This week I had the opportunity to interview Fedde le Grand, an artist who stands on the edge of global superstardom. Fedde’s career is studded with worldwide number ones, packed arenas, throbbing dance floors, A-list collaborations, and a string of international awards. While he’s already accomplished much, Fedde is not resting on his laurels. He recently released iFedde, a pioneering iPhone application, and he has an upcoming gig at the Miami Ultra Music Festival. Needless to say, Fedde’s interview makes for interesting reading…

Q: Can you talk a bit about your early career? How did you get so into dance music that you decided to make a living from it, and which artists influenced you early on?
A: I actually started off DJ-ing at school, funnily enough. They didn’t teach it in lessons. But I used to bring my decks and tunes to school, and that’s where it all started off. I just worked my way up from there. My Sneakerz parties were very influential in the early years, then obviously “Put Your Hands up for Detroit” happened, which bought me to a wider audience. And I’ve been building on it ever since. I was influenced by people like Michael Jackson, George Clinton, those kind of guys from an early age. I definitely have an obsession with funk.

Q: At this point, you’ve cemented your position among the Dutch Masters – artists like Tiësto, Armin Van Buuren, and Ferry Corsten. What pros and cons have you experienced as a result of building your career in the Netherlands, a country that is home for so many acclaimed DJs?
A: I think the pros are definitely having a lot of support from your own country. We’re a nation of dance music lovers, and there’s great backing for homegrown talent and what we do. The cons? Maybe everybody expects me to do the same as all other DJs from the Netherlands? I don’t think there are very many cons to being Dutch

Q: Over the years, you’ve explored a number of different musical styles, from electro house to darker, more minimal tech house. At present, which style is your true passion and why?
A: I don’t ever say there’s one style that I’m into at any given moment. I have an eclectic taste in music and also with what I produce. I tend to split my sounds between my Fedde le Grand name and my more underground FLG style. It just makes it easier for people to determine what mood I’m in with music I put out there. But I love everything from minimal beats to more house production to pop.

Q: You just launched an interesting iPhone application that allows people to access your music community without being tied to a computer. What was your motivation for developing this application? What do you hope it accomplishes?
A: iPhone apps are one of the most interesting new developments around, as far as communicating with fans goes. I think it’s so important for me to be able to talk to people wherever they are. I really like the idea of building a community of like-minded people, sharing ideas about music and clubbing and life in general. My online site was completely revamped last year to make it more user friendly, and we’re adding new options all the time, like giving people access to upload their own productions, share those across Facebook and MySpace and places like that. And people can give their opinions on the work and vote for the tracks they like. I’ve just actually signed up the first person from the feddelegrand.com site onto Flamingo Recordings which was great. So now with the iFedde iPhone App, we’ve extended everything we’ve done on the site into your mobile life, so you can check in whenever and wherever you want, get involved on the forums and chats even if you’re on the dance floor! For me that is mind-blowing. I love this new digital age we’re in. The developments and possibilities are exciting.

Q: You’re scheduled to perform at this year’s Ultra Music Festival in Miami, alongside Carl Cox and friends. Having played at the event in the past, how would you compare the Ultra experience with other gigs?
A: Ultra is amazing. Of course it’s different because it is a huge open air festival compared to the regular parties. I think the main difference though is that Ultra is one of the only places during WMC that you get to see a lot of different artists in one place, rather than the more ‘showcase’ parties for labels and DJs that go on for the rest of the week. It’s a great way to round off the whole Conference if you ask me, and the vibe is fantastic.

Q: A lot of our blog readers are rising DJs who may be wondering what it’s like to be an internationally renowned artist. Can you describe a typical day in the life of Fedde le Grand?
A: I don’t get out of bed for less than $100 grand haha. No, my day depends on where I am in the world really. If I’m at home then I’ll normally take some time out to go to the gym or do martial arts. I’ve always have been into that, and it helps to stay grounded. Then I’ll either head to the studio and lay down some tracks, meet with my label or management companies, do interviews that come through, that kind of thing. It’s like a normal working day really. If I’m on tour, which is normally every weekend, then it’s a couple of hours sleep grabbed at a hotel, car to the plane; it might be a couple of hours or sometimes over 20, then straight to another hotel, to the club, play, back to the hotel, a couple of hours sleep and then we do it all over again!

Q: You’ve performed all over the world to untold numbers of loving fans. You’ve received multiple industry awards and produced a track that hit the number one spot on numerous international charts. Which of your many accomplishments means the most to you and why?
A: I think for me personally, putting my Output album out there has been the most significant accomplishment for me. It took a long time to craft it, get the right people on board, decide what I wanted to do, bring it all together and then put the final piece out there. A lot of work was involved but it was also a highly personal project for me.

Eddie B

Well, we’ve gotten to that special time of the year again, the time when the weather starts warming up and the dance music industry starts preparing for the Miami Winter Music Conference (WMC). No matter how many other events I attend, WMC will always hold a special place in my heart. Warm weather, palm trees, the beach, and incredible music always make for a memorable combination!

As usual, RV will have a presence at WMC this year. Our aim is to bring you coverage of some of the best events. In this post, I want to highlight a few of the parties we’ll be covering…

For starters, we’ll be covering the Victor Calderone and Sander Kleinenberg pool party, at the Surcomber Hotel, on Thursday, March 25th. This should be epic! The party will be going from 11:00am to 10:30pm. Let’s picture it…sitting poolside, sipping a mojito, everybody’s grooving to the pounding beats of these two reputed DJs. Nice!

On Thursday night, our focus will shift to Shine at the Shelbourne Hotel, where Hernan Cattaneo and Darren Emerson will be holding it down. I’ve seen both of these guys live, and the music was fantastic. They’ve both been getting the job done for years now, and I have no reason to think they’ll break the tradition this year.

On Friday night, another exciting party is going down at Shine. Dave Seaman, Nick Warren, D. Ramirez, and Hybrid are going to be providing a musical odyssey for all comers. We’ll bring you a recap of this promising event.

On Friday and Saturday, we’ll also be bringing you coverage of the 2010 Ultra Music Festival! This massive event represents the climax of the whole WMC week. As always, Ultra will showcase the talents of the world’s biggest DJs – Tiesto, Deadmau5, Sasha and Digweed, Carl Cox, David Guetta, Eric Prydz, Armin van Buuren, Above and Beyond, Erick Morillo, and the list goes on and on!

As you can tell, it’ll be a busy few days down in Miami! Stay tuned to our blog for more updates on these events and some other amazing parties!

Eddie B

In 2009 the Movement Electronic Music Festival recorded its best attendance figures to date since becoming a ticketed event in 2005.  Some 83,322 people filled the outdoor venue last year.  An international partnership was also forged with promoters from Torino Italy to create Movement Torino.

The rumors continue to be confirmed that the bearded techno-über guru Hawtin will be hot on the festival circuit this year, headlining live as Plastikman. Other headliners included  Model 500 and Inner City with a total of 70 acts announced today covering a spectrum of sounds from techno through to livetronica. My line-up highlights are: Agoria, Cassy, Chris Liebling, Derrick Carter, DJ Godfather, DJ Sneak, Ida Engberg, Italoboyz, Jamie Jones, Joel mull, John Acquaviva, Josh Wink, Luke Hess, Martin Buttrich, Martyn, Michael Meyer, Mt Scruff, Oner Ozer, Redio Slave, Robert Hood, Ryan Crosson, Simian Mobile Disco and Theo Parish. You can check the full list in the graphic below, as I couldn’t find a decent HTML list to copy and paste.

Ford are the presenting sponsor this year which adds testimony to how much the commercial reach of the festival has grown. The result might be a line-up that seems too mainstream for some of the techno puritans—who’s heads will be rammed in a sub in Made in Detroit area anyway—but one that should keep the rest of us revelers happy.

$40 early bird tickets are now on sale and all the details are to be found at  http://www.paxahau.com/movement/

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John “The Grizz” Grisanti

Q: How did living in Thailand for the past two years impact you personally and your musical style?
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A: My life changed completely when I moved to Thailand. I know it’s a bit of a cliché, but everything became simpler and clearer, and I became more focussed. I don’t think my musical style changed as much as my ability to see the bigger picture, and so realise the completion of an album project I had spent years dreaming about.
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Q: I know you wrote, “Start a New Life” in a Bangkok shopping mall. Does that mean you actually produced the music there too? What programs did you use and how was your approach different then making music in a studio?
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A: Indeed, everything was done on my laptop/headphones in the foodcourt of a mall in Bangkok, right beside the yoga studio where I practiced and later taught. I have always worked with samples, almost exclusively; even bassline and keyboard sounds coming from samples/found sounds rather than synthesised sounds. So it wasn’t as if I was recording vocals or getting musicians in to jam with me in the mall! Nowadays music technology allows for almost everything to be done on a computer – if the musician is happy working that way. I found the lack of other external options a bonus rather than a drawback. I tend to become overwhelmed by wanting to try everything, so not having a load of synths or outboard gear totally suited me. I used LogicPro, on my Apple Mac 12” Powerbook.
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But the most important thing was having people milling around. I don’t like working alone, and though I wasn’t working with anyone else directly on the tracks, it made a real difference to feel surrounded, as opposed to isolated, while I worked. Luckily I didn’t have to do the final bit alone. I mixed the album down in a small studio here in Bangkok with a talented English producer named Simon “Monstamix” Henderson. It was actually one of the most enjoyable parts of the process.
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Q: The new record has a real Omanis vibe to it. In particular you use some incredibly haunting vocal samples. Where did you find those samples or how did you create them? Is there any specific message your trying to convey by using certain samples?
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A: I am attracted to certain sounds and atmospheres in samples which often take priority over the words themsleves. But when I find something with a rocking sonic quality where the words resonate with my thinking too, then it’s a dynamite combo. I used to spend a lot of time bored in the UK watching film and tv, and got a lot of the samples from obscure documentaries and strange films. No special message, but all the titles touch on a personal journey, as opposed to outside bigger picture stuff. I didn’t intend this when I started, but it just kind of came together that way.
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Q: Are you planning to stay in Bangkok and just produce music every once in awhile or are you back in the music industry to stay?
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A: For now the former, but I am open to the latter. But always in Thailand
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Q: What are the major issues in the music industry that you have experienced? How do you think the industry can legitimately change for the better?
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A: There’s so little earning power in music writing these days. You need to be able to churn out product at an alarming rate to make it pay even vaguely well, and I am not able to produce original material in such volumes on my own. Back in the day working with my old music partner Simon Rogers, who was a godly musician and a whizz at getting stuff done, things were easier. But after we parted ways, I had to change what I was doing. This album is the result.
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Looking to the future, it’s the now seemingly age-old cunnumdrum: how to get people to pay for music again. A whole generation currently expects to get what they want instantly and without fuss or cost: they don’t know anything else. I think things are improving slowly, but it’s a big question which I don’t have many answers to.
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Q: What do you think is the quintessential “Slacker” sound? Do you plan on sticking with your new style or are you just dabbling in a different genre?
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A: Organic, thoughtful sample-based music, a bit tongue in cheek, and a bit funky. I am enjoying this slower more downtempo genre for the time being, but I am sure I still have a few banging house tracks left in me.
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Q: You have operated your own record label “Jukebox in the Sky” for several years now. How has that experience been? How do you strike the balance between being a producer/DJ and a businessman?
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A: It was great fun at first, especially when I had enthusiastic people working with me, most notably Rosie Robinson who looked after every part of the label’s development and day to day running in the mid noughties. When the bottom fell out of the business and we had distributors and compilation companies going bust left right and centre, owing us thousands of pounds, it all became a bit more realistic. Pretty soon I realised I wasn’t that much bothered with being a businessman! Moving to Thailand confirmed this for me. I need to be out and about, listening, or writing (rather than selling) music to be happy.
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Q: What has been the most important moment in your music career thus far?
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A: Making the decision to come out here, and start my new life.
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John “The Grizz” Grisanti

It’s that time again! Right now, we’re running another round of mix and track contests in the RV Network. As usual, we’ve got a great set of prizes in store for the winners…

Since MixMeister is supporting RV Mix Contest 006, we’ve got some some nice DJ treats up for grabs. The winner of the mix contest will receive a copy of MixMeister Fusion and a $50 download voucher for our shop. The runner-up will win a copy of MixMeister Express and a $25 voucher. The third place contestant will receive a $25 voucher.

We’ve also got some nice prizes for the winner of Track Contest 004. We’ll be giving away a $150 download voucher and a free copy of our forthcoming SoundTheory 02 sample pack, engineered by Jay Tripwire!

The contests will remain open through March 22nd, and you can enter by simply uploading a mix or track to our Network. If you’re looking for some recognition, this is your chance to earn it!

As always, we’re going to let the RV community judge the contests, so be sure to tell your friends to show you some love by giving your music a thumbs up vote!

For those who enter the contests, good luck!

Eddie B