One of the most innovative producers of the ones and twos hits Memory Box for a History of Electro set on Saturday 20 June at Cafe 1001
Interview by Dan Prince
Greg a massive welcome to DMCWORLD. Where in the world are you right now?
I am in Los Angeles relaxing after a screening of the classic west coast movie Breakin’ followed by a party with my Egyptian Lover, Peanut Butter Wolf, and Chris “The Glove”: Taylor all doing DJ sets. I brought my 808 and showed off a little and we all had a fun night. The people lost their minds. Movie and a show.
What was the first piece of music you heard this morning after rolling out of bed?
My 808 alarm clock at 8:08am…
Huge news for London town due to your arrival and appearance at Memory Box on June 20th. A great club with such a brilliant open minded soundtrack. What can we expect from your set, how are you going to rock the UK?
I am going to start out doing an 80s DJ set with all early electro jams and then go into my 808 and hit the sky with Bass. Then I’m going to perform my songs and really get down like back in the day. This is going to be a great party. If you like Electro, Old School Hop Hop, DJ turntable skills, the 808. Don;t miss this performance. It will be very entertaining.
What are some of your memories of clubbing and playing in London town from years gone by?
I have played there many times and I have my fans that come to every show, but I also get new fans and people who just love music. I like that! They just give music a chance and I make them dance.
DMC are the company behind the original World DJ Mixing Championships, a contest that has thrown up winners such as DJ Craze, Ca$h Money, A-Trak and Roc Raida over the years. How much of an interest in the turntablist scene have you given over the years?
I created the turntable tricks I do and it is unlike any you’ve ever seen. Like playing Planet Rock backwards and mixing in Electric Kingdom while I’m playing it backwards by hand. I also created a mix I call the triple threat where I repeat the part 3 times with 2 records. And then I have the Thousand Threat where I repeat the triple threat many times. and so many more tricks. DJ’s will love seeing me and learning a few new tricks from an old school pioneer in the mix.
Two gigs in Germany under your belt last week, Leipzig and Cologne receiving the full Egyptian Lover treatment…how did they go? Highlights…big tunes that dropped?
Germany has always been big supporters of mine. I think it’s because of my Kraftwerk influence. But every show there is a historic event. They love it when I play my 808. I even played a few new tracks from my upcoming album 1984 and in one spot I played my whole album 1984 and they went bizzerk! I just might do that on 20 June in London.
Loving your photos of your studio toys on Facebook…what was the last great acquisition to your music base…?
Roland JD-XA It has both analog and digital in one synth. Bringing both worlds together and only $2,500. I have always been a fan of Roland and this time they please me again.
You DJ’d in LA last night, you came out all guns blazing saying “come on Los Angeles let’s have some fun!”. Does that happen in America’s capital of dance music these days? Do places go off or is still a bit too cool for school?
I don’t understand why people don’t like to dance anymore? It’s so much fun and a great way to passionately meet each other. The girls still love it but the guys are terrified. Maybe if the clubs stop letting you record in the clubs and use smart phones people wouldn’t be scared to be captured and put on youtube dancing and they can be free and dance. Dancing has been around since music.It will return again and I am one that encourages it. Dance I said Dance! Let your sexy show!
How many high fives do you give to LA radio station 1580 KDAY, when we used to cruise the streets of your city back in the day it was like you owned that darned station!!!!!
I give it all to K-DAY because they were playing my songs during the Olympics here in Los Angeles and many young athletes recorded it and brought it back to their countries and played it for them. I met a guy from East Germany who said he somehow got a tape that was smuggled in from west Germany in 1984 with songs from KDAY and I had 3 on there. He said he was such a huge fan and when the wall came down in 1989 he went into the west side and bought a boombox and some Egyptian Lover CDs. Just happened to be my greatest hits CD with many of jams on it and he loved it. 20 years later he helped put on a show in Germany, Booked me and had a chance to see me perform for the first time. So thank you KDAY you mean more to me than you’ll ever know.
The big 5 tracks in your box this weekend…
1984 My new album. I have been playing this non stop and I’m loving it more and more. When this album hits the streets it will spread like crazy and I want all the people that love music to be able to by it. I am putting it out on vinyl so my old school fans can enjoy it. The big 5 are…
Into the Future
Killin it
Poppers Anthem
Seduced
Bellydance
Egyptian Lover 1984 coming this August…
This year has seen some of the biggest DJs in the world really come out and speak their minds on social media. Some really interesting issues have been raised by your counterparts, just wondered what your thoughts were on some of the topics they have brought to the public domain…
– Seth Troxler at IMS Engage…“I’m seeing people float further and further away from the idea and the culture that we tried to create, and it really pisses me off.”
There are so many people in this world and if some float further away others will float in. Don’t worry Seth just keep rockin it.
– David Guetta at Coachella…”My computer crashed… so I just had to put all my music in a random order on USB sticks… so old school”
I use vinyl and it will never crash. Now that’s Old School!
– Steve Angello and Carl Cox in Billboard…“The attitude is like, ‘we’re making great money, let’s milk it,’” a sentiment heralded by many including Carl Cox who believes that dance music now moves at such a pace that no producer has any chance of creating a future classic.”
Egyptian Lover is making a future classic. Get ready to lose your mind again.
It’s your birthday. You are throwing a mutha of a party. 5 artists or DJs you invite to throw it down…
Newcleus
Cybotron
Kraftwerk
Afrika Bambaataa
Prince
An up and coming producer to watch out for in 2015?
Brian Ellis
The best Hip Hop album in your collection?
RUN D.M.C. first album with “It’s Like That” and “Hard Times” and “Sucker M.C.’s” brings back memories of the good old days.
You love your studio and your studio loves you. But what happens when you get writers block, how does Egyptian Lover chill out and relax…?
Get Freaky…
You have worked with some fabulous artists over the past three decades…Ice T, M.I.A. and Jamie Jones to name but a few. Who did you have the best laugh working with?
I always have fun in the studio. I’m a crazy guy. But I never laughed as hard as I did with Rodney O and Joe Cooley. We were fools back then.
“I record the old fashion way, only difference is I now record to Pro Tools instead of 2″ tape. But I really miss the tape sound. Those days were the best.” Discuss….
I have been in the studio for the past 10 years putting together a classic Egyptian Lover album and it has surpassed all my dreams. This new album was recorded in all the old studios I recorded my first album and used all the same studio equipment doing so. I even used the same musical equipment like my 808, the Jupiter 8 and the vocoder. The sound is amazing! Sounds like I’m back in 1984 and that’s why it’s called 1984. Make sure you buy this album coming in August 2015.
What is coming out next from you studio wise…
1984 – The Best Egyptian Lover Album ever…
And finally Mr Egyptian Lover…Cleopatra, King Tut, Omar Sharif, Yasser Arafat. Who would you most like to party with…?
Cleopatra of course Dan…
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https://www.facebook.com/ThEgyptianLover
Event details…
Memory Box feat. Egyptian Lover [History of Electro + Live + 808 set]
Line Up: Egyptian Lover, Robin Ball, Dave Mono (live electro, techno and acid set)
Venue: Café 1001, 91 Brick Lane, London E1 6QL
Date: Saturday 20 June
Time: Balearic Bar – 4pm. Club – 8pm till 4am
Price: £7.50 / £10 / £12.50 / £15 / £17.50 from http://www.residentadvisor.net/event.aspx?706118
