Interview: Chuckie on electric dance music
Known to millions of fans as the master of Dirty Dutch, DJ and producer Clyde Narain, better known as Chuckie, has been the face of the electronic music subgenre.
One of the earliest and most notable producers in electronic music, Chuckie has laid out groundwork for many artists like Fedde le Grand, Afrojack and Hardwell.
In Chuckie’s long career he’s worked with a who’s who list of notable EDM artists as well as many other genre musicians. Chuckie first began his career before the high rise in popularity in EDM. As the popularity of electronic music skyrocketed, Chuckie's fame stayed the same because he was already an icon. Like the cultural movement behind Dirty Dutch, his work combines all the different elements in EDM. Chuckie is a jack of all trades; his Dirty Dutch themed music festival, record label, and continuing collaborations cement Chuckie’s future legacy.
We catch up with the Dirty Dutch legend after his set at the fifth annual Spring Awakening Music Festival.
I noticed that before your set you were waiting patiently on the side of the stage. How do you prepare yourself in that time?
When I DJ I just don’t go on stage and play 12 of my songs in an hour set. I like to play all kinds of songs to get the crowd going. To me it’s important to see the DJ that played before me to make sure I don’t play the same thing. I like seeing the crowd and how they respond to the music.
Since EDM's main stream growth have you ever needed to take a step back?
It’s hard because of traveling. At all times you try to balance. There’s not really a point where I haven’t said I need to slow it down because I’ve really tried to balance it out as much as I could.
Of course sometimes I really want to go home but it’s hard because of the traveling. You don’t sit in the studio anymore.
You were one of the first international DJ’s and have been traveling around the world for quite some time. When, if ever, have you had to put the brakes?
I started going international in 2008, so I would say in 2011 is when it hit me the hardest. I was like fuck, time is flying by with all the traveling and touring. Eventually I was good, next I decided to move to Aruba but at the end of my day I think I’ve found my balance.
Even now finding the right balance with a diet. When you’re on tour man all the party and drinking can’t be healthy. You don’t pay attention to your health. Right now I’ve seen a lot of guys fall into accidents. Especially in the past three years. A lot of guys from the scene I wouldn’t like to mention any names but a lot people already know. Which is crazy. That’s not going to control my life.
You’ve welcomed other types of music and combined them into your Dirty Dutch style. DJ’s are now considered as “sellouts” for branching off from their traditional sound. What’s your take on switching it up with different styles of music?
My whole idea behind that was yeah, house music is just house music, but I wanted to add some fun elements to balance it all out. I just wanted to have fun with it.
When you’re trying to find your sound or style you’re always going to get criticized for it. Even when I started adding elements to my music I was criticized.
It’s not encouraging. I see it in the hard style scene for example. In Harlem the hard style scene, they have hard core fans. They don’t want anything to change. Matter of a fact all the songs had the same break and same timing. Everything is the same. All the structures are the same. How boring is that?
I don’t know. Music is music, sometimes you might want to add some elements to a song. My way of thinking it is if you’re not going to do it I’m going to do. I’m going to make an electric track with a 128 BPM with hard style. With me personally I don’t care. I’m on a mission. If you’re on a mission and you know exactly what your doing don’t even mind the criticism.
You’ve accomplished so much in your career. What’s next?
I’m going to continue to do more and more in music. Whatever I feel like now. I don’t even feel like dropping EDM tracks. I don’t want to say it’s boring or anything it’s just the same old things. If you want to have a top charting track you have to have something that sounds like what’s popular now.
It’s also important to have fun with it because to me at this point it’s starting to get more of a joke. It’s not even about the music anymore. Now a days you have to pop champagne, you got to give away t-shirts, you got to have a hype man, you got to throw out cakes. To me, I’m taking things way more back to basics but that works for me.
Chuckie, after our interview at Spring Awakening Music Festival.
You’re involved with your music, label, and production. Why is this important to you when, at this point in your career, you can just release music, sit back and collect checks?
I’m kind of a purist. This is where I draw the line. We did all the mosh pits, sit downs, and all the gimmicks. So then what’s next? Are you going to bring a clown up on stage? I’m just on of those guys that wants to take it back to the basics. So less CO2, less streamers, and special effects I just want people to appreciated the music because if we don’t do it were slowly killing the scene.
These kids go out to raves and get bored 30 seconds into the drop and are already asking, “Okay what’s next?”. For example, if you release a song today next week people are going to ask when you’re going to release a new song. It’s going into that culture. I don’t want that I want to take it to basics.
Especially in Djing, at a festival we have a line of guys performing doing gimmicks and then the next guy coming up is playing house music but doesn’t use the special effects. At the end of the day that guy is going to sound boring. It’s crazy right now. There’s too much stuff going on right now.
Interview: Borgore gives insight on his musical beginnings
Israeli Asaf Borger is better known to his millions of devoted fans as the dubstep producer and DJ Borgore. Transcending from his first found success Borgore has branched out to other forms of electronic music like drum and bass and house music.
He has also seen recent success in his hip-hop endeavors. His newest video single 100s showcases Borgore’s rap skills. Borgore has been associated in the past with collaborations with heavy hitters like G-Eazy, Miley Cyrus, and Diplo.
Electronic music and all things considered EDM have been looked at under a microscope in recent years for its fanatic and massive sellout crowds. The stereotypical never ending party antics, overly suggested drug usage, and the sexually aggressive atmosphere still haunts the growing music community.
Borgore is no stranger to controversy. The producer/DJ has been criticized for his suggestive and misogynist lyrics and his on stage antics. His persona is one of the loudest in your face in electronic music today. His unapologetic actions and records are a continuing sign of holding nothing back when it comes to his world of DJing.
A music prodigy growing up, Borgore had a not so average up bringing. After graduating at the age of 18 years-old he spent three years in the Israel’s national army. Borgore also has his own label Buygore.
We sat down with EDM’s bad boy at the fifth annual Spring Awakening Music Festival.
CM: You recently released the video for “100s." Not only do you showcase your rap skills but you also say “You don’t have to love, but I’m here making millions." What do you mean by that?
B: I’m a strange person in the EDM world. I don’t one hundred percent fit in, in a classical EDM way. That gets a lot of people mad. When people aren’t used to something they either love it or hate it. That’s a fact, you don’t have to love me but regardless I’m still doing pretty good.
From the Israeli army to producing music. How has that journey been coming from a place of uncertainty?
When I was in the army I was one hundred percent sure what I was going to do. I was in the army, my girlfriend broke up with me, I was miserable and was stuck with five hundred dudes getting shot at everyday.
That’s when I said to myself you know what I don’t want to be in this position. I want to be successful. I’m going to be successful.
I started trading stocks and did really well actually but that didn’t fulfill my life emotionally, so I want back to music. Music is something I’ve done my whole life. But you know what, if I wasn’t good at music I would do something else. I’d be a great lawyer or doctor. Fuck it, it’s all a matter of perspective. If you want to be great at something, then be great at it. Just work hard for it.
Your music has been attacked for what many suggest to be overly sexualized and misogynistic. How do you now reflect dealing with that and how many interrupted your music?
I don’t disrespect anyone. I don’t care what’s your gender or where you’re from as long as you’re a good person I respect you. If you come to my show and you want to show your tits if you’re a dude, chick, or trans (sexual) do it, I don’t care.
I’ll give you that option. You have the freedom to do whatever the fuck you want. How am I misogynist? You want me to tell them to stay at home and wear hijabs and stay in the kitchen all day?
When being criticized, the misunderstood culture of electronic music in being overly sexualized towards women is attached to your debate. How is it not only representing you but a specific culture of electronic music?
It feels natural. I’m going to do that for my whole life. For me art is theory. There’s so many questions I cannot answer. I don’t know what happens after death.
The world is fucking vague. The one thing I do know is the music makes me happy. This is what I’m going to do even if I’m not successful in making music, I’m still going to be making music.
Being involved and having a hand in every step the process with your music, from your label, production, to now rapping on "100s." Why is that important to you?
That’s the way it should be. If you’re a so called DJ, you better fucking know how to play some instruments. You better know how to produce. The whole idea of people becoming famous from other producer’s work is bullshit.
We are musicians - this is our job. First and foremost, we are all musicians you better know the notes in a C major scale, that’s basic! You got to know the basics.
Just bouncing back to "100s," how was it making the video for this light-hearted track?
It was amazing to shoot. We had a great time; I love the song. For years I was working with directors, some were great some weren’t. I was so happy to work with someone that I had so much fun with. All my friends were there together just fucking around. While on set I literally destroyed a golf cart for the music video. (laughs)
Borgore's "100s"
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REACT Presents Announces Spring Awakening Dates
REACT Presents has been making a name for itself for awhile now as the premier Dance Music show promotor/organizer in the Midwest. Having brought Kaskade to Chicago's Navy Pier, Danny Brown and GRiZ to Chicago and Detroit for Halloween, as well as a smattering of shows across Illinois, Wisconsin and Michigan, all alongside the flagship events of the year: Spring Awakening, North Coast and Summer Set Music & Camping Festival.
The team at REACT recently dropped the official dates for this year's Spring Awakening Festival, which is set to take place June 14, 15 and 16th of next year at its annual home of Soldier Field. SAMF is unlike any other EDM/Dance Music-based festival in the country. With an urban backdrop of Chicago and the amenities of holding the festival at the home of the Bears, the fest is consistently buzzing with energy from the the beginning of the first day through to the last act on Day 3.
At noon on December 2, Early Bird 3-Day passes went on sale for $99 and were gobbled up in a matter of minutes. Keep it posted to RH and React for more details on tickets and head over to their website for perfect holiday gifts for that EDM love child in your life, here. Also, as a way to warm up from this December cold, check out the recap video of this year's SAMF.
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