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Features
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| Introducing NEM3SI$’s new label Infinite Resistance! | | Mindbenderz talk ‘Lord of the Rings’ and fishing, as well as the creation of their new album ‘Celestial Gateway’! | | Iono-Music artists One Function, Eliyahu, Invisible Reality and Dual Vision talk Robert Miles, kids, dogs and vinyl, while we chat about their current releases! | | Luke&Flex talk influences, the Irish rave scene, why Flex wears a mask and Play Hard, their new EP out now on Onhcet Repbulik Xtreme! | | Lyktum expands on his new album ‘Home’ – talking about his love of storytelling, creating new harmonies and the concept behind his musical works. | | Pan talks getting caught short crossing the Sahara, acid eyeballs and tells us Trance is the Answer, plus shares his thoughts on his latest release 'Beyond the Horizon' - all from a beach in Spain! | | Miss C chats about living with the KLF, DJing in a huge cat’s mouth, training her brain and the upcoming super-duper Superfreq Grande party at LDN East this Saturday, 16th September! | | NEM3SI$ - I Live for the Night – talks superficiality, psychopaths, and bittersweet success, ahead of a plethora of evocative, emotional, and passionate upcoming melodic techno releases! | | Psy-Sisters Spring Blast Off! We talk to DJ competition winner ROEN along with other super talents on the lineup! | | Blasting towards summer festivals with Bahar Canca ahead of Psy-Sisters Spring Blast! | | Shyisma talks parties, UFO's, and Shotokan Karate ahead of his upcoming album 'Particles' on Iono-Music! | | SOME1 talks family, acid, stage fright and wolves - ahead of his upcoming album release ‘Voyager’ on Iono-Music in February 2023! | | The Transmission Crew tell all and talk about their first London event on 24th February 2023! | | NIXIRO talks body, mind and music production ahead of his release 'Planet Impulse' on Static Movement's label - Sol Music! | | Turning the world into a fairy tale with Ivy Orth ahead of Tribal Village’s 10th Birthday Anniversary Presents: The World Lounge Project | | The Psy-Sisters chat about music, achievements, aspirations and the 10-Year Anniversary Party - 18/12/22! | | A decade of dance music with Daniel Lesden | | Earth Needs a Rebirth! Discussions with Psy-Trance Artist Numayma | | Taking a Journey Through Time with Domino | | New Techno Rising Star DKLUB talks about his debut release White Rock on Onhcet Republik! | | PAN expands on many things including his new album 'Hyperbolic Oxymoron' due for release on the 14th April 2022 on PsyWorld Records! | | Psibindi talks all things music including her new collaborative EP 'Sentient Rays' on Aphid Records, her band Sentience Machine and 10 years of Psy-Sisters! |
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Getting vocal With Olly Perris & Stace ahead Of Innovate @ Heaven
Reported by mostwantedkat
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Submitted 10-06-07 14:28
Everyone dreams of kicking it on the stage in front of thousands. Whether it’s behind a pair of decks, bashing the sh*t out of a drum kit or belting a killer tune down a microphone, it’s something we’d all secretly love to be able to do. At some point though, when we realise our only fan is our half-deaf grandmother who couldn’t tell the difference between Christina Aguilera and the tone-deaf numpties who try out for X-Factor, we hang up our hairbrushes, put away our ambitions and turn to the drive of the nine-to-five instead.
There are, however, some incredibly lucky so-and-sos that are blessed with shiver-inducing musical ability that propels them out of their bedrooms and onto dancefloors the world over. Two such beings are Mixmag Future Hero Olly Perris and the voice behind some of the biggest hard dance tunes currently being released, Stace.
Over the past few years, they’ve both carved out formidable careers. Olly is one half of the team behind Addiction Digital as well as being one of the hottest young producer/DJs around. Stace has worked with an amazing selection of musical legends on the scene, most recently collaborating with BK on his latest studio album, ‘Under The Influence’.
On Friday June 22nd at London’s Heaven club, Olly and Stace will take to the main stage to perform a live PA set in front of thousands of fans at Innovate. We caught up with them to find out what they’ve been up to, what’s next, and whether they ever entertained with a hairbrush in those formative years…
Olly Perris
Hello Mr Mixmag Future Hero, how are you doing today?
Hello! I’m very well thank you. As I write this, I’ve had a bit of a crazy day actually. My office was evacuated today due to a huge fire in Bermondsey, South London, which meant I had half the day off! Woohoo! Although I was of course supposed to be working from home, and there is a good chance my employer might read this… hmm. But yes, things have been great lately although I’ve recently joined a gym, and, I’m beginning to find places I didn’t know my body could be stiff in.
How’s your life changed since picking up that considerable accolade?
It has been a hell of a ride, that’s for sure! The biggest thing for me personally was the reaction of my family, they all went out and bought a copy of the magazine — even my grandparents! God only knows what they all make of it, but that was extremely cool! DJing wise it has of course been a huge help. I played at Tidy vs Extreme Euphoria London recently and people were coming up to me and congratulating me, and I had absolutely no idea what to say! It really has been a dream comes true but very, very odd at the same time!
What have you been up to since the last time we spoke?
The major development in my life I think has been joining a gym. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m no Rik Waller, but unfortunately I am discovering first hand that I am completely, totally and whole-heartedly unfit. But give me six months and I’ll be as buff as a, er, buffer. Anyway apart from that, things have been great. Playing Tidy vs Extreme Euphoria London was wicked and I also played for a previous Innovate party at Shepherds Bush, which was just an amazing stage to play on. Production-wise, I’ve been finishing off a remix for Addiction of an awesome track called ‘Solaris’ by new act Identikal (watch out for these boys) as well as engineering a few bits for other people as well. I’ve also completed a new original track called ‘The Edge’ with Ben Bennett which is hard dance with Spanish-esque guitars in! It’s an odd combination but it works, just about! This will be out on Addiction Digital in September.
Any deviations from the hard dance sound at all?
No, not really to be honest. I listen to all sorts of music in my spare time ranging from the Sex Pistols to the Pussycat Dolls but when it comes to my career I’m firmly committed to hard dance. It has always been my preferred sound of dance music and I think it still will be even when I’m 40!
How’s the Addiction Digital label with Andy T going? Any hot new signings that we should be keeping our ears open for?
Oh good lord, yes! We recently took a short hiatus to gather together some hot new signings for the summer and we’ve found some absolute beauties. The aforementioned ‘Solaris’ will be out in July and has already been getting some superb reactions, and in addition to this we have a brand new remixes EP project in August — the line-up of which is still top secret I’m afraid! — and a new Addictive Anthems EP in September which will feature a huge track from Australian producer Jody 6 called ‘Adrenaline Is Pumping’, which has been absolutely going off in my sets!
The one I’m most excited about however is out in June. It’s a trancier record called ‘Safeguard’ by Kenzie & Cobain which features vocals from Clare Canty, who did the vocals on Lucid’s classic dance anthem ‘I Can’t Help Myself’. It’s an amazing record and we’re very excited to be able to release it, especially after Kutski gave it Radio 1 airplay recently!
You’ve actually made it into the UK Top 40 — how did that feel?
Technically I did, yeah! Although it is a bit tenuous, I must admit. It was on the single for the ‘DJ Nation: Bootleg Edition’ which made it to #36 in 2003, and the single featured mine & Ashley Sinclair’s remix of a Vinylgroover track on Nukleuz. So yeah basically, it’s a bit of a far fetched claim! We did make it to #48 with ‘Atmosphere’ though (also in 2003) so that one felt a little bit more real! Of course it was just incredible to achieve this. ‘Atmosphere’ (and the EP it was part of) did around 10,000 copies in the first week of release, which was just mind blowing. We nearly made it into the Top 40 but alas it wasn’t to be that time, but I’ll happily settle for Top 50!
What made your production partnership with Ashley Sinclair work so well?
When Ash and I worked together, it was a case of a real fusion of two different things. Ash was absolutely brilliant at coming up with killer hooks, whereas I was able to translate them into an arranged track. For example on something like our remix of ‘Kokane’, Ash wrote the main melody and I keyed the percussion, FX, fills and arrangement etc around it. My partnership with Ashley sort of came to an end in 2003 which was a real shame, but he had just brought a new life into the world and I had moved to university, so working together became a lot difficult. He is an absolute genius though and should he ever get back into it, you’d better watch yourselves as he will set the world alight. Definitely the best talent I’ve ever seen for sure.
Andy Farley called you and Ashley ‘the finest upcoming starlets on the scene’ in M8 Magazine in 2003. Do you still consider yourself a starlet or have you graduated upwards in the heavens of DJ-dom?
I wouldn’t really know how to describe myself to be honest! I still think of myself as someone just playing records because they enjoy it, I’d never go as far to describe myself as a starlet or anything like that because I couldn’t even begin to describe what that would entail! But I do know it has been just incredible to receive accolades from the likes of Andy Farley and I’d like to thank him (again!) for such kind words.
You’re playing at Innovate at Heaven on June 22nd with Stace live on vocals. How will you go about constructing your set so that it works best with a vocalist?
Well basically the whole premise is just to add something extra to my set. Although playing records is obviously brilliant, it’s nice to try something different and add an extra person to communicate with the crowd and really draw them into what we’re doing. Stace is going to perform at the beginning of the set and we have some really cool surprises planned with regards to song choices. We’re staying tight lipped about them though — you’ll have to be there to find out what we’re going to perform!
What’s it like to work with Stace?
She’s a pro, basically. Not only is she unbelievably talented, she has a wealth of training and experience behind her which means she’s not shy about getting in front of 1,000 people to belt her lungs out which, from my point of view as a producer and DJ, makes her extremely easy to work with. I know I can trust Stace to absolutely nail it on the night and the only real fear I have is making sure the music she’ll be singing to is tip top! She should be worried too, I used to MC a bit when DJing at university so I might feel to the urge to come out and drop some lyrics. Basically Stace, keep hold of that mic and don’t let go!
What do you think she brings to a track?
Beautifully sung vocals which are delivered with clubs in mind. Stace knows her clubbing and she knows what works on a hard dance record, which means she knows how to connect with the listener and audience through her delivery and tone of voice. BK didn’t pick her to do ‘Just A Feeling’ for nothing — this girl rocks!
How many times have you worked with her now?
This will actually be the first time! I’d love to work with her on a track though at some stage and no doubt I’ll be dragging her kicking and screaming into the studio (though hopefully she won’t then be doing that on the microphone) and making her sing for me.
Obviously apart from Stace, who would be your ideal vocal partner on a track?
Good question! There are some vocalists who just absolutely astound me. I really like Mutya Buena (ex-Sugababe), she has an incredible tone and unique quality to her voice and there’s a song in particular that the Sugababes recorded with William Orbit but never released called ‘Spiral’ — her voice sounds absolutely amazing on that (it’s on William Orbit’s ‘Hello Waveforms’ album — hunt it down people!) I guess the chances of working with her are pretty bloody remote but it would be great if I could! Perhaps if her people read this… haha!
Are you doing anything in Ibiza this summer?
Yes indeedy! I shall be joining those lovable rogues from Tranzaction in Cornwall in September for their season-long party night alongside awesome new tech-trance talent NuSense. I’m also out there for a week’s holiday so no doubt I’ll be showing off my torso fresh from the gym — orderly queue please ladies! (Ahem).
What else have you got lined up this year DJ and production-wise?
I’m going out to Amsterdam in July again which should be amazing. I played out there in February with Greg Brookman and despite the pair of us being stranded at Gatwick for six hours, it was a fantastic experience. I’m also really looking forward to an event in Southampton called The Access Festival which is actually taking place the week before Innovate. It’s a big open air festival which produces the most insane crowds and after playing there last year I cannot wait to go and play again! Production-wise, it all depends on what comes into my head but hopefully some pleasant noises will be made!
Stace
You’re playing at Innovate on June 22nd at Heaven. How are you feeling about getting on that legendary main stage and performing with Olly?
I love the main stage at Heaven! I’ve performed there once before for Knowwhere and it was without doubt one of the best venues I’ve performed in to date, so I absolutely cannot wait.
How do you go about planning a live show?
I always work with DJs I know really well, so that we are both on the same page with what direction we want to go in. Then it’s a case of “write the theme toon… sing the theme toon” — lol.
Will you be freestyling on the mic?
Hahahaha! I don’t know why, but whenever I see/hear the term “freestyling” I think of MC-ing, which I won’t be doing (it’s best for everyone believe me) — but a little vocal improvisation will definitely happen, as will shouting at the crowd no doubt!
Out of all the tunes that Olly has in his box, which ones are your favourite to sing along to?
He’s got this awesome Micky Slim remix of The House Of Pain’s ‘Jump Around’! I love givin’ it some to that, whilst moshing like a teenager.
What’s Olly like to work with?
Ooh is this the part where I get to dish the dirt on the Perris? Mwahahahahaaaaaa… *ahem* — no really he’s awesome. Olly is, in my humble opinion, one of the best talents on the scene and a great bloke to boot.
Which out of all his tunes is your favourite and why?
Probably his classic remix of the Vinylgroover & The Red Hed track — ‘Kokane’ (Olly Perris & Ashley Sinclair remix) Why? Cos it rocks pure and simple.
What age did you first realise that you couldn’t just sing, but quite frankly you could kick it?
It was when I was 17 and gained a place in the National Youth Music Theatre. I was speechless. The auditions for this make the X-Factor look like a walk in the park, so I knew that I must have at least a wee bit of talent.
Were you one of those kids that used to entertain everyone with impromptu concerts?
Actually no! Believe it or not offstage I’m quite reserved about singing for people. I always used to hate those family gatherings where everyone would be saying: “Oh go on love, give us a song”… aaaaahhhhh! I save it for the right place at the right time (well unless I’ve had a beer or two).
When you go into the studio with a producer, how much of a collaborative effort is it? Do you get any input or do you just get handed the lyrics and a microphone?
Unless I’m working on a set cover of something or a remix (like with ‘Pearl River’ and ‘Just A Feeling’) I always write my own lyrics and vocal melody, then where possible have an input in the rest of the tune. I’ve studied music since I was eight years old and have Grade 8 in both piano and flute as well as a degree in music, so I wouldn’t want that to go to waste!
What are the most ridiculous lyrics you’ve ever been asked to sing?
Erm… I quite often sing ‘My Old Man’s A Dustman’ whilst doing soundchecks…
Who would be your dream producer to work with?
Wow — this is actually a hard question. I would really love to work with Massive Attack as they’ve been one of my favourite bands/producers for years now, but on the more trance/hard dance side, I’ll be honest: I’m already working with them! I’ve been blessed to work with industry giants like BK, Adam White and Kuffdam and Plant to name drop a few lol … but I guess I’d have to add Paul Van Dyk to the list. Well you’ve got to haven’t you?
Speaking of dream producers, what was it like working with BK? Did you go to the launch party at Ministry of Sound?
Ben was incredible to work with. From the second I walked into the studio with him I was stunned by how good he is at what he does, and such a nice bloke. We only took an hour to nail the vocals and I played a bit of keys on his track too. Yes, I did attend the launch party, which kicked some serious ass — congratulations to all involved in running that.
Which vocalist gives you the shivers and why?
Skin, from Skunk Anansie, because her voice is just perfection in my opinion. That girl can belt it when needed and also sing incredibly sweetly always showing so much control and feeling in what she sings.
What tune would you have absolutely killed to have been the singer on?
Ooh so many! I presume you want dance music tunes, so I’m gonna have to say Motorcycle — ‘The Rush’. There are many more but I don’t want to bore you.
Which genre do you think your voice lends itself best to and why?
I’d like to think that my voice is pretty versatile. I’ve trained so that I can adapt it to pretty much anything, but I guess I’m a soul diva at heart! It’s very jazz influenced, so my voice sits very well over trip-hop, which is my favourite genre.
How did you feel when you heard your vocals played out in a club for the very first time?
It’s really weird listening to your own voice being played on a CD at home, let alone to hundreds of people in a club! So it’s a little strange at first, but as soon as I saw the crowd going off then it was awesome.
Going on to your MySpace site (www.myspace.com/staceykitson) you’ve got a cover of the classic track ‘Fever’ and then BK’s ‘Just A Feelin’ on there. They couldn’t be more different if you tried! What is it about hard dance that attracts you?
I love the energy of it. It gives me the opportunity to really bounce around the stage!
What have you got coming up over the next couple of months?
Right here we go — it’s gonna be busy! I’m currently working on projects for Edison Factor, Kuffdam and Plant, Black Russian, Carl Nicholson & Iridium, Adrenalin Department, Andy McCall & JK, Little Kitson, Frozen Moments…. sorry If I’ve missed anyone but it’s madness! Carl Nicholson has recently asked me to be his resident vocalist for his new label ‘Presence Recordings’ which is due for launch in August.
Finally, you’ve done something that most of us can only aspire to — appeared on Blue Peter! What did you do there, which presenters did you meet and most importantly did you get a badge and do you still have it?
Please don’t say you have the video footage?! Haha yes indeed, whilst I was with the National Youth Music Theatre, I met Connie Huq, Richard Bacon and Stuart (can’t remember his second name). Yes, I got a badge and my mum has it safe in Wales somewhere!
Thanks guys, see you both at Innovate!
We look forward to seeing as many of you there as possible!
www.myspace.com/ollyperris
www.addictionclubbing.com
www.staceykitson.co.uk
www.myspace.com/staceykitson
All pictures courtesy of Innovate, Stace and Olly Perris, not to be reproduced in any format without prior permission.
Innovate in association with Insekt..
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On:
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Friday 22nd June 2007
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At:
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Heaven [map]
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From:
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23:00 - 06:00
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Website:
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www.innovateuk.net
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Ticket Info:
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Heaven Box Office: 0207 930 2020
Innovate HQ: 08707 45 49 40
Cyberdog: 0207 482 2842
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Buy Online:
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Click here to buy tickets
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More:
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Innovate, Insekt, Friendz and the Dirty Cowboys are proud to present the next level in clubbing experience. Just when you thought Innovate couldn’t blow your mind any more, we have secured the magical Heaven club for a special summer party.
We have an all new Live set from our main man Nick Sentience “SoundVision” which will fuse state of the art technology to create an audio visual experience like no other you have seen before, and as always, your favourite Innovate residents Phil Reynolds and Nicki S are on hand to deliver the most eargasmic hard dance London has to offer.
So, with firm London favourite’s Friendz helping Innovate to make the main room extra special and Insekt making you stomp to the hottest hard house London has to offer, you know you need to be here, with us, for the highlight of summer clubbing 2007.
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The views and opinions expressed in this review are strictly those of the author only for which HarderFaster will not be held responsible or liable.
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