Interview by Dan Prince
Through a combination of sheer of talent and relentless dedication, Tom Swoon has experienced massive success in the last year. The Polish producer officially took his place among the heavy hitters in the scene when he made the DJ Mag Top 100 of 2015 at an impressive #46. It’s no surprise that Swoon has gained such a high level of recognition; his hustle is evident in his recent string of four singles on four different labels in only four weeks, with “Phoenix” being the most recent on Ultra Records. We check in…
Tom a huge welcome to DMCWORLD…where are you on planet earth today?
Thank you DMCWORLD! At the moment I am in Poland, packing up to get ready for this weekend’s shows in Poland and Holland. Party time!
Your favourite piece of music you have heard since rolling out of bed?
Ride – Twenty One Piolts. I think it was whilst having a shower…
What many of your fans don’t know is that you started this crazy musical journey in a rock band. What was the band called, who were your influences and how does that experience help you with your production nowadays?
I think it all started when I saw my dad’s old guitar all covered in dust laying around at my grandma’s place and decided to take it home – long story short, 3 years later I ended up playing with my friends in the band. And I personally think that having played instruments myself helps you build a solid platform to better understand and create music.
What made you finally see the light and switch to electronic music?
I think I overheard that they were looking for someone to help with playing music in a local disco, I was still 15 then so I was going there with my dad. At first, it was just a cool thing to do for me as a kid, especially since it related to music. I fell in love with it and decided to spend every minute and every cent I had to become better and better in DJing.
If you hadn’t have become a musician/producer/DJ…what other professions could you have seen yourself involved in?
I love photo/videography. So I would have probably tried that out.
How did you and they react to you smashing in at No. 46 in the DJTop100?
I was in the hotel room in Amsterdam preparing for the show when they started to announce the names and post them on Twitter. To be honest, I had little hope of getting on the list, I really wasn’t aiming that high. After they announced places from 90-100 I was like “ok, that’s it – maybe next year!”. What then happened left me absolutely speechless, my mind was blown and my brains were sprayed all over the hotel room walls!! I remember staring at the screen, I just couldn’t process that fact and had to keep looking at it to realize what the hell had just happened! Believe it or not, I’m still not used to the thought of being 46th in the whole world and still feeling that kinda “pinch-me” moment just like they had just announced the results now, not few months ago. An amazing moment.
What’s the biggest risk you’ve ever taken in life?
I would say dedicating my life to music. It came naturally really, but when you decide that your career is going to be music, you never really know where it will lead you. So I think it’s very fair to say that choosing a musical career was a big risk which I will never regret.
An exciting start to July for you with the release of your new single ‘Phoenix’ swinging our way on Ultra. Talk us through the sound and history of this boss track…
I met Dank at Ultra Music Festival in Miami in March and he proposed the vocal as a collaboration which I really digged! I immediately started working on this and this year I have been experimenting with a lot with different styles and genre. This single has the housy kind of feel which is sort of like the new Don Diablo kind of way. And I am really happy of how this track is sounding, myself and Dank worked on 3 different versions for some months until we were 100% satisfied with the result!
I understand Dank hounded you at Miami’s WMC until he finally grabbed you and handed a demo over?
Yes this is correct. As I just said before, Dank stopped me when I was playing at Ultra Music Festival and he said that he had a really nice Demo which he wanted me to check out. And so back stage at Ultra I checked out the vocal and the idea behind the track which I really liked and so I asked him to send over the vocal stams and as soon as I got back at the studio I immediately started working on it…
What are the 5 big tunes in your box this weekend…
- Tom Swoon, Belle Humble & Dank – Phoenix – this is my brand new single, which I’ve been playing on the road for over 6 months now – the reaction was always amazing and I cannot wait to see how much damage it will do when it’s out!
- Headhunterz & Skytech – Kundalini – love the indian vibe and the super-catchy melody! For my sets, I’m dropping it in a special edit with vocals from my previous single
- “Wait” Billy Kenny & Aaron Jackson – Right Here – a perfect way to start a club set! a wicked drop and the vocal loop throughout the song will make sure you won’t forget it quick
- Hiisak – La Fanfarra (Tom Swoon Edit) – another one from me, coming July 18th on Maxximize. It was an experiment, which turned into a bomb, that got a massive round of A-List DJ’s support still before it’s release! This makes me sure it’s definitely not my last attempt to dive into the world of groove
- Henrik B feat. David Spekter – Hold On – one of the best melodic progressive tunes I’ve heard in a while. For me, this is what SHM would put out if they’d still be here!
What’s the biggest mistake you’ve made in your life and how did you overcome it?
Thinking that no one knows better than me. I was very protective about my music and ways of doing things and barely wanted to listen to any remarks. I guess it was just a matter of some people having enough energy to prove me wrong and show me, that getting some opinion from outside might actually make things better than ever.
Some 2016 DJ gigs you cannot wait for?
Playing Sunrise Music Festival at home is always an amazing feeling and this year I play Alfa Future People the day after as well in Russia!
What accomplishment in your life are you most proud of?
Entering the DJ Mag top 100 was a dream come true.
You are a huge gaming fan. What are your favourite games and what other DJs do you battle?
My fav games right now are definitely Battlefield 4, The Division and…Pokemon Omega Ruby! I love to play it on my Nintendo 3DS whenever I’m on the road. I don’t really have time to sit down and properly battle any other DJ, but I know that Paris & Simo are waiting for me to get Overwatch and show ’em who’s best, so I might do that soon!
What was the first record you ever bought?
Kaskade and Deadmau5 – this track started it all for me!
What was the whole playing at Ultra vibe like?
I was really psyched when I was told by my management that I will be playing at the Ultra Music Festival. It was one of the festivals that I was really, really looking forward to play. I have already played at Tomorrwland and Ushuaia in Ibiza. UMF Miami was of course on my list and when I played there the vibe was amazing and of course all the big names were there – and when I played there were so many different flags from all the different nations and of course there were some people from Poland that came after my set. It was an incredible experience, one which I will never forget.
‘Phoenix’ is just one of 4 current tunes coming our way, I believe you have new material on Flamingo, Armada and Maxximize/Spinnin’?
The first from the four was “I’m in Love” which came out on Flamingo. It’s currently doing really well on Spotify and I’m also very happy with the results. “Pheonix” is the second of the four. It’s coming out on Ultra and already is receiving great support. It was premiered by Nicky Romero. Then” Never Giving Up” which is coming out on Armada. It was premiered by Hardwell. And the 4th track will be “La Fanfarra” which is my collaboration with Hiisak coming out on the Blasterjaxx’ imprint Maxximize (on Spinnin Records) – the support has been so incredible…Avicii, David Guetta and Martin Garrix have already been supporting this track.
True or false? You only eat sushi?
False – But I would live on Sushi only!! I also like to try local cuisine wherever I am. Of course I like to do it most in JAPAN!!
And finally – what is coming out later in the year studio wise?
I’m actually in the studio right now to finish some new collabs with Kill The Buzz and Headhunterz. Besides that I am also working quite hard on some fresh material so I will be able to talk about that hopefully in the coming weeks.
