The genius from Paris brings us one of the most beautiful house records of 2013
Interview : Dan Prince
Adi welcome to DMCWORLD – where in the world are you right now – we hear you are now living in Minneapolis, how did that happen?
“Hi there, thanks for having me! Yes, I am in Minneapolis right now. A lot of people are shocked when I say I am here as it is a big difference from Paris or London and it’s completely random it seems. However, my dad moved here for his work and about 3 years ago, I came to visit in the summer and I fell in love with it so much that I’ve just stayed.”
How are you finding Minneapolis, there have been some incredible musicians who have hailed from the city including Prince, Bob Dylan and dance gods Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. There sure is some energy there!
“The energy here is insane! Living in Minneapolis has definitely done something to the way that I think about music. It’s allowed me to not feel like I should be making a certain type of music and to pick up a different vibe that I cannot find somewhere else at the moment. And like you said, you’ve got Prince, Bob Dylan, and Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis all coming from here. It’s all coming into my music I think ! It’s definitely helped with my work ethic as when the horrid winter comes, you don’t want to go out so you just stay in and make music all day! The summer is great and green which makes it difficult to be inside, though.”
This Autumn has been the season of ‘What’s Going On?’ – your simply beautiful track featuring A*M*E* that is set for release on November 17th and is EVERYWHERE!!! Tell us the history of the track…
“Thank you! Funnily enough, the track started as a remix. In 2009, I created the instrumental first and then thought it would be nice to have some vocals on there. I started to browse the internet for different vocal stems that I could use and I came across the vocals to Soul II Soul’s “Back To Life.” I have always loved that record and so I just put the vocals on top of the instrumental and it worked very well. I had just taken on managers and they said to send them some music. They connected with the remix and said that perhaps it could be my first single. I had never imagined that to happen, but I am happy it all worked out and that Soul II Soul allowed me to interpolate their track. A*M*E floored me with her vocals and I feel she did the original justice. She’s like a mini Caron Wheeler perhaps, haha. I think the track really represents me in that it mixes classical with dance with pop vocals on top. And it’s elegant, I feel, so that makes me happy.”
Your music has been described as emotional, cinematic, modern and even sexy. That is no surprise as your background lies in fashion design and you are from Paris – your entry into the music world however came through entering a remix competition a couple of years ago, what’s the story there?
“When I look back at everything, it’s so interesting to see how it has all pieced together. It started when a friend sent me a demo of a cover that he did. I had no idea that he was a singer and, at the time, I just had my portfolio for my designs online with some simple music that I made, but I was strictly about designing. For whatever reason, I decided to “remix” that demo in about an hour and send it back to him. Needless to say, the remix was most likely horrible, but he thought it was great and said we should do demos together. I’m a crazy guy and said ‘no, let’s skip making demos and make an album!’ I had no idea what I was getting myself into as I never made an album before so I just started entering remix contests to get used to playing around with vocals and other parts. I was surprised I actually won some, including one for Frankmusik’s ‘3 Little Words.’ A friend sent the track to everyone on his mailing list and Arjan of Arjanwrites.com <http://Arjanwrites.com> happened to be on the list and wanted to interview me. After that, I got a request from Marina & The Diamonds to remix ‘Obsessions’ and then other people came up to now where I got the chance to officially remix Beyoncé. It’s quite crazy!”
Who are your fashion heroes?
“Tom Ford, Riccardo Tisci, Karl Lagerfeld, Nicholas Ghesquière, Gianni Versace, Dries Van Noten…so many cool designers with great aesthetics and different views on luxury. I think they all have influenced my music in a way, too.”
The sound of Monsieur Adi has drawn comparisons to Daft Punk, Justice and William Orbit – yet you cite the likes of Quincy Jones and Dev Hynes as influences. Tell us about your childhood, do you hail from a musical family, you are trained in piano and violin…
“Quincy and Dev are great! I guess you could say I come from a musical family, but music has been something that’s secondary. My dad is a chemist, but he plays the trumpet and sing a bit. My brother is the multi-instrumentalist that plays everything from the piano to the drums to the tuba, but he’s chosen law. My sister played the flute and my mother had a lovely voice, but music has never been the first thing for any of us. To be honest, I never imagined for music to be my career as I studied design. A lot of classical, disco, soft rock, pop, sacred music, reggae, and jazz floated around the house. My parents had an eclectic taste in music, I suppose.”
What in your opinion is the more cliquey industry, fashion or the music world?!?
“Wow, really good question. They are both extremely cliquey in my opinion, but I would have to say that, perhaps, the music world is a bit cliquier.With music there are subgenres within genres and I think that causes musicians and music lovers to split into factions. I’ve known people that would not date someone due to their taste in music. It’s kind of odd, but understandable in some cases!”
What is the current top 10 you are spinning?
Lady Gaga – Do What U Want
Gesaffelstein – Destinations
Kanye West – New Slaves
Tove Lo – Out Of Mind
The Royal Concept – On Our Way (Oliver Nelson Remix)
Fastback – Proximity
Pilotpriest – Drunk Dial ft. Yongeblood
Blood Orange – Chamakay
Friends – The Way
The Soundmen – With You ft. Rai Knight
’What’s Going On’ is essentially an orchestral dance remix of Soul II Soul’s 1989 classic ‘Back To Life’. You were two years old when that song hit the top of the charts and filled dancefloors all over the world…at what age did you start to discover dance music’s back catalogue and who were some of the other artists/songs you fell in love with?
“I really didn’t become interested in dance music until I heard Daft Punk’s “One More Time” and it was a revelation. From there, I just went back over all of Daft Punk’s back catalogue and have been a huge fan ever since. Maybe around 2005 I discovered tracks like “Another Chance” by Roger Sanchez and “Touch Me” by Rui Da Silva. Some might consider them cheesy, but the energy in each of the tracks are cool to me.”
Have you any idea what Jazzie B thinks of your record?
“I can only hope that he likes it and thinks that it was respectful to the original with a fresh touch ! It would be devastating if he thinks we ruined his track.”
Your brilliant remix repertoire already houses the likes of Beyonce, Lana Del Rey and Ellie Goulding. What is your criteria when it comes to sitting down to do a remix; do you have to love the song, what is your process in reworking a track…?
“For me, it’s about being able to connect with a song in some way and hear what the artist is saying in their record so that I can find an alternative emotion.”
2014 will see the release of your new album, how is the progress there, what can you tell us about the musical content/direction/collabs on it?
“I’ve got over 10 songs that I’ve been writing with great artists. I’ve written and recorded some things in L.A., Minneapolis, Paris, NYC, and London so it could have this global energy. The direction I am going is to capture the feeling of hearing those great pop songs from the 80s / 90s by Michael Jackson, Madonna, Prince, and others and translate that into the now and into my world. It won’t be a strictly dance record as there are some ballads and mid-tempo songs. It’s all about creating nostalgia. I think “What’s Going On” is a good taste of what’s to come. I am excited about the collaborations we have so far. Some might be surprising.”
You sent out a plea asking for suggestions on female singers a couple of weeks ago, what’s all this about?
“I’m always on the lookout for different singers that I may not know of so I thought it would be cool to hear who the people that follow my music are listening to. They’ve got varying tastes so they always suggest some interesting people.”
What has given you the most satisfaction – a fan telling you she had seen your new video playing in a bar in Hong Kong, seeing it on MTV for the first time or hitting the top of the hype charts?
“For me, the most satisfaction came from the video being played in some random bar in Hong Kong because it shows it’s starting to pick up I suppose. One of my friends was at a bar in London and messaged as he was watching the video there. That was really cool too.”
The remixes of the tracks come courtesy of The Knocks, Belanger, Max Sanna & Steve Pitron, KR$CHN, TKNIK, and ShockOne. Were you responsible for choosing these artists and how did it feel having foreign hands reworking your baby?
“It was really weird to be on the other side of the remix and letting someone do whatever they wanted with your track. I chose some of the artists like Belanger, TKNIK, and The Knocks because they’re friends and thought it would be nice to have them put their spin on the record. I love what everyone did the track.”
Okay let’s find out what makes your musical mind tick…
What is the record that always makes you cry?
– Can You Stand The Rain” by New Edition always seems to get to me.
What is the cheesy pop song you always sing along to?
– I find myself singing “Wrecking Ball” by Miley Cyrus. I cannot believe I am admitting that.
The record you wish you had made?
– Losing You” by Solange. So simple, but catchy.
Your favourite piece of classical music?
– “Symphony No. 3: II. Lento e Largo – Tranquillissimo” is absolutely stunning. That entire symphony is moving and puts me in the biggest trance.
Your favourite Prince song…
– So many tracks of his that I adore like Purple Rain, Little Red Corvette, Power Fantastic and I Wanna Be Your Lover, but Diamonds & Pearls is wonderful!
Your favourite Madonna song…
– Like A Prayer.
Your favourite club record of 2013
– Need U (100%) by Duke Dumont.
You recently worked with Seal, what was that experience like – what’s he like?
“Seal is one of the coolest guys I have ever met in my entire life. He’s hilarious, kind, and generous and we completely hit it off the first day of writing together. It was amazing. Working with him has given me the confidence to move into the world of writing music and lyrics with others. Flying to Sydney to write with him (one song we wrote there is very intense) and watching the Voice live is something I wont forget. He’s like a brother to me now.”
You claim that Daft Punk are your idols, hand on heart what did you think of their latest album?
“I was in Australia when the album was streaming and I was awake at 4 am listening to it. It completely caught me off guard and, like many, was not expecting it. The idea and intent was amazing, but I was hoping for more. I adore them still!”
You spent some time living in London. What do you love and hate about our capital city?
“I hate being stuck on the underground in the summer. It’s horrible. I do love hearing “Mind The Gap”…that’s so touristy of me. I love the nightlife a lot and I have a lot of friends there so that makes me love London.”
And finally, what is the last piece of music you worked on in the studio last night?
“A new track for my album titled “Cassandra”. It’s full of emotive strings, but it’s for the dancefloor.”
Thank you sir, appreciate your time.
“Many thanks! It was a pleasure Dan!”
MONSIEUR ADI – ‘WHAT’S GOING ON?’ (FEAT A*M*E & JAVI) (REFIX)
RELENTLESS RECORDS / KARMA ARTISTS – RELEASED 17 NOVEMBER
https://soundcloud.com/monsieuradi/whats-going-on-feat-a-m-e-javi
