What goes round comes round. A new beginning for the man who knows what spins
Interview by Dan Prince
Hey Max welcome to DMCWORLD…where on planet earth are you right now…
Hi Dan, I have just returned from five weeks in Asia, hanging out in Vancouver for a couple of days before finally heading home to get back into the studio.
The first piece of music you heard this morning after rolling out of bed?
nu:logic – Start Again…. love me some DnB in the morning.
So really exciting news in your life at the moment, saying goodbye to Rebrand Records and launching a new label Cycles. How long has this move been on your mind?
About two years now. It’s less about Rebrand and more about bringing everything under one brand, Cycles. Also with Rebrand events we were limited to artists connected to the label, but with Cycles obviously the pool of artists is much larger since the show has such a wide range of influence from Progressive House (the Guy J type) to Techno and more.
What a journey with Armada though huh? 11 years of a brilliant partnership?
Big thanks to them for allowing Rebrand to grow the way I wanted and showing such support for Protoculture and myself.
So Cycles, a much broader sound we understand…tell us about the concept…
Well, I want to return to a time when Trance had more groove to it. I’m finding today’s Trance to be quite dry and electro, and I miss the time when you could find a lovely melody coupled with a more sexy drum track like you find in Techno these days. A good example would be Oliver Lieb, chunky rolling beats but stunning melodies in the middle. So the goal is to find artists who aren’t afraid to marry Techno’s sexy chunky groove with some lovely melody.
What are the 5 big tunes in your box this weekend…
Max Graham – Redemption (Tim Penner)
Playing this every set, he nailed the mix with tough chunky beats and a stunning break.
Shelter – Pinned (Dualitik)
Lovely remix this, nice Detroit-style stabs that always get me. Love it.
Roger Martinez – TRANS
STUNNING record on Guy J’s label, absolutely perfect melody.
ANNA – Unstable Structures
Monster on the dancefloor, can’t wait to get ANNA to remix something for the new label.
Adrian Hour – In Hell
Love me some 303. Really chunky groove with some nice acid sounds. For me Adrian is producer of the year over the last 12 months with just bomb after bomb.
“I make music I’m inspired to make, if you listen through my 15 years you’ll hear influences come and go from all genres” – who are some of these influences?
Oooh tough one! I think it’s more about styles than people, I find beauty in everything from DnB to soundtracks to Techno to Deep House all the way through to Trip Hop etc.
Will you be doing some Cycles events this summer?
That’s the plan, working on them now.
The first release on June 1st will be ‘Redemption’…talk us through the track and remixes…
Well this is what I was touching on earlier, marrying that beat that’s got a bit of groove and sexiness to it that would fit in a Techno set but then having a breakdown that anyone who loves a bit of emotion can connect with. As for the remixes, all three did an amazing job and each hit a different spot in the set so it works so well.
How much of a moment was Danny Tenaglia dropping the tune and Nicole Moudaber getting down on the dancefloor to it…
I’ll do you one better. Danny was playing in Montreal during Bal En Blanc and I was back in the VIP room backstage hanging with some friends when I heard the breakdown and thought “it can’t be?”. I ran out to the dancefloor and sure enough one of the greatest DJs ever is playing a record I made and I didn’t even know he had it at the time. The video just confirmed he’s actually been playing it every show. Pretty incredible feeling even after being in the scene this long to have Danny T give you a stamp of approval.
Love it! And what is next from the label?
Solid Stone and Tim Penner have tracks on tap as well as a remix of a classic of mine coming up…
3 bucket list adventures you wanna do in your lifetime…
Skydive, hike to Machu Picchu and dive with a Whale Shark.
Some summer gigs you cannot wait for?
Toronto Boat Party Open to Close coming up in August. Ministry on tap as well for July, always a good time.
Not many people know this, but Max Graham is really good at…
Surviving without a drivers license for 25 years haha.
Any up and coming producer to watch out for in 2015…
Tim Penner, Adrian Hour (already there I think), ANNA, Roger Martinez, Solid Stone.
A great quote from you – “This year has already been the best yet and it’s only May!” – what have some of the highlights been?
Cycles Tour 2015 was incredible, the response from people over the radio show and the live events has been really great. Whenever your sound changes there’s usually some negative but it’s been nothing but positive. Also, starting the new label and bringing everything under one banner finally feels like a lot of hard work is paying off.
This year has seen some of the biggest DJs in the world really come out and speak their minds on social media. Give a shit?
I’m too busy focusing on my own stuff to worry about what they are all saying to be honest. I’m working my ass off to be able to play the sound I want the way I want and support like-minded artists around me to do the same. I know my head is 100% in the music and the culture and that will always come first, so that’s my priority.
Great answer. So finally, it’s your birthday. You are throwing a mutha of a party. 3 DJs you invite to throw it down…
Haha…Digweed, Derrick Carter and Seba.
