Three years in the making, Axtone finally release this masterpiece with an Axwell rework
One of Australia’s finest electronic music exports, Hook N Sling, combines with Sweden’s Karin Park for one of the most eagerly anticipated Axtone releases of recent times! In Hook N Sling (a.k.a. Anthony Maniscalco), Axtone welcomes a producer poised for big things in 2014. Now LA based, Hook is best known to date for the singles, ‘Take You Higher’ with Goodwill, and ‘Reason’ with NERVO. His recent collaboration with Empire of the Sun, ‘Celebrate’, and remixes for Kaskade, Krewella and The Presets have exemplified his own brand of music with dance floor precision, artistic substance and mass appeal. ‘Tokyo By Night’ is his first original release on Axtone after remixing Hard Rock Sofa’s underground trailblazer ‘Blow Up’. With Karin, an artist ploughing her own distinct path in electronic music with her album ‘Highwire Poetry’ due for release later this year, he’s crafted a timeless dance floor gem. DMCWORLD checks in…
Interview : Dan Prince
Anthony welcome to DMCWORLD, where in the world are you today?
“Currently in Sydney, a few days out from leaving for my Asian leg of my Australasian tour.”
How did the whole relocating from Bondi Beach to LA happen…and is there anything you miss from down under?
“Basically it came from doing two US tours within four months and being tired of traveling 20+ hours every time I stepped out my front door…especially if I was going to Miami. LA actually is quite similar to Sydney…beaches, laidback lifestyle etc. I miss the coffee to be honest…and people understanding me when I order chinese takeout…for some reason my local take away joint can’t get my Australian accent!”
Really exciting time for you right now with the release of your new single ‘Tokyo By Night’ feat. Karin Park on the mighty Axtone that comes complete with an Axwell Remix no less. What a journey this has had dude! Talk us through the history and the sound of the original track…
“Yeah this one is definitely for the record books. Three years from preview to release. But what people don’t know is that when I previewed the track back in 2011, that’s really all of the record I’d written. Ax loved it, signed it, but knew it had a long way to go. Looking back on it now, it was probably too premature to preview it. Anyways so we went back and forth on that original idea and chord progression but we couldn’t get it to a place we both loved. So after about a year, I took a break on it…then came back a few months later with a new baseline and lead melody (which is how you hear it now). I sent it to him and we both agreed it was the way to go. So yeah from there, Ax took it on and finished it as his remix.”
Check the video :
What is the current top 10 you are spinning…
Hook N Sling – Tokyo by Night (Axwell Mix)
Roul and Doors – Follow The Sound
Jewelz & Scott Sparks – Pharaoh (Original Mix)
Hard Rock Sofa – Arms Around Me (Original Mix)
Steve Angello, Dimitri Vangelis, Wyman – Payback (Original Mix)
The Aston Shuffle – Tear It Down (NEW_ID Remix)
Empire of The Sun & Hook N Sling _Celebrate (Hook N Sling Mix)
Ivan Gough & Jebu – Noxu
Deorro, ZooFunktion – Hype (Autoerotique Mix)
Simon De Jano & Bottai – Delorean
Who are some of the artists you are into away away from dance music?
“London Grammar, Kanye West, What So Not, One Republic, M83, Miike Snow…listening to London Grammar while I type this up actually.”
You posted a hilarious photo on Facebook of your manager and his LA earthquake kit. So, if you had one, what would be in your survival kit?
“Haha, yeah man, he’s one of those guys that likes to be prepared for EVERYTHING. I’m a bit more laidback so I’d probably just go with a few chocolate bars and a ‘leatherman’. I also can’t live without my music…so maybe I’d need to pack a hardcore solar powered satellite radio or some kind of mini generator hooked up to my laptop.”
Miami WMC/Ultra now seems al long time ago, many are saying this was the best yet. Your thoughts on that crazy week in Florida…
“This was only my third year there so I don’t have many to draw memories from but this was def the most fun. I think I had more friends at this one than at previous so I was always running into drunk friends or happily enjoyed a beer by the pool whilst doing some serious people watching.”
Saw you partying with Mike Tyson in February, what the fuck was he like???!
“He came into the DJ booth at my gig in Vegas! I was playing while him and his crew turned up…so I could only breakaway at certain moments to chat to him but he was a cool guy…really chilled. That guy is huge…I look similar height in that photo I put on my Instagram but I’m actually standing on a stage about a foot above him.”
Who is an up n’coming producer we should be watching out for in 2014?
“Look out for a guy called Wasteland. He’s an Aussie guy from Perth. I can tell he’s gonna be doing some great things in the not so distant future.”
Tell us about your studio set up…
“In LA its quite basic. Genelec 8050A’s, a well treated room, Apogee Ensemble, Nord 2X, Moog Voyager, Avalon 737. That’s about it and obviously a shitload of plugins and soft synths. Oh and Ableton is my DAW of choice.”
It may not be good for my image, but Anthony Maniscalco is really good at…
“Eating toasted raisin bread. I ate 12 slices for breakfast once.”
What is the last song you heard today?
“Well seeing that I’m listening to London Grammar right now it has to be the song currently playing….’Nightcall’.”
And finally, what is coming out next from you studio wise…?
“Plenty of new originals man! I’ve got about 5 things I’m in the middle of finishing….both collabs and solo things.”
Hook N Sling – Australasian Tour 2014
Friday May 9th – Sky Garden, Bali
Saturday May 10th – Umbra, Jakarta
Thursday May 15th – Hyve, Manila
Friday May 16th – Face Club, Shenzhen
Saturday May 17th – Face Club, Guangzhou
Thursday May 22nd – The Roof, Kuala Lumpur
Friday May 23rd – Kitty Su, New Delhi
Saturday May 24th – Penthouse, Pune
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