Category: Interviews

INTERVIEW: Paul Van Dyk (2009)

With all the talk about the big DJ Mag poll, it seems fitting for me to post this interview that I recently did with Paul van Dyk. In June, Paul toured the US in a tourbus hitting seventeen cities in seventeen days. While the idea of a bus tour isn’t unheard of for superstar international DJs (remember the infamous Sasha/Digweed bustour,) it is quite rare as most of the big guys choose to fly in, out and around the states for select dates. I caught the show in Nashville and it was absolutely mesmerizing. Paul was on stage mixing and producing tracks live. He played updated versions of his classics (tying in with his Greatest Hits CD Home,) brought in unheard new tracks and sprinkled in club favorites for a show that was unique and different every night of the tour. I can only imagine what the lucky New Yorkers got to see in Central Park in July!

DJ Ron Slomowicz: The idea for the bus tour, where did it come from?
Paul van Dyk: It came from the fact that I otherwise would have not been able to do all these other markets; we’ve never been to places like Albuquerque or Okalahoma City, so the only way for us to actually connect all that was by taking a bus. So after the gig we just have a quick shower, get on the bus and drive and sleep on the bus. When we get there, it?s usually midday, we just check in to the hotel, sleep a little longer, and so therefore we?re not too exhausted. Otherwise we would have actually had maybe three/four hours? sleep and then this whole traveling shit with checking in and security control with planes, it wouldn’t have worked. So we decided on doing it day by day on the bus.

RS: So you’re enjoying it more than flying from city to city?
Paul van Dyk: Well let?s put it this way, it?s like I’m getting used to the fact that I’m actually going right to sleep and wake up in the next city.

RS: It?s Tuesday, it must be Nashville.
Paul van Dyk: Yes.

RS: OK. Your new CD that’s out now is a Greatest Hits compilation, what was the idea or where did that idea come from to put that out?
Paul van Dyk: Well, it?s exactly fifteen years after the release of my very first album, so it was about time.

RS: How did you choose the tracks for it?
Paul van Dyk: Well, it?s called Best Of so I wanted to choose the ones that had the best response by our audience. So the singles of course, but also stuff like ?Together We Will Conquer? that has never been released as a single, but always had a great response by my audience. So that’s on there, and then the remixes, you know, U2, Britney, Justin, New Order, all that right next to Binary Finary, You Made, and all that.

RS: “For an Angel,” the first single, how was that chosen? Was that your biggest fan favorite, do you think?
Paul van Dyk: Well, it’s probably one of those signature tracks and people always kept asking me, it there ever going to be like a re-release with new mixes? And we first thought, you know, releasing the new track as a single from the album, but then it probably would have like confused people. So we took one of the big ones, putting it out as a single beforehand to make people aware of the Best Of, and then the next thing we?re going to release, ?Home,? is a new track.

RS: OK. Speaking about “Home” and fifteen years, it?s right now about the twentieth anniversary of the breaking of the Berlin Wall and you as a German DJ having the freedom to go out there and play around the world, does that have any significance right now for you?
Paul van Dyk: Well yes, of course, and not just for me as a DJ, but as a person. I mean, the whole world has changed for the better and if we get the terrorism issue sorted out and if Iran calms down, you know, everything should be OK.

RS: As a DJ right now you also, you were really big with Rock the Vote, what other charity stuff are you doing to help to bring that piece of message across.
Paul van Dyk: My general approach is the fact that I grew up in a communist dictatorship, so I know what it?s like if there’s no freedom of speech. And then when friends of yours suddenly disappear, their whole family just disappears? I know that, so I really appreciate democracy. But it’s like while traveling around, I?ve realized that democracy is the best concept we have together to live on this planet, but it?s not perfect. And in order to make it better, it’s like the whole society needs to get involved. It starts with going to vote ? this is why I was involved in Rock the Vote, to encourage people to go out and actually do so ? but it also goes further. It?s like in the small terms, you know, if you see something that’s wrong in your neighborhood, go ahead and change it. If you see a granny struggling going over the road, help her, and if you have bigger possibilities to help, then do something bigger. And this is what I do with the charity organizations that I support.

RS: You are also an ambassador for Dance for Life. Tell us about that.
Paul van Dyk: Dance for Life is basically a big project, it?s a campaign that is connected to the UNESCO and it creates awareness of the problem that AIDS creates.

RS: Very cool. What’s coming next?
Paul van Dyk: Well I’m working on basically writing music right now for my next artist album, so that’s what I’m doing.

RS: Is the travel inspiring you?
Paul van Dyk: It?s not, right now it?s more tiring than inspiring. But, you know, the whole of next month my good friend Johnny, who I wrote “Time of Our Lives” and “Home” with, we?re going to hang out the whole month and just write music, so I’m pretty sure something?s going to come up.

RS: What kind of sound do you hear for it?
Paul van Dyk: I don’t really know yet. You know, usually it?s like when I go to the studio I don’t really sort of put that pressure on me, I have a general musical idea in my head and I work on it until I feel it?s coming across. And sometimes when I think ?oh this is going to be a lush, ambient piece,? it turns out to be really banging techno.

RS: Alright. For your live set, what exactly do you do when you perform live? Like are you going to play CDs, are you going to have a laptop going, what does your show consist of now?
Paul van Dyk: Well, I have two computer systems with me, one is running a program called Abelton with a lot of audio material and the other is running the performance program of Logic called Main Stage. And I have software synthesizers installed and I have keyboards on stage that I apply, I have a custom-made mixer, I have mini controllers all over the place and I play all sorts of things.

RS: How different is your show from night to night?
Paul van Dyk: Well, when you get out there, if a certain arrangement of something works very well in order to bring the idea and the track across, it doesn?t really make any sense to completely change it. But I have everything on my fingertips to change everything completely, if I wanted to play For an Angel as a complete ambient track, I could in a matter of seconds.

RS: Very cool. On this tour, even these cities you never have been before, what city has most surprised you with their response?
Paul van Dyk: To be really honest, it’s like it?s not so much like just one city, it?s just like the general thing. I’m honest about it; I was a little worried about playing on the Monday night in Albuquerque or Tuesday in Oklahoma City because they don’t have big festivals and I doubt they have radio stations really pushing electronic music. And still the shows were absolutely phenomenal, like really, really cool and all I can say is this shows how widely-established electronic music is and how many people love that music. Because regardless where you live, if you’re interested in it, you hear it, you love it and you experience it, and this is what happens. So this tour was good for something.

RS: It was definitely good here in Nashville because they played your mix on 102.5 which is a very commercial radio station. What about your sound do you think is going to bring across the commercial crowd who are not used to the electronic sound?
Paul van Dyk: Well I hope they get some sort of idea of why there are so many people globally attached to that music. Because this is what it is; I just spoke to someone who?s really into bluegrass, you know, grew up here, like really liked this music, and I explained to him that basically what fascinates me about electronic music is the fact that we have endless possibilities of expressing energy, emotions, whatever. If you have your trumpet, if you have your bass, you know you can do so many things within the electronic field with the soundscape you have, you know, with the power you can bring across, it?s endless and therefore really, really intense, and this is what I enjoy.

RS: Speaking about intense, what music or artist right now is really inspiring you that you’re hearing out there?
Paul van Dyk: Well, I hear a lot of pop artists using sounds that you would basically source within the electronic field. Which I don’t really have a problem with, it widens the ability of the usual pop listener to listen to good music. To be honest, I?d rather have the Pussy Cat Dolls singing on a straightforward techno beat and not some weird r&b crap.

RS: Good answer. And what would you like to say to all your fans out there?
Paul van Dyk: Thank you so much for everything.

Interview conducted August 2009.

INTERVIEW: Empire of the Sun (2009)

I first heard of Empire of the Sun a few months ago when a local bloghouse DJ started playing the heck out of their music – leading to many requests. The Australian duo contains members of indie/buzz-bands Pnau and Sleepy Jackson and could easily fit with other Australian bands signed to Modular (Presets/Cut Copy) yet they also have a sound similar to MGMT. In fewer words, dreamy and ethereal electronic pop rock. “Walking On A Dream,” their first single was a Billboard Club Chart, reached the top 10 of the UK pop chart, and sold Platinum in Australia. Cinematic videos for the three singles “Walking on a Dream,” “We Are the People,” and “Standing on the Shore,” are all defintiely worth tracking down online.

DJ Ron Slomowicz: How are you doing today?
Nick Littlemore (Empire of the Sun): I’m alright man, how are you doing?

RS: Doing great. So how exactly did you meet up with Luke to form this band?
Empire of the Sun: I met Luke about nine, ten years ago and we did kind of connect well, and he dug what I was doing and I dug what he was doing and we started writing, but then we kind of got torn apart, you know, by the business, as tends to happen.

Continue reading INTERVIEW: Empire of the Sun (2009)

INTERVIEW: Kaskade (2008)

Starting at OM Records, Kaskade has long been associated with the San Francisco house sound. What that is is hard to explain because the SF music scene is so diverse. A stream of critically-acclaimed albums and the hit club singles “Steppin’ Out,” “Everything,” “Be Still,” “Stars Align,” and “Sorry” led the way for his music to cross onto radio as well. His most recent CD, Strobelite Seduction, features productions with Deadmau5 and has spawned a number one dance radio hit. With hit remixes of Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, Plumb, and the Pussycat Dolls, Kaskade has shown that he can rework pop hits for the dance floor. Not a shock especially since he won Best Resident DJ at this year’s Club World Awards.

DJ Ron Slomowicz: So you recently moved from San Francisco to LA?
Kaskade: I’m in the process of relocating right now.

RS: What was the motivation behind that?
Kaskade: Just a little more space. I’ve been in the city for a long time. It was time to get a house, move out of the condo. It’s very sad, but some more space.

RS: Set up the studio.
Kaskade: Set up the studio at home ? it was just nice. No more running back and forth, but have it in my house. That’s definitely a huge moving factor, for sure.

RS: In your studio, how many computers do you have? What software are you running? Doing any outboard gear?
Kaskade: The technical side of things? I’m a ProTools guy, have been for something like fifteen years. It’s been a long time, but since the Digi 001 came out, it’s been my primary sequencer for everything. I start and end with that. That’s where I feel comfortable. When people ask what instrument I play, I’m like, ProTools. Obviously that doesn’t count, but in my mind it does. Outboard gear? a Juno 106, not a lot of stuff plugged in. It’s pretty much all in the box these days. It’s just so much easier, it sounds good, it works for me.

RS: You’re also touring a lot right now.
Kaskade: Always. It’s kind of neverending. That’s the DJ world, I guess. Every week there’d be some club that needs a DJ in it, playing.

RS: On the road, are you playing CDs, are you doing laptop?
Kaskade: I am doing the CDs right now. Definitely sick and tired of burning CDs, so I’m considering moving into the computer realm. We’ll see how it breaks down. I’m waiting to see how it kind of settles with all this technology out here. What’s going to be best? But I feel a bit stagnant. I’m ready to make the next move. I feel like there’s a lot more creativity that could be done with the performance with things, like Ableton Live and Traktor and Serato. It’s getting to the point where it’s making the show better.
Working with Deadmau5

RS: Congratulations on number one with your single with Deadmau5 “Move 4 Me.” How did the two of you collaborate on that?
Kaskade: Thank you. I was working on my album, getting near the end of the album, and I reached out to him on MySpace. It was like, ‘Hey dude, I love what you do. Your music’s amazing. Let me know if you’re ever looking for vocals. I’m a songwriter and your music is very inspiring, we could be a good match.’ Anyway, I didn’t hear anything, no big deal, whatever. You know, MySpace, you never even know who’s reading that stuff. But I saw him on instant messenger ? a friend of mine gave me his IM. I’m like, ‘Hey dude.” I’d actually recorded. I’d written and recorded a singer on top of one of his tracks just because I thought it was cool, screaming for a vocal, you know. So anyway I was like, ‘Hey dude, this is Kaskade, what’s up? Here’s this track, check it out. It’s your song, and I wrote over the top of it.’ And he was like, ‘Who is this? This is awesome.’ And the rest is kind of history. We just sent some files back and forth, and collaborated on those tracks. It seems like other people also liked them, because they’ve done really well.

RS: Have you ever actually worked with him in the studio?
Kaskade: No, no. We actually didn’t meet physically or speak during the entire process. He’s in Toronto, I was in San Francisco. It was very virtual, very 2008. I do that with a lot of people, just post stems, people grab them, and work with it in parts. It was not until two or three months later I saw him at Winter Music Conference and I walked up to him and I was, ‘Joel, Ryan, Ryan, Joel.’ He was like, ‘Oh hey, what’s up?’ You know, he’s kind of looking at me strangely, and I was like, ‘My cyber buddy, what’s up?’

RS: When you were putting together the album, what was in your head when you were writing it?
Kaskade: I think this is the most ‘dance’ record I’ve ever done, possibly. I don’t know, other people might argue that. I just wanted to have something that kind of represented where I’m at. I think the dance songs are more like dance floor-oriented. Then the chill stuff is more, just the way they show, because compared to Love Mysterious, this was more middle ground stuff. Like, is this deep house? What is this stuff, you know? There’s stuff that was written for the floor, and then there’s stuff that’s like kind of Sunday afternoon, you could put this on and listen to it.

RS: Because you’re kind of associated with the whole San Francisco house sound. and you’re sort of progressing away from that?
Kaskade: No, not intentionally. I don’t know, this is my sixth album. Sure, things change and you grow and progress as an artist. But what is the San Francisco sound? It’s very hard to pinpoint that. I’m part of that landscape for sure, and I’ve been there for almost ten years. That’s where I came up, and that was initially with the records. But I think what is very San Francisco to the music is that it’s very musical. Whether it’s more epic-sounding, or it’s really soft-sounding, it’s got to have that real musical outlet to it. I still really associate with that.

RS: It’s also been interesting to watch where, over the past two or three years, you’ve done some really big commercial remixes, which is not something, when I see Kaskade Ultra, it’s not something I would expect. Was this something you did on purpose? Did you pursue this?
Kaskade: Kind of. I was very open to it, and I let people know that. Then I think people just approached me early on and I think it was a good mixture of the sounds. Like pop music? I think I write kind of pop lyrics anyway, so I like to remix pop stuff. It’s not too far fetched, and I think the A&R people at the majors realized that, and they go, ‘Oh Kaskade could work with this song, it’s in his realm of possibility.’ So it’s a good match. I’ve always been a big pop music fan. I listen to the radio all the time in the car. It presents an interesting and different challenge, to take something that is this, and try and make it this. So it’s like, is this a pop dance or a pop record? I can make it more appropriate for the floor. It’s cool, I really kind of enjoy the challenge. It doesn’t always work out, not every remix works, but I still enjoy sitting down and trying to reconfigure.
Remixing

RS: Which of your remixes has been the most challenging for you?
Kaskade: Probably the hardest one I did was Paris Hilton. I forget the name of the track.

RS: “Nothing in This World” or “Stars are Blind” ?
Kaskade: Not “Stars Are Blind.” “Everyone will follow me tomorrow?.” Oh man, I forget. I can remember the chorus but that’s it, not even the title. But for whatever reason, when I initially heard it, I had a sound in my head, and I thought, I can work like this. I worked it up like that, but it didn’t really work, so I had to try something completely different. Usually I can hear something, and I just kind of follow through with what my initial vision is. Ninety percent of the time that works, but I worked through two or three different variations of that song, and kind of struggled. But in the end it turned out really cool. I was happy. I actually really liked the original song. I think a lot of people had a problem with that album. Paris Hilton is a favorite. She has this iconic status.

RS: It’s pop for the sake of pop.
Kaskade: Right.

RS: And you accept pop for pop, and you go with it.
Kaskade: Right. I actually thought she sang really well on the record. I mean, if that’s her or not, I don’t know. It’s hard to say.

RS: Well, that could be said for a lot of these people. Which of these remixes came together the easiest, where you just sat down and it worked out of the box, and it was perfect?
Kaskade: Oh man, “Gimme More” by Britney Spears came together really quickly. You know, I really like Justin Timberlake. “Lovestoned” was really quick. Nelly Furtado “All Good Things.” Most of these came together quickly, but definitely Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake were like, ‘Oh OK, that’s easy, it just works.’ The Nelly Furtado one was a lot of fun, but there’s a lot of stuff, there’s a lot of tracks.

RS: A remix you’ve done and think, ‘Oh my god, this is amazing, I’m really, really proud of this, this really represents where I’m going’ ? is there a remix that you’ve done that you can say that about?
Kaskade: You know, typically when I finish one I’m thinking that. In the studio I bounce it down, and while I’m bouncing it down I’m thinking, ‘This is cool, this is great, I’m happy.’ Almost all the time I think that, when I’m done with a mix. But I mean as far as where I’m going? “Womanizer.” That actually came together really, really quickly, like in an afternoon. It was like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is awesome.’ I wouldn’t say it’s necessarily where I’m going. It’s very electro-sounding, but it was just a lot of fun because that’s the sound I do. I was happy with the way that turned out.
Faith issues

RS: Do you ever have a problem working with artists when they may or not agree with where you are in a faith place?
Kaskade: No, not really. I’m thinking there’s a lot of people? even this remix reel of singers that I’ve worked with, I don’t really sit down and talk religion and politics with people. I mean, if I respect and appreciate their music, that’s more what I’m interested in, and even them, as a person. People have differences of opinions, but that’s kind of what dance music is about, right? That’s what drew me towards it in high school, all these big jocko guys who were drinking beer. I didn’t relate to the house party mentality ? sit down and drink the beer, beating each other up. I went into the city and went to dance clubs, and that’s where I felt comfortable, because it was like a free, open environment where people could believe and think what they wanted, and people accepted each other for their differences. That was kind of built into the dance scene in Chicago, as it is many other places. I think it’s kind of like this left-field thing. I was definitely out of the ordinary in my high school, because I didn’t drink and party and stuff, but I loved going out, pumping my fist and dancing till dawn.
Kaskade: As a person who has strong faith beliefs, do you ever have a conflict when you play in nightclubs, and you see things that you don’t agree with?
Kaskade: Typically, no. There’s been maybe a few times over the years. I’ve played a lot of nightclubs over the last ten to fifteen years. I’ve been DJing a long time, and I think there have only been a few occasions where I’ve actually been offended, or thought, ‘OK, this is not my scene. Maybe I shouldn’t be here.’ But when we’re playing a hundred and fifty shows a year, over the last five/six/seven years; and I still DJed a lot, every week before that, for maybe ten years?. I can actually only think of one time that’s happened, and that was a very after-hours event, and I’m sure most people wouldn’t have been offended.
What’s next?

RS: What are you working on next?
Kaskade: I just finished up a couple of remixes, and have a few more that are in the oven, not finished yet. I’ve got an Australian artist, Natalie something or other, an amazing voice, very poppy-sounding. And Laurent Wolf, I am remixing the song coming out after “No Stress.” So I’ve got those two, and then another Australian band, so quite a bit of remix work. I’m eager to plough through that stuff and start writing again. Actually, the girl who sings on “Move For Me” and “I Remember,” Hailey, I’m working on an album with her, in my free time, when it’s not too crazy. It’s coming along really well. I’m excited. A lot of people really responded to her voice, so that’s exciting news, working on that. I’m part of a band, Late Night Alumni. There’s actually a song in here. When the four of us can get together ? it’s rare that we get together, most of it’s over the Internet, so we’re shooting this stuff back and forth. But we’ve actually got four or five of these songs, and are really eager to get those out there. It’s all very chilled, that whole project, but I’m really happy how it’s going.

RS: Very cool. Anything you want to say to all your fans out there?
Kaskade: I love you guys. I’ll be at your neighborhood club soon.

Image courtesy of Ultra Records. Interview conducted October 2008 at Amsterdam Dance Event.