Back to 2008 and now we see the man himself is back dominating club land with an impressive collection of projects featuring on the World Series: San Francisco album! We all know about Fedde’s main attributes, but team Kandi thought we’d dig a little deeper for all you Kandi lovers by catching up with some guy called Fedde??
Q. You’ve had the amazing task of working with some of the world’s elite stars including Sharam, Freeform 5, Hardsoul, Kurd Maverick, Tall Paul, Pete Tong, Camille Jones, Ida Corr, Anita Kelsey and even Robbie Williams. There’s a whole world of aspiring producers out there that would jump at these chances, can you tell us how or where you learnt the craft of producing?
A. For the main part I have mastered it myself. Working together with other producers has added extra skills, and I took a course in sound-synthesis. And I’m still learning.
Q. Looking at your DJ gig listings, it looks like you’re pretty booked up & busy for the rest of the year. There’s a lot of travel time involved with DJing so how do you decide on balancing studio time vs DJ time?
A. I try to keep my weekdays as free as possible for studio-time. During the summer months that’s a bit hard, of course. And when I’m on tour I always have my laptop with me to work out ideas.
Q. When you’re playing out, your style of music is more underground, how do you separate the two worlds following such commercial success?
A. Actually when I’m out, it is more a blend of both worlds that I’m playing. The same is for producing, it’s both underground as well as some more commercial tracks. So I do not really separate them.
Q. What excites you the most about your upcoming album?
A. That it has turned out to be a nice variety of pure house and more pop-music. And I have really enjoyed the collaborations with some great artists.
Q. Flamingo Recordings was established by yourself & good friends Funkerman & producer Raf with an aim to create a platform on which you could release tracks without any compromises, "Taking no Shhh from any A&R!" Apart from your highly anticipated album named ‘Output’, what else can we expect from the label this year?
A. We’re working hard on providing a platform for new artists. The Flamingo Nights are aimed to spread our sound and give younger artists a chance to present themselves to a larger public. Flamingo Radio, launched after the summer, is targeted to reach an even wider audience. And of course more releases of good music.
Q. In 2007 you completed an impressive, but hectic schedule of tours throughout Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand and Miami, United States, Canada and China not to mention countless European cities but which cities or gigs do you most look forward to returning to? Are there any more tour dates planned for the UK?
A. Because of the easy travelling between the Netherlands and the UK, it is usually lose gigs I will do there. Before and after the summer, you can find me in the clubs. During the summer I will be doing quite a few of the festivals, like Global Gathering and SW4. To see when I’m over, you can always check my schedule on MySpace.
Q. Winning 6 Awards in 2007 alone, your trophy cabinet must be looking pretty dam good by now! What’s been your proudest achievement to date & what are you looking forward to throughout 2008?
A. Of course I’m proud of receiving these awards, as they are a recognition from both the industry and the public. But most proud I am to have my album finally finished. With this in kind, I really look forward to presenting it to the world.
Quick Fire Questions:
Q. What’s your favourite Kandi? (Sweet)
A. Chocolate
Q. If the world lost all electrical power, what would you do to amuse yourself musically?
A. Playing drums or tam-tam
Q. If you could have one super hero power for the day – what would it be and why?
A. Become invisible, so I could sneak into the studios of some of my greatest heroes and see them at work.
Q. What do you prefer: een kroket or een frikandel? (We did some Dutch research!)
A. Frikadel of course
Hed Kandi: World Series San Francisco – OUT NOW
Featuring:
Fedde Le Grand “ Get This Feeling”
Fedde Le Grand & Funkerman Feat. Dorothy & Andy Shermam “3 Minutes To Explain”
Martin Solveig “C’est La Vie” (Fedde Vs Martin Club Mix)