READY, FEDDE, GO

A regular headliner at festivals around the world, put your hands up for Fedde Le Grand. We caught up with the Dutch producer to ask about latest single 'Lion (Feel The Love)', find out his many influences and discover why he feels an affinity with duck-billed platypuses...

Hi Fedde, what's been the highlight of your summer?
“That is one tough question! I've had such an insane schedule that there just have been so many... I loved the Balaton Sound Festival in Hungary. Great vibe and atmosphere, and for me it was just epic to be playing the main stage the day after the Prodigy with 'No Good' high up the Beatport charts.

"But I also enjoyed all Ibiza trips, playing with David Guetta and Avicii was great. Not to forget the legendary Amnesia night following a phone call about five minutes before entering the jet for a very literal last-minute gig, and preceding about two hours of sleep and another legendary performance rocking the main stage of Tomorrowland! That was one crazy day. Guaba in Cyprus was also insane again, as usual, and this time slightly more crazy then normal as I decided to take the guys from Guaba on tour with me for a little bit!

"All in all for me it was just a really great and fun summer, I'm very thankful I got to play so many amazing clubs and festivals as in the end that's what it's all about. Rocking it out together, enjoying the same music and creating one amazing atmosphere!”

Your latest track with Michael Calfan is on Flamingo Records, a label you've had various releases on over the years. How did your involvement with them begin and what motivated you to release 'Lion (Feel The Love)' on this particular imprint?
“Well, I've known them pretty much since forever, so you could say I've been there from the beginning. For me a lot of things are important when it comes to choosing the parties I want to work with and one of these things is also the type of person that you're dealing with. Flamingo consists of solely great people, with one in particular really standing out...” 

Flamingos fly and lions roam the earth. If you had to name a track or label after a water dwelling animal (sea or fresh water) what would it be and why?
“I would choose a platypus, a versatile animal that lives on land as well as on water. It's rare, it only occurs in Australia. I would like to be this because its also a bit strange and does its own thing. So I feel strongly connected to those qualities.”

We know you as a pioneering EDM producer. But growing up, what music were you listening to? Has this influenced the music you make now?
“Another difficult question. I like so many different types of music, from Public Enemy to James Brown and from Cyprus Hill to George Clinton. Just a real variety of influences. And I think that is also the main thing influencing my music. I don't want to do the same trick over and over again. I love to work on different types of tracks, preferably all at the same time! When I enter the studio I can just see how I'm feeling on that particular day and if one project is not working out at that very moment, then I can just work on something entirely different. It keeps me fresh and motivated. I do notice that it leads to a bit of controversy on occasion as some tracks are liked more by one part of my fans and the other way around, but all in all I think it also is what people appreciate in me - I have different styles and a wide-variety of sounds and grooves in me and I just love bringing that to the table, all strongly seasoned with the Le Grand flavour!”

Have you had to change your sound to suit your rising popularity in the world of EDM? How do you cope with the influx of casual fans?
“That kind of touches onto the previous question. In all honesty, I don't really think so. I mean off course you do get influenced by what's around you, so it could be that indirectly this has inspired some of my harder tracks recently. But not deliberately. I've always loved to do my own thing. I think that's also the essence of being an artist. If we'd all do the exact same thing the world would be a boring place! But as explained above, I do love the variety. I love playing around with different sounds. Sometimes more on the funky side, sometimes more on the groove side, sometimes going melodic and sometimes just a hard sound designed specifically for the floor. It's all got it's charm and is very much a reflection of how I'm feeling at the moment I'm creating the track. However, whatever I create, I'm just as critical on each project. It doesn't leave my studio until I'm 100% happy with it. And I think that's what ensures the cohesiveness between all my tracks. In the end, how different one track may sometimes be from the other, it really always has my sound. “

You've played some big nights recently - Pacha NYC being one of them. Do you prefer DJing solo or back-to-back? Who is your favourite partner in crime when behind the decks?
“It might not sound to friendly, but I really prefer playing solo. Sometimes playing a back-to-back set can be magic when you're feeling each other very well and you're really complementing one another. But more often than not you've got just slightly different ideas on where you want to take your set, which in the end ends up in a frustrating set of just steering a bit to the left and the other just as happily steering back to the right again.”

Following the new release, do you have any other forthcoming projects?
“When it comes to releases most recently we put forth my collab with Michael Calfan called 'Lion (Feel The Love)'. Then next to that I'm working on some really really cool projects. I've got a track called 'Lifted' laying down which is pre-teased in this Sensation special.

"And off course there is 'Don't Give Up', which you might recognize from the livestream of all Ultra events and is also pre-teased in the official Miami after movie. Next to that, I've got so much more coming but I don't want to give away all just yet, let's just say it has been a productive year for me!"

What is the last item that you spent a grand or over on?
“I have an audio fetish so I spend huge amounts on my studio from time to time. And flying a jet the whole summer doesn't come cheap either.”

Check out Fedde's live sets on YouTube here and his Soundcloud here.

Interview: Lauren Bush