The Scottish producer who can do no wrong finally brings out his classic
“Sunday Blue Sky makes me want to be at a festival RIGHT NOW”…Annie Mac
‘Sunday Blue Sky’ is a classic from Scottish house producer Grum. It boasts effortless, elastic rhythm and striking Orbital-influenced chords all topped with a wistful, dreamy vocal. An unusual mix that Grum contorts into a killer piece of electronic pop. Dan Prince checks in with the main man as he returns from a mental week in Miami…
Hey Graeme a big welcome back to DMCWORLD towers…where on planet earth are you right now – you smashing it in Miami?
Hi Dan, thanks for having me back. Yeah I just spent a couple of days in weekend in Miami, not quite smashing it but I had a nice time nonetheless!
Tell us about some of the parties you hit and the tracks you kept on hearing…
I played the Anjunabeats pool party and spent most of the day there on Sunday. Pretty sure I heard Jason Ross “Atlas” a good few times, it’s been a really big tune for them. I also played the Size closing party and heard an awesome jacking set from Junior Sanchez.
What 1 song always reminds you of Miami?
This is a little before my time but Stardust “Music Sounds Better With You” has a lot of Miami mythology attached to it. As far as I know they broke the tune at WMC about 15 years ago by handing out vinyl white labels to the big DJs at the time. I love the way that used to be possible with the right tune.
Well what a journey your new track ‘Sunday Blue Sky’ has had. DMCWORLD and The Buzz Chart received the track last September when it was under the ‘Autumn’ moniker…what the hell has happened?
Yeah that’s right – same tune, different name. I had another remix out at the same time Autumn was coming out, which was being quite heavily promoted. So we decided to let the remix have some space to do it’s thing and put out my single a little later. Obviously we’re not in Autumn now so a name change seemed appropriate!
A cool arena tour coming up with you supporting the mighty Above & Beyond around the UK…Glasgow is going to be a quiet one then at the O2 Academy?!?
Yeah I’m really looking forward to those dates. It’s such a pleasure to play for their fans as everyone is there to just enjoy the music and have a good time – always a great atmosphere. I’m sure Glasgow will be crazy, home turf and all.
How have the European dates been going…what cities have really gone off?
I did 3 shows with Above & Beyond – Antwerp, Amsterdam and Paris. All were brilliant to be honest, but I think Amsterdam just pips it. They were really appreciative of my set and I went down to the audience to catch A&B’s show. The whole thing was really great.
What are the 5 big tunes in your box this weekend…
– Fehrplay – Lotus
This is his first tune on Anjunabeats. Love the optimistic 80s synth vibes with modern production.
– Pete K – Beyond
Quite an unassuming tune this, but it’s got a really great rhythm and is a nice energy builder early in my set.
– Grum – Sunday Blue Sky
Obviously my own tune is in here – this was really influenced by some ravey Underworld and Orbital sounds.
– Max Freegrant & Yuji Ono – Above The Sky
This really feels a lot like some classic late 90’s tunes – it’s probably the one moment in my set where I edge towards full-on trance.
– Eric Prydz vs Chvrches – Tether
Glad this finally came out after being teased by Eric in his sets for ages! Massive tune which needs no explanation 🙂
Ministry of Sound looked amazing last week for the Anjunabeats party…take home memory of the night?
Yeah! That was my first time playing in the main room, something I really wanted to do for a long time. I played a brand new tune of mine and was surprised at how great a reaction it got, considering no-one had heard it before, so that has stuck in my mind. Also, ducking for cover every time the CO2 cannon went off. There’s a recording of my set up on my soundcloud – have had a really nice response to it so check it out if you want to hear a peak-time set from me.
You are one of Paul Oakenfold and Sasha’s biggest fans…why these two icons in particular?
I think they just really nailed the progressive/house/trance sound in the late 90’s. I actually just bumped into Oakenfold in a supermarket in Miami…! Oakenfold’s live essential mixes always had boundless energy. Sasha always had (still has) beautiful seamless mixing and progression. There’s a 4 hour live set of his from 1999 kicking around on the net – I think everyone should hear it at least once.
An up and coming producer to watch out for in 2015…
Definitely Pete K. I’ve been talking to him a bit and he sent me some of his brand new tunes. He’s got some amazing stuff coming later this year. Very consistent too.
We are all looking forward to Creamfields in August…you love playing at their Nation club right?
That’s right, I played it for the first time at the end of last year and felt like I really clicked with the place. I was on earlyish in the courtyard and it worked really nicely. Obviously Creamfields is a whole different vibe so I’ll be stepping things up for the Size tent!
What has been your best ever festival experience?
I played Exit festival a few years ago. I had no idea what to expect but it was brilliant. I was on quite late and had the sun coming up towards the end of my set – a really nice moment.
And one you’d like to forget?
I went to one of the last Gatecrasher Summer Sound Systems around 2008. Great line-ups of course, but the weather was horrendous and the whole place became a mud bath. Always remember your wellies!
What is coming out from you studio wise…
I’ve been busy finishing a bunch of new tunes. We’re just in the process of signing them at the moment so expect some announcements soon. I’m also just finishing up a remix of a band called Saint Raymond.
And finally, Какая ваша любимая запись 2015 года?
Yeah I had to crack out google translate for that one again Dan!! My Russian is still slowly coming along. But in answer to your question…so far, my favourite record is probably Philthy Chit – Tranquiliser on Perfecto Black. This might seem like a less obvious choice but the tune blends some subtle ideas together really nicely, culminating in a spine-tingling key change near the end.
https://www.facebook.com/grummmusic
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Grum
‘Sunday Blue Sky’
