INTERVIEW: Max Graham (2013)

Max Graham is quite the maverick, letting his tastes in music dictate what he plays and produces rather than being tied to any one specific subgenre.? Even his record label Re*Brand is named for the way he reinvents himself over the years.? With a loyal following and a popular weekly radio show, Cycles (which often trends on Twitter), Max Graham is busy in the studio working on his upcoming artist album due for release in 2013.? I caught up with Max backstage at the Armada showcase during the Amsterdam Dance Event to find out more about his varied music career.

RS: Max, are you singed to Armada right now?
Max Graham: In 2008, I combined my own label ReBrand with one of Armada?s labels. Technically, I am signed to Armada, but through my own label because I only release on Re*Brand Records.

RS: Does the name Re*Brand have anything to do with how you have changed your sound over the years?
Max Graham: Actually in 2007, I was talking about rebranding myself and at the same time trying to figure out a name for the label. One of my friends, Alex K, who owns a club in Montreal called New City Gas, said to me ?call it rebrand, it is something that you keep running into whether you are trying to rebrand yourself or not, it is kind of a word that fits you.? From there I had a good friend in Ottawa design the logo and he came up with the red star above the ?re,? separating the two words so it fit perfectly. All of this happened over the course of 10 days, so I went from having nothing to having a label with a beautiful logo, it all came together and I was super happy.

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SONG OF THE DAY: Alexis Jordan – “Acid Rain”

Alexis Jordan made massive waves with her debut single “Happiness.”? Effectively a topline written over deadmau5’s “Brazil,” complete with catchy humming and powerful vocals, “Happiness” topped charts over the world- including the US Club Chart. ?Her new single sees her delving back into clubland to discover the banging and quirky electro track “Rattle” by the Bingo Players and coming up with the gorgeously powerful “Acid Rain,” beautifully written by Sia.? Alexis’ voice is the rare blend of power and pretty which enhances lyrics with subtle conviction, which is quite a challenge since the backing track features noises that sounds like ducks honking.? It will be interesting to watch how this track develops in the UK, where Happiness was a major pop smash (top 3) and where the Far East Movement version of “Rattle” has already topped the chart (due in no small part to the violent duck video). Of course, the obvious solution is a mash-up, but thematically the two songs are so different that it wouldn’t make sense.? “Acid Rain” showcases both the emotional and vocal power of Alexis Jordan and the strong production skills of Bingo Players, who produced such a unique and quirky track that it inspired two polar opposite vocal interpretations.

Image Courtesy of Roc Nation.