studio these days?
SICK INDIVIDUALS: The tracks we made recently are very different and they’re all going to different labels. The originals are with big labels with big artists. The next remix is for a dutch band and its a little commercial and radio oriented
Q) Any last word for your fans?
SICK INDIVIDUALS: We love you! We think we have a lot of real fans and they know every sound and track and really into our music and we love that..
Thank you for the interview! We look forward catching you live in India soon!
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Sick Individuals Facebook
Sick Individuals Twitter
Sick Individuals Soundcloud
Exclusive Interview with Richard Durand!
Without doubt the hottest new trance DJ / producer to emerge from Holland this past couple of years is Richard Durand. Recommended by the mighty Tiësto as his ‘Tip For The Top in 2007′ in DJ Magazine, Richard responded with a string of stunning productions, including official remixes for Tiësto, culminating in a new entry placing in the DJ Magazine Top 100 DJs poll and subsequent rise into the Top 50 places.
The Richard Durand sound is trance, techno and tough electro in a unique package that’s both dynamic and devastating. Having initially made his mark as a solo producer with big tech trance bombs such as ‘Make Me Scream’ and ‘Slipping Away’ on the Terminal 4 label, the huge success of his remixes of Tiësto singles ‘Lethal Industry’, ‘Flight 643′ and ‘Break My Fall’, plus infamous festival favourite reworks of the likes of Prodigy‘s ‘Smack My Bitch Up’ and Snow Patrol’s ‘Chasing Cars’ soon had Richard Durand marked as one of the hottest remixers on the planet with consistent playlist support from the DJing elite Armin van Buuren, Paul van Dyk, Ferry Corsten, Judge Jules and Eddie Halliwell to name but a few.
Richard Durand continued to deliver big tracks in 2008, adding his magic touch to Fragma’s ‘Toca’s Miracle’ and stepping up to rework Armin Van Buuren’s ‘In And Out Of Love’ to equally devastating effect. At the same time, Richard’s solo productions were also hitting the headlines; his ‘Weep’ track featuring Skin from Skunk Anansie on vocals was signed to Perfecto and proved to be one of the summer’s biggest anthems.
It was also 2008 that saw the Richard Durand DJing schedule explode into overdrive as the dance community embraced an artist who was not only a hot producer, but also one of the most technically accomplished DJs in dance music today. Utilising 4 x CD decks and effects units, Richard Durand DJ sets are a whirlwind journey of cutting edge tunes, exclusive reworks, slick mixing and technical wizardry behind the decks. His ability to work crowds into a frenzy and a clear passion about his music have cemented Richard Durand’s place as a fans favourite the world over and a legend in the making.
Richard Durand’s show-stopping sets and crowd pulling DJ status is confirmed by his DJ diary reading like a who’s who of A-list events, headlining global festival brands such as Sensation, Trance Energy, Planet Love, Coloursfest, Tunnel Electrocity and Summer Of Love, plus leading club brands including Godskitchen, Gallery, Gatecrasher and Slinky, a standout summer residency at Judgement Sundays in Ibiza and tours to every corner of the globe. He’s also joined the exclusive set of DJs to be awarded a coveted ‘Essential Mix’ on BBC Radio 1, as well as co-hosting shows twice with Judge Jules on Radio 1.
In 2009 Richard Durand clocked up another huge remix, this time of Art Of Trance ‘Madagascar’, before setting another landmark on his rapid career path to the top by releasing his debut artist album ‘Always The Sun’ on Magik Muzik / Black Hole Recordings. The album spawned massive singles such as ‘Into Something’, title track ‘Always The Sun’ and ‘No Way Home’. When Black Hole announced at the start of 2010 that there would be a new figurehead of their legendary ‘In Search Of Sunrise’ series of CDs previously fronted by Tiësto, there proved to be just one obvious successor to the throne – Richard Durand, with ‘In Search Of Sunrise 8 – South Africa’ released in May and currently hosting tour dates worldwide.
Sunburn Festival for Mr. Durand is not a new affair, for 2012 was his third time in Goa. He has a massive fan base in India and even named one of his compilations after India. His uplifting, melodic tunes always do some serious dance floor damage and this time was no exception. A packed crowd at the Helia Stage was set ablaze as Nikhil Chinappa announced Richard Durand’s entry. What happened thereafter was a spectacle of raw energy and good vibes.
We caught up with him right before his set at Sunburn and were blown away by his humility. Heres what Richard Durand had to say:
Hey Richard!
It is an honour and a matter of immense pleasure to interview you for our portal- The Bangin Beats. We love your work and are seriously amped to hear your set at Sunburn! Also, we’re hoping you’ve formed a favourable opinion of our portal.
Q) What is the inspiration behind Richard Durand? How did you come about choosing this as a profession?
RICHARD DURAND: When I was young I loved electronic music a lot. At that time, I spent most of the day playing the piano. When I reached the age that I could go clubbing, I got addicted to this style of music… Then I started to try making it myself and here I am…
Q) How would you best describe your sound to someone who is new to electronic music?
RICHARD DURAND: I make my music to make people dance. So, very energetic and full of banging beats and melodic moments.
Q) Do you play for the crowd or as per your own desire?
RICHARD DURAND: I always play for the crowd. By now I know exactly what people like to hear and love to dance to. DJs that only play for themselves should stay home!
Q) In one of your older interviews, you said that the Indian crowd is very emotional and into the music. Where would you put India on the map when it comes to electronic music?
RICHARD DURAND: Upcoming, still a bit underground and very into good music.
Q) Dance music is exploding all across the world. Do you think that is good for the music or is it commercialising and damaging to the genre?
RICHARD DURAND: No. For me what counts is that the more people who love what we do, the better it is.
Q) Your association with India and Sunburn is a very old one! What is your opinion of the Sunburn Festival and of the musical acumen in India in general?
RICHARD DURAND: I think Sunburn is one of the best festivals in India. The fact that it is so near the beach creates an amazing atmosphere. Also they manage to program a spectacular DJ line-up every year.
Q) What made you name India for the 9th Volume of “In Search of Sunrise”?
RICHARD DURAND: That is an easy question…I love India!
Q) Sunburn has been putting in a lot of effort and getting in all it can to India. Do you think it is better to do lesser but quality events like it is in India or have numerous events thoughout the year like, say in North America or Europe?
RICHARD DURAND: I always try to look at the whole world and pick out the best events and clubs. So I almost never go back twice in a year to the same location and place. So yes, I love to do quality events.
Q) Which is the best festival you’ve ever played at?
RICHARD DURAND: There are a lot of good festivals and Sunburn is very high on that list.
Q) Who is your notable artist for the year 2012?
RICHARD DURAND: I really like the remixes of Russian duo Eximinds at the moment.
Q) Do you intend to stick to Trance, or are there any chances that you’ll diversify into other genres?
RICHARD DURAND: At the moment it is still my favourite style. So yes, as far I can say I will not change my style very soon.
Q) What do you have to say to the aspiring DJs and Producers who are just taking off?
RICHARD DURAND: Never copy another artist’s style, take time to create your own. Never get in for the money but for the love of music.
Thank you for the interview!
(You can see his smashing performance at Sunburn here from 4:03:28 onwards)
Exclusive Interview with SHOWTEK – Set to bring the house down at SUNBURN 2012 Day-2!
Few artists enter Beatport’s overall Top 10 in a year; even fewer do so with 3 releases on the spin.
Sell-out globetrotters and Dutch phenomenon’s Showtek are on that list and they are now coming to Goa for Sunburn to round off 2012.
Brothers, Sjoerd and Wouter Janssen push everything they do to the edge because music is their expression – they crash through boundaries in the music world so much further than other Dance pioneers and put EDM on the world map.
Certified engineers to Tiesto’s sound and co-producers to the future Chris Brown smash, ‘Nobody’s Perfect’ they rocket in to 2013 at the top of the international electronic music scene and they’re not even done with this year yet.
Mammoth collabs with Noisecontrollers and Bassjackers are set to drop in the near future, which further push their progressive music to the limit.
Their characteristic productions, world acclaimed albums, award winnings and mind-blowing performances have gained them recognition as ambassadors for the global EDM scene. In 2012 numbers came out that Showtek was ranked #17 in the Top 20 of music export products of The Netherlands. In Billboard Magazine they were rated as one of the top 10 highlights for Electric Daisy Carnival 2011 (world’s biggest EDM event).
Watching and hearing Showtek is a joy to behold. Showtek’s stunning live-shows, devastating DJ sets, and massive productions, have led to much deserved world domination. Here’s presenting an interview with the brothers who’ve been creating havoc wherever they’ve set foot.
Hey Guys! Welcome to Bangin Beats (thebanginbeats.com). It’s an honour to be interviewing you.
Q) The two of you being brothers obviously share a very close relationship with each other; Tell us how you developed musically. What inspired you to produce music?
SHOWTEK: Well it’s in our genes that’s for sure. We have a lot of musical talents in our family. I (Wouter) started playing piano when he was a little kid, had some lessons but never liked the idea of playing existing music. Sjoerd started to mix tracks on a computer, creating loops and remixes. So as we are brothers we hang out a lot and we decided to make a song together and we noticed we both worked really well together. I was behind the keys and Sjoerd was doing the mix, so that’s how it started.
Q) Starting out with techno; growing on to becoming one of the biggest hardstyle acts, and now finally going on to produce EDM in a broad sense. What made you shift from one genre to another? Do you reckon its a well thought out decision to go ‘mainstream’?
SHOWTEK: What is mainstream these days? If you make good music and the big massive loves it, that is a good thing right? As Showtek we’ve always been diverse and we co-produced a lot of music from other genre’s, even when we were doing hardstyle. We still have a love for a harder music, but we just bring it in a different way. Our performance is very energetic and we still have that Showtek touch on every thing we do. When we were doing hardstyle we also produced house music and these days we are doing more EDM but we are also working on Pop songs now. Narrow-minded doesn’t exist in our dictionary. We just love to produce music. So yeah, we expanded our sound but it’s also part of evolution.
Q) You guys have had a couple of great collaborations this year with two of the biggest artists in the EDM world today. “How We Do” with Hardwell and “Hell Yeah!” with Tiesto. Tell us what it’s like to work with ace producers like them?
SHOWTEK: We’ve known Tijs for a while now, he’s great to work with and he is truly an inspiration for us. Besides that, he’s the person you have a lot of fun with when the music stops. After we co-produced some of his songs we decided to do something together because we had such a good click together, the end result; Hell Yeah! What a track. The song with Hardwell happened really quick too, we talked about doing something together but because of our hectic schedule that never happened. So one day we send him this demo with that melody and he was so enthusiastic he came to the studio the next day and we worked on that song. BAM! There is a way, how we do… Big hit! We recently also reloaded our collaboration with Justin Prime, named; Cannonball! The title says it all !
Q) You also have a superb collaboration with Bassjackers releasing on New Years Eve called, “Hey!” Could you tell us something more about the track and about the process of production?
SHOWTEK: We met the Bassjackers guys @ Miami Music conference last year. We talked about music and partied all night. We had so much fun with the guys we decided to continue that fun together in the Studio. Again that song took only a day to create… Think it was Marlon from Bassjackers who played it for the first time at EDC New York.
Q) In a couple of weeks we’ll see you play live at the biggest music festival in Asia, the Sunburn Festival in Goa in India. What are you looking forward to in terms of the Sunburn experience?
SHOWTEK: Are we really getting sunburned!? It’s our first time, we heard some goods stories about it from our colleague DJ’s and it’s going to be the first time India! So party time and not to forget Curry time, we love the food! We just gonna let it happen, see what India has to offer us haha.
Q) Talking about Sunburn Festival, have you followed any of the past editions of the festival?
SHOWTEK: To be honest, not really. Only heard about if a few times and we think we are lucky enough to play there this year. We will see what it will bring us. It’s always cool to concur a new area and to let it all just happen.
Q) What can the thousands of people who will be attending the festival look forward to experiencing as part of your set? Are there any surprises in store?
SHOWTEK: Of course some new tunes and familiar party crashers! We have a pretty high-energy stage performance so we hope they are ready for it in India!
Q) From your experiences & interactions with people tell us what you feel is the general word around the world about the EDM scene in India?
SHOWTEK: We didn’t even know India had such big festivals, or even a big EDM scene, that’s something we noticed lately. We are so curious! EDM in general had become so massive, all genres are mixed-up and as an artist you can definitely try out anything, which is really good. America just exploded and it looks like Asia is next! So India; Show us what u got when that mother F*cking beat drops!
Q) We heard you launched another project called, “Crazy Collabs”. Could you tell us something more about the project?
SHOWTEK: Yeah, we came from another scene where we played a bit harder and we thought it would be a nice idea to collaborate with other artists from other genres to show the world what we are capable of, that music has no boundaries and also the diversity it brings in music. We had so much fun working with artists like Hardwell, Bassjackers you name. Behind the scene we already co-produced some of Tiesto’s music, so we knew each other. We have a great click in the studio and also a lot of fun outside the studio. We thought it was time to do an official collaboration; Hell Yeah was the first one and from there on we continued.
Q) What in your view are three things that a music producer should give most importance to and why?
SHOWTEK: -That there are no restrictions, music is like art so it can’t be the same all over the time, you need to experiment.
-Always leave your signature in you music; to many people sound the same and we think if you hear a Showtek tune you can hear our touch.
-We always put a lot of effort in the mixing, which in our opinion half of the track.
Q) 2012 has been fabulous for Showtek. Tell us about the road ahead. What does 2013 hold for the two of you? Any more collaborations coming up which we don’t know of as yet?
SHOWTEK: Wow, indeed 2012 was definitely a year we put our self’s on the map in the big world, haha. Besides the success we got with all our productions, we had also had a very interesting year on the road. One of the highlights was our Identity Festival Tour thru North America. We had 17 shows in 7 weeks and we did everything by bus. We rented a tour bus, with everything you dream of included; TV’s, shower, 7 beds, leather seats, like a real rockstar! We loved it!! For 2013, we have more collaborations coming up. On december 31st our track with Bassjackers will be released on Spinnin’ records. And in January we expect to release our collaboration with Noisecontrollers, which will be released on Owsla, also known as Skrillex’s label! We are really working hard to bring us to the next level, so next year we will definitely conquer new area’s! Hopefully a Showtek album, but something we say every year!
Q) EDM in India has seen a great boom in the last few years with a lot of young DJ/Producers bursting on to the scene. Do you have any advice to offer to them?
SHOWTEK: Always stick to your own sound, the rest will follow! And please send you demo’s to us .. haha
Q) Any message to fans in India who are eagerly waiting to catch you live at Sunburn in Goa?
SHOWTEK: Make sure you’re in the front to party with us! We can’t wait either!
Thank you for the interview, we look forward to watching you live at Sunburn, see you on the sands of Goa!
Showtek takes stage at Sunburn, Goa on 28th December. Put this one in the diary, its not to be missed!
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Showtek Website
Showtek Facebook
Showtek Twitter
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Sunburn Website
Sunburn Facebook
Sunburn Twitter
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH INDIAN BASS MUSIC BIGGIE SOUND AVTAR!
We are super stoked to give you, our readers, our first ever domestic interview and to be honest who better than one of the leading Producers/Dj’s from the country, the bass music maverick, Sound Avtar, who’s known to friends and those close to him as Piyush Bhatnagar.
Piyush is a driven guy who’s been making a great mark for himself in recent times with handwork, creativity and innovation. Be it releasing sizeable amounts of music this year in the form of a few EP’s, Remix’s and Single’s; or driving bass music to Bollywood; to playing some of the most spectacular live show’s, he’s doing it all and that too with unbelievable ease.
Read ahead as we give you an interview with the man himself who’s reaching out and mapping the globe with his music.
Q) Tell us you’re story. How did you get into production and DJing? What influenced you to take it up?
Sound Avtar - Music has always been my first love and a passion. As a child, I grew up listening to varied forms of music and observing background scores in movies & dramas. Learning and mastering the production skills was the best thing to do. I joined SAE later and did a Diploma in Audio Engineering & Recording arts, which further accentuated my production skills. It’s been a gradual journey since I started and music & Dj’ing have always been a part of me.
Q) Given that dubstep has developed a big following in India, even now its not probably as widespread as house, electro or commercial music. What prompted you to go on to making Dubstep and Drum & Bass?
Sound Avtar - First, it’s the feel of this genre and secondly it gives me more room to experiment with my sounds. I loved this genre since very beginning, back in the days I used to listen to UK Garage & Drum & Breaks has been a huge influence on me. And the time when I first started producing tracks, not many guys here in India were making bass heavy tracks, that was also an essential point in choosing this genre to do something different and be experimental with my tracks. However the biggest influence would be the feel that it brings onto me. Its something I can relate myself to.
Q) That said how do you think Dubstep has evolved in the country? Internationally, its gone from underground to mainstream, do you feel that’s bound to happen soon in India as well?
Sound Avtar - Its already started to get mainstream in India, all the new Tv commercials have Dubstep or D&B influences in them. Bollywood is accepting it as well. Gangs of Wasseypur and other movies have at least one dubstep score in it. Attendance in our bass heavy gig is good and people do show up for a bass heavy gig, so its good !
Q) Are there any artist you look up to? Tell us your favorite producers who you would want to possibly work with in the future?
Sound Avtar - There are lots of them.
-Culprate
-Pegboard Nerds
-Krewella
-Adventure Club
Q) We heard you brought the house down at NH7 Weekender Pune’s Dubstation this year with a stellar show of SoundAvtar music. Is it safe to say it was one of you’re biggest shows? What was the vibe like at the gig?
Sound Avtar - I really loved performing there. Yes the performance was mind blowing; I got lots of positive reviews for it. I have no idea about if it was the biggest but its was definitely the loudest! Haha
Thanks to everyone for coming out and enjoying my music there!
Download the set here: – https://soundcloud.com/soundavtar/sound-avtar-bacardi-nh7
Sound Avtar live at the Dubstation at the NH7 Festival, Pune 2012
Q) A lot of producers in India despise Bollywood music, yet you’ve gone on to do “Chikni Chameli (dub refix)” and the highly acclaimed, “KKL” which is the official remix of “Keh ke Loonga” from the movie, Gangs of Wasseypur 2. In a way you’ve embraced Bollywood. What prompted you do so? What attracts you to bollywood music?
Sound Avtar - Why not? The whole scene in India is changing and when bollywood is opening up to it, its good to be a part of that momentum. And besides, its gets me paid, so yes! Bring it on!! 
Q) We also heard that you have an EP coming up for release! Tell us something about it?
Sound Avtar - The new Ep “Cursed/ The last life” Ep is out on Rub A Duck and is doing pretty well. “Cursed” and “The Last Life” represent Sound Avtar’s style perfectly.
It has been perfectly reviewed by Dimitri Kechagias:
“Cursed” is a top notch 7 plus minutes strange journey of hard hitting but slow moving basslines while on the breakdown great strings, violins and orchestral classical music theme elevate the whole track to another dimension. Cinematic and highly atmospheric perfect for home listening and in club environments as well.
On the other hand ”The Last Life” starts with cool breaks/ drum n bass intro section with epic piano theme and electronic blippy melodies as well. Don’t be fooled cause this is not a lullaby. Without any warning the crashing, booming, banging, rough and shaking basslines come to the surface. The piano theme re-appears in certain moments along with the light drum n bass parts to calm your senses.
Both the tracks are charting in Beatport’s TOP 100 CHART right now and as well as the EP is in TOP 30 of Dubstep TOP 100 Releases.
Beatport Link: http://www.beatport.com/release/cursed-and-the-last-life/997310
Q) 2012 saw you release a lot of material. Was that planned? That said what does the future hold for you?
Sound Avtar - It wasn’t planned, as per saying it but yes, I wanted to release significant music in 2012 and somehow things turned out in the same direction.
Future has a lot of big remixes, some original tracks. I’m constantly working on my sound; you’ll find a lot of trap influence in my tracks. Some bollywood projects are also lined up. You’ll see as the year unfolds itself.
Q) You have multiple releases with Blackhole Recordings label Rub A Duck, How do you see labels doing in India in the future? What do you think is the feasibility of EDM labels in India?
Sound Avtar - It still needs to come a long way from where it currently is. But the whole EDM scene is stirring and I’m sure that things will change for sure in the next couple of years. India has a good EDM market, its building up, the bubble’s going to burst soon.
Q) Being an Indian portal on the electronic music scene what steps do you feel we should follow to grow and along with ourselves help the Indian electronic music scene grow?
Sound Avtar - 1. Urge your fans to buy our music.
2. Support local artists
Q) In you’re view, Tell us 3 indian electronic music producers/acts who you think are ready to go international and put india on the world map?
1. Arjun Vagale : Refocus
2. Reggae Rajahs
3. East Stepper
Thank You for the interview. We’ll see you at the next Sound Avtar gig!
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Sound Avtar Beatport
Sound Avtar Facebook
Sound Avtar Twitter
Sound Avtar Soundcloud
Heineken Green Room 2 returned with mysterious disco-duo Tiger & Woods
Steadily growing it presence in India, the Dutch-born beer brand Heineken has been stepping up its activities, in line with the brand’s spirit and positioning, Open Your World. Continuing its long standing association with music, the second edition of the Heineken Green Room showcased the enigmatic and secretive disco-duo: Tiger & Woods. These exclusive and intimate events feature fresh acts and sounds from around the world and with a point-of-view to match. The Heineken Green Room – 2 was held in New Delhi at Lap, Hotel Samrat, Chanakyapuri on Friday. The mood was upbeat and Tiger & Woods, left the audience spell bound with their music.
Far from the frantic nature of commercial beats occupying the ‘EDM’ charts, Tiger & Woods’ music features a happy uplifting sentiment missing in the dance music scene – soul. Known as disco heroes with their 80s inspired super loops and diva house vocals that seem to permeate from one tract to another, their sound is a textural delight that left the audience in New Delhi, asking for more! Very little is known about the Italian duo Larry Tiger and David Woods, the producer/DJ duo behind Tiger & Woods. And they like to keep it that way. They give few interviews, are mostly hidden behind their signature masks / low hats and don’t even have a Wikipedia or a Twitter page. But this hasn’t stopped them from attaining disco demi – god status for their smooth, hyper – looped and glittery disco sound. You can define their musical genre as re-edit disco with hints of boogie and tech house elements. Keeping that old school disco vibe but with a fresh new sound leaving their listeners in a state of epic euphoria.
An integral part of the Heineken Green Room is the Green Room Session that precedes the party. The session held earlier in the afternoon, saw Tiger & Woods engage with the audience on ‘Is anonymity the new startdom?’ Tiger & Woods tackled all sorts of questions on image, stardom and its relationship with music as a whole. The questions were meant to start a timely conversation about the importance of quality music while adding meaning and depth to Heineken’s association with music.
Enjoying the Heineken experience, Samar Singh Sheikhawat, Senior V.P. (Marketing), United Breweries Ltd. said, “Heineken Green Room brings together unconventional artists in special venues for musical experiences that aim to be different, from the usual party clichés. Apart from bringing in musicians and DJs that have never played in India, the idea of the Heineken Green Room is to make them social, contagious music experiences that travel well beyond the four walls of the Green Room. Known for their anonymity and loop – friendly funk – house aesthetic, the selection of Tiger & Woods fits in well with Heineken’s Open Your World proposition, and makes them perfect candidates to forge a meaningful relationship with the Heineken consumer”.
The Bangin Beats got a hold of this video of the Heineken Green Room conference with Tiger & Woods which took place before the event at Lap, New Delhi. In this 30 minutes video, Tiger & Woods talks about their style of music and inspirations, the reason behind their anonymity, about their live setup & equipments and at the end telling us where are Tiger & Woods headed for in future. So, Don’t forget to check out the whole video on our youtube page.
Heineken Green Room 2 continued in Mumbai on December 1 at F Mumbai and Bangalore on December 2, 2012 at Cubbon Park – KSLTA.
Check out their hit track “Gin Nation” which in a way defines their style of music -
You can follow Tiger & Woods on the below links and stay updated to their music -
Tiger and Woods Facebook
Tiger and Woods Beatport
Tiger and Woods Soundcloud
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH PETE TONG!
We at Bangin Beats are super excited to present to you, our readers, an exclusive interview with the pied piper of dance music and a known and extremely respected name in the world of EDM, the one and only Pete Tong who we caught up with just before his set at Kitty Su, The Lalit, New Delhi!
Pete’s radio shows are revered around the world. The proud host of the 9pm-11pm Friday night slot on BBC Radio 1 – ‘The Pete Tong Show’ (or Essential Selection as it is still tagged internationally) regularly attracts over 2 million listeners via a combination of live feed and ‘listen again’ courtesy of the BBC i-Player and international syndication. Last year Pete celebrated two decades at the station, with a 12 hour special including live sets and guest spots from the biggest figures and hottest new stars in electronic music. Tong also hosts and co-produces the legendary Essential Mix show, and as part of the 12 hour takeover, he delivered his first ever studio Essential Mix.
2011 represented another gearshift in Tong’s longstanding relationship with the White Isle, and the island rumours were soon confirmed when Pete announced his return to Pacha with a new brand – All Gone! 17 sold out events followed with everyone from Fatboy Slim to Sasha, Booker Shade to Matthias Tanzman, Guy Gerber to Laurent Garnier all gracing the desks. Pete likes to keep the audience guessing, as a special performance by Usher testifies.
This year, All Gone at Pacha has continued to push the boundaries with everyone from Jamie Jones to Alesso, Seth Troxler to Sebastian Ingrosso all making special appearances along side Pete and most recently Madeon, Otto Knows and Porter Robinson.
We are Bangin Beats, an EDM portal, India being fairly a new country in terms of electronic music and we just sat here with some bloke called, Pete Tong !
Q) To begin with, let’s talk a bit about your past, we heard you started off as a drummer right and then a wedding DJ ?
PETE TONG: Yeah a long, long time ago now. Before DJing became fashionable, before people really thought about doing it as a job.
Q) What inspired you to start DJing ?
PETE TONG: Well I saw a DJ one day and after being in a band I thought that, that was something I was instantly attracted to, seemed like a lot of fun to do and the idea was programming music i suppose like it was back then and give people a good time. So that was it, I seemed to adapt to it fairly quickly . I mean back then it wasn’t that glamorous, it was about doing whatever it took to be able to DJ, so I had a sound system I was running my own parties doing Bar Mitzvahs, Weddings, Indian Weddings.
Q) Indian Weddings? How did that work out?
PETE TONG: I grew up in Gravesend which has actually one of the biggest concentration of Indians, its got one of the biggest Sikh temples. So yeah, I grew up in Kent and I was born in Dartford which is next to Gravesend and my parents were from Gravesend so I was always in this big West Indian and Sikh community.
Q) Amazing, so you started mixing soul music before the terms “electronica” or “EDM” were coined, and this kind of music was even popular?
PETE TONG: Yeah it was just dance music really when I was growing up, it was a bit slower then, in the early days of electro, hip hop and rap and then I mean, there are a lot of english DJ’s in the mid-80′s who were preoccupied with rare music, old music, music that no one else could get, it was kind of cool the way it grew, jazz, funk, whatever and then one day in 1986 I heard house records kind of surfaced before it was even called house and then records started arriving from Chicago from labels like DJ international and tracks and then the rest is history, it kind of changed everything, it was kind of the year zero again when everyone stopped playing old records, everyone just started concentrating on the new thing and there was kind of no looking back. I was running a label at that time FFRR, so we tried to put some records out there, kind of shaping the scene really, even in I think Chicago it was underground, it was kind of ostracised by their own public, and we kind of took the story and made it a bigger story in the UK, then it kind of reverberated across the world.
Q) You resurrected your label FFRR, tell us something about that? As a massive fan of your show I reckon you have a bit of an affection for deep house, you reckon its got something to do with your past, when you were mixing soul music back in the day? If not whats you’re favourite sub-genre of Dance music if you have one?
PETE TONG: Well I just always stand by with what I think is quality music . I mean I always see my role on the show, being to bring whats popular, just bubbling under the surface from the underground to the next level, so the point of me going on the radio is just not only playing Swedish House Mafia or something, that’s kind of moved more into the mainstream so it’s established, its on daytime radio in the UK and US and all over Europe and I’m sure that it’s that way here as well, so in terms of championing the next thing then, is where my passion lies at the moment and yeah it’s true to my roots, have a soulful connection. It’s funny that people in America call it Deep House, we would never say that,To me Deep House kind of means what came out of San Francisco 15 years ago or something, but it’s funny that people find it so different to the EDM sound it’s really the Americans that started calling it Deep House.
Q) Talking a bit on the studio and production from you like to collaborate with Paul Rogers a lot any reason in particular?
PETE TONG: Yeah I’ve locked him in my studio, chained him there, so he can’t leave, I mean a lot of people use people to help them make music and they don’t always get the credit, so I’ve always been the other way around with my studio guys, my engineer, my musicians who work with me, so I do, do a few things without him , but he kind of lives in my space, in my studio in London, So obviously we do a lot of stuff together and yeah, it’s just that if you start DJing now you have to make music, when I was DJing no one made music, you couldn’t, it was too difficult, it was cost prohibitive, but now with the new technology and the laptop’s, studio is only a term, anyone and everyone can have a go at it, I was kind of a late starter but it’s something I really really enjoy, its kind of like therapy than anything else, so yeah I mean it’s fine now.
Q) What was scoring for the movie, “Harry Brown” like? We saw the promo and Chase & Status’s track was on it.
PETE TONG: That was amazing. Its something what I love to do, would have been a bit hard in the British film industry, to find that kind of an opportunity, so I’m glad i got a chance to do that. I knew a bit of the team behind the film so kind of just got in there really early, in fact they didn’t trust us to do the score in the beginning, they didn’t trust me because I’d never done a whole score start to finish, we were always going to share it with someone, I was the music supervisor but I was also trying to do some of the score and then the guy who was doing the score kind of left half way through the score and went off to do a theatre production, that left some space open for me to do more, someone else still came in and helped us but we got to do a much bigger chunk of it and yeah, I obviously got involved with getting Plan B and Chase & Status together.
Q) Every year DJ Mag’s rankings come out and there are loads of fans who are disappointed, artists who are disappointed and the industry has kind of adopted those rankings as a system to judge artists by, do you reckon its alright and agree with the rankings every year or do you think we need a better system in place?
PETE TONG: I don’t know if I do judge really, That chart has been going for a long time, I always think that if you do well in it, use it to the best of your advantage but life doesn’t end if you’re not in it and I’m the best proof of that, I’m not in it anymore (laughs), I think it was quite interesting last year there were an incredible amount of DJ’s like Luciano and Jamie Jones who were not in it . So I think now it’s dominated by a certain type of music, it’s more commercial and people who go about working their Facebook fan pages, I’ve always found that a little bit crass.
Q) You mentioned that you see dance music headed in a particular direction in the next few years. Would you like to elaborate on that?
PETE TONG: Well, just listen to my show as far as that’s concerned (laughs), I mean we’re always looking towards the underground to find what’s new,The U.K. is a very vibrant place well it hasn’t been that way in the last 4-5 years maybe longer when the whole thing started to blow up, the french took over, the swedes took over, the dutch took over, and I think again this year the underground has mostly been ruled by the UK again, basically DJ’s from the UK or DJ’s who are at least UK based, and I think between London and Berlin there is so much creativity going on, So it’s exciting times!
Thank you for the interview!
Interview by Kanov Bagai; Edited by Aditya Seth.
Special Thanks to WMS Entertainment & Percept!
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Upcoming Artist: D-wayne
It gives us immense pleasure to be launching a whole new section in which we’ll introduce you to a new, breakthrough, upcoming Producer/DJ and give you a complete in depth overview about him/her.
The first artist we introduce you to via this new category is a young dutch gun, D-wayne!
D-wayne has an exceptional awareness of music and diversity of musical styles. He is able to detect nuances in music that others do not hear and has a very strong feeling for rhythm. At a young age he began exploring various music styles that resulted in the strong preference for house music, which he plays through all its sub-genres.
In winter 2008 he had his first performance at a major event for more than a thousand teenagers at pop venue ‘De Effenaar’ in Eindhoven. Although still considered a ‘rookie’, he demonstrated to everyone the talent and potential that he has. It was obvious that he had developed a high level of musical maturity; the crowd reacted very positively to his DJ style and the numbers he chose to play.
In fall 2009 D-wayne was also able to gain exposure at several 18+ events. Since then he has performed in line-ups of big outdoor festivals in both the Netherlands and Belgium. Also in the summer of 2010 he played at well-known discotheques around Barcelona in Spain during the yearly summer tour of an internationally known Dutch DJ.
The Dutch popular radio station Radio Veronica has invited him to perform live in the studio in Hilversum for their Talent Academy on a number of occasions. He has also created his own show concept called “House music as Art” that is now being produced monthly for several internet radio stations and which is the theme of his periodic performances for his residencies.
D-wayne’s talent and passion for music also let him create music productions that are appealing to a large crowd and he has received contracts from various record labels including the labels of internationally famous deejays. His tracks have been released on imprints such as Afrojack’s label “Wall Recordings” and Steve Aoki’s record label “Dim Mak Records”. A track on that label came out in February 2011 at the Winter Music Conference in Miami and was in the BUZZ Chart top 30 among the thirty most important tracks in the dance industry at that moment. Besides Afrojack and Steve Aoki other A-list deejays also supporting his productions including DJ Tiesto, David Guetta and Armin van Buuren.
He won the national Big Break DJ Contest in 2009 (organized by TMF during In The Talent Mix Room) and D-wayne’s roots and development are now being compared.
Since his first live show in front of a large audience in winter 2008 it is fair to say that D-wayne has gained much respect and popularity in the entertainment circuit. He has residencies for 18+ clubs and is a ‘resident’ DJ for several event organizers.
His sense of what different aged audiences want to hear is highly developed. His ability and technical skills working with the DJ decks are becoming his calling card and he is being respected by an every growing group of fans.
His breadth of talent, marked both by his infectious choice of music and DJ style and also his music productions, have attracted the attention of many in the Netherlands as well as other countries in Europe and parts of the USA. Fellow deejays compliment his talent and many in the business foresee a big future for him on the DJ podium as well as a producer. It has often been said that at the rate he is developing, he will be a force to be reckoned with at the highest levels of the profession.
Here are a few tracks which you could check out by D-wayne himself!
#D-wayne has a sick official remix for the latest Enrique Iglesias ft Sammy Adams single ‘Finally Found You’ which was a straight top 10 hit in the USA last month. This surprisingly badass remix out on Universal Republic since November 27th takes a banging turn in about a minute.
#D-wayne’s remix of the track “One and Only” has come out on San Francisco based label Royal Pop Records on November 13th. The original mix is a project of Martin Kierszenbaum who used the moniker “Cherry Cherry Boom Boom”. Kierszenbaum is the Chairman of Cherrytree Records and Head of International for Interscope-Geffen-A&M. He handled A&R for Lady Gaga’s breakthrough album, The Fame, for which he co-wrote and produced four tracks.
#“REWIND” is out on Belgian label Wooha! and available exclusively for two weeks through Beatport as per November 12th ahead of other music portals. Bursting with energy, its crunching electro and relentless build-ups will get pulses racing as it booms and pounds, sweeping you up into one hell of a thrill ride.
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We also caught up with the man himself for a peak into his mind and how he has developed as an artist. Check out the interview where Dwayne Megens aka D-wayne tell us a bit about himself!
Hey D-wayne! Welcome to Bangin Beats (thebanginbeats.com), it’s a pleasure to be interviewing you!
Q) First up, Tell us your story, How did you get into producing music? What inspired you to take it up as a career?
D-wayne: I started out playing music just for fun, experimenting with Virtual DJ after a teacher at my school got me all excited about DJ’ing. I had always been interested in music and after a lot of practicing I managed to get my first gig in Eindhoven. After my first gigs, promoters told me they were really pleased with my energetic performances and shortly after more and more bookings came in. Yet during all these bookings I played music made by other producers. I felt like producing my own music because I had an idea that it would really give me goosebumps to see people go nuts on my own tracks. The months that followed were filled with producing in my bedroom studio and after a lot of practicing and hard work, I managed to get my first releases out there.
Q) We heard that Afrojack played a major role in helping you establish yourself; tell us about the relationship you share with him?
D-wayne: After sending Afrojack a mail I hoped to get a reply. I had a feeling I wouldn’t get one however, seen as he gets like hundreds of mails a day… Yet, he replied while I was on holiday in Mallorca. His message was that he wanted to sign my track “Distance”, which meant my first signing to a bigger and more professional label. It helped me to get connected with many people in the industry due to the exposure it brought me. Because of the fact Afrojack picked me up, I gained a lot of support from other who advised me every now and then with little tips/tricks. Nowadays he’s really busy so I don’t get to talk to him that much, but when I see him we have a chat and of course he’s the first that receives all my new tracks, just to hear what he thinks about it. It also helps that we both share the same manager.
Q) How has the journey been since ‘De Effenaar’ in Eindhoven, where you first played back in 2008? What would be you’re dream festival to play at?
D-wayne: It’s been quite a ride! After my first gig in De Effenaar in my hometown in Eindhoven, the gigs started piling up and I reached quite some achievements that were really worthy to me. I managed to be the youngest DJ ever on various outdoor-festivals in the Netherlands and I toured the Spanish costa in 2010 and 2011 with a good colleague. I actually feel blessed because this whole hobby thingy of playing music in front of crowds has brought me to beautiful places already and every single time I get on stage and see huge crowds waiting for my performance, I still get goosebumps.
Q) You’ve got supported by Afrojack, Steve Aoki, Tiesto, David Guetta and Armin van Buuren. What’s it like to get appreciated by ace producers like them?
D-wayne: I feel privileged really. When I started producing it was an honor for me already to have them listen to my music, and to have their support is just awesome. It’s also a way for me to check how my music does across the globe and it makes me think about ways to improve myself, because I believe there’s always room for growth. Yet, the support feels like a seal of approval for me, which confirms that I’m on the right track, motivating me to continue.
Q) We hear you have a new track called “Rewind”, which released recently, could you tell us something more about it?
D-wayne: I wanted to do something different with this track and thus I kinda locked myself up in my bedroom studio. I wanted the track to have a lot of energy and after quite a fight I actually ended up having a great result, yet I felt it needed a vocal. I managed to get hold of this awesome vocal shouting “Rewind Selecta”, edited a little and a new track was born. I chose to release it on Wooha records since I have an ever-growing fanbase in Belgium. This came about after my first performances at outdoor festivals there, so I wanted to do something for them. It ended up great and I am really happy with all the support the track has gained so far.
Q) DMC World Magazine added you’re track, “Mirroar” to their ADE Buzz Chart. Did it help you grow as an artist since it showcases the best unsigned and up-and-coming producers that are on show at the festival?
D-wayne: This happened only recently and it has indeed helped me to grow. I had many plays and reactions on the track and the track got signed straight after the chart was published. Just like the support of A-list deejays I feel that entering this ADE Buzz Chart is a way of telling me that I’m on the right path. See it as a sign, a lot more is coming up and I can’t wait to tell you guys what exactly!
Q) Do you reckon Swedes and Dutch producers are forming the cream of the dance music industry currently? How’s it being an upcoming producer in such scheme of things being a Dutch producer yourself?
D-wayne: The Swedish and Dutch producers are indeed doing really good and that’s funny to see! I think it’s great to be an upcoming producer in the Netherlands. Due to the fact that the Netherlands holds so many clubs and other producers and deejays around, I get in touch with a lot of opportunities to showcase myself and this has helped me to grow as an artist. I don’t feel it puts a certain pressure on my shoulders because there are so many dutchies out there doing a great job, I have to come with something really cool in order to get noticed. That really keeps you sharp and competitive. Also, the Dutch crowds are generally really lazy; they aren’t jumping around and going nuts on music like most Americans do (which is positive!). Therefore, if you can get a Dutch crowd moving you are actually quite a good DJ. Every single time you’re being put to the test, and I like that.
Q) Looking back at 2012, How do you feel the years been for you? That said, what does 2013 hold? We hear you have a track coming up with Nicky Romero, anymore releases on the cards?
D-wayne: After 2011 brought me a lot of success with f.e. Distance and “Eponym” (Which was one of the most important tracks of Miami WMC in 2011 by the Buzz Chart) I had steady support by a lot of deejays, including Steve Aoki, Gabriel&Dresden, Armin van Buuren, Dada Life, R3hab and many others. Therefore I wanted to work even harder in 2012 to release more and more and I can tell you, 2012 has been great! I actually feel it has brought me more recognition in the industry and 2013 is the year for myself to extend my network and the support of my own unique sound across the globe. With more international gigs coming up and currently 5 new (signed) tracks around that will be out at the end of 2012 / the beginning of 2013 (and indeed a track on Nicky Romero’s label), 2013 holds a lot more amazing things, which I want to happen straight away, haha. I also feel honored to have my third single release on Steve Aoki’s Dim Mak in 2013, as well as releasing a collaboration with Gabriel&Dresden.
Thank you for the interview, we hope to see you in India soon!
D-wayne: Thanks for having me guys!!
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