Where EDM Is ... and Where It's Going

Over the past five or so years EDM has hit the US harder than anyone could have anticipated. Pete Tong -- "The Pied-Piper to dance," who performs tonight, Oct. 9, at Output -- knew it was coming. He could feel it.

"Two things had started to happen," Tong recalls. "One was the fact that there had been successive growth on the kind of festival and one-off events thing... and they provided access to this music for people who were under 21."

As the music made its way over to the US, it came through a more grandiose and spectacular medium than it ever had, he says, and attracted the youth more than most other demographics.

Instead of going to the nightclubs where many original EDM fans had already been, like in the basements of Detroit, the music hit the open-air arenas, the large, empty fields, and attracted with it a very large following of newbies. "And then the other thing obviously, the European DJs, in particular with David Guetta, finally started to make music that was breaking onto Top 40 Radio. And then when people started hearing it on Top 40 Radio, you had people drawn toward the scene for the very first time that really knew nothing about it. You know, they were complete novices, hearing a record on a Top 40 Radio...finding out more about artists like David Guetta and subsequently Swedish House Mafia... And I think that that brought in a whole new audience."

The new audience Tong mentions was enthusiastic, albeit rather uneducated.

"You know, its funny," he says, "in Europe, and in England in particular, kids were drawn into the scene in the '80s on a very local basis, you know, it was like, with your mates going to a local club, seeing DJs and getting drawn into the culture on quite a much smaller level..." Here, the over-the-top manner in which EDM came about revealed to the youth of America a musical landscape that appeared to be completely new and uncharted, entirely different from what was going on in the clubs, when in reality it was just an overstated, rah-rah version of what had come before.

And so, just as quickly as it came, EDM hit the American mainstream. Since 2009, the standard EDM sound has become mangled with inauthentic DJs who "just press play," who have brought with them irritating, hollow, lifeless beats of redundant synths, and pointless lyrics that try desperately hard for emotionality. The biggest names have only gotten bigger, the spaces tighter, and for most of the mavericks, the OG EDM fans, it was over once it took off.

Now it seems everyone is beginning to get over it. Fans are bored and slowly leaving EDM fest's Main Stage headliners for the other, deeper, darker sounds coming from the smaller tents that surround them. The more authentic DJs are sick of being grouped with the DJs who don't appreciate how far the music has come, and are rebranding both their sound and their space in music.

Musically, this has manifested itself in the term "Deep House." There are many other phrases, from the original term Acid House all the way to whatever the hell Nu Disco is, but basically, if you're not listening to and partaking in this overdone version of EDM, then you're on the Deep House train. Point is, what is currently being labeled "EDM" isn't something most Djs or producers worth their salt want to be.

"If you were a techno DJ playing in Ibiza and someone described you as EDM, you were getting very offended or making great efforts to point out that you were different to like, Guetta and Avicii and Afrojack and everyone," says Tong. "And so it became a term that became very generalized, a bit blurred around the edges. I think if you're an EDM DJ now you certainly think your [public] image is probably of that big Main Stage sound, so, I think that that's why people start looking to identify themselves in different ways really."

As far as the new term goes, "Deep house actually means everything other than EDM," Tong laughs. "So it goes from Disclosure to the most hardcore techno act. It's a way of saying 'Anything other than EDM,' which is quite funny. Again, it's a terminology," but it has come to stand for more. If you're listening to 'Deep House' then you are not listening to EDM, and are therefore a member of a community that is not necessarily based in genre (Deep House vs. Big Room House vs. Trance vs. Electro), but in working to reclaim their musical space and bring it back to its roots all while exploring new, developing DJs and sounds. 

"I think the interesting thing now, you know -- five years in -- five years is quite a long time, we are seeing things evolve now," says Tong. "Some people have done their three or four years of being a Kandi Raver and maybe never go to a club again. Other people have grown into a little bit more of a sophisticated thing, and you know, maybe they've gone from David Guetta and now they're mad about Skrillex and Diplo, or maybe they're getting crazy about much more underground artists like Jamie Jones, so I think we're starting to see that now, environments are starting to grow around the edges of these festivals."

People are beginning to expand their musical horizons, and those brought to EDM's big ticket, Top 40 acts are now beginning to explore the margins a bit more, the moody corners of the underground clubs to hear and feel the genuineness that started it all. They want the music that represents the fundamentals of the EDM that has always existed, the music that for the past half decade has been in the shadow of its Frankstein-y, larger-than-life spin-off EDM scene. "I think that it's very democratic actually, dance music, because people decide," says Tong. Now those people are deciding it's time for a change. And this does not necessarily mean the formation of a dichotomy between the various subgenres of EDM. While it can manifest as a difference in musical preference, it's really about environment, experience, and a desire to be "a little bit more adventurous than the mainstream," as Tong would put it. It's about extracting the more ambient, basic sounds that were the basis of the original EDM, and returning to that simpler and more atmospheric music. It's about using what has come before and allowing that to grow and morph into what will eventually become the next phase of EDM culture and sound.

"If you look at Carl Cox's arena, at Ultra, if you look at the success of the Sunday School stuff, which is small, but it's packed, and it feels very much like the naughty place to be if you go to Electric Zoo or MysteryLand, you know?," says Tong. Mavericks like Cox and (and Tong himself) have all become the central focus of the current EDM fans, as they bring with them the sounds of the past. The current EDM fans are now joining the original fans that never left in craving that deeper, more honest sound.

"We're probably not going see the likes of what we've just seen again; it will be different. The thing about the next wave of music is that it's more the environment, it's more determined to deliver the best experience of more supple music -- you need a different set of criteria to the ones you need to deliver the music we've been seeing on the Main Stages for the last five years, so it's not going to be confetti and explosions," says Tong. The future of this music will have to echo the desires of DJs and fans alike, and that means moving back to the roots of EDM all while "push[ing] for the next thing."

Master DJ and producer Eric Prydz recently noted this shift in an interview we did recently, calling EDM "just noise, energy ... a separate thing that's happening along the side of what's being going on when it all started," and refers to his own music as "a different genre" from EDM. Similarly, DJ and producer Mark Knight, alongside Weiss and Adrian Hour, has deliberately made a move towards rebranding his Toolroom label. He's described this as "the time to go back-to-basics and hone in on the core of what we want the label and brand to stand for: quality house music from across the globe," clearly understanding the undeniable global yearning to look to the past to make people dance in the future.

"I mean you look at the label Spinnin' that was so dominant in the area of EDM just a year, 18 months ago, and now half their output is actually on Spinnin' Deep, says Tong. "So they're searching, they're looking, and you know, suddenly, a lot of the big main mainstream acts are all getting non-EDM mixes on their tunes. Things are shifting."

Tong is quick to avoid making declarations of EDM's death "I'm not here to sound the end of EDM as we know it. No, I think that, where I sit, it's the right time to really push now for the next thing."

And that next thing will be a fusion between the past and the future, where DJs and fans alike are working actively to reclaim EDM in the present.

Hannah Wants

Hailing from Birmingham, bass girl Hannah Wants has been turning the garage house scene on its head. An accomplished deejay in her own right, the Brit has spent 2013 giving fans phat bass-lines and a house groove to match. This is best exhibited through her recent releases on the prominent “Food music” label, which pair summer house vibes with choice vocal samples creating tracks that bang. Set to head down under in the coming month with shows in just about every state, prepare to lose your mind to the bass driven madness that is, Hannah Wants.

First up, Happy New Year! We imagine you were pretty busy over the festive season, any standout shows over that time?

Thank you! Happy New Year to you too! The festive season was crazy busy this year but NYE was definitely a standout night for me. I had three gigs in Birmingham, Sheffield and Nottingham and they were all so good! I brought 2015 in at Birmingham, which was amazing and the last two gigs had unreal crowds!

Did you make any resolutions before New Year’s, and have you already broken them since? (We did, and we have, so we’re just trying to make ourselves feel better)

I’m afraid to say I didn’t make any resolutions this year – I never do because I’d probably forget what they were anyway.

The beginning of a new year is always an exciting time for an artist, do you have some ideas/goals in your head regarding where you wanna take Hannah Wants in 2015?

Yeah – I’m actually currently sitting in a secluded lakeside cottage on a short holiday which I’m using productively to plan and set ideas / goals for 2015. I’ve definitely got an idea of what I want to achieve this year - the list is quite large but you’ve gotta aim high right!? 2015 is looking real crazy already and one thing I do know is that I’m literally going to be living out of my suitcase for most of it but I’ll be living my absolute dream so I’m sure I can live with that!

From looking forward to looking back, you killed a few DJ comps a couple of years ago that really set the wheels in motion. Can you take us through your experiences with them a little, and then what you had to following those wins to really kickstart your career on a much larger scale? 

The DJ competitions were won in Ibiza 2010 when I spent the whole summer out there. I’d just finished University and so I just took the opportunity to go and stay in the music capital of the world to gain some experience – It was probably one of the best decisions I ever made. I met some great people, DJ’d regularly, won competitions and landed my first residency for back in the UK. I’d say the whole Ibiza 2010 thing definitely kick-started my career – it got my name out there for the first time and I’ve been on the best journey ever since then! 

What got you started in DJing initially – I read somewhere it runs pretty deep in your family right?

Music does. My Granddad was one of the first men (if not the first) in England to play music via a turntable back in the 40’s. It was all live bands back then but my Granddad bought a turntable and amp with his money received from the war and starting playing music to crowds instead. Knowing that your Granddad was one of the first ever DJ’s is pretty cool.

Music has always been my passion and for some reason I’d always wanted to DJ. I used to go out (at an early age) and watch the DJ in the club thinking about how much I wanted to be that person playing the music. For my 16th birthday I got bought some belt-drive Numark vinyl turntables (they weren’t very good), locked myself away and just taught myself.

Did the production follow DJing? Can you tell us a bit about how you got into production and which artists/acts have inspired you along the way?

Yes it did… I’ve been DJ’ing over ten years now but only really started getting into production a couple of years ago. I wanted to be able to put my own unique sound / stamp on my sets and I have been really fortunate to have a good friend like Chris Lorenzo to work with. He’s been in the production game a very long time and is definitely one of the most talented guys I know. I’ve been able to learn from the likes of Chris and Kane (the Cause & Affect duo) and the experience has been invaluable. It’s another aim of mine to release solely my own productions this year.

Do you think there’s room in 2015 for higher-level DJs who don’t have that production bow to their arrow?

I’d like to think so! DJ’ing and producing are completely different talents! I remember back in the day when the producers made the music and the DJ’s played it – now it’s common knowledge that producers who have never DJ’d before will get booked for an event, play a pre-mixed CD and fiddle with some filters and effects. For me personally, that’s not ‘DJ’ing’ - it takes years and years to master the art and how to play / react to crowds etc.  

Unfortunately nowadays, without making music it would arguably take longer to reach the top but DJ EZ is one exception to the rule and shows it can be done! He is my DJ idol and is a complete GOD on the decks in my opinion – a true DJ and for that I have so much respect. 

You’ve released a lot of free music, and regularly post new mixtapes for your fans, do you feel that’s a really important part of growing your profile, especially online?

Definitely! My bi-monthly mixtapes are something that I do religiously and I’ve gradually built them up from getting 100 plays a month to 250,000! I make mixtapes to give back to my fans – to the people that pay their hard earned money to see me in a club and / or to the people that follow and support me around the world. It’s a great way for me to showcase my sound and what I’m about and it’s built up a great hype and fan base which I’m really happy about.

Are you working on any new releases at the moment, can we expect some new tracks any time soon?

Yeahhhh, Chris and I have been on major remix duty this month and we have a Disclosure remix coming out in the near future along with some other remixes but I can’t say who for just yet! Other than that, we have an EP out on Food Music in March that will consist of ‘Girls’ and ‘Breathe’.

Gorgon City are Ready for a Breakthrough

It’s about halfway through London-based Gorgon City’s debut album, Sirens, that you hear it. Like a light in a smoke-filled basement club cuts the voice of Jennifer Hudson, the Oscar and Grammy-winning singer, cast for the first time in the role of club diva on the track “Go All Night.” Across a track of acid house and restrained hooks, we are reintroduced to the A-lister’s voice, radiating like a clarion call on the house duo’s record. Rooted in classic American house, it’s packed with a verve of a bygone era but at once current and fresh. It’s as if the power never went out in Chicago and The Warehouse never closed. It is the moment of revelation that house music has been unwittingly waiting for—and it almost didn’t happen.

“We wrote the track with Kiesza but we weren’t going to do it,” explains Gorgon City’s Matt Robson-Scott. 

“We forgot about it really,” continues the duo’s Kye Gibbon. “We thought it was alright and Kiesza thought it was alright but we had other tracks on the album that we were so much more passionate about.”

“Our manager was like ‘Jennifer Hudson’s doing it, she’s doing it, I’ve been told she’s doing it,’” Robson-Scott explains. “We were like ‘it’s not going to happen.’ And then the Saturday before we had to get the record mastered she sent it.”

“It’s such a different track for us to do just because normally when we work we just go in the studio with whoever we’re working with and make a track from scratch and just kind of vibe it out,” says Gibbon. “That one was sent over to her, she recorded it herself, sent it back and we finished off the production.”

“She made it into a really good tune, basically,” adds Robson-Scott. “Listening to the stems separately, the adlib track was just insane, the craziest stuff in the world. It’s perfection. She’s got the range.”

“Go All Night” sits amid a collection of solid house records, some of which have been released as singles, like “Ready for Your Love” featuring MNEK and “Here for You” featuring Laura Welsh. The album also includes the group’s breakthrough “Real,” the 2013 single which first introduced the world to the duo’s trademark manipulation of house motifs and skilled deployment of vocalists.

“Real” caught the attention of labels just as house music was making its return to the UK charts. Gorgon City signed to Virgin in the UK and are being released under the Capitol Music Group’s Priority Records in the US. The deal provides support for things like artwork and live show concept resources but more importantly it has allowed them to finance the recording of Sirens, made mostly in their studio in Finsbury Park, London. There were also a few sessions in the Capitol Tower in Hollywood, where they recorded with soul-pop crooner Erik Hassle and buzzed about New York singer Tish Hyman. Also featured on the record are R&B youngster Maverick Sabre and UK dancefloor mainstay Katy B.

“She wrote the lyrics in like, ten minutes” Gibbon says of Katy B and the track “Lover Like You.” “Maybe not ten minutes, but it seemed like ten minutes. Then she locked it down in one take.”

While the duo features their vocalists as guest artists on each track they contribute to, they are less featured appearances on pedestals and more collaborators, invited in as the rotating third member of the group and blended seamlessly into the production. If they are the “sirens” of Greek mythology, Gorgon City themselves are the rocks the singers are perched on and the waves that crash around them.

Even if “Go All Night” weren’t essentially an acid house record with a power vocal on top, this approach to collaboration might indemnify Gorgon City against accusations of using someone like Hudson to make a bid for pop crossover attention. Though, it’s not something Matt and Kye aren’t worried about anymore.

“When ‘Ready for Love’ came out, I was scared of everyone being like, ‘you’ve sold out,’” says Gibbon. “But We haven’t compromised what we like and what we make. We never thought, ‘oh let’s sit down and make some pop music.’ It just happened that the musical landscape changed while we were making it. Suddenly it’s like, No. 1 hits are house tracks.”

Gorgon City is perhaps the third in a line that has included Disclosure and Clean Bandit, both of whom have made concerted efforts to hold on to their house fanbases while also making national TV appearances in the US and playing the world’s biggest festivals. There is no mistaking “Go All Night” or any other part of Sirens for Katy Perry records, but there is also no question of the track’s need to knock on the door of Top 40 radio; JHud’s presence alone entitles it to a listen. Even as questions of crossover appeal linger, both members of Gorgon City are firmly rooted in their identity as club kids who like making records they can play at Sankeys in Ibiza.

“When we made ‘Real,’ we made that as an underground track,” recalls Robson-Scott. “It’s a disco-y house beat on the Hot Natured tip, and that’s what we’ve been doing since: Using our club music production with a singer.”

“We don’t think about the charts,” Robson-Scott continues. ”We still like making straight up underground tracks and try to do both.”

In The Studio with Sonny Fodera

Sonny just dropped his latest DJ mix project ‘Deep Down & Defected Volume 6’ which is out now at Traxsource, so we thought it would be a great time to catch up with him for an Exclusive Interview about his studio equipment & more in the next instalment of ‘In The Studio’

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1) What equipment do you have in your studio? (full studio kit list).

Studio Equipment

• Mac Book Pro Retina 15”
• PC i7 16gig of Ram
• Novation Bass Station 2
• Microkorg XL
• Native Instruments Mashine
• Elektron Analog Keys
• Moog Mintaur
• Korg Taktile 49key controller
• RME soundcard
• X2 KRK Rokit rp5
• KRK rp10 Sub
• X2 Focal Twin Be
• Washburn 6 string bass guitar
• Boss ME-50 guitar effects pedal

Sonny Fodera Studio Interview

2) What is your favourite piece of equipment to use in the studio & why?

My favourite piece of equipment right now is the Elektron Analog keys. Calude Von Stroke recommended this to me last time I was in Chicago, I went and played one and was instantly hooked! The sounds are dope, sounds like a cross between a Juno 60 and TI Virus.

3) Give us some insight into your production process. How do you typically begin constructing a track?

I usually start with a vocal if it’s a remix along with a beat and get it timed. If it is something original I start with a beat, bassline, keys then either record or sample a vocal.

4) What piece of studio equipment or production process defines the Sonny Fodera sound?

Well it used to be my bass guitar! Now I think it is Reason & Fruity Loops to get that swing on my drums beats.

5) What piece of hardware/software elevated your production to a higher level & how?

I think lately the Moog Mintaur has really helped with those warm basslines, The Moog has such a unique sound when it comes to bass. I used it on the bassline for “Reach Out” with Bontan that did really well.

6) What fresh equipment have you recently added to the lab?

The Novation Basstation 2. It is a great synth! Really cheap too, It also has a great arpeggiator function.

7) Your essential studio supplies (food, drink, cigs etc) are?

Coffee! Kevin Kind got me hooked on Starbucks Ready brew when I was in the states last year, can’t function without it!

8) What list of artists have influenced your sound?

Cajmere, Inland Knights, Derrick Carter, Dusky, Huxley just to name a few.

9) Any handy studio tips you would like to pass onto producers out there?

Always try new things and get into new gear and plug ins that are coming out. Stay in the know. Also work with other people to learn new things and tricks.

Umek

You’re becoming a regular to our ‘Toolroom Knights Mixed’ compilations. What challenges do you face when creating a mix?

This was quite an epic journey. I’ve started working on this compilation in December then it was on hold troughout January when I took my annual month off, after that we’ve had to licence couple of new tracks and then I already embarked on a month long tour trough Americas. I have to thank artist for their tracks and the office for getting quickly trough all paperwork. As on my first instalment in Toolroom Knight series, which was a nice success, I wanted to include as many exclusives as possible and I’m happy that they contribute to one third of the playlist. I’ve got many more but they didn’t qualify or just didn’t fit in this mix. I took the story further by producing two special intros, mixing in some movie speeches and dialogs, and on top of all this I’ve also created 30 beats out of approximately 150 loops especially for this mix. Both mixes are good representation of my club sound with some additional ornaments. One specific problem we had to solve was where to record this compilation as I was on tour. Luckily the owners of Clash club in Sao Paulo offered to use their club for one afternoon and I mixed one of the CDs there and the other one also somewhere in Brazil, though I can’t remember exactly where that was. Initially I planed to create this compilation in the studio but it turned out great anyway and now it also has a nice story attached to it.

What exclusives do you have on the mix?

There are some 14 or 15 tracks included in this two mixes exclusively: Ant Brooks’ "Blasted", Koen Groeneveld’s "Blue Stratos", then Siwell’s amazing track "Tech This Out", Guille Placencia & George Privatti’s "Just Clipper" and other tracks provided by Uto Karem, DJ Anna, Simon Doty, Federico Scavo, DJ Chus and many more. These guys and girls are regulars in my radio and DJ playlists, so I’ve asked them for their new productions and they responded quickly with their exclusives.

You have two brand new tracks on the compilation, ‘Love To Dance’ and ‘Fluid Feel’ with Mike Vale. Can you tell us about them?

It took me unusually long to get this two in the mix. Not that I couldn’t finish them. I’ve had to choose between a dozen of more or les finished tracks and it took some time to decide which ones to future. Probably I wouldn’t though that much about it but I don’t record compilations just every day, so I really wanted to include crème de la crème of my new productions. Hopefully I succeeded and people will like what I created. I’ve played with "Love to Dance" for some time and I did the final mix and mastering between gigs in South America. The other one is my latest collaboration with Mike Vale. I recorded the initial idea, sent it to him to upgrade it, then we met in his studio in January for a session where we threw out everything we didn’t like and after that he finished it.

You have collaborated quite a few times with Mike Vale. What makes this a successful partnership?

We know each other for years. We used to hang out a lot with our friends, I’ve spent holidays at his home couple of times and he crashed my place when he needed a place to sleep as we don’t live in the same city, we did a lot of snowboarding together, he’s a true friend of mine. Couple of years ago, when our music became more compatible, we decided to do something together. As the results were always good tracks we decided to do another one for this compilation. And it’s not our last joint-project as we already scheduled the next studio session.

What have you got coming up on your label, 1605?

The biggest project right now is our 5 Years Anniversary compilation. I have to finish my first collaboration with American DJ Dan – sadly we didn’t manage to meet in person during my recent USA tour. And then we plan to release a new track from … khm … Mike Vale. It seems everything evolves around Mike Vale this days …

Dusky

Since the beginning, Alfie Granger-Howell and Nick Harriman have made a habit of bridging worlds. Their earliest work split the difference between lush progressive house and UK bass music, with hits like “Lost Highway” and “Flo Jam” leading the charge. Since then, they’ve weaved various sonic threads through their sound, from techno to electro to the breakbeat influence you can just detect on Love Taking Over, the first EP on their new label, 17 Steps, which is released next week.

In that time, Dusky have become one of the biggest club acts on the planet, with one of the busiest touring schedules out there. The duo’s RA podcast shows off their wide-ranging appeal, folding techno artists likes Slam, Truncate and Alex Smoke in with the heady broken beats of Benton and the usual deep house suspects. It’s obvious that Dusky have been growing as DJs—this set goes from an amble to a sprint without batting an eye.

What have you been up to recently?

We had a month off gigging to work in the studio but we’re now back touring. We’ve just come back from a couple of weeks touring in the States and Canada followed by Glastonbury and Hideout festivals. There were lots of standout gigs, Hideout had great vibes and our Monday morning sunrise set at Glastonbury’s Temple in Shangri-La was pretty special. A lot of our closest friends were representing and the setting was perfect for that time in the morning. Not sure the subsequent Stone Circle silliness until stupid o’clock was entirely necessary, but it was a lot of fun!

How and where was the mix recorded?

In our studio in North London. We made some edits of various tracks first but we then recorded it how we DJ at shows: back-to-back with two decks each.

Can you tell us about the idea behind the mix?

We wanted to include tracks we’ve been playing in our sets recently, combined with some new productions from us and a few tracks that interest us, as well as some classics that have been an influence over the years. As with a lot that we do as both DJs and producers, we’ve focused on the many shades of house and techno, but we’ve also nodded to some of the broader influences that have been just as influential to us over the years—be it classical, electronica, jazz or jungle. In the mix we’ve referenced artists like T Power and Igor Stravinsky, who were so inspiring to us when we were growing up—albeit in very different ways. Hopefully it is something that represents our club sound but also works on a deeper level as a home listening experience.

You’ve played some big US festivals this year—Ultra, Electric Daisy Carnival, Hard. How is your style usually received in such environments?

It feels that the big US festival crowds are becoming more open to what we do. Granted, the average people at those festivals are unlikely to be familiar with our style of music, but there’s always a solid contingent of people that are clued up. The ones who aren’t that knowledgeable at least seem keen to give it a go and have very few preconceptions, as the crowds are so young.

What are you up to next?

We’ll be touring over the rest of the summer, playing at several festivals around the UK and Europe, as well as various club shows. In September we kick off a world tour that runs through to December taking in the UK, Europe, North America and Australia. At almost all of those shows we will be playing four-hours sets, except for our London date at Studio Spaces on 4th October, where we’ll be playing for six hours. In the midst of all of this we’re hoping to make progress on our next album, but we’re still getting going on that so watch this space.

Paul Loraine

Paul Loraine is not an easy man to pin down.  Having followed his musical mission through South London, Guernsey, Bristol and now Barcelona, his preferred style as well as his place of residence are in constant flux.  As he drops a selection of his latest favourite tracks via the Pulse podcast, we catch up with him on where he's headed next.

Paul, thanks for joining us. How are things? Where are you currently? 

Hola Pulse many thanks for having me, I’m good, I have a full belly as I just had some great food (Homemade Chicken & Mushroom Pasta bake) and now I’m watching a re-run of the new Breaking Bad series

For those of us that have yet to cross paths with your work, could you tell us a little bit about yourself and what you do?  

I’m an experimental electronic dance music producer is my answer to that, I mainly produce House and Techno but you will find released material from across all the genres of Electronic dance from me.

You grew up in London but now live in Barcelona.  Why the move to the Costa Brava? 

The honest answer to that is simply the climate- in winter 2009 I was living in Cardiff and the weather was so bleak, for example in mid November it was -14º and there was two week old snow which turned into black ice (personally, I think death is a better name).  I said to myself, 'Nope never again, this is my last winter in the UK'.

What does the scene in Barcelona offer that London does not?  

I have been really impressed with the scene here in Barca so far, you have a wide variety of genres and nights to choose from almost on a daily basis,  help!   No but seriously, you have so many types of venues here because of the fact that the sun shines 320 days of the year so the city's approach to throwing a party can be a lot more varied to that of a sweaty underground concrete room.  I mean, don’t get me wrong here, there’s nothing I like more than sweat dripping off the walls in a seedy little club where it’s going off, and for me personally I think London is one of the best cities world wide for underground clubbing like that and always will be, but here in Barcelona you have clubs based around swimming pools, clubs on the beaches, clubs on the mountain side over looking the city and of course the infamous terrace parties on hotel rooftops.  It's a lot like Ibiza in some sense and for some reason for me music sounds a little bit more interesting when it’s played outdoors.

You spent a part of your childhood in South East London. What do you make of the recent riots in those areas?  

Painful, really sore subject with me.  I’m extremely patriotic and very proud of who I am and where I was brought up, Charlton was stomping ground for me as a kid and they had it bad. I think the idiots ruined what started out to be what I believe was the right thing to do; peaceful protests.  End of the subject, honestly I could speak about this forever.

Could you tell us about your collaborative project with Nadja Lind? How do you share responsibilities?  

Well, we met via the internet, (not on a dating website) and it was more a case of a mistaken identity.  Nadja sent me a message on the book of faces [Facebook] to say thank you as I had recently done an interview with an online dance magazine and name dropped Nadja as one to watch for the future.  So I was like, hey no problem, so we got chatting and swapped some new releases we both had forthcoming and we were like, let's make some beats together!  As the conversation went on I then started to realize that what she was thanking me for wasn’t matching up with my simple name drop and then put 2 and 2 together- she had mistaken me for Mr. Phil Loraine! 
Anyway back to the music, Nadja is such a great producer, she has a unique style which I have never seen before and it still amazes me to this very day.  We do all of our work via the World Wide Web swapping live .apl packs.  It’s a really great way to work and I find it so inspiring, we have lots of tracks under our belts at this minute so the future for us is hot!  Also in case you missed it, we have written an exclusive track called Flip A Coin for this year's We Love...compilation hosted by Vitalik, which has been getting some strong press around the globe.  It's out now, so check it out!

You've put together a podcast for us – Could you tell us a little bit about the mix? What was going through your head at the time?  

I wanted to grab the people’s attention on this mix but in a very deep and dubby way.  I put a lot of thought into this podcast, well in fact it was my second attempt as I just wasn’t happy enough with the original mix.  This has I would say a nice chugging vibe to it, from start to finish it builds up and down and then again up and down, there’s are a few tracks in the mix that I think may have passed a lot of people by over the past couple of years or so as well as very upfront material, as with all my DJ sets and podcasts I have thrown a few surprises in there for good measure.

The tracklist is quite contemporary; you're clearly feeling that darker, dubby house sound that is around at the minute. Would you agree?  

It’s Paul Loraine I guess. Without wanting this to happen my music style has been labelled by the British Press as ‘A Unique Style Of Tripped Out Dub’.  Am I bothered by that? No, not at all, it makes complete sense.  Gangsta House, Hip Hop, & Trip Hop was a huge influence in my life and a lot of my samples come from those genres and with that in mind when I started producing three and a half years ago my main influences were the likes of DJ Vibe, Deadbeat, Matthew Dear, Bodycode aka Portable, Peace Division and so on, so I guess it’s just what I do and what I like the best.

You seem to relish a challenge. What's next for Paul Loraine? I feel next year is going to be a big year! 

I’m going to start working on a new project under the banner of Re:form.  It’ll be based around a lot more of a techno main room vibe and will be a live act only, no podcast, no live recorded sets.  If you want to see Re:form you have one option.  With this in mind, I’ll also be kicking off my label Rhythm Cultwhich I'm really excited about.  Rhythm Cult releases will be cuts from my live Re:form sets with each release being side A “The Cut” and with a big named remixer on the flip for side B.  Let's not over complicate things now, keep it SIMPLES!

Nice7

Prominent label heads such as Mark Knight and Noir had a ‘best kept secret’ to the hottest tracks of their sets, it could be traced back to the productions of Cesare Marocco and Nicola Daniele of Italy’s Nice7. They are the duo responsible for supplying peers with the material to captivate dance floors, impress the crowds, and especially charm the ladies. Perhaps every established tech house DJ has supported at least one record created by Nice7– and with good reason. The two Italian masterminds have incessantly stormed the underground scene with an onslaught of original works that have all held top spots in the Beatport charts. Even their breakout remix of Mark Knight’s ‘Columbian Soul’ from 2007 snagged an attractive seat in the top 10.

With such tremendous hype surrounding Nice7, they have risen to become one of the industry’s most in-demand artists– both as studio collaborators and as quality additions to any show’s lineup. In the past they have teamed up with fellow Italian tech house star Pirupa, to produce infectious grooves such as “The King“. Their formula for success: a seductive style that integrates passé vocal samples and melodies with modern percussions and syncopated rhythms. The resulting products are well-mastered musical gems that linger with fans for months after their respective release dates. It’s no wonder that Noir himself signed the Nice7 guys to a label where their talents can truly shine.

Even in live DJ sets, the guys really know how to bring the heat with an evenly portioned mixture of deep house and funky tech sounds. Defected in the House recognizes Nice7 as usual suspects of its lineups for their famed international parties across Europe. Their target audience has always been centered around their home of Italy, but now that they have amassed a significant following and fan base in the US, the time has arrived for Nicola and Cesare to plan their American debut tour. The Nice7 fan-frenzy began in the US when clubs started playing their 2012 summer single ‘Bassline Soldiers’, with a hook so catchy that partygoers would go home still tapping their feet.

With top-tier DJs and listeners alike expressing their fondness for Nice7, we just had to catch up with them for a special chat. As humbled rising stars, they shed light on how they launched their musical partnership, how they share the responsibilities working in the studio, and even their attitude towards Traktor and laptops. Check out their responses below, and make sure to keep an eye out for their North American tour dates. If they are coming to your city, the show is not to be missed!

Wow guys, I must say – 2013 has really been a breakthrough year for you. But you guys have been a team since 2005 right? How did you guys join forces in the beginning?

We’ve been friends forever. We were both born in the same small coastal town in the center of Italy, on the Adriatic side. It’s the kind of place where everybody knows everybody else. Until 2005, we worked in music separately, both of us starting at the age of 13. Cesare used to make beats with an Atari Falcon 030 and an Ensoniq ASR-10 sampler. Nicola was listening to a lot of old vinyl from the collection of his uncle, who used to be a radio DJ. He really got into Salsoul Records and the music of Larry Levan. Then in 2000, Cesare moved to Milan where he worked as a sound engineer and arranger for different studios producing club music. Nicola had many experiences in clubs and events all over Italy, where he met lots of international DJs and producers. After these different experiences all over Italy, we decided to join forces – in DJ-ing, clubbing, and production. Hence, the NiCe7 project was born.

I recall your 2007 remix of ‘Colombian Soul’ by Mark Knight and D. Ramirez was the hit track on Toolroom that started it all for you guys. How did Mark Knight scout you out for the project?

To be honest: he didn’t scout us out…we were the ones who came to him! When we heard ‘Colombian Soul’ for the first time, we were crazy about the melody. But it was too heavy for the clubs we normally play in. So we made our own version, in a new arrangement but with the same main melody. We were excited about the result, so we sent the remix to Mark. He liked it a lot and decided to release it soon after. It was incredible to reach the top 10 in Beatport with our very first release.

I happen to really admire the name “Nice7”, but I do always wonder, as I’m sure a lot of your fans have as well: where did it come from?

It’s still top-secret.

I know you guys have done a lot of touring throughout Europe, holding down your home country Italy as well as hitting countries such as the UK, Spain, Romania, France, etc. Are you looking forward to your US debut? There has been a lot of demand over here for Nice7.

We’re actually getting many booking inquiries for gigs in the US. We are really excited to play over there. As soon as we get our working visas, of course!

I’m glad so many of your original tracks and remixes have climbed the Beatport charts over the past year, especially the mixes for Jon Cutler and Tube & Berger, as well as your own club smasher ‘Bassline Soldiers’. Do you guys have a personal favorite, or do they all mean something special?

We always try to put something special in all of our tracks and each one has its own story. But if we had to choose, we’d say ‘Time to Get Physical’ from last year’s EP Back to Basics on Noir Music is our favorite. We felt its magic right from the start. No matter how much we worked on it, we were always excited to hear it. Even now, more than a year later, it gives us that same feeling. We think our fans love it too – since they are always asking us to play it.

Can you explain how you two work together in the studio when making music? What software or instruments do you use? How long does it usually take you guys to finish a track?

Cesare does more of the technical work and the studio arrangements. Nicola is always looking for new music and different ideas to work on. But we do everything together, both in the studio and during live sets. In the studio we use a DAW Cubase 7, Universal Audio plug-ins (on two UAD2 quads) and a Native Instruments soft synth (including Maschine). We also use in every track an analog synth like Roland SH-101, Moog Voyager, Waldorf Pulse Plus and a virtual analog synth like Virus TI and Clavia Nord Rack 2x. The synths are recorded through a Neve 73 preamp clone with a RME Fireface 800 audio interface. It usually takes a couple weeks to finish a track; we always want to be sure to do something we really like and that we want to release too.

Now for a pretty controversial question in the DJ-world: vinyl or technology? What do you guys use when you play sets? What is your stance on this ongoing debate?

We are in our mid-thirties, so we’ve been using vinyl for almost 20 years. But new technology makes our jobs easier, and it certainly weighs a lot less. Right now, we’re actually playing with Traktor using vinyl timecode controllers. It’s the best way for us to play with turntables but still travel light. As for the other DJs: we don’t care what they use. Everyone is free to choose the best solution. The only thing that really matters is the music.