He’s the kid who hit the producer jackpot in his teens thanks to the stupendous ‘Don’t You Want Me’ anthem that shook the world. And the music just keeps on pouring out with the release of his new track ‘Nothin More I Need’. Dancefloors get ready…
Interview by Dan Prince
You are a boy that has done good from Essex – what do you miss about your old stomping ground and what inspired you to move to L.A?
Hey Dan! Good to speak again. I lived in Chelmsford till I was 19 when I moved to London. Essex was a great place to grow up but everyone knew each others business. I felt more free to be myself in London as you feel more anonymous if that makes sense. I miss my family and mates but we keep in regular contact on social media and WhatsApp so it never feels like we are too far away. The move to LA was inspired by a combination of weather, the music scene and my missus was getting more work out there it made sense to make the move. With no regrets, it’s a lovely place to live with great people and I feel very blessed although I miss the odd pub!
You have been DJing since the age of 15 – who are the DJs that inspired you then? Who are the DJs that inspire you now?
At 15 I wasn’t getting out to see too many DJs at clubs but I had the radio. John Leech was on Essex Radio and along with Steve Walsh I grew up on a diet of Soul Music. In the early days I loved all the hip hop scratch DJs. The DMC World Championship was a huge influence and I remember Cutmaster Swift doing Alison Limerick in with the Funky Drummer and it had such impact. Those DJs were putting elements together in such a creative way it was really exciting. Again on the Radio 1 used to love the Outer Limits shows by Colin Dale which really opened my eyes to new electronic styles. When I first really started going clubbing my favourite club was Trade at Turnmills. Malcolm Duffy and my later collaborator in the Partycrashers Kenny C were both big influences on the development of my sound and really got me centered as Chicago house being the core and everything coming out from that. I can appreciate DJs from across many genres if they can work their crowd and set well. I prefer to see people play a couple of hours if possible because they have more more time to take the crowd in different directions. There are so many great DJs out there it would be impossible to name just a few but I’m most inspired by the guys and girls with depth in their selection and strong technical skills.
How did it feel to have a Top 10 national hit with ‘Don’t You Want Me’ at such a young age?
It was amazing. It came as a bit of a surprise to be honest because no one really knew the tune was going to blow up the way it did. Everything seemed to happen really fast after that. I’m always getting nice messages from people about how DYWM came into their life and to be honest that makes me feel great because my whole job as an artist and producer is to convey emotion.
What was so good about the musical landscape in 1993 when you were first releasing tunes?
I think the exciting thing about that time was that it was all so new. I wasn’t the first wave of House but I guess it was my generation that really enjoyed the attention of the music going more mainstream. There was a whole scene of magazines, DJs, labels and artists all growing together and a lot of camaraderie. Clubs were really pushing the boundaries of what could be accepted and were effectively our playgrounds so you would hang around with so many like minded people. Technology was taking big leaps and getting cheaper so it was possible for the first time to get a basic setup for a relatively modest price. Sampling, sequencing and recording all became possible for the bedroom producer and that helped our music spread rapidly.
‘Don’t You Want Me’ wasn’t your only hit, what other tracks did you release around that time?
After DYWM I had another big hit called ‘It Will Make Me Crazy’ – that reached 12 in the UK and 6 I think in Germany. The third big hit I made at that time was ‘Stars’ which was a Sylvester cover. The album I had at the time was called #1 which did well for my label of the time Deconstruction Records.
You’ve come back after a long hiatus with your new track “Nothin More I Need” – tell me about this track and what DJs are supporting it?
‘Nothin More I Need’ is a track I wrote with Brendan Reilly at the end of last year as part of my new album project. I wanted to create an upbeat basscentric tune with a slick UK feel. I’m adding in little touches of Garage / UK Bass over a House groove to give it more depth. The song always felt very ‘outer space’ like to me so I threw in sci fi elements to accentuate that. We put out the track on my own label Dance FX and have an amazing team of people helping with the promotion. I honestly have been blown away with the support we have had. We must have over 150 DJs already behind it so obviously too many to mention. I feel humbled that I have so many huge heroes in that list such as Danny Tenaglia, Oscar G, Oliver Heldens, Marco Corola, Roger Sanchez, Chris Lake, Shiba San, Chocolate Puma, Sam Feldt, Paul Oakenfold, Danny Howard, Jason Bentley…the list is massive! The great thing is we are getting support from all the over the dance music spectrum so that’s when we knew we had something special!
The remix package is impressive, not to mention the Rrotik remix appearing in the recent DMC Buzz Charts. What led you to these artists, did you have a relationship to them already?
We were so stoked to get in the DMC Buzz Chart with the Rrotik Remix! It’s one of five remixes on the release. Every one is different and strong and I can honestly say hand on heart it’s the strongest package I’ve ever put out. I first came across Austen/Scott through a Remix they did for me of DYWM2015 and I absolutely love their deep and minimal style. Arcane Youth is actually one half of Night Shift Sounds which is a really cool UK Bass Label from Manchester. We met because they liked one of my releases from last year. The Arcane Remix is pumping and fun to programme in a mix. Rrrotik was someone I had my eye on for a while since I heard his work with Chris Lake. I also did a couple of differant mixes myself, one a little more laid back and the other more reminiscent of my Partycrashers output from the 90’s.
How did you hook up with Brendan Riley who guests on this track, is it correct that he previously featured on Disclosures tracks?
Managment was looking at possible collabs and we loved Brendan’s voice from ‘Moving Mountains’ with Disclosure on Caracal. He’s actually part of a circle here in LA. He lives in London but is actually from LA so we conveniently organized the recording when he was back. The writing and recording came together in two days and I finished the production a little later. Brendan is such a cool guy, really relaxed and down to earth. He is incredibly talented.
What have you been doing in the interim?
I’ve been doing a lot of promotion over the last few weeks. Before that I keep busy with collabs and writing and recording. I have six or seven tracks waiting to go release date tbc. I also have been drip feeding some of my Partycrashers back catalogue through my label and I’ve been getting a lot of remix requests. Because of time constraints I’m quite selective who I work with but touch wood seem to be in a rich stream of creativity at the moment so just happy to run with it. I’m on the board of AFEM (Association for Electronic Music) and we work as a trade body for the Dance Music Industry to help further our genre and the long term future of electronic music and anyone who works in our industry. I’ve also been working as an advisor for Tradiio which is an incredible streaming platform for artists to earn money direct from super fans. Think Soundcloud meets Kickstarter but way cooler than that! Not to mention I’m a real family guy and spend a lot of time with my boys and missus.
Are you looking to start DJing and touring again?
Yes indeed. I’m off to Brasil next month to do some recording on a top secret project. Once that’s in the bag I‘m working on confirming DJ dates at the end of the year with a view to really smashing the air miles hard in 2017!
And finally young man, gotta ask ya…The Crazy Frog – did he help or hinder your career when it released its own version of your original 1993 song?
Ha ha! I’m surprised you even know about it. I guess you have to see it as a compliment right? To be honest I have never heard anyone play that version but also I’ve never had anyone punch me in the mouth over it either!
www.facebook.com/felixofficialmusic
