Exclusive interview with the Dutch dynamos as they release brilliant new album ‘ZOA’
Interview : Dan Prince
Iason, Coen welcome back to DMCWORLD – where in the world are you today?
“It’s good to be back J Writing to you from the studio home turf in Amsterdam, after my first morning coffee.”
A massive week for you with the release of your brand new ZOA album swinging our way on Animal Language. How long did the album take to create and did you have to discard any tracks?
“The last few years after our previous album (2011) we’ve been pretty busy with making more dancefloor minded stuff, which is nice – but also a bit limited, as we like to make all kinds of music really. So over the years we piled up lots of material we just put aside “for when the time comes we feel like doing an album”. And when that time came there was a lot to choose from. There must’ve been at least 100 demos – we tend to make a mad amount of demos – and it was a joy working that out to these thirteen.”
So, 13 tunes of immense quality, please give us a few words on each of your new musical babies…
Up In The Vessel
“Not only the first track of the album but also the first one we finished. I guess this one is pretty much what we’re all about.”
Gotta Have You Back
“We met Rouge Mary at an after party bungalow on a festival at an unholy hour after a show where she played with Hercules And Love Affair. She was really up for working together and came down from Paris to our studio a few months after.”
Thomas’ Sleepover
“It’s quite a trippy little thing. Props to Boele Weemhof for an amazing Rhodes solo.”
Here’s My Heart
“We were pretty thrilled to be able to work with Jocelyn Brown for obvious reasons. It turned out pretty full on and epic. I guess the most EDM-ish thing we did in a while. The instrumental was sort of a DJ tool for me throughout the last year.”
Reach The Stars
“We were very specific of the falsetto vocal we needed and only knew one person that could do that really well. He turned out pretty hard to track down – it took us many months to find him and get him to our studio, but it paid off we think. The rapper is from a Dutch funk collective called Gotcha! that inspired us lots in the early 90s.”
Get Back
“Made this bit of acid with a softsynth. Decided we needed the real thing, so jumped on my bicycle and borrowed the TB303 from Sebastien Leger, who lives in town too. But it just didn’t sound as good, whatever we tried. So returned the 303 on my bike and stuck with the softsynth version. So to the purists our there – this is totally FAKE and guess how much I care…”
Eight on Eight
“Both Coen and I were pretty influenced by early 90s westcoast hiphop, so this is some sort of twisted reflection of that. The bassline was played by a big Amsterdam nu disco talent called 2CV. More props and all that jazz.”
Someone I’m Not
“Pretty happy with the intro and the rest, but the intro most. And Lizzie Massey from Tiny Dragons is a great singer, planning on doing more together.”
Peer Pressure
“It was first just this quirky DJ tool, but for the album we decided to record all kinds of extra lyrics to it. If you figure out what it’s about you should probably go out less.”
Rock Steady Love
“We needed at least one ballad on the album, just like we had on the last album. It’s important for slow-dancing people on school parties – we don’t wanna neglect them. We imagined a montage scene from a bad 80s movie; Tom Cruise, the horizon, tears, drama galore. Oh and we sang it ourselves (well Coen did).”
Solid Gold
“This Pien Feith girl who sang the part is really, really good. You should all check her out. Really good.”
When We Touch
“Well…”
Salamander
“It’s summery and drowsy. The synth solo at the end is from a great Dutch producer called Bas Bron. His solo was a one taker.”
How did the collabs take place, did you manage to get in the studio with everyone?
“Ideally we wanna be in the studio with vocalists, so you can work as long as it takes to get things right. With some it luckily worked out. Some other artists were too busy to come to Holland (or we couldn’t make it to them), that we had to work remotely. Downside of this is we’re quite perfectionists, so it takes quite a few recording sessions back and forth until we’re happy.”
Gotta ask…what’s with the Thomas’ Sleepover name???!?!?
“Ha! Someone on our Facebook won a competition of which the prize was his name turned into an album track name. We didn’t just wanna call it Thomas, and no we didn’t share actual beds. He’s actually part of Dutch electronic act called Just Regular Guys who release on GND records.”
Everyone has one, don’t be afraid…what is your favourite track on the album?
“It changed over time, but at the moment I’m pretty happy with Salamander. Although it’s pretty mellow, it does work well when played out.”
So the name ‘Zoa’…it’s the plural of ‘Zoon’ which means “an animal developed from a fertilized egg / one of the distinct individuals that join to form a compound or colonial animal”. That what you had in mind?
“Zebra, Ostrich, Antelope.”
Cool! ADE is just around the corner…what have you got planned for us all?
“YESsss we’ve finished the Animal Language party line-up this actual day. We’re doing a clubnight (till 08.00) at Club NYX at ADE on Friday (17 October) and have Alex Metric, Moonbootica, Blende, Sharooz, Local Suicide, lots of Animal Language DJs and many more playing. They’re probably my favourite producers at the minute so I have no tracks left to choose from for my own set (but will play nontheless). If people are coming to ADE, they can find all info on the party here… on.fb.me/1rMYL87
If BPM in Brazil is about escaping the rain, Miami WMC is about the party and IMS is about the networking and speeches…what is ADE all about in your opinion?
“ADE is the main network mofo. It’s much bigger then IMS, the weather generally sucks, it’s about 5 days, and everyone is there – so lots of business gets done. The parties are fine, but I think it can’t beat Sonar or WMC on the party side.”
It’s that time of year again, the annual DJ Top100. I interviewed Arthur Baker this week, he remarked…“there are too many DJs and genres for a realistic competition, it needs to split”. What is your opinion on that?
“A lot of artists (including me) don’t care too much about the Top 100. Lots of voters are young and come from the US, which already gives a bit of a twisted result. Older music lovers are usually a bit less fanatic fans about things. Remember when you were sixteen and had posters up in your room…? Well those people are the most religiously dedicated fans online in general and younger people tend to listen to the more easy comprehensible types of dance music. So the more underground people aren’t doing too great in the Top100 in comparison to their amount of (older) fans.”
What are the biggest 5 records in your box at the moment?
Purple Disco Machine – Musique
Leonardus – Just Move
Adam Stacks – On Your Feet (Tagteam Terror Remix)
Sharooz – Astre
JBAG – Through The Blue (Saint Pauli Remix)
A quote from Fatboy Slim this week…“Electronic house. What a refreshing prospect! EDM is dead, long live EH!” Thoughts?
“Sounds like potato / potatoe to me. Names and genres – their meaning always changes and who cares about them anyway – remember what progressive house used to mean?”
The last amazing up and coming producer you have seen or heard?
“I really dig this French dude Parade. Go check him out.”
The Forbes DJ Rich List for 2014 came out a couple of weeks ago with the likes of Calvin Harris and David Guetta earning well over $25 million. The chart has received a lot of stick on the socials these last few days, people are saying it’s obscene. DMC views it as simply the world’s biggest market (America) finally tapping into the dance scene and blowing things up. What are your views…?
“It’s great that there are more and more people listening to electronic music, whatever you call it. What’s currently perceived as EDM gives me terrible headaches, so I’ll leave that to my colleagues, bigups for them doing so well. No disrespect to EDM, young teenagers need something to dance to too, right? I’m very aware that the music I chose to make won’t bring me private jets and that sort of things, but I’m a very content person if I can live from making the music I like every day. That’s all I need really.”
Some of the stand out gigs of the summer?
“Our album launch at our resident club night at NYX in Amsterdam was mayhem, and nothing beats playing for your friends in your home town.”
Last weekend saw you do an amazing competition on Radio Decibel where the winner received a house party with yourselves, sound system and beer. What happened?
“Oh dear….well the winner turned out to be this crazy party chick that invited 40 of her friends, made sure they were all sedated to some extent and we kinda broke the place down with a real party. Around 3am the police stopped the thing. We’re doing the same in Belgium on October 8 through Radio FG – so if there are Belgium readers here, we can come to your house next.”
Tune of summer 2014?
“That must be Sunlight by The Magician. Such a spot on hit by the man.”
And finally – what is coming out next from you studio wise?
“We’re running this competition where we release and remix the best track that gets sent in on Animal Language (runs for another few weeks: check this link for more info http://bit.ly/1qcg0cd
Also there are more album singles coming out, a track we did with Zoot Woman’s lead singer Johnny Blake, studio collabs with Moonbootica and Sharooz – and currently remixing Yolanda Be Cool and Worthy. Oh and there are new remixes for Exceeder coming in October. And…well, you get the idea.”
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ZOA by Mason is out now on Animal Language
iTunes bit.ly/1lFFOla
Beatport btprt.dj/Y7QoXE
Mason presents Animal Language: ZOA Album Launch Party takes place on 18 September at Queen of Hoxton, London. For event details visit… www.facebook.com/musicofmason
