Dane Rumble Interview

Dane Rumble was one of my favourite discoveries of 2010. I first saw him perform last August at a Potbelleez showcase and was immediately won over by his cool image and killer tunes. At the time I described him as a cross between Dan Black and Travie McCoy but there's more to his "brand new New Zealand sound" than that. Think 80s pub rock with hip hop elements and a bit of electro thrown in for good measure. It might sound like a strange hybrid but it works. Dane's first solo album - he used to be a member of hip hop outfit Fast Crew - was a massive success in New Zealand and has just been released in Australia. I love "The Experiment" and ranked it as one of my favourites of last year. Needless to say, I was pretty excited to chat with the king of Kiwi pop about making the album, trying to crack Australia and his amazing new single "Cruel". Here's what he had to say.

Dane, "The Experiment" was huge in New Zealand. What's it like having to start from scratch in Australia?
It's definitely hard yakka but I kind of expected it coming into Australia. I knew it was going to be a bit of an uphill battle. I've kind of been through the motions with Fast Crew before, so I knew exactly what it was going to be like but at the same time, it's fun - being able to meet new people and test my music out of new crowds.

What do you think are the major diffences between the Kiwi and Australian music scenes?
I think Australia just has a bigger market. And pop is definitely a lot bigger in Australia. I mean, us Kiwis are a little bit more reluctant to allow pop music to slide its way into the forefront here in New Zealand but it's started to really take off and we've got bands like Kids Of 88 and The Naked And Famous that are having a really good run on the pop front now. But I think it's just a bigger market. You know there's so many good bands in Australia whereas in New Zealand there's only four and a half million of us and half of us are in bands and we all know each other.

Your sound has really changed since Fast Crew. What inspired the new direction?
For me it was more of a natural progression. People saw Fast Crew and they saw me doing my thing and they were like woah this guy's changed over night but it wasn't really the case at all it was probably like a good five or six years inbetween there where I started working on a solo album and I started writing a lot of hip hop tunes but I couldn't wwrite anything that I was really happy with and so I reached the point where I thought I might just give up on music altogether and that's when I found myself youo know strumming away at the guitar and kind of just listening to different music and you know I pretty much stopped listening to hip hop and started listening to old 70s and 80s rock again and that played a part in influencing me to change my style up and do something different.

So what were you listening to during that time?
I grew up listening to Led Zep and Metallica and Midnight Oil and Talking Heads. Pretty much anything my dad was into was what I used to soak up as a kid. If you look at my iPod these days it's pretty much those bands that dominate the whole thing. It wasn't me necessarily trying to create a sound that pulled back to that era, it was more just subconsciously. I guess I was stealing ideas or something. I don't know!

You managed to keep a bit of the hip hop flavour in there...
After making hip hop music for the best part of 10 years, I think that rhythmical thing is always going to be ingrained in me and when I sit down to write a verse, I structure it out in the same way as I would if I was writing a rap verse. All the syllables have got to kind of follow a pattern and the rhyming patterns need to be pretty close. So I guess that that kind of thing is still ingrained in me and it will still come through in my music from now on.

"The Experiment" has been out for a while in New Zealand. Are you sick of singing the same songs yet?
No, not really. I mean, "The Experiment" came out this time last year in New Zealand. So, althought it was a while ago, the last year has just been such a whirlwind for me... I have played a crap load of shows but to be honest, I love performing and I've got a great band with me and I can definitely do shows in pilot mode because I've done it so many times before I don't really have to think about what I'm doing but at the same time - it's not old. I'm still really, really enjoying performing these songs and also I'm working on new material so we kind of spice up the shows with new stuff as well. So that keeps things interesting.

Were you surprised by the album's success in New Zealand? It went to number one and all the singles did great.
Yeah, thoroughly surprised. I'd finished "Always Be Here" and I took it up to my buddy up at Warners and he was like "this is pretty cool" and I signed a single deal for them to distribute it. We just kind of put it out and I just wanted to do something different. I didn't have any plans. It took off and all of a sudden I found myself rushing and working my arse off to pull an album together. So yeah it was a surprise, dude. The last couple of years have just been a whirlwind. I've been grinning ear to ear ever since "Always Be Here" came out. The way things have turned out, it's just been absolutely amazing.

Is Australia a stepping stone to markets like the UK and America or are you going to concentrate on making it here?
I've actually signed a deal in the States and UK. I'm actually heading over in a couple of weeks time. I'm doing some showcases in New York and LA and doing some press and I've started working on the next record, so I'm working with some writers and producers in Atlanta. Yeah I'm also heading to Germany, so there's quite a few things going on at the moment. I'll definitely be back to Australia to do some touring for the album, I'd say end of May. But yeah, all of a sudden things have just gone mental. My schedule for this year is looking pretty hectic.

My favourite song on the album is definitely "Cruel". What inspired that gem?
The way "Cruel" came about was quite interesting. It was one of the two songs that I actually collaborated with other songwriters on. It was another guy who was in a band called Nesian Mystik, a really cool dude, he actually started the song off. He came up with "baby this is really goodbye the curtain's about to fall and I'm about to walk out of your life" and I remember hearing that and thinking woah that's quite powerful and I basically took it off his hands from that point and said I want to write a song around it. The rest of it just flowed. It was just one of those things that everybody can relate to who has been in a relationship. Someone's always going to be on that end of a break up and I guess that's what inspired the song and just kind of vibed off that first line and ended up writing the song. It took me a few weeks to put together and then it just absolutely took off over here.

You said you're already working on new material. Do you plan to have something new out by the end of the year or are you going to let this album have its run first?
I don't really know to be honest. I would like to have a new single from the new record out before the end of the year. I'd quite like to tie my New Zealand releases up with the rest of the world now instead of trying to stagger it. That always makes things a little bit difficult. But yeah I'd definitely be keen to have something new and something fresh out before the end of the year.

You could always tack something new onto "The Experiment"...
Yeah like a hybrid, re-release type thing. Just change up the packaging a little. That's one of the things the record company is thinking about but for me, I want to do a whole new record and I want to focus on a whole new thing.

Who are some of the people you're working with?
At the moment I'm working with a writer/producer called Manuel Seal and he's in Atlanta. He's written songs with Mariah Carey and Usher. He's quite a big deal. He's sold a lot of singles over the years. He stumbled across me on the net and got in contact with us. He's a really, really cool dude and I've been writing with him over Skype. We've got some really cool ideas on the boil and I guess when I head over there that's when I'll jump in the studio and try and lock things down. I'm also writing with my guitarist Joe Farris on a few more rocky tunes and just kind of plugging away by myself. You know, I wrote a good chunk of the record by myself and I'm kind of used to locking myself away in the studio until I've got something decent.

This is a bit of an odd question but I wanted to ask you about the packaging. So many Australian and Kiwi bands get it wrong but your artwork is really distinctive.
That was me and my graphic designer. He's very creative. We both just sat down and I'd give him the skeleton idea and he'd pretty much just bang ideas together and I'd yes or no them. It is funny because a lot of Kiwi bands they will release records in New Zealand and it'll be packaged in a certain way and then they'll sign to a major in Australia who will take it upon themselves to try to re-package and re-brand it and you're right - often it goes horribly wrong. I've seen that with quqite a few bands over the years, so I'm glad the artwork stayed the same and they kept the same covers. I spent a number of years as a graphic artist and I do a lot of the graphic design work for our company and I thought what we did really worked well for the album.

Good luck with everything. I can't wait for the next gig.
Sweet. I appreciate that. Stay tuned on Twitter!

Dave Audé Interview

Dave Audé is a dance music legend. If you've ever set foot in a nightclub, chances are you've heard one of his original tunes or killer remixes. Since his arrival on the dance scene in the early 90s, Dave has developed a reputation as the go to guy for all the big names - having remixed massive club hits for Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, Madonna, Britney, Ke$ha and even my homegirl Deni Hines! America's hottest DJ is also an extremely successful artist in his own right. His recent collaboration with Luciana ("Figure It Out") was a #1 club smash and I'm told there could be a follow up on the way. Dave was kind enough to talk to me about all of these accomplishments in a recent interview. He also fill me in on his future plans and gave some interesting insights into his work. Here's what Mr Audé had to say:

Dave, most pop fans probably know you from your remixes. How did you get involved in that side of production?
Fell into it really. Remixing is really producing, isn't it? In 1995 I was making a lot of records for electronic artists/djs and Reprise Records called me to remix Bare Naked Ladies "One Week". I loved remixing and taking the song in a new direction and my love of remixing was born.

How do you explain your unprecedented success on the US dance chart? I heard that you’ve remixed over 40 chart toppers!
65 as of last week! lol. I work very hard, I deliver solid mixes consistently and I'm able to make mixes that appeal to different types of listeners - pop, dance, straight, gay, radio, underground, etc etc. I've done so many remixes at this point that people hire me because they know they are gonna get something that the artist will like as well.

You must get asked this all the time but do you have a favourite mix or one that’s special for a certain reason. I’ll never get tired of your “Halo” remix. It’s so beautiful.
That's like asking a parent who their favorite child is. Every song is different. Some projects are special because of the artist (Beyoncé, Gaga, Britney, U2, Madonna). Some projects are special because of the song (Plumb "Hang On", Alexis Jordan "Happiness", La Roux "Bulletproof") but really when I'm working, every song is special at least for the moment, it's only later when I go back and listen do I know if the song has any lasting effects.....

All the big names have you on speed dial. Does it ever sink in that you’re helping to create the sound of superstars like Beyoncé, Madonna and Kaci Battaglia?
It does and I'm very, very lucky. I'm not sure if the artists appreciate me as much as the labels or listeners but I'd like to think so.

In addition to the A Listers, you also remix a lot of smaller acts. How does someone like Carmen Reece hook up with you? Your mix of “Raindrop” is one of my favourite songs of the year!
I treat every project the same whether it's Gaga or Carmen Reece and I try and leave opportunities open to work on independent artist mixes because you never know who the next A Listers are gonna be....

Do you ever hear a song and think - damn, that’s complete shit? If so, do you turn the mix down or try to do the best with what you’ve got?
If the vocal is complete shit, I won't do it. Most of the time I'm working on a song where I think the original track is complete shit so it's fun and compelling for me to turn it into something better.

You’re also an extremely accomplished artist in your own right. Will you be concentrating on your own music more in the future?
I would like to say that's my goal, but it's hard balancing my stuff and the wave of work I have to sort through. I've never really been keen on promoting "Dave Audé", I'd rather promote another artist and be the guy behind the scenes.

Well, that might change with the success of your recent #1 club smash “Figure It Out”. It’s such a hot track - are you going to film a video and push it to radio? I think it’s a hit.
Thinking about that right now. Sometimes you just gotta let song do what they do on their own.

Isha Coco is actually UK dance legend Luciana. How did the collaboration come about and was it your idea for her to try such a different vocal style?
She is a HUGE talent as you know and I think that the Isha Coco sound is actually Luciana, it's just not what she's famous for. She has so much talent and has written so many great pop songs. I'm excited for the world to hear some different sides to her!!!

I hear you guys are working on another track together. Is it for her EP with Interscope or a track for Audacious records? Can you tell us a bit about it.
She is signed to Interscope so we are concentrating on making some huge records for Luci to go out and tour the world with! But Isha Coco might have another one coming at some point!!!

Who else are you producing at the moment?
Nicole (Scherzinger). Remixing Ke$ha, Natasha Bedingfield, and Nadine Coyle.

Why do you think the US dance music scene is so different to Europe and Australia?
US Radio is lame. But they are slowly but surely catching up. Urban (Hip-Hop/Rap) has been so huge in America so it's been a struggle to get radio to take chances with dance/electronic. They still dont really get the "dj is an artist" thing, but that's changing.

Tell me about Girlicious. I love that band. Are you still in touch with them?
I speak to the girls now and then. I'm happy for their success. They are massive in Canada, I'm waiting for them to have a hit in the US, any day now.....

What are your 5 favourite dance tracks at the moment?
Tiesto/Diplo "C'Mon" - finally Tiesto, jesus!
Yenson "My Feeling" (Deniz Koyu Remix) - puts a smile on your face!!
Tim Berg (Avicii) "Seek Bromance" - new vocal is HUUUUGE!!
Erika Jayne "One Hot Pleasure" (yet to be released) - produced this and wrote with Luciana!!
Erick Morillo/Eddie Thoneick "Live Your Life" (Chuckie Remix) - older track that I refuse to forget!

I'd love to see you behind the decks again in Sydney. When are you coming back?
I was just in Sydney in August but I'd love to come back, let's do it!!!

My favourite Dave Audé remix

Luciana On Kylie, Sarah Harding & Australia

On Saturday Luciana returns to Australia for the fourth time in 2010. It's another lightening fast trip for the dance icon but I'm hoping to catch up with her again at the Fat As Butter music festival in Newcastle. Last time she was here I managed to pin her down for an interview but held off posting it until the article was published. A couple of weeks ago it unexpectedly turned up on the cover of the Southern Star Observer in Melbourne - so I guess it's about time I shared it with you! I'm really proud of how it turned out. Luci spills the beans on her US record deal, talks about writing for Kylie and comments on her ongoing love affair with Australia. Oh and she mentions that lady boy from Girls Aloud but I won't hold that against her. Enjoy!

2010 is turning into something of a banner year for Luciana.

After years of lending her signature ‘shouty’ vocal to a seemingly endless string of underground dance tracks, the UK’s reigning club queen has finally crossed over to the mainstream and carved out a niche as the go to woman for dance music’s hottest producers.

In the past twelve months Luciana has scored 4 big hits on the ARIA club chart – she currently has two (“Go Go Go” and “I’ve Got My Eye On You”) in the top 50 - including her double platinum top 5 smash hit collaboration with Static Revenger and Richard Vission, “I Like That”.

The prolific diva is still shocked by the song’s popularity in Australia.

“It got to #2 or #3. We got platinum discs. It’s crazy. Australia was the first place to take it and now America is just starting. So hopefully that will happen and England has just signed it as well,” she told Star Observer.

The local success of “I Like That” even helped Luciana score a record deal with Interscope Records – the home of pop heavyweights like Lady Gaga and Gwen Stefani.

“The funny thing is we went to Interscope… a year ago and nothing happened. I was like ‘that’s a bit weird’. Flew us out there, wanted to meet me, nothing happened and now here we are. [I] just got signed and am working on an EP and writing for other artists.”

One of those artists is Australia’s own Kylie Minogue. Luciana wrote the track “Cupid Boy” for the pop icon’s latest album “Aphrodite” – a career highlight for the self confessed Kylie fanatic.

“Oh my god! [I’m] an ultimate Kylie fan! I absolutely love her. And I wanted to get on the last album and that didn’t happen,” she explains.

Happily, she had more luck this time around.

“We got [“Cupid Boy”] from Sebastian Ingrosso from Swedish House Mafia and we were like ‘this is such a fabulous backing track that we need to make sure that what we do over it is amazing’ and we worked and worked and edited and edited… and then right at the last minute they chose the song. Oh god it was a moment. Honestly, I cried and called my mum. My mum was crying with me!”

Luciana has even been called back to write songs for the impending re-release of “Aphrodite”.

“We submitted a song called “If I Ruled The World”,” she reveals.

Apart from Kylie, the hit songwriter has been busy collaborating with some of the biggest pop stars in America and the UK.

“I’m actually writing with Sarah Harding at the moment from Girls Aloud. She’s down the studio. And she’s lovely. A good time girl. She’s got a great voice and we’re just writing some tracks together. And when we go to America we’re gonna do some stuff with Nicole Scherzinger.”

Given the way “I Like That” is catching on in America (already a top 40 hit on pop airplay and rapidly the iTunes top 200 countdown), Luciana could be spending a lot of time stateside.

“I’m moving to LA at the beginning of September for 3 months to write and hopefully promote the single. You know depending on what’s happening. It’s just got added to MTV Hits, so that’s a really amazing thing. These little things are starting to happen but fingers crossed it’s all going to work out.”

That doesn’t mean that Luciana has forgotten about her Australian fans. She is returning to Australia – for the fourth time in 2010 – for a tour in December and even plans to move here permanently.

“Yeah what I’m thinking is – have an album out, then a child, then move to Australia. Put some flip flops on. Hang. It’s all good!”

Andy Bull - Phantom Pains Interview

It's been a year since my last chat with Andy Bull. In that time he's released a critically acclaimed album, toured the country, recorded a new EP and most importantly, cut his hair. The third item in that list is the reason for today's interview. Andy's new EP "Phantom Pains" hit shelves (sounds better than was uploaded to iTunes) a couple of weeks ago and has already won over the indie-pop crowd - largely due to his magnificent duet with Lisa Mitchell. I didn't think it was possible to top "Small Town Girl" but "Dog" comes very, very close. That song is representative of the EP's dark tone but unlike most of his contemporaries, Andy never forgets the power of a good harmony and catchy pop chorus. Which is one of the reasons he is such a favourite of mine. That and the fact that he graciously puts up with my stalking on Facebook. Anyway, here's what the extremely talented Mr Bull had to say about "Phantom Pains".

The EP is a beautiful collection of songs but your sound is darker this time around. In fact, “Dog” (bottom of post) is possibly the catchiest song about depression that I’ve ever heard. Is it fair to say you were going through a bit of a rough patch when you were putting it together?
"Phantom Pains" is darker than the music I have made in the past, but it's not because I am less happy than I was. it's just because I am discovering, perversely, the joy in articulating that ever-present emotional darkness. Learning to express the personal and the emotional, rather than simply crafting well constructed words, is liberating for the songwriter and the listener, and furthermore, it's honest.

Are you going to do a video for “Dog”?
Maybe, I’m tossing around some ideas. I think I might try animating something, maybe in the style that I drew the EP artwork in. Currently I’m working on a really cool video for the "Phantom Pains" song though. It's not animated: one of my best pals shot it for me in this weird house on Long Island in the States, and sent the footage here, and then me and another pal filmed some more material to complete the clip. It’s really cool just working with your friends on it. Very do-it-yourself. It should be finished soon. It's about a guy who cuts off his thumb to get the insurance money. I wont spoil the ending.

How did you rope in the services of Lisa Mitchell, Little Red and Hungry Kids of Hungary for the EP?
Lisa and I became friends when we toured last year. I had actually become a member of her band during that tour also, since she had cut her finger very badly on the second night of the tour and couldn’t play guitar, so I played piano for her. She called me up earlier this year and invited me to sing a song with her at her Enmore Theatre show, and in return I invited her to sing on my album. One afternoon, when she was in Sydney, she came around to my house for a cup of tea, and then we recorded "Dog" in my little home studio. It took about an hour.

Basically the same deal with Little Red singing on "Nothing to Lose", I made friends with them when we did a long tour about 2 years ago. Earlier this year they were in Sydney mixing their new album, and one afternoon they rocked up to my house with a case of beer, and a few jars in, we decided it would be cool to sing on a song together. With Hungry Kids, my producer Tony Buchen had produced their single “Let You Down” and we thought it would be cool to have them sing on "Last Waltz", so we sent them the track over email with some suggestions for harmonies, and they sent it back pretty well nailed.

Is the EP a taste of a forthcoming album or a stand alone project?
It’s a stand-alone project. I think that in this day and age, with the way we consume music (i.e. iTunes) that long albums are not always so necessary. Or in other words, I think that the EPs could now fill the role that albums have for the last 10 years. From my point of view, EPs are great because there is a shorter time span between their creation and their release, which I think improves the relevance of the output. Take Sufjan Stevens as an example. I think his career is really exciting to watch because it’s very dynamic - he releases stunning EPs regularly. I think there is something to be said for it. Artistically and commercially, it's healthier, because there is less expectation and without that expectation, you can just get on with the business of playing music, and you can do it for the right reasons!

One of my other favourite songs on the EP is “Work Is A Slow Way To Die”. Which basically verbalises my general attitude to employment. What is the worst job you’ve ever had?
I’ve had a few jobs over the years, some of them grubby and very rough. Working in a commercial kitchen is up there as one of the most exhausting jobs, but definitely not the worst. I think, surprisingly maybe, that my stint as a personal trainer was my worst job. Early mornings, late nights, shit pay. You spend half the time cleaning up after people, cleaning vomit and shit off toilet floors. And then you spend the other half listening to people complain about being fat and unmotivated. They want a magic pill to fix their problems, and there is none. I felt like I was always giving people hard facts that they didn’t want to hear. Plus, you have to be one hell of a salesman, which I am not. I had some trainer friends who were amazing at it, who thrived on it and made good cash. But my mind was elsewhere, and I was getting nowhere, so after an unhappy couple of years, I stopped.

You spent 7 years working on your debut album. I loved it but it didn’t quite take off the way you possibly would have liked. How do you deal with that after pouring your heart and soul into something?
Actually I was pretty amazed by the response, and on the whole I felt like reviews were incredibly generous. It didn’t, however, smash though the charts and for that I am incredibly thankful, not disappointed as you suggested. I think that had “We’re Too Young” been a big hit then I would still be tied to it now, which would be the real disappointment. Instead, I got to free myself of it and move on, which was deeply cathartic. Making "Phantom Pains" was a very beautiful, rich, personal experience that brought me real contentedness. Where "We’re Too Young" had been like surviving a trial, "Phantom Pains" came like a happy revelation.

Do you think the record company’s marketing strategy backfired? You were put forward as a retro soul singer, when your sound is actually a lot more eclectic.
Again, it seems to me like other people worry more about all that marketing stuff than I do. If anybody tried to represent me as anything, well, I don’t know what to say about that? I represent myself only, I try to behave in a way that is in accordance with what I believe at that time; and if you really want to know what I believe, then you can ask me and I will tell you. If you want to know about my music, just listen to it and make up your own mind based on your own emotional response. I don’t have ambitions to be seen as one thing or another in particular. My ambition is to not care.

You’re hitting the road soon, doing some solo shows as well as supporting Clare Bowditch. How did that come about? What can we expect from the shows? Will you be dusting off “Small Town Arsehole”?
Just one of those small-world connections. I live across the road from her manager, and so I hassled him about it while he was walking his dog. Well, that’s only half true. But the shows should be cool, I’m working on a little duo at the moment that I think is going to be pretty great. "Small Town Arsehole" is likely to get a run. Should be a great tour.

You can order a signed copy of "Phantom Pains" from JB Hi-Fi. Click on this link to see Andy's upcoming tour dates.