After a swift rise to the top of the charts in 2013, French producer Klingande is still surprised by his new found global fame. He'd been making music all his life, but never expected the notice (or the notoriety) that came after his first track, Punga, was put on soundcloud.
I made the track in my bedroom, I put it on soundcloud. Then a label comes to me and says, we want to release this. It was all very unexpected and crazy. Even after his first track became an international sensation, Klingande was still living in a dream. People were wanting me to DJ clubs and things. At the time I really was a producer, not a “DJ”, and I wasn't sure how I would feel about the travel and performing. Now I love both for different reasons, the feeling of being on stage was intimidating at first… The bad thing about this new life is that its difficult to see your friends. You're gone on the weekends when they are able to do things, and they have Jobs during the week. You also have limited time to be able to make music, and making music on a plane is actually difficult. This summer, I spent maybe 2 days a month at home. I was touring all the time.
At this point I was feeling a little sorry for the guy. Surely you get to go home soon, right?
After the US tour yes, at the end of September. Then I'm going to work on music like crazy.
We were in a small backroom at Le Poisson Rouge in NYC, and outside the warmup DJ was already playing a booming house track. Klingande tapped his foot to the beat.
Tonight I'll be having a live accompaniment again with the saxophone. I love doing that because DJing can get rather boring. It's more interesting to me and to the crowd to add the live keyboard or the live musicians.
Sort of thinking out loud, I wonder if the live saxophone ever throws him off or misses a beat.
Oh of course, especially in the beginning, when we are just learning each other's ways. There were definitely some surprises.
One of my favorite tracks from Klingande is the track “Extraordinary”, a rare remix. On remixing, Klingande says: I really only make a remixes when I truly love the vocal. I would love to do remixes or work on an original track with Ed Sheeran or La Roue. The vocalist for Jubel I will definitely work with again. I am just in love with her voice. It isn't perfect but the imperfections are what make it so beautiful. Sometimes you can't feel the soul if its too perfect.
Eventually, I had to wrap up so that Klingande could head out on stage. What followed was one of the best shows I've seen this year – I couldn't believe what an incredible DJ he was. He remixed Red Hot Chili Peppers with Jubel at parts. It was totally epic. The crowd was loving it and everyone was dancing. The vibe was very chill, perfect for a great house set and brilliant remixing. The saxophonist was crazy – it gave me all new appreciation for live music comingled with electronic. If you haven't already had a chance to catch Klingande live, I highly recommend it. You can see one of his few remaining US tour stops:
Tuesday 21 October 2014 at Brighton Music Hall, Allston, MA, US
Thursday 23 October 2014 at The Observatory, Santa Ana, CA, US
Sunday 26 October 2014 at The Crocodile Seattle, Seattle, WA, US
Thursday 30 October 2014 at U Street Music Hall, Washington, DC, US
or get more information on Klingande's Facebook.
