Tag: david guetta

INTERVIEW: Sandro Silva (2013)

The Netherlands seem to be the breeding ground for the majority of superstar producer/DJs these days.? One to surely watch is Sandro Silva – the energetic mastermind behind massive tunes like “Get Lower,” “Epic,” and “Prom Night.”? Under the guidance of Laidback Luke, Sandro made the jump from producer to DJ/producer and is known for his Hi-NRG sets, which range from hard and electro to pretty and uplifting (just like his productions). ?With major support from David Guetta and several big collaborations coming down the pike, the Surinamese/Dutch Sandro Silva is one to watch for 2013.

DJ Ron Slomowicz: Have you been playing a lot of football this week??
Sandro Silva: Oh yeah, I f*king love football!
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RS: You have the same name as a famous football player so I had to say that.?
Sandro Silva: I know, I think he is Brazilian- and actually football is my second passion.
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RS: Who is your latest bromance??
Sandro Silva: Well there is so much love going around right now with the parties and so many DJs out there, some of those DJs are my really good friends and it?s great to see them after such a long time.
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RS: You have been working with Guetta a lot, what are you guys working on right now??
Sandro Silva: We have a really secret project that is in the pipeline right now, it is going to be big.
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RS: When you work with him, how do you collaborate??
Sandro Silva: I just send him eMails with my new tracks and he responds if he likes it or doesn?t. He really liked my last couple of tracks and he wanted to do it together.
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RS: So you send him a track and then go to the studio together and change the track around??
Sandro Silva: No we do everything via eMail.? That’s how we work.
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RS: Do you use Logic or Protools??
Sandro Silva: I actually use Reason, I love it.
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RS: How long have you been producing??
Sandro Silva: I?ve been producing for 6 years and DJing for 2 years.
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RS: Did you start DJing because you wanted to get your tracks out there??
Sandro Silva: Exactly, producing is my first passion but I want to get my tracks heard and it is a great way to do that.
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RS: In your DJ sets what percent would you say are your own tracks versus other people?s tracks??
Sandro Silva: It depends, if I am on a gig that is underground I try to do more of my own stuff, but if I am in front of a more commercial crowd I try to mix it down a little.
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RS: Was the boat party you DJed the one where Michael Woods killed the power??
Sandro Silva:? Yeah, it was crazy because it was raining and the boat was shaking like crazy and all of a sudden the power stopped and we were like ?what the f*k is happening right now?? It was a really cool gig.
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RS: Was Michael able to get the vibe back??
Sandro Silva: In the end it was okay and the power came back, he did a good set.
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RS: Did you play before or after??
Sandro Silva: Before, luckily.
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RS: You just did a new track with Skrillex called ?Epic? right??
Sandro Silva: Well I released it about two years ago, but after a year it went crazy and was #1 in Holland and sold almost 40 thousand copies in Europe, Holland, and Belgium. It is being picked up really well by DJs.
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RS: And Skrillex is on it too right??
Sandro Silva:? Yeah he played it last week. I was out and heard it, I never expected it from Skrillex but the crowd went bonkers.
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RS: I like your track ?Core? because it has an uplifting, energy feel to it, have you thought about putting a topline over it??
Sandro Silva: We did think about it but I think we will just wait for another track, ?Core? is already out and we are moving on.
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RS: I would suggest that you go back to that one because it is just that strong.?
Sandro Silva: It is a cool song, thank you so much.
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RS: ?Mach 5? has more of an electro feel to it, when you work on your tracks do you decide which ones are going to be electro tracks and which ones will be pretty tracks??
Sandro Silva: When I am in the studio I just go with the flow and see where it takes me, sometimes they can be electro and sometimes they are really hard like ?Core.?
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RS: Are you still collaborating with Oliver Twizt??
Sandro Silva: We are definitely going to do more tracks in the future together. He is an amazing producer and has unique sounds; I also really like him as a DJ.
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RS: Who else are you working with right now??
Sandro Silva: We have a lot coming up. We are working on a collab with Laidback Luke, the Guetta track, and we are planning something with Wolfgang Gartner as well. I am going to do a track on his label Kindergarten soon; we have a lot of big things coming up.
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RS: I think that you are the first DJ that I have spoken to this week that doesn?t have their own label.?
Sandro Silva: I know, everyone has their own label. When I am ready I will have my own as well, I just want to release on some other labels first and make my profile as high as possible.
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RS: Where are you from??
Sandro Silva: Holland.
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RS: Have you taken part in the Amsterdam Dance Event before??
Sandro Silva: Yeah, I was there last year. Businesswise it?s great to be there, the parties are nice as well.???
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RS: I have been going every year since 2004 and I love it. How do you think that the ADE has affected the Dutch dance scene??
Sandro Silva: A lot, so many people from all over the world go and there are so many talented people there- from promoters to producers to DJs. It is a great thing for Amsterdam and for EDM in general.
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RS: Why do you think that the Netherlands produces so many amazing DJs and producers??
Sandro Silva: I get that question a lot actually. It is such a small country and there are so many producers that you have to be really good to get noticed, the competition is so high.
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RS: Regarding your collaborations, if you could work with anyone in the world who would you want to work with??
Sandro Silva: Definitely Daft Punk.
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RS: Would you be able to work with them in the studio or would you work over eMail??
Sandro Silva: I would love to work with them in the studio; it would be amazing to see those guys at work.
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RS:? What would you like to say to all of your fans out there??
Sandro Silva: Thank you for all of your support so far. Keep supporting me and I will bring out a lot of new tracks soon, I hope to see everyone again this year.

Interview conducted during Winter Music Conference 2013.

SONG OF THE DAY(SUNDAY FUNDAY): Jessie J – “Wild”

Jessie J is an amazing singer/songwriter known for her powerful voice as much as her intelligent, well-written, and catchy lyrics. Off her first album, she achieved six top 10s in the UK for songs which varied in tempo, mood, and singing style. Clubs were treated to solid remixes of the pop hit “Domino” as well as quite a few bootlegs of her collaboration with the masterful David Guetta. It was pretty obvious that she was going to launch her second album with a dance track, and her performance in “Wild” gives you everything you could possible want in a pop song – a multidimensional vocal ranging from rough and aggressive to fragile and pretty singing of a well-written, expressive song over a track that seamlessly blends a powerful, staccato marching band feel with a soft-and-sparse yet pretty and uplifting chorus. This could well be one of the best pop songs of the year – except that someone made the horrible misstep of featuring not just one but two raps that add absolutely nothing to the song. There is nothing wrong, inherently, with adding a featured rap if it brings a new different feel, an extension of the song’s meaning, or even a strong counterpoint to the song. For “Wild,” Big Sean’s rap is sloppily written, haphazardly performed, and just a lazy addition that feels like it was thrown on in the last minute. Dizzee Rascal, one of the most insightful and talented rappers (who is woefully underexposed in the US) contributes the typical (though atypical for him) bragging lines. The two raps literally add a minute of dead weight to what is already an incredible strong with a powerful message. Rather than these raps, a “Do It Like a Dude” flavored-rap by Jessie J herself would be so much better and even more empowering to women that they can hold down the fort on their own, rather than calling in a man to save them (and fit the message of the song so much better). Here’s hoping that if remixes are commissioned that rap-free versions are included (which, of course, would not be a bad idea for the new Jennfier Lopez “Live It Up” song, either).

Image Courtesy of Republic.

SONG OF THE DAY: Davide Rivaz – “Colors”

With the plethora of tracks being released on a weekly basis, it’s often difficult to cut through the clutter. So when you hear a track that makes you stop, listen and feel something, you know there’s a magical moment – like the first time you heard “Bromance,” or for us long time punters “Children” or “Sunchyme.” Take a listen to “Colors” by Italian DJ/producer Davide Rivaz aka Rivaz. Truly uplifting and euphoric, the track lifts your spirits and takes you into that magical place that is light and full of happiness and energy. He even manages to bring in some rock guitar riffs without it sounding angry or aggressive, keeping it pretty and dreamy. Sure, there are the expected builds to electro and a few stadium house stabs, but the sound is so fresh and optimistic feeling that it stands out amongst the sea of clones. It really is no surprise that the big guys like David Guetta, Benny Benassi, Paul Oakenfold and Bob Sinclar are already supporting this massive track for the festival season. Special thanks to Lee Dagger for IDing the track when I approached him during his set at WMC.

Image Courtesy of Rivaz.