The superstar from down under smashing it with new single ‘Stars’
Interview : Dan Prince
Hey Kaz welcome to DMCWORLD, where in the world are you right now?
“Thanks for having me I’m actually back in my home town Melbourne.”
Massive week for you with the release of your brand new single ‘Stars’, tell us about the track…
“The track is a real fun collaboration with fellow Aussie Jono Fernandez. We wrote the tune over summer and finished over the net.”
You have had some cracking gigs this summer, we were lucky enough to be part of your 5 hour set at the mighty Paradise Club in Mykonos a couple of weeks ago. Where have been some of the stand out gigs these past few months for you?
“I had a great show at the opening of Booom in Ibiza. I played back 2 back with my mate Destructo for about 5 hours the energy in the room was amazing!!”
You have been a regular at Pacha in Ibiza for over a decade. What are your thoughts on 2013’s ‘tussle’ between the club and Booom?
“Yeah apparently there has been a bit of drama going on…however I stay clear of the politics!”
Are you one of these producers who jets into Ibiza and leaves the next morning all fresh faced, or do you get stuck in, sounded like you had mighty fun with Erick Morillo, Tommie Sunshine, Pete Tong and Bob Sinclar this year?!?!?!
“Nah I get proper stuck in. I work hard and play hard not always but most of the time!! Like to have it off proper!”
For the unlucky few who haven’t been to Ibiza in their lifetime, can you explain just why this island is so damned cool?
It’s a world of it’s own where anything goes. There is a certain energy on the island that you can’t get anywhere else in the world.”
Putting ‘Stars’ to one side, what has been your biggest record this summer?
“Monkey Safari “Highlife”.”
2012 saw you perform live all around the globe with some heavyweight superstars. Let’s kick off with David Guetta and the tour of Asia…what was the highlight of that memorable experience?
“The tour was amazing and I was quite honoured when David ask me to support his tour. We had so many amazing gigs but the one that stands out the most was playing on the Great Wall of China in front of 50k peeps!”
Another fabulous highlight of last year were some dates in your country of birth Australia with Tiesto, Calvin Harris, Avicii, Laidback Luke and Example. Who did you REALLY enjoy joining on the bill down under? Who did you love seeing play?
“Yeah your talking about the Stereosonic tour, it was amazing. Calvin proper had it off as well as all the crew on the HARD stage. I’m playing again this year on the Main Stage super excited!”
What is on a Kaz James DJ rider in 2013?
“Tonnes of booze for me and the crew!!”
Who are some of the producers from around the world you are giving high fives to right now?
“I really like what MK is doing this year, his productions and remixes have been massive!”
So you are chilling at your gaff on a Sunday afternoon, who are some of the artists you’re listening to chilling out?
“I listen to a lot of rock records to be honest Nirvana, Foo Fighters, anything by Jack White…”
Not many people know this, but Kaz James is really good at…
“At two finger push-ups!”
Who were some of your early DJ heroes?
“Frankie Knuckles, Derrick Carter – I was a massive Mark Farina fan growing up too…Erick Morillo the list goes on Dan!”
When you get feedback from fellow DJs supporting your tunes, who are some of the names that always brings a sense of pride when you see they are behind you?
“I was quite happy when I found out Jaques Lu Cont liked my tunes, he is kind of a legend among producers.”
Loved your post on Facebook earlier this year showing the girl holding up the ‘We Know You Are Not Mixing’ poster to a DJ. What are your thoughts on some of our biggest superstar DJs who keep getting caught out spinning pre recorded mixes for their sets, is it fair to be cheating the clubber on the dance floor?
“Yeah I actually think it’s really sad there is a lack of respect to the art form of DJing these days. There is a lot of people pretending to be someone they’re not, that’s cool…everyone to there own. But they will never have it off like we do.”
A famous quote from you…”I don’t think it’s necessary these days to actually be a good DJ like it was 15 years ago at the start of my career. These days you can get away with pressing play on a laptop.” Discuss…
“Most people don’t give a shit anymore, there’s a lot of guys calling themselves DJs and they ain’t DJs. They can’t read a crowd they play the same set record for record every night. If you stuck two turntables and a mixer in front of them they wouldn’t even know what to do! I guess the industry has changed a lot the last 15 years.”
You have worked with some incredible artists such as Kelis, Macy Gray, The Neptunes and The Gossip. Who though would be your perfect collaboration?
“Dream collab would be Jack White but I’m really happy with the people I’ve already worked with!”
What is the best piece of advice you have ever been given?
“Be grateful!!”
And finally, What is coming out next from the mighty Kaz James studio?
“I have 3 massive new collabs and one new solo tune called “Show Me All Your Love” which is getting a lot of love!!
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