Interviews Archives - Page 38 of 42

INTERVIEW: Rune RK aka Enur (2008)

Calabria, the sax-driven tropical island delight with ragga vocals that is storming US airwaves, initially was a huge Ibiza hit as an instrumental track. With multiple versions over the past few years, Danish producer/DJ Rune added a sassy ragga vocal from Natasja Saad for the new 2007/2008 version. You might also know Rune as part of the group Artificial Funk, with his brother Johannes Torpe, who released the club hits “Together” and “Friend for the Weekend.”

DJ Ron Slomowicz: So, congratulations on the hit with Calabria.

Rune: Thank you very much.

RS: How was the track born?
Rune: Well, the original, which I made in 2002, was one and a half hours, a bottle of Coca-Cola and it was done. It was sort of a moment in time that just happened. Since then it’s been reincarnated about five or six times by different producers and different acts, and the latest one is the one that we’ve done ourselves, which is the ragga version.

RS: The first time “Calabria” was released in the US ? it was the version by Alex Gaudino. Did he contact you before he did that version, or how did you hear about it? ?
Rune: Well, I’ll tell you the true story. We got screwed over by him really badly because his version was supposed to be a remix of our thing, and they cleared it behind my back. So if I ever meet him I’m going to have to punch him for it.

RS: So to go from the instrumental version to a vocal version, where did that inspiration come from?
?Rune: Honestly, it was Natasja. She sadly passed away in June last year in a car accident in Jamaica. But one night I just woke up and I thought, this is a good idea, with the horn and with the beat and her on it, because she was just such an amazing performer. I’m very, very sad that she’s not here to experience this great success with her voice. She would have been over the moon, because she’d been struggling for so many years.

RS: I have no idea what she’s talking about, the lyrics that she says. What do they mean?
?Rune: Basically they’re about this guy who makes her really horny. That’s the whole joke, you know. That’s as much as I understood, what she explained to me. I don’t speak Patois so I don’t really understand all of it. There are actually quite a few translations on the net so you can just look that up.

RS: How did Mims get involved with the track? ?
Rune: Honestly, I don’t know. Ultra set that up. So I wouldn’t really know, but I’m really happy he did because it’s a really good track.

RS: Why do you think the track is doing so well in the US, crossing over outside just the dance world? ?
Rune: I would say it’s because I’m talented, but I’m not going to flatter myself with that. I think it’s needed. I think America needs something fresh like that, and then also a lot of people ? just the sound is such a mixture of influences. I think it appeals to a lot of different characters, and I think that’s an advantage of coming from Europe and not having to pigeonhole into some sort of genre. But honestly, it’s kind of hard for me to figure out. I’m just really happy that it does translate to so many different people.

RS: Its a big hit in the urban hip-hop clubs. Did you have any idea that would happen when you originally did the track?
?Rune: No, because when you think about it, it’s far too fast for an urban record. Normally hip-hop and R&B records are under or around 100 beats per minute and Calabria is 127. So I was really impressed that they actually dared to even play it, because you can’t really mix it with another hip-hop record.

RS: When you created it, it became an instant Ibiza hit, correct? ?
Rune: Yes, the original version was huge. For three years in a row it was probably the biggest.

RS: The name Enur, that’s your name spelt backwards, right? ?
Rune: Exactly.

RS: Your half-brother is part of the team also and the two of you are working on an album right now?
?Rune: We’re actually working on two albums. We have the artists album which is going out through EMI in Europe, and then there’s the Enur album which is going to be through Ultra.

RS: All these different names ? why do you Europeans keep changing names? ?
Rune: To make it more fun ? otherwise its too easy to figure out. Obviously there’s a difference, there are slightly different genre changes within the name. I release records as Rune, as well as Runer K and we have a label called Arty Farty. But as I said, it’s important not to pigeonhole yourself into a particular area. It’s important to keep things fresh and keep things alive. That’s what dance music is all about, isn’t it?

RS: What’s the difference between the Artificial Funk sound and the Enur sound?
?Rune: The Enur sound is more urban, ragga-oriented with more vocals. It’s not necessarily house music, whereas Artificial Funk is more of an album project. It’s home listening for clubbers, if you can put it that way. It’s quite a personal album that we did because our father passed away five years ago, and it’s very much about that whole grief process. It’s quite different. I’d say it’s more of a blend of Air and Daft Punk, stuff like that, which we’re very inspired by.

RS: I was wondering what the inspiration for the “Friend for the Weekend” track was.
?Rune: To me, it’s quite obvious. I play out every weekend in different parts of the world, and what I see everywhere is that people are trying to pull each other together, and find this brief moment of safety in the hard world of nightlife. You need the comforts which I think people are looking for. That’s what the lyrics are about anyway.

RS: And talking about comfort, what was the idea behind the bed video for the Artificial Funk track “Together?”
?Rune: I don’t know. I didn’t do that and it was horrible. That’s such a stupid video. They did that without my knowledge. It was just beyond words. I’m glad you know that, because it was just ridiculous.

RS: It’s actually kind of cool, I thought, the effects in it. ?
Rune: Well, it could have been worse, but still, it was pretty horrible in my opinion. There were so many things in the vocal you could have gone with, but this was just another excuse to whack in a couple of beautiful girls and this guy. It’s a classic English dance music way of handling things. It was just kind of stupid.

RS: Speaking of which, right now, what are you wearing, Gucci or Prada? ?
Rune: I’m actually not wearing any of them at the moment. I’m wearing (something from) this guy, Henry Ribscoll ? a Danish designer, and he’s got a really cool jacket. I’m wearing some really weird, fancy Italian pants, and I’m wearing Eight O shoes, the cow hide shoes. I’m big on fashion but I’m not big on Gucci or Prada. That “Koochi Koochi” track a joke anyway, so you know.

RS: I sort of gathered that. Were you making fun of how ultra-fashionable people try to be?
?Rune: Yes, exactly, exactly. The whole point is, it’s an observation of what’s going on. You see yourself, and then some people are just too much ? you know, all these Gotti brothers look alike, with the spiky hair and all that. It’s just ridiculous, it’s such a joke, isn’t it?

RS: Pretty much. Going back to Friend for the Weekend, was there a sample you used in that?
?Rune: There was, but I can’t tell you from where. I trashed it up really well, so they probably will never find out. But basically, I didn’t sample a whole loop. I did sample a chord from an old record and I changed it and I pitched up and down and double layered it, so there’s no way they’re going to find out. But it’s not so much a sample. It’s more the sound of a sample that has a certain charm to it that I really love.

RS: Yes, it had a very ? I don’t know if you know about these people ? it sounded very Galleon to me. ?
Rune: Yes, exactly. I know those guys, but I think what we were going for was more like a Daft Punk-ish / Stardust type of thing. But it’s the same genre anyway, isn’t it?

RS: Going back to videos ? the Enur video for Calabria ? were you involved with that video?
?Rune: Not at all. And honestly, I’m not too keen on that video either.

RS: Well, if you were to do a video for Calabria, what would it look like? ?
Rune: You know what, I think I’d just stick to what I do. What I’d love to do is, I’d love to illustrate what’s going on in the nightlife, because I think a big problem with music, and house music in general, is that it doesn’t have any identity. It does when you go out somewhere, and you see a lot of young people going nuts in a club. I want to do that. You know these classic stadium rock videos you had in the 80s, with the band playing in this big stadium and people going nuts? I’d like to do that with a house record. That would be so good because it would be so clear. It would just be that going on, and people could relate to that in a much better way than all these bikini videos.

RS: Yes, those bimbos in bikinis videos are becoming just a tad clich?. There’s such a buzz on so many Dutch trance DJs and Dutch DJs. What can you say for the people of Denmark, all the Danish musicians? ?
Rune: You know what, I’m sorry to say so, but they’re better. DJs in Denmark are ridiculously good because they have to be. Denmark was a really, really big rock country, so I’d say there was never any respect for DJs. It was all about ‘where’s the guitarist’ and ‘where’s the singer’? We really had to work hard and a lot of DJs in Denmark do so many tricks. And talking of myself, I was named the professional of house music many times in Europe where I play around, because we had to work so hard to get the attention of people. People don’t do any drug because it’s a beer country. People drink a lot so you have to work really hard to get their attention. From the technical side of things, they are extremely, extremely good DJs, and musicians as well. Do you know Trentemoeller?

RS: Of course, Rykettid rocks!. ?
Rune: Yes, he’s a Danish guy, and he’s fantastic as well. He’s doing really, really well. He’s a friend of mine, too.

RS: I interviewed him last year. You also did something with MTV and some TV competition? ?
Rune: Yes, I’m the judge on the new MTV Selective tour. It’s a competition in Northern Europe for the next big DJ. It’s a bit like the Heineken things and that sort of stuff. They’re doing this big competition, and I’m the judge on there.

RS: Very cool. In the Danish scene, what would you say is the big musical trend coming from there right now? ?
Rune: I’d say we’re going back to more vocals. We’ve had minimal and we have this whole electro house thing, of course. At the moment, vocals are coming back, but not like classic house vocals. More tech-y stuff, but blended with a bit of funk, and then the vocal on top of that. A good example would be John Dahlback’s “Everywhere.” It was a huge hit in Copenhagen and Denmark. So the vocals are definitely coming back, but they’re coming from a different place. All the minimal DJs in Germany are also playing vocals now.

RS: Are there going to be a lot of vocals on your album? Who are some of the people you’re working with on the album?
?Rune: I can’t really tell you that because it’s not confirmed. But there will be some really, really, really big artists on there, if I can get away with it. This is a fantastic opportunity to approach my heroes from back in the day. I had a big record in the US, and there’s so many, especially within hip-hop and rap, that I admired for so many years. I’m going to try and get quite a few of those people on there.

RS: In the hip-hop vein, what was it like when you heard Pitbull sample your record? ?
Rune: Well, I don’t think his version is that good, to be honest. But I’m honored that he did. It’s a great approval ? Pitbull, Lil’ Jon. That’s just another tap on the shoulder for me as a producer.

RS: With all the different versions out there, Calabria has been called the new Planet Rock. ?
Rune: That’s a compliment. If anybody thinks of anything I’ve ever done in terms like that, that is probably the biggest honor I could ever achieve in my lifetime.

RS: What would you like to say to all the fans of Calabria out there?
?Rune: I’d say you should look forward to the album. It’s going to be very good. We’re looking to get some really big acts on there. It’s going to be a really, really good album. It’s a new blend, very interesting, in my opinion, taking influences from hip-hop and R&B and then whack it together with this up-tempo stuff. It’s really working out very well.

INTERVIEW: Amanda Lepore

Transsexual sex symbol, movie star, and singer ? well that could really only describe one person, the fabulous Amanda Lepore. You’ve definitely seen her ? as the cover girl for MAC cosmetics, on Swatch watches, in countless fashion ads, hosting events around the world, and the infamous “Sunglasses at Night” video for Tiga. Working with producers Fatal Art Syndicate, Cazwell, and Larry Tee, she has compiled a remix EP as a teaser for her upcoming artist album. Warning: the electro is as sexy and spicy as she is.

DJ Ron Slomowicz: Well, first I want to tell you that you’re absolutely beautiful, as is your voice.
Amanda Lepore: Oh thanks.

RS: How did you decide to become a singer?
Amanda Lepore: I was asked to go out a lot and make appearances and I always that I could do more. I’ve always had an interest in it and now I can really entertain a crowd.

RS: When you host an event, what you do on stage as a host?
Amanda Lepore: I’m just asked to do different things. I’ll help out if people are having birthdays or whatever, if I am in New York, I just hang out. I get drinks and invite my friends and dance.

RS: That sounds really cool.
Amanda Lepore: I have responsibilities. With the Sunday Party, I do a lot of contact with Cazwell, but usually I don’t have any responsibilities in New York.

RS: How did you meet up with Cazwell?
Amanda Lepore: He was just in the same scene as me. I would hire him for my birthday parties. It was a Larry Tee kind of thing. I used to always hire him for my birthday parties, to perform and that’s how we became friends.

RS: Larry Tee wrote “My Pussy” for you. What was it like, the first time you heard the song?
Amanda Lepore: I thought it was kind of easy and funny and everything. It came out good with really good beats. People really liked it.

RS: What about Larry Tee’s music attracts you to him?
Amanda Lepore: I like everything that he does. He is really good, really professional and good at what he does. He’s been doing it for years.

RS: Is electro you favorite kind of dance music?
Amanda Lepore: I like it ? it’s definitely robotic and dancey, and kind of fun.

RS: I hear Perez Hilton had some fun with the song also. Are you friends with Perez?
Amanda Lepore: Yes and that was really flattering. Larry played it for me. Plus, I did “Another Gay Sequel” and he wrote a really funny song for that, too. It was really funny, really campy.

RS: Awesome. You also did a cover of the Waitresses song “I Know What Boys Like.” How did that come about?
Amanda Lepore: The people that I worked with producing “My Hair Looks Fierce” and “Champagne,” knew the girl that was in the Waitresses, so they got the rights to do it. I always liked the song, so I said that would be great. They had this thing on a Friday night, a bling party, that I did. It was a live band, and I did that song and people liked it so much that they remembered it, so they thought that I should do a cover of it.

RS: Very cool. Your EP that’s out right now, there’s lots of remixes. What’s your favorite remix of one of your songs?
Amanda Lepore: I like the originals more than the remixes.

RS: You also have an album coming out soon. What should we look forward to on the album?
Amanda Lepore: Well, we tried to make each song a different style. We took at lot of time for each individual song ? they were all really good songs.

RS: You also are coming up in a movie, too. Tell us about that.
Amanda Lepore: Yes, I have a role in Another Gay Sequel as a transsexual airline stewardess.

RS:What’s it like, being on the big screen? Have you seen yourself in a movie before?
Amanda Lepore: I didn’t see it, but I saw myself on the big screen when I was at the Maxwell. They have a big screen computer, and I saw myself on a light ball coming out of the spaceship. It was good. So if the big screen movie is anything close to that, I’ll look great. (laughing)

RS: Well, you look great everywhere you go. How much time does it take for you to put together your look each day?
Amanda Lepore: Well, for the daytime looks, I get ready really fast. Sometimes I won’t take a shower, or I’ll take a quick shower, but usually at night, I like to really pamper myself. I spend an average of three or four hours. Three hours minimum, usually. But that’s washing your hair and conditioning it and putting it up in a style and doing everything. I really like to take a bath, and use this skin care stuff, and all that kind of thing. I’m really girly.

RS: Is Mac your favorite makeup?
Amanda Lepore: I’ve liked MAC makeup forever. I think that they make the best eyelash options of anyone.

RS: I also see you do a lot of work with Heatherette. What about their fashion inspires you?
Amanda Lepore: I like a lot of the flashy stuff they’ve put together. I love the rhinestones and feathers and all that.

RS: You were in the video of Tiga’s “Sunglasses At Night.” How did he approach you to be in that video?
Amanda Lepore: Hal from Gigolo Records. I used to work at Patricia Fields and he saw me modeling ties. I would wear them in different ways ? across the breast and various ways that you could wear them. So he asked me to be the spokesperson for Gigolo Records, and then shortly after that, he flew me to Berlin to do that video.

RS: In addition to being in videos, your face has been on all kinds of products. Swatches. Dolls. Do you have your own doll in your room?
Amanda Lepore: No. I had all three of them, but I gave them away to hairdressers that did my hair for free for years. I don’t really have that much stuff around my house, and usually anything with me on it, I give away to friends. I have everything but myself around my house.

RS: And do you still live in the hotel?
Amanda Lepore: Yes. I have a really cheap rent, so it lets me buy all the shoes and clothes I want.

RS: . There’s also the Swatch with you on it. How did that come about?
Amanda Lepore: That was when David LaChapelle lived in New York. He came up with the idea. When he was asked to do the David LaChapelle Swatch, he decided to do me all over it, and it was called Trannie Time.

RS: Are you friends with Christian Siriano?
Amanda Lepore: I see him around in the clubs.

RS: . He made a quote about how straight people have white trash and trailer parks, and the gay people have drag queens and trannies. Did you hear about this?
Amanda Lepore: Yes, the ‘tranny messes’ and all that.

RS: Yes. How do you respond to Christian’s use of the word ‘tranny mess’ and everything?
Amanda Lepore: I don’t know. I’m probably like the other end of the chain because I’m always really meticulous and together. I don’t know what to say to it.

RS: What advice would you give for inspiring trannies and drag queens out there?
Amanda Lepore: I think to have fun with everything, and not taking everything too seriously. You can make a career out of being yourself, you just have to enjoy what you’re doing.

Posted June 16, 2008

INTERVIEW: Blake Lewis (2008)

You may know him as Blake Lewis from American Idol, but followers of underground dance music know him as B-Shorty, the beatboxing host of Seattle nightclubs who has performed with everyone from BT to Crystal Method. His new EP, How Many Words, features dance remixes by DJ Dan, Dave Aude, and Jake Benson. A fan of glitchy noise and IDM, you can hear more work from Blake as B-Shorty on KJ Sawka’s drum and bass CD Cyclonic Steel and BT’s upcoming album.

DJ Ron Slomowicz: Congratulations on this hot new EP “How Many Words”
Blake Lewis: Thanks.

RS: Were you involved with choosing the remixes for it?
Blake Lewis: Oh yes, definitely. I reached out to Dave Aude and DJ Dan, I’ve known them for quite some time now.

RS: How did you meet up with those guys?
Blake Lewis: I’ve been doing electronic music for such a long time – going to raves, hosting parties and beatboxing. I met Dan like four years ago and we were instant homies. I would always scratch over one of his records or I would hype the crowd and throw one of his shows when he came back to Seattle. The same with Donald Glaude. I met Dave Aude through Dan and that was right before American Idol, and we just hit it off. I’m such a fan of both of them, that it was just kind of a no-brainer. I called them instantly as soon as I got the approval that I could get some remixes out there. All I listen to is electronic music. I listen to everything else too but I’m constantly banging beats at home and producing with my drummer KJ Sawka, who’s an amazing drum and bass producer.

RS: How did you meet Jake Benson?
Blake Lewis: I met Jake at that Winter Music Conference and he did a really nice sound – a vibey trancey track. It’s really cool to see the interpretation. I talked to Dan and I was like Dan, just do what you do, don’t even, like, put my vocal in it, maybe just a hint of it, but just to glitch it out and do something underground. His basslines are always just strict and thick, I’m such a huge fan.

RS: Very cool. It’s interesting that your vocals are on the KJ Sawka album and I would guess at American Idol they have you signed to some blood contract where you can’t really do outside projects. How do you get clearance to be on the KJ Sawka CD?
Blake Lewis: Well, we just didn’t care, we just put it out and I told them to. I was on the show and I was like put it out, put it out, I don’t care. To the American Idol people, as long as I’m not selling like a hundred million copies it really doesn’t matter. It’s drum and bass and breakbeat with a reggae influence, I don’t think they even noticed, honestly.

RS: Coming from the electronic music background, what was the American Idol experience like?
Blake Lewis: The American Idol experience, to me, was a remix project. I mean I’m not scared of going on stage and performing, that was the easy part. To me it was like OK, I’ve never really done covers before, how can I tweak these out to my liking. So to me the challenge was OK, this is a remix competition, and basically I just put everything into Ableton Live and put new beats to it and samples and loops and took the the original and fixed it down, fixed it up, time scratched it, and tweaked it out. Then I basically set up a studio in my apartment and/or hotel, wherever we were at with two little M-audio monitors, a little MIDI keyboard and my laptop and just went to town when it was supposed to be. It was good for me because I did my homework at night so when I had to go to the arranging days, I just skateboarded all day. I put my iPod on and listened to my track that I did and that’s how I rehearsed, I was just on a skateboard just listening to the remix I did.

RS: What’s your take on the remixes of Jordan Sparks’ “No Air?”
Blake Lewis: No, I haven’t even heard them. Are they any good?

RS: Benny Benassi did a really sick mix of it. So, how did you hook up with BT?
Blake Lewis: BT and I go way back actually, I know him the longest out of everybody. I met him in 2000 on his Never Gonna Come Back Down tour, the second day before they were done in Seattle. I’ve been a big fan since ’95 when Blue Skies came out. I’ve been listening to electronic music since probably like ’91, dance music in general back in the day with Crystal Waters, Haddaway, and La Bouche. Then I heard Orbital and from then on it was BT. I went to Europe when I was thirteen in the eighth grade and I spent I don’t know how much money on just LPs. Blue Skies kind of changed my outlook on vocals because as a beat box and a vocalist, I love just sounds and glitched-out noises. I heard Blue Skies and BT’s vocal production and how he just twists it up. People are still boggled by his production skills – listening to stuff that was done eight years ago and that’s just like new to them now which is great. I met him just for a second in 2000 and I was such a huge fan. Then in 2003 or 2004 I actually got the chance to open for him with my loop-based set, with all my loop pedals, and so I do basically a vocal electronic show. Like I’ll do like sh-bo-sh-bo-sh-bo, loop it and then I’ll do a bass line, and then a three-harmony, and then maybe a trancey line. Then with all my samples and chaos pads that I wear on my body, I opened for him. America knows me as Blake Lewis because of American Idol, otherwise B-Shorty is what I am known as in Seattle for the work I’ve done with various artists. That night performing with BT was where the connection was really made, just when he actually saw me performing, he was just like ‘I’ve got to work with you.’ I got the phone call from BT actually a couple of days after the finale when I got second place. He had no idea I was on American Idol. He called me and was like ‘yo dude, I want you to get on my album.’ I was like ‘man, I’m getting signed and I just got second place on American Idol’ and I’m like ‘let’s do this.’ And so “She’s Making Me Lose It” was more out of that and he wanted to work with me because of one of my songs called “She Loves The Way,” which is on my MySpace. If you want to check it out it’s on my loop-based stuff. That’s how that relationship was born. I opened for him at a club called The Element where I was the host and I’d beatbox for everyone. A lot of people don’t know but I named Hybrid’s last record. They chose my name, I Choose Noise, Hybrid’s last record is my title.

RS: Wow, I didn’t know that.
Blake Lewis: It’s just so amazing to work with these people because they’re huge to me. I mean BT alone is one of my biggest musical influences, with soundscapes and the way I perceive vocals. It’s electronic music in general but it’s his records and his concepts and song melodies and vocal arranging. Which is great because now we’re great friends, I just actually left his house for five days, I just actually got in to New York, I was with him and we just wrote a song for his record and it sounds tight. His new record is just going to be genius.

RS: I also hear that you’re a big fan of Erasure.
Blake Lewis: Oh man, Andy Bell. I was going to sing “Chains of Love” on the show but I opted to go with The Cure. I love the sound of 80s music in general and that was the whole concept for my record, is kind of like a 2000 and 80s mashup with a little funk soul in there as well. I loved everything from the 80s. I just got Dave Gahan’s last record and it’s fricking amazing.

RS: Was this year your first time at the Winter Music Conference?
Blake Lewis: Yes, it was, you don’t know how excited I was. I’ve I wanted to go for ten years but I’m just a broke-ass musician from Seattle, beatboxing. I could never afford to like go to Florida and didn’t even have a booking agent to book. I didn’t know what to do down there and KJ is my roommate and I was like ‘dude, guess what, I get to open IDMA,’ and I was so stoked and it was crazy.

RS: Well you worked with BT, is there anyone you’d like to work with that you’ve not worked with yet?
Blake Lewis: Oh man, there’s a thousand others. I’d love to work with EdiT and Richard Divine. I’m really into IDM and people that really take noise seriously, the beauty of the dirty and the funky. I’d love to work with Jamie Lidell as a singer songwriter and he’s an amazing electronic producer. God, there’s so many! I mean as far as electronic, I talked to Crystal Method a long time ago because I’ve played with them a couple of times and they watched the show and they were like ‘dude, we voted for you the whole time.’ I gave them a copy of my accapella ProTools session for “How Many Words,” so maybe they’ll get on that. Definitely, you know, Hybrid as well, I talked to them and they owe me a remix because of like when they took my title they were like ‘we owe you a track.’ There’s so many people and I could work with any electronic producer just making beats and have a good time.

RS: Do you think as an American Idol you’ll be able to get more of the next generation in to electronic dance music?
Blake Lewis: I don’t know, I tried to promote it as much as could on the show. American Idol is definitely more of an incentive for people to work with me just because everyone knows who I am. But the fact that they enjoy my music and they believe in it is the main reason why I’ve been working with these people. I’m actually working with Darude for what might become the Dance For Life track.

RS: You mentioned before how the BT was a breakthrough artist for you. If you had to give ever kid who watched American Idol one CD to get them in to dance music, what CD would it be?
Blake Lewis: Probably Movements in Still Life. It really opened my eyes to so many different things and there’s so many different tracks on it. That’s why I enjoy BT so much because he’s so good at trance but he’s so good just in general, his production is so good. The European or Japanese version of Movements in Still Life has this track with Paul Van Dyk (Namaste) and Mike Truman of Hybrid (Running Down the Way Up.) The breakdown on Hip-Hop Phenomenon changed my idea of what I could do live with my voice and I studied that track.

RS: How much pressure was there on you to make the album more pop and less electronic dance?
Blake Lewis: There wasn’t really pressure. I definitely wanted to work with BT a little bit more but we’re doing that already regardless, so I kind of wanted him as the executive producer of the project and the label wasn’t having. I couldn’t get exactly everything what I wanted to do but I got eighty percent of my ideas out on this record. Definitely the more danceable tracks are more of my favorite, the more electro tracks like my single How Many Words, gets compared to Andy Bell which is great. That’s very flattering.

RS: Are you a dance artist?
Blake Lewis: I would like to say yes, I definitely am a dance artist.

RS: Very cool. You mentioned M-Audio a bunch of times, are they sponsoring you yet?
Blake Lewis: No, I want to talk to them though. I mean I’ll definitely talk to them, I have contacts. I went to the Remix Hotel down in Miami and I met a bunch of people and developed a lot of relationships when I was down there, which is great. I just set up my studio finally back again and I just bought some M-audio stuff, so.

RS: What would you like to say to all your fans out there?
Blake Lewis: Oh man, to everyone out there, just thank you for the support. That’s like the first thing and that amazing, thank you for the belief in my music. The fact that they enjoy it and love it as much as I do, means a lot to me. People out there that enjoy making sound and want to make sound in this area, I want to thank you for listening to my noise.

Interview conducted May 2008.