De vorba cu… Andy Caldwell

Andy Caldwell este unul dintre acei DJ care nu e inca pe buzele tuturor, dar care se pregateste sa ajunga acolo. Asta nu se intampla fiindca i-ar lipsi experienta, ci pentru ca munca sa de productie o egaleaza pe remixat, iar acest lucru ii ocupa tot timpul, alaturi de muzica pe care o compune pentru filme, seriale si jocuri.

L-am abordat pe Andy pentru interviu pe Twitter dupa ce am primit un follow de la el, fapt ce m-a facut o dimineata intreaga sa topai de bucurie. 😀 A fost extrem de receptiv si in cateva zile aveam interviul. Am descoperit in el un tip extrem de sincer, de cald si de pasionat. Toate acestea sunt extrem de importante cand muncesti 25 de ore pe zi, asa cum pare el sa faca. Si pentru ca nu vreau sa-mi depasesc limita de introducere, here goes. 😉

PS: Fetelor, am uitat sa mentionez ca Andy e hooooot! 😀

I have to say that I am honored to be able to get a glimpse of such a talented artist as yourself and to be able to share it with your Romanian fans.

1. You wear many hats: you’re a songwriter, a producer, a pianist, a trumpeter, a remixer, a DJ and a label owner. How do you cope with all this and what is your favorite hat? Well if I could just be a creative person, I would. But this is a business and I have to treat like any other business venture. My favorite thing about what I do is creating something original and then getting a reaction from a crowd! 2. Your music is very profound and it somehow absorbs into the skin, making the heartbeat accelerate. But it is also sweet and melodic. Do you have an alternate musical personality or was this germination carefully crafted? Well first of all, thank you! That’s a huge compliment. I really think my music just evolved out of what I like to listen to. I try to create music that creates an emotional response in people, not just in a night club but while at home or elsewhere. I’m all about creating a great song, something that can live on once the trendy clubs have had enough. 3. You flew all across the world and back to take your music, but where is the place you can really call home? What is your retreat? I’ve been in Los Angeles now for 5 years and I really love it here. I’ve made a lot of really great friends and have had the pleasure to play a lot of great clubs. So now, it’s my home. But my family all lives in San Francisco and in small towns around it so It’s like a second home to me. 4. In your extremely vast musical experience that spans over 16 years, you have approached many musical genres. Could you pick one that is the closest to your heart? No. Sorry but I just love so many different genres, that for me to say I love one more than another would be lying! 5. What did it feel like to be nominated for the Grammys for „Sorry”, which you co-wrote with Kaskade? Well that one was bitter sweet, because I didn’t get the credit I deserved. The label left my name off the credits!! But most recently I was nominated for the 2011 Grammy’s for my track „Funk Nasty” with Gram’ma Funk and that was total redemption. It was especially sweet because I released it on my own label and we’ve only done 15 releases. I think we must have been the smallest record label to have a nomination. 6. You’ve written music for a bunch of TV shows, video games and movies including ‘Six Feet Under’, ‘Sex in the City’, ‘FIFA Soccer 08′ and ‘Forces of Nature’. That is impressive resume, I must add. Where does all the inspiration, the energy and the versatility come from? The licenses have just been a cool outlet for getting my music to a bigger audience. I’m honored to have my music chosen to be included in Film, TV and Video Games it’s really where the majority of people find out about new music. I don’t actually create any original music specifically for these outlets however, it’s just a matter of them liking what I’m doing and requesting it be included.

7. You also have a thing for discovering new talent. How do you go about that and what artist are you the most proud of uncovering? So far, my biggest discovery was Yoshimoto and the massive „Du What U Du” (Trentemoller Remix). This one sold over 100,000 copies and is still regarded as one of the seminal electronic dance tracks of the 2000’s. 8. Having such a long love story with making music, you surely have a few favorite moments. We’d love it if you could share some of them with us. The first time I ever heard one of my records being played by another DJ, was in 1994 by DJ Spun. It was at a massive Rave in San Francisco, huge speaker stacks that seemed to go all the way to the ceiling. It was so motivating to see thousands of people dancing to my music. Made me want to go straight back to the studio and work on more, more, more!! I’ve been motivated by that ever since. Love hearing my music played by other DJs!

9. Will we get to hear your voice on more tracks or will you keep bringing new vocals to your colorful and soulful tracks? Maybe, I’m not really a singer but sometimes do create songs where I feel my voice actually sounds better than that of a ‘real’ singer. I wish I were better at it, I’d use my own vocals more often!

10. What are the principles that guide you in life and in your musical career? Honesty, hard work and integrity. 11. The public wants more and more of your music and your talent, so what do you have in store for your growing fan base? I’ve recently finished tracks with Morgan Page, David Tort, Jonathan Mendelsohn, Remy Le Duc, The EC Twins and many more. Look for LOTS of new music from me in the coming months.

Thank you so much for your time. I wish you only the best and I cannot wait to hear more of your amazing tracks!

Thanks!!

Buna Andy! Trebuie sa recunosc faptul ca sunt onorata sa pot surprinde cate ceva din viata unui artist atat de talentat ca tine si sa pot impartasi apoi toate acestea cu fanii tai din Romania.

1. Tu ai o personalitate muzicala ce se imparte in cantautor, producator, pianist, trompetist, remixer, DJ si detinatorul unui label. Cum faci fata tuturor acestor lucruri si care este activitatea ta preferata? Ei bine, daca m-as putea ocupa doar de creatie, as face-o. Insa acest domeniu tine de sfera afacerilor si trebuie tratat ca atare. Din tot ceea ce fac, cel mai mult imi place sa creez ceva original si sa obtin o reactie din partea fanilor.

2. Muzica ta este extrem de profunda si se absoarbe cumva in piele, accelerandu-ti pulsul. Dar e, in acelasi timp, dulce si melodica. Ai vreo personalitate muzicala alternativa sau aceasta dedublare a fost atent orchestrata? In primul rand, multumesc! Este un compliment imens. Cred ca muzica mea s-a nascut din ceea ce-mi place sa ascult. Incerc sa creez un tip de muzica ce e capabila sa genereze un raspuns emotional din partea publicului, nu doar intr-un club, ci si acasa sau oriunde altundeva. Scopul meu este sa creez piese extraordinare, ceva care sa continue sa traiasca dupa ce cluburi la moda s-au saturat de ea.

3. Ai zburat in lungul si-n latul lumii pentru a-ti duce muzica mai departe, dar care este locul pe care-l poti numi cu adevarat acasa? Care e refugiul tau? Stau in Los Angeles de 5 ani si imi place la nebunie aici. Mi-am facut o multime de prieteni minunati si am avut placerea de a pune muzica intr-o multime de cluburi foarte tari. Asa ca acum acesta e locul in care ma simt acasa. Dar toata familia mea traieste in San Francisco si in orase mici din jurul acestuia, asa ca aceea este a doua mea casa. 4. In experienta ta muzicala extrem de vasta, care se intinde de-a lungul a peste 16 ani, ai abordat multe genuri muzicale. Ai putea alege unul care ti-e cel mai drag? Nu. Imi pare rau, insa iubesc atatea genuri diferite, incat sa spun ca-mi place unul mai mult decat celalalt ar insemna sa mint.

5. Cum te-ai simtit cand ai fost nominalizat la Grammy-uri cu piesa “Sorry”, pe care ai compus-o alaturi de Kaskade? Sentimentul a fost unul dulce-amarui, fiindca nu am primit recunoasterea pe care o meritam. Casa de discuri a scos numele meu din credits. Dar recent am fost nominalizat la premiile Grammy 2011 pentru piesa mea „Funk Nasty”, realizata cu Gram’ma Funk, iar acest lucru a compensat din plin. A fost satisfacator mai ales fiindca piesa a fost lansata la label-ul meu si am avut doar 15 lansari. Cred ca am fost cel mai mic label nominalizat.

6. Ai compus muzica pentru o gramada de seriale, jocuri pe calculator si filme, incluzand ‘Six Feet Under’, ‘Sex in the City’, ‘FIFA Soccer 08′ si ‘Forces of Nature’. Ai un CV impresionant, trebuie sa recunosc. De unde provind inspiratia, energia si versatilitatea de care dai dovada? Muzica pentru coloane sonore a fost doar o modalitate misto de a face ca muzica mea sa ajunga la un public mai larg. Sunt onorat sa am muzica mea inclusa in filme, la TV si in jocuri, fiindca acolo este locul in care majoritatea oamenilor afla despre ea. Nu compun insa muzica special pentru aceste canale, ci, mai degraba, se rezuma totul la faptul ca producatorilor le place ce fac eu si ma intreaba apoi daca o pot include in creatiile lor.

7. De asemenea, ai si o ureche potrivita pentru a descoperi talente noi. Cum abordezi acest lucru si de ce artist esti cel mai mandru ca l-ai descoperit? Pana acum, cea mai mare descoperire a mea a fost Yoshimoto cu piesa „Du What U Du” (Trentemoller Remix). Aceasta piesa s-a vandut in peste 100.000 de exemplare si este inca privita ca una dintre cele mai tari piese dance ale anilor 2000.

8. Avand o asemenea poveste de dragoste cu muzica si crearea ei, cu siguranta ai cateva momente preferate. Ne-ar placea tare mult daca ai impartasi cateva cu noi. Prima data cand am auzit o piesa de-a mea pusa de alt DJ a fost in 1994 si cel in cauza era DJ Spun. Era o petrecere imensa in San Francisco, iar randuri intregi de boxe pareau ca urca pana in tavan. A fost incredibil de motivant sa vad atatia oameni dansand pe muzica mea. Acest lucru m-a facut sa vreau sa ma intorc direct in studio si sa muncesc si mai mult!!! De atunci am fost motivat sa fac astfel. Si-mi place la nebunie sa-mi aud muzica pusa de alti DJ!

9. O sa mai avem sansa sa-ti mai auzim vocea pe alte piese sau vei continua sa aduci artisti noi pe piesele tale pline de suflet si culoare? Poate. Nu sunt tocmai un cantaret in toata regula, dar cateodata imi inregistrez vocea acolo unde simt ca se potriveste mai bine decat cea a cantaretului “adevarat”. Mi-ar placea sa fiu mai bun la asta, ca sa-mi pot folosi bucatile vocale mai des!

10. Care sunt principiile dupa care iti conduci viata si cariera muzicala? Sinceritate, multa munca si integritate.

11. Publicul vrea din ce in ce mai multa muzica de la tine si vrea sa-ti vada talentul, asa ca ce ii pregatesti bazei tale de fani care se afla in crestere? De curand am terminat piese cu Morgan Page, David Tort, Jonathan Mendelsohn, Remy Le Duc, The EC Twins si multi altii. Asa ca va puteti astepta la MULTA muzica in lunile ce vin.

Andra: Iti multumesc pentru timpul acordat. Iti doresc toate cele bune si abia asteptam sa auzim piesele tale minunate! Andy: Multumesc!!!

Sursa foto.