“The art of DJing for me has always been about creating a party and entertaining while educating the crowd with one goal in mind – people leaving with smiles on their faces.” ‘Night & Day’ is the next chapter from the man known for his role as part of the legendary Deep Dish and now as a solo superstar. Live and direct from Washington DC…
Hey Sharam welcome back to DMCWORLD Magazine. Where in the world are you right now?
“I’m currently in Washington DC getting ready to head to Ibiza.”
You are back with a mighty bang this week with the hugely anticipated new mix compilation ‘Night & Day’ on Yoshitoshi Recordings. The album is the foliow up to 2011’s Warung Beach and is quite simply an insight into your daytime and nightime sets. How long has the new album taken to compile?
“I came up with the idea around February and it took about 3 months to put together. Putting together the track listing was easy but the clearance process took forever.”
What was the aim of the album?
“I wanted to showcase two different sides and two different styles of DJing. Day is about the overall groove of the set, starting deeper and more funky and house based and building to more hypnotic and techno based tracks. The night comes out of the gate in full speed and is more melodic and vocal based, but I tried to keep a dark and edgy undertone throughout it al, but they are both straight up party. As a DJ depending on the event sometimes I go Day style and sometimes I go Night style. Most of the times I combine them which is how I like to DJ on a long set.”
The release features your brand new original production ‘Radio G’ with special ‘Night’ and ‘Day’ mixes. Talk us through the track…
“The idea of “Night & Day” mixes is something I’ve been doing for a long time. With each track there are always many mixes because I have lots’ of ideas and create mixes for different dance floors. The “Night Mix” is for tougher and less patient floors where the “Day Mix” is less melodic and more about the vibe. I couldn’t combine the two ideas into one mix so I decided explore them as stand alone mixes. Going forward I’m probably going to apply the “Night and Day” concept to more of my mixes, since its easier to follow that way. I’m often caught in the middle of the fence when it comes to musical styles but it’s important for me to keep being open minded with my music and DJing. It helps me be more creative.”
The rest of the compilation is littered with exclusive edits, mashups and remixes – what are your personal highlights from this incredible release?
“One of the highlights is the Uto Karem – Utopolys c/w Sneaker Pimps – Spin Spin Sugar (Armand’s Dark Garage Mix) mashup. The Armand remix of Spin Spin Spin Sugar is a bonafide classic and I looped the vocal over the top and mashed the two up. I came across this in one of my DJ sets and the response was amazing. So I kept doing it at more of my shows. So for this compilation I did this live and edited and tweaked it later. One of the others great mashups is Monstar – Kilo c/w Miike Snow – Devil’s Work (Dirty South Remix). I was wrapping the compilation and just got the Miike Snow track which has these really powerful and beautiful vocals. I just put the two tracks together and dumped the vocals over the mix. It’s one of those things that came together really fast and it works. People respond well live.”
What is a greatest thrill for a DJ…DJing as the sun goes down or the sun coming up?
“It’s 50/50 because I have done both and love both. When the sun goes down you feel like you can continue partying through the night, while when the sun comes up it’s like how can you make people last and how far into the day can we party together. These are both very different challenges – but equally fun.”
In our eyes nothing can beat daytime partying, there’s something a little bit naughty about the whole experience. Where have been some of the wildest daytime clubs you’ve enjoyed over the years?
“Vegas definitely. I’ve done loads of these parties there and they tend to get naughty. Inhibition tends to go down and people act crazy and let loose. Miami during Conference also has great Day parties as Florianopolis in Brazil.”
Was there any kind of house music scene in Washington D.C. when you were growing up there? Or did you feel more like an ambassador for the progressive genre?
“When we started, Progressive House meant Depeche Mode, New Order, Nitzer Ebb & that sort of vibe. Progressive as you know it didn’t come together ’till later in the 90s. We were doing Deep House and straight up House with vocals, and we certainly didn’t feel like any kind of ambassadors or anything like that, but more like crazy outsiders that were trying to get our point across. There wasn’t really a scene per se, just small pockets that were all doing different things. It was pretty healthy but in little corners. We would go to as many parties as possible and try to infiltrate them and play our style of music. It wasn’t until years later that we get some local recognition and following. More people knew us outside of DC than in DC. Of course it’s now grown to where DC is one of the Electronic hot spots for DJs from all over the world.”
Your musical tastes is so eclectic. Who are the artists and albums you are currently digging outside of EDM?
“Most recently I’ve been listening to a lot of M83, Deerhunter and Mumford And Sons. There is a great documentary called Big Easy Express that was very inspiring. On the dance side of things I really like Heren who has a few tracks on the new album. He’s one to watch out for. I also listen to a lot of drum n’ bass and dubstep artists. Doctor P & Flux Pavilion, Wilkinson, Zed’s Dead, Tantrum Desire. Thats were I get more of my juice from.”
What is the current top 10 you are spinning?
Sharam – Radio G (Day Mix)
Marc Romboy – The Advent (Nic Fanciulli Remix)
Sinisa Tamamovic – After All Bad Things (Pirupa Remix)
Sharam – Radio G (Night Mix)
SyntheticIllinton – Wanna Hold You (Franke, Illinton Remix)
Kiko – We Love Sunrise (Original Mix)
Fergie – Rockin Muzik (Flavio Diaz Remix)
Sharam- Our Love (Sharam Leftfield Mix)
Rhythm Ways – Strong (Original Mix)
Sharam – Que Cubano (Nicole Moudaber Remix)
What are the plans release wise for the remainder of 2012 from your Yoshitoshi label?
“We have lots of music coming up. One of the things we’re doing is relaunching the Shinichi and Yo! brands. Shinichi will focus on more techy and deep house side of things per the early years, and the Yo! brand is going to be an outlet for crazy and innovative releases from Electro infused house to dubstep, drum n bass and anything good and nuts. I think there’s more room for creativity by separating stuff with the labels. We’ll be starting the relaunch in August and September. There are also a lot of exclusive tracks on the “Night & Day” compilation which will come out on the label, as will remixes. It’s going to be a very busy six months. We’re also going to expand on the “Night and Day” brand by throwing Yoshitoshi parties with a “Night & Day” theme.”
Have you spied any exciting new producers and DJs on your travels this year?
“Heren and Ahmet Sendil have impressed me on a consistent basis and they both have tracks on “Night & Day”.”
You seem to be equally at home producing a crossover smash as you do an underground club cut. Do you take a different approach to each style?
“I really don’t. I start with a clean canvas without any idea of what I’m going to do. Whatever inspires me is what I let go. If it’s a dark set that I heard somewhere I’ll go that way. I was in Ibiza listening to Carl Cox and he played one of the best sets I’ve heard in a long time so the next thing I worked on was a dark techno track. For example, after having a bout with another great DJ (to remain nameless) I have now challenged myself to do something totally unexpected so I’m looking forward to starting that project. Sometimes inspiration comes from a TV commercial and sometimes from a conversation or listening to another DJ. You let it go where it leads you. Sometimes it’s a crossover smash and sometimes it’s an underground dud – or vice versa.The process is the same and I’m always proud of the records that I made, but the result changes based on how people receive and react to the record. I don’t like to put myself in a bubble.”
You’ve remained an influential artist in electronic music since the 90’s. What’s the secret to your longevity?
“I guess by not putting the blinders on. Not following a ‘me too’ path. I try and keep myself challenged with doing different kinds of music. I think that might have something to do with it. When a trend becomes big there will inevitably be a fall and a lot of people fall out of favor. If you don’t follow the trends you might not have as high a high but perhaps not as big a fall.”
Which clubs have been amazing this year for you?
“Warung in Brazil is always a top notch club and that’s been well documented. I was also pleasantly surprised with a club called Joinville in Santa Catarina, Brazil. However, Mansion Miami has to be the highlight for me. I played there during Conference and everything is outstanding there and the vibe you can create is unbelievable. I’m looking forward to going back there in September.”
What has been your anthem of the summer to date?
“The best reaction I seem to be getting is one of my new records called “My Way.” Nobody has it right now. It’s been the surprise track where the reaction is consistent no matter where I play it. I know this sounds like I’m plugging my own track, but its true. I’m getting amazing reaction from this one.”
What is the record that changed your life?
“Royal House “Can You Party” I remember hearing it at a club and was like ‘what the hell is this music???” It was a life changing moment. It exposed me to house music. Through that process I came across two truly transforming records for me – one was DJ Pierre (Photon Inc) “Generate Power” and Underground Solution (Roger Sanchez) “Luv Dancing.” I bought these records and listened to them hours on end and couldn’t believe how amazing they were. These are the two that wanted to make me get into dance music. The Photon Inc record is 15 minutes long and takes you to so many places. If you go back through our old production and remixes you’ll find that our records have a similar arrangement – they start out slow and build and build and build into this frenzy and hypnotic tower of sounds. I miss making records like that. I did one recently for for Carl Cox that should be coming out soon.”
What are the big events you are particularly looking forward to this summer – what are the Ibiza plans?
“I’m doing a residency (7 shows) at Space on Monday nights called “Ibiza Calling”. First one went really well so I’m looking forward to going back and rekindling myself with the island.”
You concluded 2011 by stating that you had been talking about reforming Deep Dish for a new project. What is the latest?
“Stay Tuned Dan…”
Do you ever miss that collaborative relationship in the studio?
“Yeah because it’s always good to have someone you know trust and respect to give you feedback and bounce ideas off, so in that respect, yes.”
You are renowned for asking people not to pigeon hole you as a producer. How though would you describe your production style in 2012?
“I really can’t. I try not to think about that too much. Having said that, I’m a beats kind of guy. I always start with drums and take it from there. I’ve also found myself really influenced by elements of drum & bass and dubstep over the years. Combining those elements on a house or techno project is what I like doing the most. I first tried that with this track I did called Texi. More recently I tried taking it a step further with the original mix of my single “Our Love”. With my upcoming single “My Way” there are two mixes and the “Night mIx” follows the same path. I like to develop things that haven’t been heard before I guess so you can say my style is unexpected.”
What are your thoughts on the massive splurge of the dollar into EDM in America? Do you think these scene over there is set to stay for a while or do you think the bubble will burst before we know it?
“There are schools of thoughts on both sides. My view is that there is a possibility for both sides. What determines success is diversity and quality. If it continues where 90% of the stuff is pop EDM made for the radio it will collapse on itself. Music is becoming so monotonous and unbearable where it all sounds the same and the DJs are playing the same thing over and over too. Everyones going for the big records with hands in the air. Pretty soon people will be bored with it and there is the danger of it imploding on itself. On the other hand, opportunities have opened up now where some artists are getting the attention from labels that might never given them a chance in the past. If they can cut through and mix it up where everything doesn’t sound the same it can be very successful. I would say to everyone don’t copy anyone and do your own thing. It’s the best way for longevity. The beauty of music is that it finds a way to survive. I’m an optimist and think things will turn out the right way. There are enough talented players out there that are doing the right kinds of records. I just wish more DJs and producer had more balls and would experiment more when they have the floor.”
‘Night & Day’ on Yoshitoshi is out now
Follow DMCWORLD Magazine on twitter and receive exclusive weekly dance music news – @dmcworldmag
Join our fan page on facebook – https://www.facebook.com/dmcworldmagazine
