Digitalism
15 November 2007 :: posted by misstoats
I caught up with Jence and Isi (on his actual birthday) of Digitalism for a quick rundown before their SF show. It’s two days before the end of the US tour, and yet they still greet me with warm smiles and their full attention. I knew I loved them for a good reason….
how did you get noticed by kitsune?
i: A friend of ours sent some tracks over to some people that she knew at kitsune with a story. She told gildas that people got really crazy when they played our music in a club. Then Gildas (from Kitsune) said, “i need this track”. Zdarlight was our first single. its’ really cool to work with them b/c its like a family. they have ideas. we have ideas. they have fashion/art/design…not just music
j: its not like business, its like family
which non-’electronic’ artist would you like to collaborate with?
i: nobody b/c we like to be independent
j: we just worked with a-trak who remixed ‘Idealistic’. maybe dr dre or jack white. we dont have any big idols.
peep the rest
who are your current musical influences? past?
I: we dont have main influences. its a whole music generation that we like..every kind of music. we just suck up everything. we just like music. rock, indie. what jence and me actually like is more like soundtracks.
j: you listen to something that makes you feel like youre in a certain scene or part in a movie.
I suppose that’s why the album felt like a complete story when you listen to it from start to finish. An album that’s worth listening to from beginning to end is very rare these days, but I think you managed to achieve that. I love the album.
youre obviously accomplished producers…have you ever considered going mainstream/pop (the money is hard to resist)?
j: no
i: you cant say when youre an underground producer and your song is automatically the next day a mainstream song. That can sometimes happen, but that doesnt mean youre a mainstream producer. what IS mainstream? what’s mainstream to some is underground to others. robbie williams for example, was a complete electronic album and in my eyes is a famous star…but could be considered a mainstream artist to some people.
as far as ‘live’ electronic performances go, you’ve been instrumental in setting the industry standard. Do you have any interest in performing live remix tour (i.e. soulwax)?
i: it’s a bit early to say that. They have 7-10 years in the business and have two cd’s bull of remixes. first of all we want to finsih this tour b/c its our first album. And of course we will do a second album and then we’ll see.
j: We used to include remixes in our old sets, but right now its just idealism stuff.
what do you anticipate happening with the music industry as it seems to be moving towards the ‘digital world.’
i: i was training in a distribution site and saw that its quite hard right now b/c people DL and dont buy vinyl anymore. that’s a bad thing, but as an artist we travel alot. alot of people prefer to dj with cd’s. now you have to build up your friends with downloading.
music blogs…friend or foe?
I: its helping so much. i think the people stopped watching MTV b/c its not interesting anymore and they go on blogsites read text/see video/download song and get a nice package to build a big fanbase. Blogsites are like the best advertising you can have right now.
Assuming that this ‘blog house’ style of music won’t last forever, where do you see the trend shifting next? Any new sounds you’ll be experimenting with?
i: Its like music is recycled. its hard to create new music. nobody can really do it anymore.
j: That’s what people thought thirty years ago. There’s lots of recycling, but now they’re recycling the late 90’s. We dont know how we’re going to sound next…of course we will have a digitalism touch. More vocals, perhaps.
What does the near future hold for you guys? remixes? tours?
i: right now nobody [is remixing us] b/c the last EP was of ‘Idealistic’. We’re working on the next single when we have time. We also just finished a remix of Dave Gahan’s ‘Kingdom.’
Will you get any time off soon?
I: Yes we get four weeks off in january
J: It will be hard to get back into normal life. KIM from the Presets told me that he had to re-learn how to read a book and not look for the next drink/party/soundcheck….it’s hard. You become addicted to euphoric stuff.
Jence, last question what kind of shoes you were wearing in the ‘pogo’ video…double identity?
pierre hardy….but they dont’ make them anymore. haha
Thanks guys, you’re the best. They are currently on tour with Midnight Juggernauts in the UK and will continue the tour into Europe. Grab a book and a week-long nap and we’ll catch you on the next tour…..
