Exclusive interview with the Stockholm legend
Welcome to DMCWORLD John. Another day, another massive album with ‘Any Moment Now’ just released which we will come to later. Your musical journey began thanks to your father, a musician himself who introduced you to audio pleasure by playing you early sounds from the 80s. Who were the acts back then that helped shape your future?
“Thanks Dan, in the early 80s as a kid I got exposed to all kinds of music. My father played everything from Fleetwood Mac, The Who, The Animals to Pink Floyd and when I got older myself, I spent my money buying records by Depeche Mode, Nitzer Ebb and early electronic music. I recall one of the first 12″s I got was Master and Servant with Depeche Mode with an amazing On-Usound remix – I think it was Adrian Sherwood behind that name…very dub and it was something that really grabbed me.. so I started to explore more electronic music. At the same time, my father bought a Betamax and VHS movie player and we got hold of Jon Carpenter movies like Escape From New York, Assault On Precinct 13 and their soundtracks were just so amazing. My Uncle played in one of the first punk bands back home and had done this 7″ and it was so mind blowing that you could do your own music and release a record. So all of this was huge help or failure to shape my future depending on how you look at it!”
When did the idea of becoming a producer/DJ start to form in your head – at one point you wanted to be a police officer…
“It just grew and grew – first synth, first sampler, first record. It was hard work paying for it – many hours at a warehouse during summer holidays to earn money to buy more and more gear. Then I was hooked, just so in love with the music I could not do anything else. But you are right, I had this police officer ambition once.”
You started DJing back in the classic year 1989, when Acid House began. What were some of the tunes you were throwing down back then?
“In fact I think my first official gig was a lit bit earlier. ==Me and a friend were asked to play at this school party. We wanted to rent vinyl players but it was too much money, so we had to play with cassette decks and 1 vinyl player without a pitch. We played a lot at youth clubs around the city, older friends played at the local discos so I could sometimes join them when the security didn’t spot me see me! Back then it was early Belgian electronic body music, early Chicago records and more commercial stuff I loved like Candy Flip, EMF, CC Music Factory, Black Box, 808 State. The highlight every 3rd week was when we received a package from your company DMC with some promos and megamixes. Later in the early 90s they sent us their MixMag magazine and we were blown away with the scene over there in the UK – all the cool pictures and the vibe of the scene.”
23 years on dance music has taken over the world and the quality of the production is unrecognisable to what it was back then. Who have been the fellow producers you cite as influences or just perhaps people you recognise as just doing a good job and gives props to?
“Well, I do agree but I’d rather listen to bad quality production in a really good track then over produced bad music. Really hard to pick out all the people out there making good stuff, but off the top of my head – Super Flu, Brian Eno, Erol Alkan, Zombie Nation, Flood – but it’s a long list.”
It was so refreshing to read your reaction when some poor journalist asked you about your role in EDM…”I hope I am not a part of an EDM movement, for me EDM stands for something with bad taste, really something very bad”. It has been an interesting year for America and their new found toy to play with. What are your thoughts on the dance scene in the States as the year draws to a close…?
“Don’t wanna step on people toes, but I do understand people think something is new when they’ve never heard it before. What’s finally happening in the US with electronic music is great though – more airplay and its not slow R&B and Hip Hop on the radio and more and more people getting in to it, so it’s great that it’s opening up doors.”
You are priming the album by releasing three singles ‘Give Myself’, ‘Heart’s A Legend’ and ‘The Message’ making a video trilogy with one short film. What is the idea behind this?
“It’s early stages, but hopefully its ready in February, we’re working everything out at the moment and trying to get it right.”
You have always followed your heart when making music, yet that ‘fuck you attitude’ is always lying in the back of your mind somewhere. Is that a fair statement?
Not “Fuck You” exactly but a DIY attitude perhaps. Many producers use the same presets, same pluggin synths and samples cds, but I guess people are different and have a different approach to why they’re doing music really.
You have said you look at starting a new record like a painter does with a blank piece of paper. There must be fun involved and there must be mistakes made to make it sound human. You are a dying breed of producer and we thank you for that – what are your thoughts on the likes of the Guetta’s, Tiesto’s and Swedes making the big bucks with their sounds…?
“I’m a friend of both Tiesto, SHM and rest of the posse and I’m really happy for them, but its just a different market really. Not sure things in the US would’ve opened up as much if it wasn’t for them. They’ve continued to move the States away from the RnB scene that happened after the Chemical Brothers, The Prodigy, Fatboy Slim, Daft Punk exploded at the end of the 90s, just a different sound really and broader scene. I believe there’s always room and space for everyone.”
You are already thinking about your next album, thanks largely to all of your new studio gear and instruments you have recently bought. Including a Yamaha CS80 that took ten years to find! Where did you find that little beauty and have you started ideas for the next release yet?
“Yes, I’ve bought so much new gear this year – so I can’t wait to get time to make some more music. The CS80 has been a dream synth for me. It’s crazy hard to get hold of, it’s renowned as the synth of all synths. It’s just amazing. I found it here in Stockholm, I went to a studio to buy a Simmons SDSV old drum module and there in the corner the CS80 was just looking at me, so after stalking the studio owner for 1 year it was sold to me. I have put in a specially built midi kit into it so I can control it from the computer.”
Over at DMC we think two of your tracks ‘Glass’ and ‘Hearts A Legend’ are possibly your best pieces of work to date. It must have been a joy to create them…
“WOW – happy you like those 2 songs Dan. I think the album could be my finest work so far, not as club tracks but as just music, it’s a good feeling when you feel that – you hope they’ll stand the test of time.”
‘Give Myself’ is a classic house track that features Ursula Rucker on vocals. Will you be working together in the future?
“This was the first track me and Ursula have ever done together, and we have become good friends – working on a release with Defected which is out in late Feb, and also working on some new ideas right now.”
Talk us through some of the other tracks on the album, we understand ‘Two’ was a bugger to finish and we’ve been hearing ‘The Message’ which features Roland Clark on vocals out on the dancelfoor…
“It feels weird to talk about my own music! I really love it when people tell me what they hear when they listen to it – but I can talk some small bits, hope I don’t destroy any magic
or pictures in the head now!
Shout: Was one of the first tracks on the album that I finished, but I did not dare to send it to the label before I had some more dance tracks ready to send them as well. Shout sounds like some 80’s indie band. I’ve always dreamt of playing in a rock band doing huge rock shows with a kind of widescreen sound, haunting vocals and piano, so I plugged in the guitar and made one.
Sweat: Is a straight forward club track very tech-house and hypnotic. I played it a lot in my DJ sets and got such good reactions that I needed to have it on the album.
For Good: Last song I did for the album. I did imagine me drunk at a pool party and what I wanted to hear but at the same make it have a kind of melancholic feel that I think all the songs have on the album. I borrowed a friend’s Roland Juniper 8 synth to make the big synth pad chords.
Just a Breath Away: Very odd song but love it so much, is it a dance tracks or a 80s kind of pop song. Not sure…time will tell.
Hearts a Legend: So simple and I just love how it turned out. Once I got the idea about how it should be and how to finish it, it was so simple – piano, bass guitar and a Roland Jupiter 6 and Roland 909 were all that I used for the music. And Philip´s amazing voice on top. One of my favorites. And a very cinematic feel to it.
Glass: First I sent a rough demo to the manager of Dave Gahan from Depeche Mode. He told me he loved it but Dave was busy with new recordings so it never happened, then I thought about Philip whose voice I just love. I didn’t know him personally at the time, but got hold of his email, he loved the demo so we started to work and have become good friends and ended up doing 5 songs on the album. We’ve already started on a lot of new material. Need to send the finished version to Dave’s manager now, thanks for the reminder! I think the song has some kind of blues feel to it and lots of synth layers, Gibson guitars and drum machines…”
What are your favourite 3 tunes from 2012?
1. Zoo Brazil – Slob (Nick Curly Remix) SCI/TEC
2. David Jach and Beatamines – How Never (Zoo Brazil Remix) Keno Records
3. Pachanga Boys – Time Hippie Dance Records
Stockholm is such a small city and yet has been producing such incredible producers for years. Who are your big music mates in your home city?
“More or less every one of my friends are working with music or art or design. So all the posse from Drumcode to Axtone and in between.”
You have had a stunning career to date – Grammy nominations, over 160 singles and 8 albums under various monikers..what would you say has been your proudest moment to date? This year’s London Olympics must have been a highlight?
“I think it’s just over 200 single releases now and various ghostwriting and other stuff…I need to update my biography really. Hearing Kylie Minogue playing one of my songs that I co-wrote and finished back home in my underwear is up there. But nothing can really beat the first records you released in the 90s, especially when getting the vinyl sent home. London Olympics was weird. I found out 1 week after the ceremony that they used 3 songs, so I had to see the ceremony once again.”
You have remixed such greats as Lana Del Rey, Moby and Human League – which remix did you have the most fun with from your back catalogue?
“Hard one, everyone has it’s own special moments. I hope it will be the one I will start on when this interview is over for Zombie Nation and a track called Suede – as Turbo Recordings have promised me ice-cream if I make the deadline by tomorrow.”
You once said one of your highlights has been meeting heroes from your childhood days. Who in particular were you talking about?
“Well all the cool early DJs and producers you once read about in magazines – people like Arthur Baker through to obscure film makers and beyond.”
Everyone has one, what is your guilty pleasure song, a tune you secretly love?
“A tough choice, but one of the following…
Belinda Carlisle – Heaven Is A Place On Earth”
Foreigner – I Want To Know What Love Is”
Cutting Crew – (Just) Died In Your Arms”
Where have been the stand out clubs and festivals from 2012?
“Getting really drunk and play a “back 2 back” set with Ferry Corsten was really fun…and really weird. We mixed things up and we ended up doing it a few times this year.”
And finally, what is your New Years Resolution for 2013?
“To get a gym card and driving license!”