Another huge tune from the French superstar
Welcome to DMC young man. The world’s dancefloors are just recovering from your colab with Nari & Milani ‘Mas Que Nada’ and now you’re bringing us another scorcher with ‘Mama Say’ release. Talk us through the tune…
“‘Mama Say’ is really focusing on the club crowd, a ‘hands up in the air’ kind of tune. It’s a collaboration of Michael Jackson, funk, and African influences, but with the electronic sounds of today.”
The timing of the release is perfect for getting a buzz at WMC. How do you sway on the debate that Miami and America is now more important than summer in Ibiza tune wise?
“Miami is not important anymore — even Ibiza. The internet has changed that. Records are hyped from beatport charts.”
You are one of house music’s greatest producers – releases on the likes of Tiger Records, EGO Records, Subliminal Records, Illegal Beats, Pacha Recordings, Joia, Gossip, and Pyramidal Records. What did you want to be when you were growing up?
“I always wanted to be in the music industry. I did some radio airplay shows at 16, then very quickly went into DJing, hip hop first around 1993-95 and then house music.”
Tell us about the new tunes coming our way on Ego and Tiger…
“I’m working the old school disco style with Ego and the more progressive stuff with Tiger. I have been working very hard in the studio giving more time to the productions than the DJ touring and I have come up with some hot tunes to be released this year…”
The summer is fast approaching, what you got coming up residency wise?
“Well I am not sure yet on where to go, I have options for Vegas/LA this summer and one in Ibiza…”
To date you have lived in some of the most fabulous places in the world. Cannes, Paris, New York, Ibiza, Miami and now LA – what have you learnt from each city/island?
“Traveling is very good for inspiration and understanding the club scene around the world. I can say I have been lucky to be at the right place at the right moment; Paris when that French touch house was exploding, New York at that Subliminal/Strictly Rythm madness including the club scene like Twilo, Vinyl and so on and finally Ibiza where I was already going to on different occasions. But the island atmosphere changed a lot going more in the direction of mainstream and I felt it was time to try somewhere else, so I moved to Miami for a year and now I’m in LA.”
On the subject of Ibiza, many people have been saying that the island and the club’s in particular have become too cynical over the last 2 years and that money again has taken over – hence the Swedes leaving Pacha – thoughts on this glorious island clubwise?
“Ibiza as an island remains magical, but the club scene is going a different way. Underground music has not died but commercial music pulls more people to the clubs, so if your a club owner you want go where you can make more of a benefit.”
What is the finest record you have ever played to a dancefloor?
“Stardust ‘Music Sounds Better With You’
‘Mama Say’ link:
http://m.soundcloud.com/richard-grey/mama-say
