elektro exclusive interview with Digitalism

Elektro Magazine got a chance to catch up with Digitalism before their explosive DJ set at Output in Brooklyn, NY. In the wake of their ‘Lift EP’ release as well as setting off on a mini DJ tour where they will hit 9 stops in the USA and Canada, DIgitalism shed some light on their new music as well as their production process as a pair.

Elektro: What have you been up to this summer?

Digitalism: Actually this year its been quit good and we have enjoyed it. In the past there has always been a block where we would be heavy touring in the summer and then we would cut it down and do nothing and then start back up touring and then get back in the studio and finally after about 9 years of doing this we tried to get some holiday but it didn't really work. We just had about 2 weeks of holiday but it wasn’t really holiday because we would be on iChat with the management all the time, but its been a really great summer. We have done a bunch of DJ gigs and also did a couple live shows as well in the UK, South America and one in the United States. We finished up that tour so the next live shows will probably be after our next album so now we are back to DJing. We have done a lot of stuff in the studio as well and we are really excited about our new ‘Lift EP’.

Elektro: What are some of the favorite places you have performed?

Digitalism: We had a really good one at Melt Festival, we had a really late slot but it is actually one of the best slots on Friday from 5-7am and then we had to get straight to Lisbon after that. But there have been so many great shows this summer. We played Columbia for the first time which was amazing and Chile was really cool too. Also in Mexico City we played at the Blackberry Arena and when we stepped into this big arena we were just blown away because of how big it was and the crowd was amazing.

Elektro: In the beginning of the Summer you released the Bloc Part - Truth (Digitalism Remix) which is a huge progressive house anthem, how did you approach that remix?

Digitalism: The thing was that it was probably our favorite track off their new album and obviously because it sounds like it could have been written by us, it is very Digitalism. If we were to pick one song off the album to remix it would have been that one anyway. And since we know the guys and everything we just wanted to do something together and we decided that it would have been a good move to remix Truth, It just made sense because I really sounded like it could have been made by us.

Elektro: What is the process of collaborating to release an official remix?

Digitalism: Well, recently our newest remix to release is The M Machine ‘The Moon Song (Digitalism Remix)’ and there is an interesting story about how that came together. We played a show in Denver and they played a set before us so we started to talk to them after our gigs. We had a really nice conversation and at the end we realized they are big fans of our music and they just asked us if we would want to do a remix and we just said yes of course. We didn't know of them till last year and we started listening to there stuff this year because, coming from Europe, there are just so many artists coming out of the states that are amazing but you never heard of them because we are just from a different continent. They just turned out to be, in our view, amazing because of all the elements they bring to their music so it just seemed to be a perfect fit to work with them and thats why we chose to work with them on our new EP as well.

Elektro: Tell me more about the ‘Lift EP’ that was just released?

Digitalism: It is a big thing for us and we are really proud of it because for the first time it is really about who we worked with on this new EP. For example, we had never done this before, where we had an open forum where we put it out there that whoever wants to work with us in the studio we would be open to making it happen. We were in L.A. for a few months and we connected with a bunch of artists one of them being Mike D and that was one of those situations where we just decided to do something together one afternoon and he came in and nailed it in a couple hours. We finished everything off a few weeks after that. The most interesting thing about this new EP and the artists we collaborated with like Steve Duda and The M Machine, as well as us, is that we don’t play guitars and stuff like that so when we get into the studio we don't sit down and say “lets write a song together” you know? So when we get into the studio we sit down and everyone gets their laptops out and start exchanging elements. Like if I say ‘hey I have this great kick drum from yesterday’ and someone else is like ‘alright give that to me’ and then someone will say ‘hey I have a great loop I’ve been working on’ and from there the collaborations form. It was a great experience to see how you work with other people especially in the electronic world. It was great to do that.

Elektro: You guys released the new EP on the Kitsune Record Label which is the label you released your first album on, why come back to Kitsune and release your EP on that platform?

Digitalism: You know, it was interesting because everybody was thinking that there was beef when we released our second album on another label, but there wasn’t. Its always good to grow up with a label and then try something else but we never forget our roots. It was a good thing to come back to the label where we started because this new EP really fits in. Kitsune has been our home base to the point where people started to think we were from Paris. The Lift EP is so important to us because of the new concept we have with everything regarding the music and the artwork and if there is one label in the world that feel very strong about the artistic vision it would be Kitsune. It just made sense to work with Kitsune to make this EP happen.

Elektro: What is the production process like as a duo?

Digitalism: We like to compare it to camera man and director. Jens will come up with a lot of weird stuff music wise and we just take it from there. Its a bit of a yin yang type of relationship, very complimentary. Like a head chef and a sue chef, on each production we have really defined rolls so that we can focus on different elements of the track and be more productive. We like to concentrate on our individual skills the best we can. When we are playing DJ sets it is a back to back set but Isi is definitely more involved in the DJ aspect where he is checking out the latest stuff on everything and Jens will be finishing up our latest production. We have a lot of fun with the DJ sets, we have our hand signs to signal each other and stuff like that so its always a great time. At the moment we are in DJ mode.

Elektro: What are your plans for this mini DJ tour?

Digitalism: This mini tour that we are on right now is really great for us because we want to reach everyone who loves our music. Its really great to be here in the states and then go back to Europe and then come back to North America and all over the world. As oppose to playing the same cities on every tour we do these mini tours and leave out some cities to hit on the next time around. Like when we play in the states we play in some Canadian cities as well because it is just across the border so why not get out there because they really are great cities to play in. We are really proud that we don't travel on a tour bus because it is just a DJ tour. We come with our tracks and our headphones and we play tunes, we don't have to bring all this equipment like lights and fireworks and all that stuff. And thats why we really enjoy these DJ tours because thats where we come from. We play on stages at festivals and stuff but Im really looking for the time where DJ booths are hidden in the club and its all about the music! DJ sets are really a lot for fun for us because it is just the two of us and no entourage and we just play our music.