Michael Gray

I can't wait for the weekend to begin... - a phrase, which most of us can see posted on Facebook during the week. But what just few of you know - HE made this phrase legendary. Every now and then, there's a producer, who makes us cross the borderline. His music takes us somewhere beyond the gray everyday life. I'm very glad to hit the play button for no one less than Mr. Michael Gray, who was so kind to give us some exclusive flashbacks of his past and news from his present.


E: Michael, I still have „The Weekend“ on my iPod. Everyone would agree with me that this song is epic. Can you tell me the story how you came up with it and what did change for you after releasing it?

M: Thank you. It was an idea I had buzzing around in my head for a while. I recorded the vocals, added some chords then put it to one side while I got on with producing a band called Portobello (Luciana was the lead singer). After the album was signed to Island records a year later, I went back to "The Weekend" and finished it within a short space of time. Things changed greatly after that, most people who were not into under ground house music suddenly knew what I did for a living!





E: Your latest project “Flashbacks” with Marco Lys and Plastik Planet has a really fresh sounding. How did you end up working with them?

M: Plastik Planet is a good friend of mine, we have a group together called 'Koolwah'. We had a single called "Fashion" released on Toolroom Records.
I asked Marco Lys to remix our Full Intention (with Jon Pearn) single called "America". I then asked him to come in on the "Flashbacks" idea, a vocal we had already recorded a while back.

Michael Gray, Marco Lys & Plastik Planet feat. Xavier: Flashbacks by Michael Gray

E: What are you currently working on?

M: A new Full intention single and remixing Kirsty's new single called "Green".



E: I read on your webpage that you don’t take more than 2-3 gigs in the month, in order to have enough time to be in the studio. Do you sometimes miss having shows more often?

M: No, because it means I always look forward to the gigs and it keeps it fresh. I also have 3 young boys that keep me busy!



E: I loved your collab with Steve Edwards “Somewhere beyond”. It literary changed my world back then. How did you two meet?

M: Thanks. I met Steve in a club in the UK where I was DJ ing and Steve singing. We got on well, Steve asked if I had any backing tracks I could send over, so I sent over an instrumental track that I had called 'Somewhere Beyond". Within a few days he sent me back a great vocal all about being "Somewhere Beyond"!


Michael Gray Feat. Steve Edwards -- Somewhere Beyo… - MyVideo



E: You just finished recording a new track with Laura Kidd “Piece Of You” and I couldn’t help but notice that you two were working on it for 5 years. In the meantime you worked on so many other projects. Is “Piece Of You” somehow..more special to you?

M: No, it was just on the shelf because I wasn't happy enough with the version i had done.

Michael Gray feat. Laura Kidd: Piece Of You by Michael Gray

E: You are one of the producers behind the great advert for the special fashion edition of The Sunday Times. It sounds to me like an amazing creative job you had there. Was it different from producing a new song and if yes, how?

M: We had written and produced the track a couple of years prior to that advert. It was used on other TV things before such as the opening of the Grand Prix on ITV1.



E: You’ve travelled all over the world and have partied with so many different people. Is there one country or one gig in particular, which you’ll always remember?

M: Yes, the Philippines, such nice and humble people who partied well! It was a long journey as I had to get 3 planes and a boat to get there, but it was amazing and so beautiful.

Michael Gray feat. Shelly Poole: Borderline by Michael Gray

E: Many young producers are trying to establish themselves in the scene. Do you remember how it all started for you and do you have any advice for them?

M: I DJ'd from the age of 12, then started doing master mixes (megamixes). At 19 then I went onto remixing, then producing. The main thing is to find your own sound, don't be afraid to be different from what ever is big at the time. You will get your own following.



E: Can you tell me something more about Full Intention?

M: Full Intention is myself and Jon Pearn. We have produced and remixed for over 10 years (www.fullintention.com)



E: What can we expect from Michael Gray in the future?

M: A single with Mark Knight and more solo singles.


For more info check:

http://www.youtube.com/officialmichaelgray
http://www.facebook.com/michaelgrayofficial
http://www.twitter.com/michael_gray_uk
http://www.youtube.com/fullintentiontv

Summer Anthems 2011

I was thinking about doing this article for a very long time and now, at the end of this year's summer, I'm finally done with choosing THE best songs of summer 2011. Just to be clear at the beginning - I'm not saying that everything else, which was released during the summer wasn't good. I'm just presenting you the tracks which made my summer amazing :) And because they were so special to me, I really wanted to share them with you :) There won't be any particular order on how I'm posting the songs, they are all equally good. Let's get started because I have more than 20 tracks for you!

Often, when you listen to a song at home, it's not necessarily love at first tune. But then, you hear it live at a gig or a festival and BANG..it hits you right there and then how amazing it actually is. That is how I felt with "One for me" by James Talk and Ridney feat. Max C. The song was released in April, but I heard it live when Revero played it at his gig at 3001 this June. One word: AMAZING!

James Talk and Ridney Feat Max C "One For Me" (Out NOW) by James Talk


The next song is a great revival of an epic tune. Mark Knight did something unique with "You Got The Love" by Florence and The Machine. Not everyone could have done it, but he did it - his remix is better than the original.



I had a lot of great moments while listening to the next songs. Avicii is the best example for how it doesn't matter how old you are when you are talented. The guy is a genious! Seriously, every track by him is just so damn good, I don't know how he's doing it..and this is why among my summer anthems 2011 you will find not one, not two, but three tracks by Tim:

PREVIEW Avicii - "ID" by AviciiOfficial

PREVIEW Tom Hangs ft Shermanology - Blessed (Avicii Edit) by AviciiOfficial

PREVIEW Avicii - Penguin (Original Mix) by AviciiOfficial


Alesso is also a producer with a great feeling for music. Every single one of his songs, no matter if a solo project or a collab, turnes into gold. Exactly like the following two tracks:

Alex Kenji, Starkillers & Nadia Ali - Pressure (Alesso Remix) *Preview* by Alesso

Sebastian Ingrosso & Alesso - Calling (Preview) by SebastianIngrosso

I'm so glad that Sebastian Ingrosso discovered him and started working with him. The result was a very fresh Swedish tune. What is more, Alesso made also a remix of "Save the world" by Swedish House Mafia. In my opinion, this is the best remix of this song.



The next song comes from Patric La Funk and Inpetto and it's called "Blizzard". And like its name, it's getting into your system like a blizzard and by turning it upside down you feel so much at the same time...unbelievable. Just like "Momentum" by Ronn Sono & Thice Santoro. And since I know "Momentum" from Patric's sets, this is the place to post it along with "Blizzard". I would love to show you his other project - "Baltic", but unfortunatelly it's impossible to find it unless you listen to Patric's guest mix on Roger Sanchez' "Release Yourself".

PATRIC LA FUNK & INPETTO - BLIZZARD (LQ PREVIEW) by patriclafunk

Ronn Sono & Thice Santoro - Momentum (Original Mix) (snip) by thicesantoro


Another amazing song is the collab between Dirty South and Thomas Gold named "Alive". What can I say - the song is pure perfection and everyone who have heard it would agree with me...

Dirty South & Thomas Gold featuring Kate Elsworth 'Alive' (Clip) by dirtysouth909

The next song comes from the UK. I've always loved everything by Calvin Harris and with "Feel so close" he just proved it once more what a great musician he is:



"Stronger" is very special to me. Not for a particular reason, but because of how I feel every time when I hear it. After two very successful collabs with Erick Morillo, Eddie Thoneick proved once again what a great team he, Erick and Shawnee Taylor are.

Erick Morillo & Eddie Thoneick "Stronger" by eddiethoneick

Another great track this summer is the very melodic "VMS" by Michael Woods. I love it because it sounds progressive and very soft at the same time.

Michael Woods - "VMS" - [PREVIEW] by michaelwoods

Two more spots on my list are for one producer, which two songs make me unbelievable happy. "Mirage" and "2night" by Eric Prydz are just beautiful:

Mirage (Original Mix) - Pryda by djnickbennett

Eric Prydz- 2Night (Creamfields Live Edit) by MegsRhea


When Tara McDonald and Sidney Samson are working together, the result is explosive. So is their latest track. Good thing they've called it "Dynamite", there's really no better name for it.

Tara McDonald vs Sidney Samson - Dynamite (Club Mix) by Tara McDonald

I'm at the end of my post and as to the last three songs - the music is so much stronger than my words. Listen to them and feel the music. Fedde le Grand, Ned Shepard, Sultan, Swanky Tunes, Arias & Arno Cost - all of them did a great job producing these tracks:

Arias & Arno Cost - The Days To Come (feat Michael Feiner) by Arno Cost

Swanky Tunes & Hard Rock Sofa - Feedback / Spinnin' Records - Preview by Hard Rock Sofa

Fedde Le Grand vs. Sultan & Ned Shepard feat. Mitch Crown - Running (Original Mix) by DailyTunez

I really hope that you will enjoy my taste in music and who knows, maybe one of the songs coulod be your next favourite track :) If you like them, please support the producers by buying the originals at Beatport.

MidWest Music Festival

It's been over a month that I went to the MidWest Music Festival in Neuss. It was THE most important event in the house music scene happening in Germany this year and I'm so glad that I was part of it. The line up was insane: Patric la Funk, AN21, Max Vangeli, Funkagenda, Moonbootica, Martin Solveig, Dirthy South, Eddie Thoneick, Funkerman, Norman Doray, Sebastian Ingrosso, Thomas Gold, Fedde le Grand, Tiesto and Mark Knight. Oh yes, ALL of them!
Behind the organization was partly my favourite club 3001 and this is the time to thank them and the guys from Sushi3000 for making this amazing event possible. GREAT JOB!







Too bad it was raining the whole time and we had the coldest summer day in history, but this couldn't stop the crowd from enjoying the awesome performances.





I really hope that this was just the first MidWest Music Festival out of many and that it will grow bigger and bigger over the years. It was definitely an unforgettable experience. :)

STRONGER

I haven't written for quite some time now, but I sure will make it up to you with some great posts:)

First one is going to Erick Morillo, Eddie Thoneick and Shawnee Taylor for their amazing new tune called "Stronger". They've already proved with "Nothing Better" and "Live Your Life" that they are a great team, and with "Stronger" they've only confirmed it once more.

The track was released on 14/06 on Subliminal Records and now, almost two months later, the video is also out! Funny thing about it - the second verse is different from the original mix.

Enjoy this tune, because it's going to be huge!!

Tara McDynamite

She is one of those artists, who surprises you every time when a new project of hers get released. She can be sweet, she can be nice, she can be glamorous, she can be charming and now she is sexy to death. I'm talking about Tara McDonald - the voice behind some of the most beautiful house songs ever made. With her new single "Dynamite" together with Sidney Samson, she is going for something completely different from her other tracks. Not only the sound is explosive, but so is Tara in the video - she is dangerous, sexy, mysterious, naughty, french and chic. Although her schedule is fully booked, she found some time to talk to me about the exciting video shoot and how it felt to shoot with the directors of the latest Dior commercial.





E: Tara, your new single together with Sidney Samson is called "Dynamite“. What is the message of the track and the idea behind the video?

T: Sidney and I wanted to work together again, as we had such a great time making "Set Me On Fire", our single released last year. I was in Amsterdam and we hooked up and decided to make a follow up. When we worked on "Set Me On Fire", the instrumental track was already written and so I had no freedom to influence the track, but with Dynamite we started from scratch together, which was really inspiring. We talked a lot about the type of record we wanted to make and jammed around different chords and melody. We both influenced each other on the track and vocal melody and we came up with something really special.

Set me on fire Sidney Samson vs Tara McDonald by Tara McDonald


My lyrics for tracks usually are from my life experiences and where I am in that moment. As I had recently fallen in love with a great guy, the track is about finding that special someone and how we are just normal people but when we get together the mix is explosive...Dynamite! It's a very sexual and sensual song about sharing yourself with the person you love and how they turn you on.



I believe the video represents the song really well. It was shot in Paris with a French team and the French style is really obvious. We wanted the video to feel very fashion and chic but also very sexy. The whole video is really a fantasy where the viewer is left wondering, did that really happen or was it all in her imagination? We referenced the French movie "Belle de Jour" by Luis Bunel in 1967, starring Cathehrine Deneuve and we were also greatly inspired by the work of the photographic genius that is Helmut Newton. Nearly all the budget was spent on the lighting and I think that's why the shots look fantastic.




E: The video has just been released and you worked together with the same people, who are responsible for the fabulous Dior commercial. Why did you chose to work with them and was it different from your other videos?

T: This was a completely different experience from the other videos I have been in before. This is the first time I have been in a position to choose who I wanted to work with. Previously, I have taken directions from the record label or producer and not been involved in the creative process of the video at all. I chose to work with Alex Ubede and Tao (the directors/producers) as I had previous experience with them, on my photoshoot for the cover of French Playboy Special Music Edition in 2010. Alex was the photographer and we got on really well. Playboy was a nerve wracking experience for me but he made me feel so comfortable and was very proffessional and I really liked the end results, so it was a natural decision to work with him again. Plus his first video was an advert for Dior which was so beautifully shot that I knew I was in safe hands! This is actually their first music video so I'm very lucky to have them work on this, soon I'm sure they will be one of the world's biggest video producing teams!



I'm learning more about all aspects of the music business. I'm relatively new to making videos and the lead actress Sonia really taught me a lot, she was so professional and kind. Sometimes you can feel you're giving everything but it doesn't translate to the camera. There is a real skill involved. So much more than I ever realised before.




E: In “Dynamite” you are showing a different side of you. Would you describe the video shoot as a challenge?

T: I really feel that the whole video team put in so much extra love and care to make the video clip so explosive. We wanted something unique and it definitely shows a different side of me, that no one has ever seen before (except my boyfriend) LOL.



One of the funniest moments during the filming of this video was when I was tied up wearing nothing but rubber underwear. The remainder of the crew were standing around adjusting the lighting, smoking cigarettes and drinking mugs of tea/coffee and it struck me as being so odd, because everyone acted as if it was completely normal! Also the scene with the nun was funny, we were filming in a studio opposite a church with real nuns, so made sure all the windows were closed in case we offended anyone.



The video shoot was challenging for me mentally rather than physically, viewing the video is completely different to making the video obviously. Standing around half naked in front of a room full of strangers was something I wasn't looking forward to, but everyone is so professional that I ended up really enjoying the experience and I feel so proud of the end result, it's very artistic!



E: Not only the video, but also the music is very different from your other projects. When doing something new, aren’t you nervous that your fans might not like it?

T: Musically this track is different from my previous releases, I just wanted to make a record which reflects the music that I'm really into at the moment. Something that makes me wanna dance with a strong melody. I like to mix up my sound and nearly everyone of my records have been different. I enjoy working with different producers too, as I'm quite a social person and love hanging out in the studio working on a new creation and getting to know the person I'm working with, as I believe this gives more of a vibe!



My inspiration when creating new music, is to make it for myself initially and if I like it then somebody else will. Of course, I hope that everyone will love my work but as an artist I've really learnt that you can't please all the people all the time. If I try and people please I think I would never make a decision, as everyone has a different opinion. I listen to other people's perspective but the last word and decisions have to come from me, as it's my music at the end of the day.

ROAD TO MIDWEST

Hey guys, everyone should have heard by now about the MidWest Festival on 24/07 in Neuss, Germany. What you probably don't know yet is that my favourite German club 3001 in Dusseldorf is giving you the chance to win a ticket! If you already have one - it could get upgraded to a gold or a platinum one!!

You wanna know how? That's so easy! On every Saturday until 24/07, 3001 will host the "Road to Midwest" parties. There you can either winn 10 tickets or become upgraded. For those of you, who have already bought their tickets, the entrance will be free.

The parties will be very exclusive, supported by the residents of the club - Patric La Funk and Olli Wallner. And there will be some special MidWest secret acts, so it's definitely worth it to join at least one party ;)

Go and have fun :)

Say Hello To....DIZTRAK

He is only in his early twenties but he already plays like a professional. He wants to be out there and to have it all, right here and right now. And he's on his best way to get what he wants. While others dream of achieving something, he is already doing it. I'm really curious what his next goal will be, because once he has one, it's only a matter of time until he's accomplished it. Exactly one year after no one less than Axwell rocked the fabulous 3001 with his massive tunes, HE played his first gig there. I'm verry happy to present...Diztrak.



E: Diztrak, you played for the first time @ 3001 three weeks ago. What was it like to be not just a regular guest but the actual act of the evening?

D: Hey Elly, first I have to say, that the 3001 is my absolute favorite Club in Germany, it´s a fantastic location and I love their audio and sound system. I’ve visited the club several times as a guest, because there often play very good Djs like Ingrosso, Fedde, Axwell and my favorite german Dj, Patric la Funk. So for me it was a very crazy feeling to stand behind the mixer in this dj booth, where such great Djs have played and it was a great step for me. So it was a great feeling, to see my name on the wall and to just do the thing I love most.



E: Name some of the producers you’re looking up to.

D: There are so many good producers... of course, Avicii is doing great stuff, like his new single „Levels“ but there are also some not so well known producers like Alex Martello, who´s doing great remixes, Patric la Funk who has two great new singles and his „old“ Autosave, Nicky Romero with his masive style... and of course people like Pryda and Steve Angello, who are constantly releasing great stuff.



E: What are your goals for the rest of 2011?

D: There are different goals. Firstly, I hope to get more gigs in good clubs like the 3001 and on the other hand some friends of mine and I are planning to do a new series of parties, where we’ll have a great line up, full of newcomers from Germany.



E: What is being a DJ for you?

D: For me, there is a big difference between a DJ and a producer. I know a lot of very good Djs, who did brilliant songs but are boring when they play live. And there are people, who never started to produce, but play massive sets at their gigs. For me, a good Dj is someone who plays the music, the crowd wants, but not just the top 100 charts, but also new, unknown tracks and a good mixture of that. Olli Wallner said to me, that a Dj must be like a good movie. You have the typical concept of an action film, but you have to combine it with new elements, so that the spectators view something new and good and not only the standard production. A lot of people don´t know, that there is a lot of work behind a Dj set, it´s not only playing one song and then the next, you have to note so much things to play a great set. And for me, a good Dj is someone, who has this structure, new songs, classics and new ideas how he can bring his work to a new level.

special set for a special person by Diztrak


E: How would you describe your style?

D: It´s complicated to describe my style. When I play in a club, I try to play not so many original songs. I love it to mix songs together, so that I can show the people something new, like on my last gig where I started with a mash up of Replica, Bangduck and Technologic. I never play one set two times, and sometimes I need hours, to find new tracks for my set. So I would describe my style as a „Knick knack Dirty Funk progressive Style“, because there is something new every time and often a mixture of all House Genres together, but of course I try to have a structure in that and not to play too chaotic.



E: Are you working on own productions?

D: I finished school two weeks ago and now, I have the time to work on my own productions. I bought some software and hardware to plunge now into productions. Without own songs it´s complicated today to become a famous Dj..



E: Your favourite tracks at the moment are…?

D: I have a lot of good new Tracks. The 5 best are: Benoit&Sergio – Walk and talk, is extremly good to relax. Christian Smith & Reset Robot - Air Miles (2000 And One & DJ Madskillz), an older track, but old is gold. Fedde le Grand – Metrum, Fedde is always doing great stuff. Sak Noel – Loca people, which is a brilliant summer song. And the last one: Steve Angello - Who's Who – Yeah, a new Song of Steve Angello, which is like his „the moment“ Edit very massive.