Huge new project from the big guns D.Ramirez & Bnann Infadel
Interview by Simon Tillotson
D. Ramirez and Bnann Infadel are no strangers to the music industry and with their new Night Safari project already gaining the support of Danny Howard on BBC Radio 1, Oliver Heldens and Sick Individuals amongst others, the future looks increasingly bright. With their forthcoming ‘Night Franklin’ single, die out on Zulu records in October, hitting the Buzz Chart two weeks running, we caught up with the duo to find out more about the project…
Guys, welcome to DMC World! Where are you right now and what can you see out of the nearest window?
“We are currently in the deep end of East London in our studio and we don’t have any windows so can’t see anything right now.”
Your first single, ‘Night Franklin’ is due out soon and congratulations are in order with it hitting our Buzz Chart for two weeks in a row!
“We are very pleased and honoured to be featured in the Buzz Chart two weeks in a row!”
‘Zulu’ has been dominating the house scene in the last few months so kudos for having them on board with ‘Night Franklin’ – did you always intend for that to be your first single?
“We knew we wanted to come out with something special and we were struggling to find the right vocal, then Bnann got a call from Aretha offering to sing on our track as long as she “didn’t have to sing to no click track boy!”
Before we go any further and for those who might not be familiar with Night Safari – can you give us a bit of a background behind the project? How did you guys pick the name?!
“We both met via our mutual friend Alex Metric – I was working on a tune with Alex and Bnann was called in for top lining duties. We hit it off and from there we met up separately where Bnann expressed his interest in starting a new ‘electronic project’ so the idea of Night Safari was born. The name Night Safari came after we ended up at a house party where unbeknown to us everyone had been told to dress as animals and stay in character. The morning after we started referring to the night as the Night Safari.”
There’s been a few of the ‘old school’ lot reinventing themselves within the ‘deep house’ explosion – Dave Spoon as Shadow Child, Foamo & RackNruin as Gorgon City… How does Night Safari stand in comparison with these other projects?
“We’re Old Skool and New Skool, Who Skool and Do Skool and by the way neither of us actually went to school. And if you want an honest answer we just make music that we vibe off and we are pretty eclectic. “
One thing we will say – that ‘Night Sheeran’ track, wow! Such a tune. You seem to be covering a few different styles with the tracks we’ve heard so far – what else have you got up your sleeve?
“Thank you for that! We are currently working on another release for Zulu Records and we have a release due in November 2014 on Love&Other. Also as we speak, we are about to release one of our most song based tracks featuring one of our favourite vocalists Beth Aggett who’s already featured on tunes with the likes of Bondax, Kidnap Kid and Rudimental. This song will show one of the many sides of the Night Safari mindset which is important to us as we want to continue as always to push things forward.”
And outside the studio, will you be taking Night Safari to the clubs? Should we expect anything more than a DJ set?
“Yes definitely! We are planning to be a live project with a big show as well as DJing together.”
Considering the history in music that you both have, the Night Safari project doesn’t seem like it’s ‘make or break’ for either of you career-wise – does this make the production process a bit more relaxed, and in turn natural?
“Yeah, we always get in and have fun and we are try to make the records that we want to hear – that’s the main priority for us, encompassing all our eclectic tastes.”
What’s your studio setup looking like?
“Dean has a big studio set up with loads of analogue synths and fancy outboard gear plus we have a very special acoustic step ladder currently hung on the wall between the 2 speakers which must never be moved!!”
You can’t deny that the market is incredibly saturated right now, what advice would the pair of you draw on from your careers to give anyone who’s just starting out?
“Never give up, never wait for anybody else to say you can – just do it anyway!”
They say that DJs now have to be producers, entertainers, social media gurus, PR experts, TV personalities and everything in-between in order to succeed – where do you see dance music in 10 years?
“We would both like to see it go back to the days where there was more mystique surrounding the artists, where you could only imagine what they might be like so it was the music did the talking. But we understand that people love to connect with each other via social media so we are not down on it.”
Quick fire time:
First single ever bought?
Dean – “Queen ‘Another One Bites The Dust’.”
Bnann – “Adam And The Ants – ‘Prince Charming’.”
Worst job you’ve ever had?
Dean – “Assembling MFI furniture in student digs.”
Bnann – “Mopping up the steps of a Hackney Council estate.”
Best festival on earth?
Dean – “Secret Garden Party.”
Bnann – “Lowlands Holland.”
Best hangover remedy?
Dean – “Hair of the dog.”
Bnann – “Tonic water as it has quinine making you feel like you’ve dived into a swimming pool.”
Biggest tune of 2014 so far?
“Ten Walls – ‘Walking With Elephants’.”
And last but not least, what should we be keeping an eye out for from Night Safari?
“Our name on a poster in your town as you need to be there and we will welcome you with open arms!”
Thank you chaps!
Thank you for the support we really appreciate it! Big Love D&B
***
Night Franklin is released on Zulu Records on 6th October
https://soundcloud.com/night-safari/night-franklin-clip
Further info on Night Safari…
https://twitter.com/NghtSafariMusic
https://www.facebook.com/nightsafarimusic
https://soundcloud.com/night-safari
