Aaron and Alex, welcome to the DMC world. So you named your band ‘Cicada’ after an insect which is known for its amazing acoustic ‘singing’ talents…was this one of the reasons for the choice of a very apt name?
Aaron : “Yes, definitely Dan. Also it’s a very evocative sound of summer days and nights which we try to capture in our music.”
Alex : “That sounds about right! I always thought it was a good sounding word too, ha ha.”
So a big album out ‘Roulette’ which we will come to later, but before that, let’s go back to the days when two young kids were sitting in their bedrooms listening to music – what artists were major influences back then?
Aaron: “I loved all kinds of music – from the oldies like The Who and Motown to the psychedelia of Love, and then New Wave punk and pop like Blondie, Duran Duran and Roxy Music.”
Alex: “I guess I started with 80’s Pop, some great and some not so great which funnily is in vogue now. But from there I worked back to 60’s and 70’s Rock and Soul. There was Marvin Gaye, Sam Cooke and Bobby Womack on one side and Pink Floyd, ACDC and Jimi Hendrix on the other, I was also really into Roxy Music, Blondie, Fleetwood Mac with Supertramp in the middle.”
How did you two first meet up and then decide to form a band?
Aaron: “I had a previous project, Mr Natural, which was on Alex’s label Critical Mass, and we decided it might be fun to do something together, never expecting it to take on a life of it’s own.
Alex: “That’s pretty much how I remember it. We had made a couple of records together before and then we started doing remixes, and thought we would start to do some tracks that were not exclusively for the dancefloor…the rest as they say is history…”
What were the early clubs and DJs that got you into the dance groove?
Aaron: “It seems like a long time ago now, but clubs like Club for Life @ The Gardening Club in London and Full Circle in Colnbrook and DJs like Danny Rampling and Carl Cox.
Alex: “I started off going to outdoor raves on the free party scene in the early 90’s, things like DIY and Smokescreen. They were exciting and crazy times. It was all pretty new in those days. From there I moved onto clubs and London and started working in the business.”
Your act features the marvellous talent of Icelandic vocalist Heidrun Anna Björnsdottir, formerly of GusGus.
Aaron: “That’s right. She had a quirky element to her vocals that we liked. It was a departure from the Diva Style vocals that everybody seemed to be using at the time.”
As a duo, you have remixed some mighty bands, The Editors (whose Tom Smith, guest vocals on the new album), Depeche Mode, Chicane, Candi Staton, New Order, Mish Mash and er, Dannii Minogue to name but a few…but what artist have you been most honoured to work on?
Aaron: “It’s always nice to work with great vocals, and Tom Smith’s are a joy to use. Depeche Mode was great fun, they are heroes of mine. Also more recently, The Twelves and Paloma Faith came out really well.”
Alex: “I have to say that I thought that the Danni Minogue mix was pretty good – who says you can’t polish a turd! Seriously though, we’ve been very lucky and had some great tracks to work on over the years. 13 Senses ‘Into The Fire’ was a favourite – although less well known.”
Your debut self titled album sold in droves in 2006 even though it was released on a comparatively small label, your own Critical Mass…the album was a huge ‘word of mouth’ Balearic success – was the low key approach planned or was it simply down to finance?
Aaron: “Probably an element of both. Although, the way it spread by word of mouth was probably more fulfilling than seeing it do well because it had tonnes of cash thrown at it by a major who always do it that way because it’s your money they’re spending.”
Alex: “Yup, primarily the latter, but it also allows you to grow a project at its own pace. If you are at a major it is very difficult to do that. They are no longer set up to develop artists in a long term way really…”
So, the new album ‘Roulette’ – why the name?
Aaron: “I wish we had a clever answer for this, but in reality it’s in part because we’ve spent quite a bit of time knocking back the vodkas in Russia!! Also CDs spin round and ultimately because we like the word.”
Finest ever House music release?
Aaron: ” That’s a tricky one. House music is always best at the time. Adamski ‘Killer’, Alan Braxe ‘Intro’, Daft Punk ‘Around The World’, NuYorican Soul ‘Mind Fluid’, Pete Heller ‘Big Love’ – I could go on…”
Alex: “For me the record that really sold house music to me was Frankie Knuckles ‘Your Love’. That record still brings back amazing memories and sends a shiver down my spine…”
The album features throbs of Disco, major basslines, commercial Pop and stunning vocals – what tracks are you most excited about?
Aaron: “I love ‘One Beat Away’ especially when we play it live. Also ‘Mr P Star’ and ‘Tiad’.”
Alex: “It’s difficult to choose a single track, but ‘Mr P Star’ and also ‘Executive’ are tracks that I’m really pleased with.”
DJs such as Pete Tong, Axwell, Groove Armada and Dirty South are all over your stupendous ‘Psycho Thrills’ monster out early September, remixes via DJ Delicious, Aniki, Dyebox and Baldo – talk us through the track and how did you choose the remixers?
Alex: “It’s a track that is accessible and has a pop sensibility so the mixes were aimed solely at the dancefloor. DJ Delicious has worked with us before and he is always a safe pair of hands, sonically he’s totally on the money but he also understands what makes a mix work for a broad spectrum of dancefloors. The other mixes are a bit more specialist. Aniki’s mix is a great slice of rough fidgety House with a totally bonkers breakdown and Baldo’s mix caters for the more techy minimal European brigade. Dyebox round it off with something a bit more Nu Disco.”
It’s your birthday – you invite the biggest five clubland caners round for a party – who do you choose?
Aaron: “Probably none of them, I’d like to enjoy my birthday!! But perhaps we could go back in time and be a fly on the wall at one of Chic’s parties in the 1970s!!”
Alex: “There is a long and illustrious list of contenders who I have had the honour (?) of spending nights out with over the years, but I’m not too sure how many of them would be over the moon to be seeing their name in print.” Sometimes it’s the quiet ones…etc etc…”
Aaron, what are the Big 10 tunes on your i-Pod at the moment? You are a band that enjoys a more melancholy style vocal, Heidrun fits in perfectly – why did you go down that route and what other bands of similar ilk do you rate?
Aaron: “I listen to a lot of quite melancholy music, I like to be moved by what I hear…the last 10 tracks played on my iPod were:
Friendly Fires ‘Skeleton Boy’
Bat For Lashes ‘Daniel’
Sigur Ros ‘Staralfur’
Camera Obscura ‘Lloyd I’m Ready To Be Heartbroken’
The Editors ‘Racing Rats’
Duran Duran ‘Girls On Film’
Siouxie And The Banshees ‘Cities In Dust’
Chemical Brothers ‘Let Forever Be’
Daft Punk ‘Voyager’
Zongamin ‘Hotel 17’
Actually that’s a pretty weird playlist!!”
Top 3 DJs of all time?
Aaron: “That’s a tricky one, probably Carl Cox, The Chemicals and Larry Levan.”
Alex: “That’s tough- I know too many, but Carl would be there for sure. I’m also always amazed when you travel round the world how good some of the local residents are – and thinking shit, this guy should be headlining!”
Favourite worldwide city to play at?
Aaron: ” Either Sydney or Rio.”
Alex: ” There is also a fantastic place in Brazil called Florianopolis…”
What is the anthem of Summer 2009?
Aaron: “I’d like to say Cicada but it’s probably that David Guetta chap with that American bird singing!!”
Alex: “I guess so…”
Tell us about the best festivals you have played – ‘Good Vibes’ over in Australia must have been fun with Snoop and The Beastie Boys…?
Aaron: ” Yeah, Australia is great fun and there’s always something great about playing to huge crowds in the sunshine, but there’s nothing like playing in the mud of Glasto!!
Alex: “Ultimately, it’s the crowd, but Glastonbury has the most amazing vibe. Also we played a great festival in the Samba Dome in Sao Paulo. It was pissing down but everyone was going wild…”
How important is longevity to you in an album?
Aaron: “It’s really important to me that the album is timeless. I try not to throw in loads of the tricks which you might use in a remix which can become dated very quickly. I want people to be able to enjoy both the albums in 10 or 20 years, but the main thing to be avoided is those filler tracks which you skip past…”
Alex: “I think the greatest accolade is if someone takes the album off their shelves in a few years time, put it on, enjoy the songs for what they are.”
What one artist would you most like to record a track with?
Aaron: “Err, Johnny Cash, erm Michael Jackson, actually I’d love to be in the studio with Vangelis, just to see how he works…”
Alex: “Gawd, where do I start? Carly Simon, Nile Rodgers, Liz Frazer or Al Green – maybe?”
Best ever Ibiza AND WMC Miami story?
Aaron: “None that I can tell you about!!!”
Alex: “Err yes…good point. They tend to be very long winded and lost in translation! I was on that boat though in Miami when there was a Virgin Records party and it was forced back to port due to the horrendous behaviour of guests on board. The outraged letter from the cruise company that was sent to the organisers was hysterical.”
Boys, I was on that boat! So what is coming next from Cicada?
Aaron: “The ‘Psycho Thrills’ video is nearly finished and is looking great. Looking forward to The V Festival too.
Alex: “We are back in remixing mode too, so you’ll see a few more Cicada remixes in the next few weeks. Also, to go in a full circle we are working on a couple of straight club tracks which we are putting out in the Autumn which has been great. Watch this space…”