What made you want to make this record?
I thought after making house music since the late 90’s it was about time to release an album. Most of these songs has been out as singles but there’s a few new unreleased tracks on the album as well. I wanted to have one place where I’ve collected all the music I’ve made on my record. Label Walk Of Shame Records.
You recorded this in various cities. Why and what does each city represent?
I think it makes the music more exciting if you take vibes from different cities and mix them up. I lived allover the place, London, Berlin, Stockholm and now Bali and every time I’m in a new environment my compositions change. Most of the singers I collaborate with are based around the world and that’s why it’s recorded in different places. London is for me the most inspirational city for dance music, New York is where I’ve found some of the most amazing voices. In Stockholm you find the most hard working creatives, and in Bali there’s a tranquil vibe away from the big cities to find inner peace and to reset.
Why did you want to reconnect to your house music roots?
I was starting to DJ in Bali again in 2019 after a long break, and found so much new music that sounded just like the stuff I used to play and produce in the early 2000’s GlitterBox became big with their funkier and disco sounding house and I felt excited again about house music.
What’s the most important track on record and why?
I think it’s ‘Move With My Body’ a collaboration I’ve done with a Swedish super talented newcomer Stephan Duy. The track is so instantly catchy and has a strong old school piano hook made for this summer.
You mix up a lot of different genres in this record. What were your influences growing up as an artist?
When I started DJing in clubs when I was 19 years old, I played everything from soulful house to trance and techno, and I think it shows in the music I make today. Big inspirations was and is until this day The Prodigy, Armand Van Helden and Laurent Garnier
You have been in the scene for a long time and worked with some great artists. Any memorable moments or lessons learned?
I remember a 16 year old boy turning up to my studio in London sent over from a management I used to work with. He was very polite, sweet a bit camp with an amazing voice. I remember thinking this is such a shame, this boy is super talented but he’s never gonna make it as a pop star. Bear in mind this was around 2009 and pop stars back then was so manufactured and there was no one who even represented the LGBTQ community.
I lost touch with the boy, but when I went to Bestival in Isle of Wight I checked out Disclosure playing and with them was this boy , Sam Smith who later would take over the world.
You want to raise awareness around tinnitus and its implications. Are you able to expand a little more on what that meant for you?
Yes, I experienced problems with my hearing already at a young age, and since 2015 I have been using a hearing aid due to the fact that I have lost about 40% of my hearing. The tinnitus I experience is intense and noticeable, and is not some faint background noise. I’ve accepted my tinnitus, but of course it’s terrible when my life is music. If anyone suffering from tinnitus is reading this then my advice is to try to get help from a family doctor, there are ways to reduce it and methods to make it easier to ignore it. I would like to do talk about my hearing loss experience at music conferences and on podcasts in the near future. It’s a big problem for DJs and people in clubs, but it doesn’t seem get the attention it needs.
What’s your next step after this record?
I’m packing my bags to go back to Stockholm today, I’m in Bali at the moment. It’s gonna be a long flight but I’m excited to see family and friends again. The next release after this album is a hip-house single with an American composer who’s a legend on the house music scene and a female rapper who’s making waves on Netflix. There’s also another collaboration with Stephan Duy that I’m really excited about.
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