The chart-topping dance producer on why making great pop music is like making a ham sandwich – and the benefits of having a suntan.
Making great pop is like making a great ham sandwich … It's incredibly easy to do, but hard to do perfectly. I'd struggle to make a perfect ham sandwich because I never make them, whereas pop music comes naturally to me – it's what I do every day.
Growing up in Britain helps you make good music … In Britain you know there are people waiting to tear your stuff apart, so it's important for me to know that my music has subtleties and depth to it. If anyone slags it off then they obviously haven't picked up on those things. Growing up around British music you realise how much depth there is to it … my stuff is different to the likes of Pitbull for that reason.
Female vocals make for the best dance tracks … They're always at the perfect frequency to play in a club. A good, soaring, high-mid female vocal bounces off the walls nicely, and it doesn't interfere with the bass or drumbeat. It's basic science. A man's voice is likely to interfere with the bassline which is why you don't hear many classic dance tracks with a male lead.
Some pop moments are more like outer body experiences … I remember playing We Found Love with Rihanna at Coachella. There was a sea of camera-phone lights and I was up on this big riser, taking it all in. Then I looked down and saw Katy Perry crowd-surfing. I thought: "OK, this will definitely never happen again, so let's remember this for all time."
EDM has got an unfairly bad rep … What's happened in America with dance music has had an amazing knock-on effect. Even the most underground DJs … they might not be up for being billed alongside me or Avicii or David Guetta or whatever, but they've told me their bookings have increased, and that's because of what the most commercial dance acts are doing.
I trade musical favours like cattle … I can't remember the last time I did a remix for actual money. For me I try and get a good swap. I remixed Spectrum for Florence in exchange for a vocal part from her … it's old-school but it worked out beautifully. Every remix I've done in the last couple of years has been a swap for some other musical thing. As for money, that's not even a factor – you could not buy me to remix one of your records. But if it's something I wanted to do, I honestly couldn't care less if I got £5 or £50,000.
There aren't many dance producers who could make a record with Florence Welch … I'm not sure I could name one. She's a fan of dance but not necessarily all that's around right now, and she brings an intense credibility to everything she does. To make a track that was worthy of her singing on took extra effort on my part.
A video can make a good song great … I've had the same guy doing my videos for the past two years. He makes these incredible, mini feature films. When you have a video that has substance and is visually stunning to watch, it can elevate a track to a higher level. It works the other way around, too. Anything that wasn't on this latest album had a shit video, and it made the music seem worse.
Computers help people make music – get over it! … There are still people out there complaining that my music is made on computers. But every single fucking band and every single act whose CD you have bought or downloaded on iTunes or listened to on Spotify, they have all used computers at some stage! It's the best technology out there, whether you're Björk or Mumford & Sons or fucking Dina Carroll! What do you expect people to do? Sit at home and cut up bits of recording tape?
Chart placings mean a lot to me … You can say they don't matter, but if a record I put a lot of thought into got to 93 in the charts I'd be gutted. Whereas if something I just bashed out without thinking went to No1 I'd be elated. Of course I would!
It's best to stay out of trouble … These days I don't get as much criticism online because I've become very "beige" with my tweets. I realised that typing out all that negativity really just bred more negativity. You don't need to bring your bad moods to the internet and spread them around
Annie Mac told the Guardian that all of her friends fancied me … If that's true, it's a great compliment. It's the Vegas tan that has done it. Growing up in Dumfries I got no sun – I spent all my time in my room making records. When I came to America it made me recognise the benefits of sunlight. Oh, and I also got a good haircut. I used to have a terrible haircut.
The best way to judge a track is by a crowd's reaction … Even if you have a big tune, live crowds can get sick of it. It's not just about the song but also the staying power and if people have connected with it in a certain way. I know that the tracks I put more emotion and depth into are the ones that have the staying power in clubs.
People should give DJs a break … I was misquoted recently saying that DJs just turn up and press play. But I genuinely don't know any DJ who would get any enjoyment out of playing a pre-recorded set – it would be so degrading. What I meant was that obviously the records are pre-recorded, because that's what disc jockeys do, they play records. You're a DJ! What are you supposed to do? Hire a 20-piece fucking orchestra and get them to perform every song while you conduct?
*** The Guardian ***
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