No Ordinary Morning With Chicane

How are you doing and if we had to ask you best friend to describe you what would their answer be?

I am all good thx, very busy & slightly headless-chicken-like, but cool.

Well a close friend would probably describe me as 'A dude, but possibly not playing with a full deck'

No TIE interview is complete without asking this what is the first thing that comes to mind when you hear South Africa?

Those lunny critters up on Table mountain, Dassy's i think they are called, mad as wasps they are......

Chicane is a legend in the electronic scene you have been around for almost 20 years, how did you get into music and do you think its easier now to be a producer/Dj when compared to when you started out?

On a technical level, it is now another planet to when I started producing, so far far easier to achieve massive sounding results. On a creative level, not
much has changed, you still need to be brilliant and innovative, to be honest, it seems to be tougher. So is it easier to start out now?  Not sure really, record deals for one are harder to acquire, not that you probably need one these days......

DJing seems to be a trend now a days, everyone wants to be a DJ or everyone is a DJ. What qualities do you think an artist needs to possess to stay at the forefront of the EDM scene?

You need to be able to play records, jump about a bit & get bladdered.... Seriously though, Djing well and moving fwd is about choosing the right tracks, reading the crowd and also bringing them up and down. There is a worrying trend for some jocks to play flat out all the way through their set and also a minimal attention span seems to be creeping in too, playing the best 2 mins of every tune, then mixing in the next track to do the same is not cool,  It's meant to be a journey not a compilation album on fast fwd.

With every career comes ups and downs 20 years in it is long, so what’s the best thing about being a DJ and producer and what’s the best and worst thing about being a DJ and producer?

Best thing is to earn a living doing what I love and to make some people happy on the way.

Worst thing is how music seems to have been devalued and in some peoples eyes a 'free' source of media.

Do you ever see yourself giving up music and taking on a new career, what career would you consider?

I think music has me in its grasp fairly tight, so i dont think i will be moving careers just yet.

I would however, like to be involved more in Motorsport & Film production/directing.

What has been the turning point in your career? Are you comfortable in the industry or is there something you would like to change?  

Turning point was my first track going UK top 40 in 1996.........

There is so much to change in the industry its untrue. I would like to see 'Streaming' fee's to artists improve, as they are criminally low.

You tracks always seem to move people and bring tears to their eyes.  What lesson or knowledge can a person gain from you productions or sets?

I dont know whether its a 'teachable' skill. I have always written music that makes you feel a certain way, tunes that evoke emotion.

For me anything less is just fodder. A piece of advice is to listen to a track that really moves you, and try to understand what processes the artist used to make that happen, ie a certain note happening with a great chord movement etc. Then try and emulate the production techniques and ideas into ones of your own.

What inspired you to release Behind the Sun re-mastered?

Well, i have playing out a totally reworked new mix of Dont Give Up all year and it has received really well.

So we decided it was time to dust down the original album it came from and give a fresh coat of paint, to speak of.

Mastering technology has moved on in the 10 or so years since its release, so we were able to seriously improve eq on the tracks.

Saltwater for one, now sounds massive.

All the tracks of Behind the Sun have such great meaning for us, which track has the most meaning for you and why?

Tricky, guess it has to be Saltwater, for everything that it achieved.

What is one of you favorite sounds in the world and why?

Probably silence!!!!  My ears take a hammering, really do love the sound of the sea though really.

What 3 words would you use to describe Chicane’s sound and why? 

Emotive, Widescreen, Melodious 

Before we wrap up, What can Fans look forward to in terms of all things Chicane for the upcoming year: Give us the low down on upcoming gigs, tours and productions as well as NYE plans?

Lots still happening this year, shows in Helsinki, Kiev, India, London & Ireland. Next year very busy too, with a brand new Chicane album, a Sun:sets compilation

album and tour, plus lots of shows worldwide.

Rapid fire:

A past time other than music? 
Eating cheese

Your Christmas wish list? 

Lambo/Fezza or Mclaren.......

Any new year’s resolutions? 

Eat less cheese

Which producer do you think is on fire at the moment?  

Michael Brun

 
We hope to see you soon around the globe somewhere :) Thank you again for doing this interview with us 

For more info visit:
www.facebook.com/chicanemusic
www.armadamusic.com