Interview: David K (Freak 'n' Chic / Cocoon)

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e99
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Interview: David K (Freak 'n' Chic / Cocoon)

Post by e99 »

“David is a mixture of romantic melodies on drugs, rocking beats à la parisienne, and some unreasonable sounds to turn you on” according to his biog…and that’s not a bad description of his kooky sound that has seen him produce tracks for excellent labels like Cocoon, Brique Rogue, Freak ‘n’ Chic and Tsuba. His fans include Luke Slater, Tiga, John Digweed and Ralph Lawson, and he records from time to time with FnC label mate Dan Ghenacia. Basically, he’s a little bit tasty. We spoke to him in the run up to his headline set at a very special Bastille Day party in London on July 14th (when else?) called Vive La France!....

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How did David K’s journey into electronic music first begin?

Ahh...it was around ’92, ’93. Really really the first beginning, it was like radio in Paris, with some radio shows, and after that the first rave party I went to was in ’92 or ’93. Then I travelled for 3 summers in Spain to meet a lot of rave party people. In the beginning I bought some turntables to play what I loved in this moment,

In your biog your sound is described as romantic melodies on drugs. What do you think your music would sound like if you had never encountered drugs?

Ha ha I think actually it’s a strange sentence in my biography...it means, what I love is that my melodies are on drugs, not me on drugs making them....it’s a drunken melody or a totally fucked up melody. I love to explore the form of music and sometimes to explore music...we have a strange relationship with that. We don’t have to take drugs to understand this sort of melody...

You’ve had releases on some great labels like Tsuba, Freak ‘n’ Chic and Cocoon. Which other labels would you be really proud to have releases on?

I’m really sometimes like a fan...when I work with Cocoon for Sven Väth that time, it was like a dream come true. There are so many labels....Innervisions I really love....it’s more oriented by artists you know? Like Samim, Motorcity Soul....

If there was any album that you wish you could have made, what would it be?

‘Histoire de Melody Nelson‘ by Serge Gainsbourg. For me it’s a special album. Maybe Pink Floyd ‘Dark Side of The Moon’ or ‘The Wall’ or Michael Jackson ‘Thriller’

You will be playing at a special Bastille Day party in London on July 14th (when else!) called Vive La France! in a warehouse somewhere in East London. Do people in France get a bit messy on Bastille Day?

Well you know in France it’s a national party so people are used to it. I think the most crazy 14th of July was the first one – the real Bastille Day ha ha! Now I think people are a little bit boring...but there is a big fireworks in Paris...

What do you love and hate about London?

It’s really special – there are so many things that I love in London. I love parties, I love the people who are making the parties...the people really feel the music...this is one of the best countries in the world for music, and if England did not exist I think artists like me really wouldn’t exist too. After that, I think...as a French person I could say... I’m not hating English food...I could have some jam maybe....but I’m really not liking most of the food in England. I eat Indian every time I come there ha ha!
Do you find you have to change your sound at all depending on which country you are playing in?

No, it never depends about the country, but maybe sometimes could depend on the capacity of the place. Like last weekend I was playing Genova in a small club, like really small, 200 people...it’s a more intimate place, so I could play really really strange tracks, sometimes without kick, sometimes without bass, you know what I mean? For like 500 or more than 1000, 2000, I think you have to change a little...but in fact you could play like hard, deep tech, totally minimal or whatever...but it’s like more muscle for more people!

Obviously minimal is still massive. Do you think there is such a thing as “too minimal”?

I wasn’t from the minimal music [scene]...I love music and I was just happy to see something new in this kind of sh!t, after house was taking over...nothing happened...and minimal came after electro, and electro was just a cliché form. The first minimal was really not groovy enough for me...but I kept listening, and the atmosphere of minimal was a really good inspiration for me and for making a new factor in my track. What I’m not agreeing with sometimes is that it’s sometimes just a question of sound with minimal rather than groove. Me, I’m just here to make people dancing, so even if I’m using like a “clac clac” in my track or a “blip blop” – I really want it groovy!

Yeah, I think that’s something that many minimal producers forget – you need the groove...

Exactly...I think minimal was really great for new engineers because sometimes they really know the software or they really know the machine but they don’t really know the music or the way of the music...so it was great because a lot of newcomers came and explored like that. Me, I know where I came from and I really came from the music...we all need a groove inside!


Check out http://www.ego77.com/vivelafrance for full details of VIVE LA FRANCE!


Interview by Ben Gomori
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le K
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Post by le K »

"we all need a groove inside! "
toally agree mate!
le-K aka Sylvain Garcia French Musician/DJ/Producer
http://www.myspace.com/soulsoleilk
http://soundcloud.com/le-k
dodmcdund
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Post by dodmcdund »

2 hours live with David K (in french). Enjoy...

http://audio.respire-party.info/web/ibe ... -11819.mp3

Ibeweb.
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