Prolific UK producers telling their rivals, see you later
Welcome back to DMC towers. A great time for you at the moment, you must enjoy seeing your track featuring ‘See You Later’ doing so well. When was the track created and where was it first road tested?
Marc JB – “We we having some fun one afternoon in the studio playing with some sounds, we had some great beats and were looking for a Dirty Dutch type crazy synth to go over the top, we found one on the computer, added some effects to it and the sound was born, we looked at each other and knew that this electric energetic track was gonna be great”
Lee Dagger – “Well firstly I have been playing the instrumental for the past year or so everywhere from Miami to Siberia, Sydney to Prague etc. It’s been important to drill the funky groove into clubbers heads. As soon as we heard Ida Corr’s wicked topline we knew it was the icing on the cake. Since adding the vocal I have been playing it non stop on my mix of the Bimbo jones radio show which covers New York, Miami, Paris, Honolulu, Seattle, San Francisco, Chicago, London and more, and non stop in clubland on my DJ tours around the globe. Playing it after Kylie at Sydney Mardi Gras to 17,000 people was immense!”
The tune is all over the radio in the US as we speak – was the US market somewhere you have your eye on at the moment?
Lee Dagger – “Yes of course. I have been writing in the US and DJing for the past few years. The US is very good to Bimbo Jones. We have a great fan base there. All I can say is just wait until you hear the rest of the album!!! (It’s now finished yeah!!!).”
Marc JB – “We are working more and more in the US, we have a lot of US hookups on our 2nd Bimbo album ‘GO NAKED’. It is so easy to work with artists all around the world now. Very exciting to wake up to all the emails from the US.”
We hear you are currently working on the follow up singlea for Ego, what can you tell us about the tracks…
Lee Dagger – “Actually all the tracks are now done and we can’t wait to let our fans hear them. It’s like sitting on an egg for 2 years waiting to unleash it into clubland for the first time. I also have a debut Lee Dagger album ready and Marc is also busy working on his own disco and house projects. Get ready!!”
Marc JB – “EGO are doing a great job with our record, this is a great start for the rest of the album, we are very excited!!”
Are you the kind of producers who have a bank of tunes in the bank ready to go or is it one track at a time?
Lee Dagger – “Well we have certain sounds but I personally like to treat every track or remix as a new one. Just like my DJs sets. Kind of go with the flow and read the crowd whilst playing to the people.”
Marc JB – “Every remix and production is started from scratch, every song is built up from a kick drum sample from our sample banks, it’s the best way. If you are going to ADE (Amsterdam Dance Event) this year in October, I shall be doing a ‘how to remix’ masterclass on the Saturday, if you wanna know all the secrets of the trade, I’ll see you there!”
Miami Calling relaunching in August – what’s the story there?
Lee Dagger – “I set up Miami Calling about 8 years ago. I came up with the name after loving the first time I ever DJ’d for Miss Moneypenny’s in Nikki Beach Miami back in 2000. Since then I have held Miami Calling club nights in Prague, Miami, Ibiza, and all over the UK. Plus there are a few Miami Calling productions and remix’s such as Deep Dish, Candi Station, Reflekt and a UK national number 1 with Meck feat: Leo Sayer- ‘Thunder In My Heart Again’. Most people don’t realise Marc and I were the guys that produced it. Along with a slice of help with Craig. Where I have been so busy the last couple of years travelling and writing I just did not have the time to keep the nights going. But now we are back in London August 11th. We have 2 live PA’s showcasing new tracks off the Bimbo Jones album and guest DJ Brett Austin from the Oxford Hustlers joining us from Sydney. Plus myself and resident Stew Eldridge plus one more very special girl DJ.”
Lee, what are the big tunes you are currently spinning?
Bimbo Jones feat: Ida Corr, Feenixpawl & Ivan Gough – In My Mind
REM – Losing My Religion
Laura Larue & Lee Dagger – Capture Your Love
Bingo Players – Rattle, Lee Dagger – No Superstar
Lee Dagger & Crystal Waters – Rule The World (Bisbestic remix)
Wolfgang Gartner – Flexx
Any Colour Black – You And I (Bluestone & Loverush)
Doman & Gooding – Hit Me With The Lights Out.
Where have been some of the great Bimbo Jones gigs this ‘summer’?
Lee Dagger – “I headlined a Sydney Harbour party overlooking the Opera House and Harbour Bridge. Then a week later Mardi Gras with Kylie – it was so great to finally meet her. She is so nice. I also loved playing in Dublin, Lyon and Aubagne – France, and the Utopia club in Poland. Oh and of course Miami WMC!!! I love Miami. This year I DJ’d 8 times in 6 days playing at pool parties, roof tops, clubs and I even performed at the IDMA awards in front on everyone from Swedish House Mafia, Carl Cox, Nervo etc etc. I real honour! I also talked in the annual conference – this year on a DJ panel with Todd Terry, Yousef and Moguai.”
What has been the summer anthem to date…
Lee Dagger – “I would say ‘See U Later’!!! And also the new remix of REM – ‘Losing My Religion’.”
Lee, you were first inspired to start making music by watching early Sasha sets in the early 90s. Where were you clubbing at the time?
“I was going to many famous free party raves, and legal raves too all over the west country, Oxfordshire and London checking out DJs like Sasha, Carl Cox, PA’s by Bizzare Inc and Prodigy. It was wicked! Just seeing Carl Cox DJ off of 4 Technics decks was enough to aspire any DJ. Now they are learning to mix on the computer with sound waves and now cds or vinyl. What a cop out!!”
What was it about his sets that made you want to get in the studio?
“Sasha’s sets were always a masterpiece. You could hear him drop KLF into Bizarre Inc into the DOC or Young MC, add acapellas, make and create new live tracks while mixing. It was an art and the music was so uplifting. I still have some of the audio tapes (and on cd) from 1991 and 1992. He played a lot of piano house and vocal Italian house.”
Meeting Marc must have been like a dream come true. Here was a brilliant musician who could replicate any sample on any record you brought into the studio. How did you two get together in the first place?
“I have always been an ideas man and was forever writing poetry at school. I adopted these ideas into my current song writing and top line. By the late 1990’s I my head was crammed with ideas that I needed to unleash in the studio. I had done a few sessions hear and there mainly with Panos Liassi (from Amen UK and Supafly). Then in 2000 I decided to make the break and commit to making music full time during the week and DJ at the weekends. Within a year Marc and I were offered a publishing deal with Simon Fuller and Bimbo Jones was born. Marc is a gr8 maestro. He was playing gigs in London and was quick to respond with me on any new ideas. Almost like a copywriter and art director. We fused and the rest is history.”
Every time a journalist asks you which one of your masterful remixes you have done are you most proudest of, you answer differently! So what is your favourite today?
Marc JB – “I still love our mix of Pink ‘Sober’, the guitars are so great in there, I love them all or they would have never left the studio!”
Lee Dagger – “There are of course so many. I personally love our remix’s of Pink – ‘Sober’, Alexandra Burke – ‘Let It Go’, Lady Gaga – ‘Alejandro’, Sunblock – ‘First Time’ and more recently Rizzle Kicks – ‘Travellers Chant’.”
Who are the producers from around the world that you are giving high fives to at the moment?
Marc JB – “I am loving Prok and Fitch, John Dahlback and Simon Kaye (Guru Josh Project).”
Lee Dagger – “I would have to say Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, Nicky Romero, Feenixpawl, Avicii and Wolfgang Gartner.”
And finally, what is it about the Ego label and team that make you happy to be releasing tunes of this prolific company?
Lee Dagger “Cause Matteo is the man. He is always on the case searching for hot records and making hits happen – thanks EGO! Keep dancing!”
Marc JB – “Ego rock, great music, always going to extra mile to make sure the releases are getting the recognition they deserve, Matteo, it’s my round at ADE first this year!! Watch out for my tunes with Inaya Day (Every Breath #10 in UK Dance Charts) coming out soon, I have tunes on the way with Polina Griffith, Nightstylers, Rita Campbell, Alec San Dre and a whole disco album made with Simon Bartholomew (Brand New Heavies) called ‘JBZ – iDISCO” featuring the likes of Jocelyn Brown, Leo Sayer, Sugar Hill Gang and KC! And of course many more fantastic releases with Lee coming out on ‘Go Naked’ on our forthcoming Bimbo Jones album!!!”
Bimbo Jones feat. Ida Corr – SEE YOU LATER (Ego)
http://itunes.apple.com/it/album/see-you-later-feat.-ida-corr/id51590054
http://www.bimbojones.com
http://www.myspace.com/bimbojones
http://www.myspace.com/songsiren
http://www.myspace.com/leedagger
http://www.myspace.com/marcjb
http://www.egomusic.net
http://www.youtube.com/egoitaly
http://www.facebook.com/ego
http://twitter.com/EGO_Italy
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