Istanbul in da house! Another massive dancefloor anthem from the Turkish dynamos
Interview : Dan Prince
Emrah, Faruk welcome to DMCWORLD…where in the world are you today?
“Thank you for having us! We are currently waving at you from our studio in our hometown of Istanbul in Turkey.”
I can see you! So, another huge tune from you guys doing damage all over the planet, please talk us through the history and sound of ‘Sad Eyes’ which Hardwell hammered out at the weekend…
“’Sad Eyes’ as a project itself has quite a history behind it. After the release of our debut single ‘Utopia’ we felt like doing something for the dancefloor and created a basic idea of what is ‘Sad Eyes’ today. We sent that off to our good friend and extremely talented singer/songwriter Laura V who then delivered something massively inspiring. We are all so proud of the song and can’t wait for it to see daylight on July 21st on Metanoia Music!”
How does your production process work, who excels in what department?
“We try to distribute the studio duties as equally as possible. Emrah has a very good feel towards the right, catchy melodies whereas Faruk is known for his heavy grooves and pounding drums. What matters the most is having the right chemistry and vibe in the process, and we couldn’t be luckier to have that.”
What is the current top 10 you are spinning?
“That’s a tough one to answer with so much quality flowing in and out of the scene lately, but here are 10 records (in no particular order) that we can’t live without right now…
Paris Blohm & Taylr Renee – Left Behinds
Arno Cost & Norman Doray – Apocalypse 2014 (Kryder & Tom Staar Remix)
Marcus Schossow & Arston – The Universe
Klauss Goulart & Ftampa – Samba
Tiesto feat. Dzeko & Torres – Can’t Forget
Porter Robinson – Sad Machine (Nurettin Colak Bootleg)
Duke Dumont – I Got You (W&W Festival Mix)
Dash Berlin & Jay Cosmic ft. Collin Mclouglhin – Here Tonight
Matisse & Sadko – Azonto
Armin van Buuren – Ping Pong (Kryder & Tom Staar Remix)
A few weeks ago you asked your fans on your Facebook site to reveal where their home city was, where were some of the places that surprised you showing you just how far flung you are loved?
“Knowing how new Qubicon is to the world of dance music, every new country felt equally surprising and flattering at the same time. From Tokyo to Buenos Aires, amazing!”
Who are some of the producers from around the world you are giving high fives to right now?
“We are all a big family to begin with, and it’s great to be able to be connected with our colleagues from all over the world. Mentioning some however might mean forgetting the others, and that’s a risk we just can’t take haha! J”
Let’s rewind for a moment. How old were you when you both discovered dance music…and who were the early influences?
“The start was quite different for us actually. Faruk comes from a Trance background with heavy influences from Tiesto’s early years, Armin van Buuren and Ferry Corsten – whereas Emrah looked up to the likes of Frankie Knuckles, Roger Sanchez and Junior Vasquez. Both of us were in our early teens when we got infected with the virus!”
How did you first meet…what did you think of each other in the beginning?
“We were individually asked to open for Tiesto’s Club Life World Tour in our hometown and just met at the show. We didn’t know much of each others work at the time, but became close friends after that, way before the birth of Qubicon as a matter of fact.”
What was your first break into the music scene?
“That would have to be our debut single released on Zouk Records of Armada Music, ‘Utopia’. Neither of us expected such a huge reaction for our first track, hence are very lucky to have an awesome start. Much love and gratitude to everyone who supported and enjoyed the song! J”
Tell us about your home club scene…where are the clubs to check out and who are some of the other Turkish producers we should be watching out for?
“Sadly the nightlife scene in our country has a lot of catching up to do. Electronic Dance Music has not yet turned into a culture over here even though we do the best to make that happen. It is however quite the thrill to see some fantastic talent coming up! Keep your eyes upon for Nurettin Colak and Arem Ozguc.”
A big quote from Faithless’s Sister Bliss last week in an interview in DMCWORLD…” For some, the goldrush for EDM in the US could be seen as progressive – as it uplifts our industry as a whole, it’s an entry point into dance music, so that genres like techno and deep house and the proponents of those more underground scenes start to get a look in as it creates a space where EDM fans can start to dig a little deeper.” What are your thoughts on that?
“Very well said. What we on the flipside don’t quite understand is why some of the artists and fans of the deeper underground styles carry such hatred towards the more commercial sounds as it helps all of us in the end. We might not enjoy the whole RnB and Pop meets EDM epidemic, but if that’s the start for new audiences to be drawn to what Electronic Dance Music is really about, then why the hell not?”
What is the 1 show you are really looking forward to this summer?
“Definitely the debut Qubicon show in our hometown where we are joining David Guetta in Kucukciftlik Park. Really looking forward to that!”
Another 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.” – so guys, do you still get nervous before DJing?
“Even though we’ve been DJing individually for a very long time, we still get quite excited before each show. Not sure if nervous is the right word for that feeling, as for us its being excited in a positive way. The curiosity when testing our new material for the first time and not knowing what to expect from new countries we travel to, that’s all a part of the adrenaline we love.”
What is the 1 record that…
Reminds you of first discovering dance music?
“Daft Punk – ‘One More Time’ / Modjo – ‘Lady (Hear Me Tonight)’.”
Reminds you of having your heart broken?
“Armin van Buuren pres. Perpetuous Dreamer – ‘The Sound Of Goodbye’.”
ALWAYS gets you dancing?
“Showtek & Justin Prime – ‘Cannonball’.”
…you wish you would have made yourselves?
“Porter Robinson – ‘Language’.”
So we book you for a gig, what is on a Qubicon rider these days?
“Nothing really crazy, as all we essentially are there for is to share the love of music and have a good time. Healthy and good food is very important to have, the right setup and sound is obviously needless to say.”
And finally, what is coming out next from you studio wise?
“Lots! We sadly can’t be too revealing, but I guess we are allowed to say that we are almost done working on the follow-up for ‘Utopia’, stay tuned for another Qubicon-style vocal tune and much more to come throughout the next few months!”
