Landing whilst Digital Farm Animals is aloft on the successes of work with Netsky, Dua Lipa, Louis Mattrs and more, ’Wanna Know ft. R Kelly’ is the latest venture from an artist looking forward from a great vantage, the latest of London’s low-key producers to storm out from the shadows.
Interview by Dan Prince
Dude welcome to DMCWORLD…where on planet earth are you right now?
Thanks mate! I’m in a car on the way to Gatwick airport.
The best bit of new music you have heard today?
Catfish & The Bottlemen – Soundcheck
Let’s kick off with a big congratulations on your single ‘Wanna Know’. The world has gone mad for it, Pete Tong is all over it…did you know on completion you’d creation something pretty special? Talk us through the track…
I was in the studio with my good mate and collaborator Youthonix and we finished it within a few hours. Really, the track is pretty simple. Once we’d got a beat going and keyed in the bassline, we tried a few vocal ideas and added a lot of processing. We (Digital Farm Animals) tested out the track in our club set and knew immediately that we were onto something as it had such a big reaction. R. Kelly ending up on the track was just completely unexpected – he somehow got played it and asked for an instrumental. Within a week of sending it over he’d got it back to us with his verses. It’s still pretty surreal.
Watch the official music video here…
Which famous person would you most like to see play you in a film?
DiCaprio as I’ve never been disappointed by anything he’s been in. Hopefully the story will be Wolf of Wall Street 2 by the time he’s playing me.
You have so much new music coming out. Please give us a few words on…
…the Galantis track
I wrote the topline for their current single ‘No Money’ with a writer I work with a lot, called Bully. We had the whole idea down within 20 minutes and after another 20 minutes we’d recorded it with Bully’s 10-year-old son Reece, whose vocal remains on the track. I produced up a demo and it was sent over to Galantis who went nuts for it and took it from there.
…your will.i.am production…
I was in LA last year and by co-incidence was in the studio next to will.i.am and we got introduced. He was making this really UK sounding track and I happened to have the exact synth patch he needed for it and we just started jamming from there. He loved a couple of my unreleased tracks and he asked me to have a go at producing ‘Mona Lisa Smile’. It was actually just released last week in conjunction with the Louvre in Paris. Check out the video for it, it’s mad! Since then we’ve been in the studio a couple of times and have a few more collaborations in the pipeline.
…the Dua Lipa production…
This was a really fun track to write and record as it crosses over more into the Indie pop world. I also feel it’s a really different sounding record to what a lot of the young female artists signed to majors are putting out at the moment which is partly why I think it has been working so well across Europe.
What’s the biggest risk you’ve ever taken?
Maybe quitting my law degree to pursue music as a career.
Last year saw you collaborate with Netsky in the Drum & Bass anthem ‘Rio’ before heading off on tour together. What are some of your favourite D&B tunes ever?
Shy FX ‘Shake Ur Body’
UK Apache ‘Original Nuttah’
General Levy ‘Incredible’
Goldie – Inner City Life
An up and coming producer to watch out for in 2016?
Youthonix
You were bestowed with the immense honour of being given the approval by Amy Winehouse’s family to remix ‘Stronger’ – the very first and only rework given permission for. A real honour, did you expect to be given the green light and why was this track precious for you?
It was a massive honour as I was a big fan of Amy growing up and listened to her albums intensely. I had just seen the film and was genuinely moved by it. I definitely didn’t expect to be allowed to release the remix officially and it took a lot of convincing as there are so many parties involved in her legacy. I’m so grateful to have been able to play a part even if in such a small way compared to all her achievements.
What accomplishment in your life are you most proud of?
Making music my job.
What are the 5 pig tunes in your box…
Pig tunes? Haha ok. Let’s think about this.
Notorious P.I.G. – Juicy. If you don’t sing along to this we’re done.
pHAM – holding on. Sick sick beat and vocal.
PIG Sean – I Don’t Fuck With You. #Mood.
ZAYN – Piglow talk. Amazing track for first solo record.
112 – Pigches and Cream. No one doesn’t love this tune.
And finally…gotta ask. Are you a vegetarian?
Bacon all day long mate!
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