Tough Love

Dancefloor Dreams for two producers on absolute fire at the moment

Interview : Dan Prince


Alex, Stef welcome to DMCWORLD…where in the world are you today?

“We’re currently in our studio in London working on remixes and prepping for our brand new show on Kiss.”

A stunning new track causing mayhem on the planet’s dance floors at the moment, please talk us through the sound and history of ‘Dreams’…

“Thank You! We actually started work on ‘Dreams’ almost 2 years ago, it sounded pretty different back then! We wanted to create a straight house summer track with a notable top line and in the early stages it wasn’t quite cutting it. We had a meeting with Toolroom towards the end of 2013 and we talked about the direction and movements both parties wanted to make in the future. We actually already had a track signed and ‘Dreams’ felt like the right fit as a follow up single. We went back to the studio to make some adjustments and write a new top line for it. We then road tested it in a few sets and it had a great response. The guys at Toolroom really got behind it, so we ended up switching the releases around and ‘Dreams’ became our debut single on the label. There is a lot of synergy between us and Toolroom, we both have a love for classic house & everything we make is for people on the dance floor, so ‘Dreams’ we hope resembles that message.”

When I told the Buzz Chart office I was interviewing you today they shouted…”this tune is going to huge this summer, it’s perfect for the radio to break the mainstream”…thoughts on that little comment?

“Well that’s very flattering so thank you! It’s definitely a very accessible track and with the growth of house music globally at the moment ‘Dreams’ seems to bridge the gap between club and the radio. We’ve been amazed at the response it’s had so far, both in the club and on the radio.”

Some great remixes of the tune accompanying it, Audiowhores, Amtrac and Panda taking on the reworking duties. Why were these artists chosen and what are your thoughts on each mix?

“It was actually a fairly long process between us and the A&R team at Toolroom to get the right fit. We’re really happy with how all the remix’s turned out. Audiowhores are a staple part of the Toolroom family and they give the track a really ace deeper groove. Panda is an act that we’ve been supporting for a little while now, so we were really happy to have them on board. Amtrac gives the track a whole different twist, he’s picking up huge support especially in the states at the moment. As a package it hits so many different markets which was really important for us.”

You met on the DJing circuit and headed off to the studio with no real plans, indeed it took a few weeks before Tough Love was born. What were your initial thoughts on each other and your different ideas in the early days?

“We actually didn’t know each other well enough until we got into the studio and started a working relationship. We were the only two guys in our circuit really pushing the deeper side of house in our sets and gradually realised we had similar aspirations and ideas. Our love for different genres was clear from really early on and neither of us was scared to experiment with different sounds or ideas in the studio. With both of us there is no ego or bullshit, we’re very straight up and honest and this has lead to not only a great working relationship but a great friendship.”

Your tunes have gained support from some serious players…Duke Dumont, Solomun, Kenny Dope and Roger Sanchez all love your music. Who though were the producers that grabbed your attention when you were first getting into dance music?

Alex : “I first became interested in dance music when I was 10 years old, mainly with the ‘hip house’ movement, I was obsessed with Moella & The Outhere Brothers. Albums like ‘You’ve Come A Long Way Baby’ by Fatboy Slim and Jamiroquai’s ‘Travelling Without Moving’ have definitely influenced my own productions to date.”

Stef : “I started DJing at a really young age and was influenced by so many different producers from all types of musical genres. The likes of Masters At Work, Arman Van Helden, MJ Cole, Todd Edwards, Grant Nelson, MK, Quincy Jones, Teddy Riley & Timbaland were the guys I tried to emulate when first getting into production. There’s so many to mention and I’m sure I’ve missed a few out.”

Tell us about your studio relationship, who excels in what department?

“Stef is extremely technical; he’s been producing various genre’s for a long time now. But there has been huge growth for us both since working together, we’ve pushed each other to learn more. We’re both self taught, and there’s never a set plan so everything we do is trial & error, Tough Love is an ever evolving creative process.”

I saw you being interviewed on DMO and you claimed you never disagree about music. When was the last time then you’ve said to each other, ‘I cannot believe you like this tune!’.

“The only time we can think of is over a remix we were asked to do. It was one of those situations where if we got it wrong it could have really damaged the direction we were trying to take the Tough Love brand. We spent about 6 hours working on the track and we were surprisingly happy with the results. Lets just say it did pretty well so were a lot more open to who we work with and who we remix for.”

A quote from a superstar DJ this week…“A DJ has to have a piss every time before he goes on the decks, and if somebody tells me that’s not nerves they are full of shit.” . Do you still get nervous before DJing?

“For sure, you always need that feeling in your gut before you go on, it shows you still love what you do. We think it’s healthy. It’s not always so much nerves but more excitement. We both love what we do and the adrenaline rush when a crowd is fully involved is one of the best feelings to experience as a DJ. Having that opportunity to test new waters and play to different crowds is always something we look forward to.”

Down at DMC we love the fact that you never plan a set beforehand, you see what the crowd are feeling and take it from there. Where have some of the stand out gigs been recently?

“We’re so grateful & fortunate to say there have been so many! This years We Are FSTVL in the Toolroom tent was great fun. The crowd were in top form and we tested out a lot of new material that day which received an amazing response. A couple weeks ago we had our third Get Twisted Records label showcase, which is always pretty special for us because the guys involved are so good at what they do. We run the label like a tight knit family and were watching it grow at an amazing rate. The night was a sell out & had a real party atmosphere so it was a pretty proud moment.”

What are your plans for Ibiza this summer…?

“We’ve got a few dates planned with Toolroom out there, which we’re looking forward to. We’re also playing for Audiowhore at Sankeys Sept 29th which were going to try and make a short holiday out of. There’s a few others planned which are currently unannounced plus we’ve got a lot of friends on the island so you’ll be sure to find us at a few of their events.”

What are some of the reasons you love the white isle?

“We both spent many summers there absorbing in its atmosphere, so to be able to come back each year and be able to be part of the soundtrack is amazing. Ibiza is special because it is hugely cosmopolitan and accepting which is an important part of house culture and can often be forgotten.”

Best ever festival experience?

“Probably at a festival in Germany a few years ago. It was a definite eye opener and the crowd clearly hadn’t slept for days. We we’re supposed to play for 60 minutes, but ended up taking them on a 4 hour journey, just as well really as it took them a little while to come out of their coma!”

A recent quote from a certain superstar DJ…“I believe true DJing is actually an art, but it’s a dying art, as everyone is pushing the sync button…it’s a real shame when you see a ‘DJ’ plug his laptop in and call this DJing. Music will always evolve but sometimes not in the best way.” What are your thoughts on that?

“Honestly there are way too many conversations on this! Technology evolves, its something that can’t be avoided, in a world full of smart phones we don’t go around still using the Motorola graphite. We’ve both DJ’d on various platforms, belt drive/direct drive Turntables, CDJs, controllers, Serato/Traktor. A technically good DJ can’t always make people dance & a good DJ can’t simply press sync, there is so much more to DJing than this. For that reason the “art” will never die.. Primarily The DJ’s job is to entertain whoever’s in front of them, incorporate new music with the old and take them on a musical journey using whichever platforms suits them. We’re now looking at live performances using technology which is completely new for us. It is important to understand history, but also to create it. We must embrace new technologies, otherwise we will never evolve.”

What is on a Tough Love rider in 2014?

“It is no longer known as the Tough Love Rider. It is now called Nastaly’s Rider. Seeing as he is always running off with the bottle at almost every gig…but when he’s not about it usually consists of…

Beer, vodka, mixers, Redbull and water. We might have to add a change of clothes because the last few gigs have been ridiculously hot but were not complaining.”

What is the current top 10 you are spinning?

1.         Tough Love – Dreams

2.         Amine Edge & DANCE VS Tough Love – Perfect Love (Part 2)

3.         Luvstuff – Trouble

4.         Shadow Child & Doorly – Piano Weapon

5.         Tough Love ft Nastaly – What You Need Is Me

6.         Jessica Wilde – Summer Dreaming (Tough Love Remix)

7.         Grum – The Touch

8.         Jett – Act Natural

9.         Donae’o Ft Carnao Beats – Gone In The Morning (Tough Love Remix)

10.       N: Fostell – Bad Habbit

And finally, what is coming out next from you studio wise – we hear there is a lot!!

“Yeah we’ve been flat out. We’ve got a fair few remix’s due out for the likes of Sigma, Shift K3y, Ill Blu, Borgeous and Jessica Wilde. We’ve also been really busy working on some new originals. First up we have a 5 track collaboration EP with Amine Edge and DANCE called ‘The Perfect Love EP’ which drops on our imprint Get Twisted Records August 18th. We’ve also got our follow up single on Toolroom due out in Sept & a number of really exciting tracks we’re working on with them. Plus projects we’re developing with, Nastaly, Jessica Wilde, Hollywood, Disciples, Donae’o & Riddim Commission.”

 

http://www.toughloveofficial.com