Fedde le Grand has been producing since 2001 & since then he has teamed up with Funkerman and Raf creating Flamingo Recordings, an independent record label that allowed them to keep their underground identity and release fresh tracks sooner than most other labels. With the release of ‘Put Your Hands Up 4 Detroit’ Fedde le Grand became known to the world, with his further releases; "Let Me Think About It" and "Creeps" reaching charts across the globe. Arguably one of the worlds biggest DJ’s, he has headlined countless festivals, events and featured in many major magazines.
Some readers may think Fedde Le Grand as "commercial" but he also has a host of underground productions and mixes, and having seen him several times I can safely say he is a quality house DJ. I was very excited for the chance to interview him (not only due to his superstar fame) but also because his tunes paved the way to the type of music that I like now.
• What was the scene like where you grew up?
There were several scenes. We had a massive r&b/hip-hop and house scene. I actually started off DJing Hip Hop, you’d be surprised how many Dutch DJs actually started off in that genre! So it’s always been a sound that I’ve held a special place for, I think in a lot of my production you can hear its influence coming through in the beats, the syncopation of the rhythm.
• Which club/event have enjoyed the most playing at?
For me, the best place I’ve ever played in has got to be Green Valley in Brazil, that was one of the most amazing places I’ve ever had the pleasure of DJing at. Everything was perfect from the atmosphere to the people to the guys who run everything behind the scenes, and of course it’s just such a beautiful country as well. If you ever get the opportunity to go out there I would definitely recommend it.
• Out of all the tunes you have, which one ‘never fails?’
A new track I just made called Metrum – keep your ears peeled that’s all I’m saying : )
• Are there any projects, remixes or productions in the pipeline? I’ve just released two new remixes of Rockin High from my Output album, one by Benny Benassi and the other one by Nicky Romero. We’ve had some amazing reactions to them already from other DJs and radio stations across the world, it’s out now on www.beatport.com and then everywhere else including i-tunes from September 13th. I’m really excited about this one, it’s a great tune. Other than that I’ve also just done a track with Tiesto, one with Green Velvet, I remixed one of Benny Benassi’s tracks but I’m also really heavily on the road now until halfway through October so it’s quite hard to fit some quality studio time in.
• When all the partying is over how do you like to chill out?
I really like chilling out with my friends at home, watching films and playing video games, I’m also really into fitness, it’s really important for me to have something that I can centre myself with and focus, there’s so much travelling and different times zones when you’re playing all over the world so it’s great to have a healthy way to unwind.
• Apart from house, are there any genres you like to listen to?
I have really eclectic tastes, I’m a real fan of funk and hip-hop, I grew up listening to funk bands like P-Funk – Bootsy Collins is a massive hero of mine. Anything that’s good, intelligent, original and has a great beat to it, I’m a really fan of.
• What’s your favourite tune of all time? (Or favourite artist) My favourite artist is definitely Bootsy Collins. P-Funk (or Parliament) were a really groundbreaking band and he was the bass player, so I think I got my love or a great groove and bassline from him. He’s a legend in my eyes (and a lot of other people’s!). I’m also a massive fan of Michael Jackson, there’ll never be another one like him.
• What’s your favourite track at the moment? I’m going to be selfish and say Rockin High : ) , Benny has done an amazing remix but there’s also a part in Nicky’s edit about two thirds through where it breaks down into this killer beat, it’s almost break-beat like with a huge bassline that rumbles underneath, it just smashes the dance floor every time it gets dropped.
This post is a brief look back at some of the big tunes that you might have missed or have never heard from the past. Most of them are pretty iconic at their release.
Plastic Dreams - Jaydee
A classic from 1992 that stands up to the test of time
Bells, Jazz Organ & house beats. You want to sing along, but you can’t. There’s no words.
Throw - Paperclip People
Notorious disco loop baseline with simple organ stabs aranged by Carl Craig into a 1994 Detroit dancefloor bomb thats as good today as it ever was.
After some time in the music industry under various aliases Kanio smashed his way onto the underground dance music scene in late 2007 with a string of chart topping minimal productions. Off the back of this swift rise, September 2008 saw the launch of his Novakane imprint which followed quickly in sales success. Gigs have come thick and fast for Kanio since day one; he has secured appearances at some of the worlds hottest parties including: Circo Loco, Fabric, Matter, The End & Green Valley.
• What was the scene like where you grew up?
I grew up in Surrey, so in a word: Lame. I started DJing hip hop when I was 13, and coming up to London and going out to Drum and Bass when I was 16 though.
• Which do you enjoy doing more, producing or DJing?
I prefer DJing, but not the traveling. Production can be really hard work but it’s really rewarding.
• Which club/event have enjoyed the most playing at?
Probably playing room 1 at Fabric. It was the first major club I went to, and it’s one of the toughest places to play so it was amazing to play there.
• Which DJ’s set have you been most impressed with recently?
I don’t get to see as many sets as I’d like, but Jamie Jones, Lee Foss, Julien Chaptal, Dyed Soundorom and Mattias Tanzmann have all been wicked for me lately.
• Are there any projects, remixes or productions in the pipeline?
God loads, myself Cozzy D and Lee Brinx have just launched a new Label called Lower East, loads of good artists involved, Uner, Nima Gorji, Federico Locci & UGLH, Ronan Portella and more. Plenty of upcoming stuff from myself on there. I’ve just had a release on Trapez, remixing for Mark Henning, also remixes on Soulman music and SK Supreme.
• Out of all the tunes you have, which one ‘never fails?’
.Actually I don’t really have one. Crowds seem to have different tastes in different places so some things work better that others depending where you are.
• When all the partying is over how do you like to chill out?
Duvet and a Pizza watching Jeremy Kyle.
• What are your two favourite tracks at the moment?
God really hard to say two tracks. The stuff that’s exciting me the most at the moment is Jamie Jones, Lee Foss and a lot of the Crosstown Rebels stuff. Think things are seeming to start to go a bit a electronic again and less organic which could be interesting for the scene.
Un Dia (Reboot Remix) - Juana Molina This huge tune started off as a unknown bootleg of the argentian superstar being smashed out by villalobos and tiefschwarz. Only when Four Tet was watching youtube did he relise Reboot was behind this masterpiece and telling his label (Domino) they were able to official release this 10-minute remix, which lays out Molina’s sing-song chants and acoustic guitars over a rolling groove.
Since ‘Robot’ was released on Leftroom, emerging as one of 2006’s biggest tunes, Audiojack have had huge worldwide exposure playing in over 30 countries. Since then a host of big tracks have been released on 20:20 vision records establishing the duo as key figures within the UK techno scene. Their ever growing remix portfolio includes remixes for artists such as Little Boots, Joey Negro and Underworld whilst indie label remixes for Johnny Fiasco, Vandal and Mike Monday have all featured the beatport top 10 chart.
• What was the scene like where you grew up?
At my school it was mostly indie rock so I used to hang out with older kids who were into hardcore and techno. I sat on the school bus with twins and they’d give it ‘nst nst nst nst’ mimicking the high hats they could obviously hear through my walkman headphones, and I’d return with some banter about them being greasy moshers, all good light-hearted fun. 15 years later and not much has changed. They are Ryan and Gary Jarman of indie band The Cribs.
• Which do you enjoy doing more, producing or DJing?
That’s about as difficult as being given a choice of beer or wine / meat or fish! They really are different things entirely, both have strengths and weaknesses. I think the combination is preferential though, being able to make something in the studio in the week then play it out and see the reactions at the weekend. Also hearing another DJ then taking inspiration from that back into the studio. DJing and producing definitely go hand in hand.
• In your opinion, which is the best club/venue in the world?
The best clubs and venues aren’t normally clubs or venues… the little pockets of scenes around the world built up and taken down for each event in churches, warehouses, fields, farms etc. We recently played for Doc Martin at one of his Sublevel events in LA. It was invite only; you get text the venue details 2 days before the gig, that kind of thing. The venue was a church right in the middle of bum town. Everyone was on the same awesome vibe and there specifically for the party, to party.
• Whoes throwing the best parties at the moment?
That’s hard to say, we haven’t played at many parties this year that have really blown us away. Our favourite gigs of the year so far have been Vibe Club in Curitiba, Hora Zero in Ensenada and the above mentioned at Sublevel in Los Angeles. The ‘big’ gigs have mostly been a bit of a let down. The hype that surrounds some clubs doesn’t help as you end up with a large percentage of people turning up expecting to be entertained and forgetting that they actually have a part to play in making it a great event. Over hype can be a bad thing.
• Are there any projects, remixes or productions in the pipeline?
Our next release is out in a couple of weeks on 2020 Vision and features 3 new original tracks. You can check out samples on our Soundcloud or Myspace pages. We’ve also just remixed Dirty Vegas for Pieces of Eight and Westboy for our own Gruuv label. At the moment we’re working on a remix for H.O.S.H’s next single from his album on Diynamic, and are working hard on the next releases for Gruuv so there’s plenty going on!
• Who would you like to play a back to back set with?
We actually played back to back with Paul Woolford last week at a festival in Ireland. As one of our favourite DJs it’s a pleasure to see him play and an honour to play with him. That aside though I reckon joining Danny Tenaglia for one of his 12 hour marathon sets would be pretty good fun!
• What’s (one) of your favourite tunes of all time?
Daft Punk - Burnin
• Apart from house or techno, are there any genres you like to listen to?
We listen to all sorts, literally everything from indie to classical. It’s important to listen to different music genres and music from different time periods; it can provide a lot of inspiration for current projects.
• What are your two favourite tracks at the moment?
Daniel Stefanik’s track ‘Just One Moment’ on Be Chosen is one of the most iconic and original tracks of the year for us, we love the way he’s kept a solid house vibe to this track yet filled it with pure energy. Also our new track ‘Motion Sickness’ on 2020 Vision has been getting the best reactions at our gigs over the last few months.
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This new release from Pioneer looks like a hybrid of the CDJ 800 and 900:
It is compatible with Recordbox and can play mp3’s off USB Sticks
It has Midi & USB HID Integration to allow control of Laptop mixing programs without need for control discs.
Native Instruments have not announced if it will be Traktor Certified like the CDJ 900 or 2000.
Features a simplified waveform display and intuitive scroll wheel.
Here is a link to my latest mix with all the tunes ive been playing out in the darkest corners of the UK’s north & midlands.
"Rising and falling synths, perfectly blended keys and tones, aggressive stabs, samples and rolling basslines richochet throughout this industrial mix taking note from the some of the largest techno tracks of the decade…."
Tracklisting:
Two Ninety One (Chris Liebing Edit) - Function
Maffaking - Adam Beyer
Surma (Speedy J Dub Tool) - Tommy Four Seven
Do Us Part (Len Faki Remix) - Par Grindvik
Forming Dies (Jerome Sydenham Remix) - Adam Beyer & Joel Mull
BX 3 - Len Faki
Follow Your Eyes - Adam Beyer
Sorry Uncle Jack - Sparaque
Erotic Discourse - Paul Woolford
Auf und Ab und Kinda High (Dustin Zahn Mix) - Green Velvet vs Liebing
Positive Education (Re-Mastered) - Slam
The Tunnel - Richie Hawtin
Flower’s Planet (Hernan Cattaneo & Martin Garcia Mix) - Damabiah
Reflections (Petar Dundov Remix) - Alan Fitzpatrick
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(7 votes, average: 4.71 out of 5)
