Check This Out! The New York dynamo in da house
Interview : Dan Prince
Dude welcome to DMCWORLD – where in the world are you right now?
“Thanks for having me! At the moment I am currently locked in the studio working on tons of new production.”
Well you have done it again! Ensured absolute chaos on the world’s dancefloors with your latest track – the Jose Nunez collab ‘Check This Out’. Tell us a little history of the track…
“Well, for a long time I have wanted to do a modern reinterpretation of this classic. I approached Jose Nunez with the idea of collaborating and he was up for it. Having worked with him in the past on ‘Are You Ready?’, I knew he would understand the concept and would bring some great ideas to the table. We put our heads together and set out to bring a modern, big room house sound to the track, while staying true to the party vibe of the old school. We wanted to keep it simple and fun just like the tracks that inspired us back in the day. “
The track is signed to Steve Mac’s Black Rock label, a big friend of DMC. We interviewed him last week and he said something kinda interesting… “It was different when I started out back in the day, there was no glamour side of travelling around the world, getting paid fortunes for gigs, it was all about the music. I think people get into it for all the wrong reasons today.” What are your thoughts on that?
“I agree, but think it goes both ways. Some of the new talent coming up seem to be primarily focused on the fame and fortune aspects, but, on the flip side, you are always going to have those that get into this for the love of music, like myself. What has changed is tat the ‘underground’ of yesterday has become the ‘mainstream’ today. The same thing has happened over time with musicians/bands, athletes, actors etc. At the end of the day, the fans know who is who.”
It sounds like you have been around music for a long time, indeed I read somewhere that you claimed you have been making music since you were six or seven years old! So how did this musical rollercoaster begin for you back then?
“I have always had a love and connection to music from as far back as I can remember. I was exposed to many different genres of music growing up such as Rock, Disco, Latin, Pop, etc. and at a very early age I was introduced to the piano and quickly discovered my talent for playing by ear. Not long after that I started collecting instruments, such as synths, drums and samplers and I began composing my own music. Music has and will always been a central part of my life.
You started playing in a band, how old were you when you first started discovering dance music…and what were the artists and DJs that first grabbed you?
“I was in my early teens when I started to gravitate towards dance music and DJing. Some early producers that really got my attention were artists like Kraftwerk, Giorgio Moroder, Cerrone, Gino Soccio, Todd Terry and Steve ‘Silk’ Hurley. Later on, bands like New Order, Depeche Mode and Nine Inch Nails were extremely inspiring to me as a producer due to their experimental electronic sound. As for DJs, the two most influential were, without a doubt, Danny Tenaglia & Erick Morillo. All of the sounds I loved came through in their performances…from dark and moody to party time!”
What is the current top 10 you are spinning?
Check This Out – Jose Nunez & Antranig
Transit – Antranig & Futuristic Polar Bears
Don’t Go – Cube Guys, Prok & Fitch
S.O.T.U.- Nicky Romero, Sunnery James & Ryan Marciano
Find Your Own Beat – Harry Romero
The Underground (Federico Scavo Remix) – Michael Gray, Marco Lys
Good Life (Pig & Dan Less Is More Mix) – Inner City, Kevin Saunderson
Don’t Touch my Junk (Kaiserdisco) – Nicole Moudaber
Need House (Sasha Carassi Remix) – The Advent
Nootropica – SQL, Child
A quote from a certain leading DJ last week…”I don’t think it’s necessary these days to actually be a good DJ like it was 15 years ago at the start of my career. These days you can get away with pressing play on a laptop.” Discuss…
“It really depends. A lot of EDM / festival DJs are really great producers who got thrust into the limelight based on their work. Those type of performances, which are 2 hours or less, are more of a showcase of their own productions and are heavily prepared, organized & arranged beforehand. Here, most of the creativity is done in the studio and pushing play is the norm. This is, in my opinion, not the same thing as playing a 6-8 hour set in a dark nightclub with little or no advance preparation. In this environment, the DJ has the freedom to be spontaneous and creative on the fly while playing off of the energy of the crowd. Mixes, edits, mashups etc. are performed in realtime and the audience can feel the difference… the rawness of the moment. That definitely requires more skill than pressing play.”
What is the best and worst thing about living in NYC?
“Best – NYC is always on!
Worst – NYC is always on… and sometime you want it off!”
You are part of the Subliminal family. Looking back, what are your thoughts on the whole Erick Morillo ‘breakdown’ incident. Did anyone over in the States see it coming or try and warn him?
“Right now Erick is going through some personal issues. Haven’t we all at some point? He is an extremely smart and accomplished DJ/producer, businessman and entrepreneur. I’m sure he will bounce back.”
You call Danny Tenaglia your mentor, how important to your career has he been?
“Danny has been pivotal to my music career! He was the first one to believe in me as a DJ and as a producer and gave me my first shot in the biz. He showed me the ropes and educated me not only with his words of advice, but with his music…in the studio and on the dancefloor. I have nothing but love for DT!”
What is coming out next from you studio wise?
“Right now, I am currently working with Jose Nunez on 2 projects: the follow-up to ‘Check This Out’ called ‘Rock 2 The Beat’ and a tech-house/techno track for DJ Chus/Stereo called ‘Can’t Help Myself’, which will be more of an underground vibe. I’ve also got a fantastic collaboration in the works with Chocolate Puma, which I’m very excited about, called ‘Blam!’. Finally, on the solo front, I’m working on 3 new projects: a new original called ‘Big Ass Drums’, which will be produced in my Big Room Tribal-Tech style, a techno track called ‘Transmission’, which will be a late night, dark and dirty affair, and an Electro-Pop Vocal track w/ Angelica DeNo called ‘Fashion’, which will be focused more towards the commercial side.”
Glancing through your Facebook site pal and checking your tunes, well, er, I take it you’re an ass man!!!!?
“Yup the titles of some my tracks will reinforce that…’Shake That Ass’, ‘Back That Up’, ‘Spank It!’, ‘Toma Culo’, and (coming soon) ‘Big Ass Drums’. LOL!”
Where is the best new club or location you discovered this year?
“I’ve been a bit of a recluse lately, but I know, without a doubt, that Output in Brooklyn is the hottest spot for music lovers right now. With Nicolas Matar and Benny Soto running the show, you can’t go wrong!”
Where were some of your other stand out shows from this summer?
“As a DJ, the show that stood out the most for me was being invited to perform with Danny Tenaglia at the Vinyl Reunion Party @ Pacha NYC. I was honored to open the room and play a 5 hour set of the music that was so much a part of my history and the start of my journey as a Professional DJ. I prepared for over 2 weeks…burning records, doing edits and digging for the tracks that would properly reflect the kind of set I would have played when I opened for Danny @ Vinyl back in the day. To be in the booth w/ DT on that night, with that music, is something special I will never forget!”
And finally, you once said that the morning you find Lindy Lohan passed out on your front lawn, “that’s when I’ll know I made it!”. So dude, you made it yet????
“I’m close…I just need Miley Cyrus to lick my face right before Justin Bieber sucker punches me to be sure.”
