Our favourite pop auteur returns with the stunning ‘Hearts’ featuring Kelis
Interview : Dan Prince
Hey Dan welcome to DMCWORLD. You live in Paris these days but was originally a Buckinghamshire and London lad, what drew you to such a beautiful city…?
“I used to be in a band who were sort of big “on the continent” so I was always not in London. It started off being just practical to be in Paris for touring and what not, and then I met a French girl and that was kind of that.”
Love the story about how you started to play musical instruments. You were given a keyboard aged 5 but didn’t start to really appreciate music until a mate of yours fancied a girl in the local village and needed an excuse to go round. So what happened…?
“Ha – nice researching Dan! He said lets go ask this girl if we can borrow her guitar as an excuse to knock on her door, so obviously I had to keep it, so I brought it home and it sat in my bedroom, and I just started messing about with it. It only had 2 or 3 strings, and I used to smash up cassette tape boxes to make plectrums, but I wrote my first songs on it – about Marmalade I think.”
One of your first musical loves was Prince, then you got into hip hop. I take it artists with a strong identity are pretty key here?
“Artists like Kool Moe Dee and maybe Rock Steady Crew were my first Hop Hop passions, but yeah I was a massive Prince nut too. And yes I love artists with a strong unique identity.”
You claim the whole delayed release process of ‘Hearts’ was “boring legal stuff”, however it’s an interesting story concerning the forensic musicologist which was one of the five issues that held the record coming out. What happened?
“Well I first made the song I sampled a 90’s indie band called The Sundays. The sample was totally mangled up – I would be amazed if even anyone would ever have recognised it. But I thought – got to do the right thing – so I contacted them to get clearance, and they refused! Or maybe their label, it’s hard to be sure who – so I had to replace it. I contacted this forensic musicologist to get advice on at what point a bunch of notes and sounds becomes “original” when making the new sample. It was actually really interesting, but a fucking hassle.”
‘Hearts’ features a Kaskade & R3hab remix, you sang on a track for Kaskade a while back, hence the return favour. What are your thoughts on their work on your beloved track…?
“Obviously Kaskade comes from a different world to mine, but I actually love what he did. It’s a great big slice of dumb fun, and makes your head fall off at just the right moment.”
You wrote the song with Kelis, someone you have got to know well after touring together. What is it about you two that makes such a good team?
“It’s hard to say really. We are very different in many ways. She’s a super talented, glamerous New York icon and I’m basically a clumsy, home counties nerd, but we weirdly do have a great creative chemistry.”
Tell us about the video, which you completed 10 months ago. You stood on that roof for a long time with some very strange characters overlooking The Eiffel Tower…
“It involved time lapse photography, but of me singing the song. It was a shot every 16 seconds for 24 hours of me, without break. Technically it was a real brain melt, getting the vocals to sync etc, but then I love when you can feel the effort and time behind something, and you certainly can on this video.”
We hear the second album is ready to go, how do you feel it differs musically from ‘((un))’?
“I wouldn’t say it’s exactly “ready to go” – but then I probably wont say that even as they’re ripping the masters out of my hand!. But it’s feels more focused then ((un)). That was pretty eclectic. In my head the palate for this one was beats, strings and drones with lyrics basically about daily struggle I guess. It’s been this massive thing, all around me for a couple of years now so it’s really hard to look at it objectively. It feels kind of like trying to describe air or something!”
How many songs did you scratch from the album, it seems to me you would rather wait until everything is ready rather than churn out records for the sake of it?
“God I kind dread to think. 40? I don’t really know. But also, I wrote some songs that I was really happy with, but it would take 3 or 4 versions to get it to work in the way I think it should. Very annoying!”
A famous quote from you…; “I’m trying to make pop music that’s interesting and exciting”. Who then in your opinion out there is making these kind of records…?
“Right now? Loads, I love all the recent Dev Hynes produced stuff. Jai Paul, though as I understand it he may have quit music sadly. Kanye’s Yeezus was incredible I think, with a lot of the people involved in that being amazing in their own right too, TNGHT, Evian Christ. Those Kate Boy tracks are pretty tight, obviously Disclosure are pushing pop in good way…it’s a good time right now I think.”
Can you talk us through some of the songs on the album you can’t wait to play for us?
Well it’s still (STILL!!) all up in the air but there’s a track called “We Drift On” with Imogen Heap on which an samples an old Japanese film over an 808 bump kind of thing which I’m pretty hyped about. A track called “Wash Away” which I did with Julien Jabre here in Paris and is one of the best things I have ever done, it’s kind of a Trap Hymn or something…”
Whilst being holed up in your Paris studio you have also been working on other artists’ material, what is coming out soon with your name all over it?
“Well you never know what people are gonna use. More stuff with Kelis I think, Mikky Ekko, a new Def Jam signing called Stephen Wrabel, Bag Raiders…knowing me I’m forgetting someone…a bunch.”
What is it about being a solo artist that you love, rather than being in a band which you have of course done with The Servant and Planet Funk…
“I just love the purity of it. With other people it always involves compromise. This can lead to maybe more balance or surprises in a track but I love the pureness of one person’s vision, for good AND bad.”
I for one couldn’t have handled the tour bus slog with the same people all the time. Didn’t it drive you nuts?
“It’s not too bad. Playing shows is always super enjoyable for me – well the show bit makes up for the travel/loneliness bit. I have a kid now though, so the thought of going back on the road does fill me with more fear these days.”
When you tell people you live and work in Paris I would imagine they have images of you working in a studio overlooking the Seine. It’s not exactly like that is it though?!?!
“Ha – I wish. I just moved actually and I am by Canal St Martin, which is some water, though a little less grand than the Seine!”
So you must need a release at the end of a day in your studio, where are some of the places we could find you after hours in Paris?
“Well hanging with my little boy is my big main release these days, so after hours-ing is a bit rare these days. But if you want to come ride the merry go round or feed the ducks in Parc Butte Chaumont I’ll be there most weekends Dan.”
How is your French?
“Worse than I’d like, maybe better than I imagine.”
Last great album you heard…
“The new Vampire Weekend album is pretty great.”
Not many people know this, but Dan Black is really good at…
“…nappy changing!”
Who is the person from history you would most like to have a beer with?
“Epicurus or maybe Shakespeare. Be good to have my brain bent a little.”
And finally, what is the plan for the live shows?
“To do some!”
Dan Black ft. Kelis – Hearts (Kaskade & R3hab Remix) is out now
Listen here: http://snd.sc/1au130o
Buy original here: http://bit.ly/1agtwFO
Buy Kaskade & R3hab remix here: http://smarturl.it/ednc7s
www.danblacksound.com
