Deep Dish in Ibiza...
Deep Dish
Interview Transcript:
Ali 'Dubfire' Shirazinia, DD
Chi Anyanwu, CA
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CA: So you've started with your first set of the season in Ibiza. How you finding it so far?
DD: It's amazing so far. The energy of the island just gets better every year. Wwe've been coming out here since 1996 and just started our recidency at Pacha last year and so far it's been a huge success. And this year, the parties have been great.
CA: There's been a lot of talk about the dance industry being in decline, petering out and changing form. What is your take on people who hold that view? Also that the genre isn't as big as it used to be and Ibiza isn't as big as it used to be. Do you just ignore it and carry on?
DD: I dont feel like thats the case. The only negative effects I see is like illegal downloads and how it hurts record sales and things like that. But as far as the sheer number of people that turn out for events, as far as the abundance of new music and the emergence of new talent, it's as healthy as it's ever been.
CA: "Say Hello" has just come out, following the sucess of "Flashdance", a very big hit (and a very good tune). How does it feel to have to bring out a follow-up and the pressure of feeling you have to smash even harder?
DD: We made a conscious decision to make "Say Hello" the next single. We were playing it out while "Flashdance" was still brewing last summer and we were getting great reactions to it and we also wanted to follow flash with an original tune. So far the record is doing amazingly well. I think we hit number 14 in the UK charts and I think it'll stay there for the next few weeks so let's see how high it climbs.
CA: You've got ge is on coming out in a few weeks- nervous?
DD: Not really. I'm curious to see how the fans and critics react to it. It's something we've lived with for the past 2 years on and off. I did what I needed to do with it and now it's out for the general public and I want to see what everybody's take on it is.
CA: Deep Dish have been about for 13 odd years since when you hoked up in [Washington] DC. Have you progressed, has your style changed, are you doing anything differently...Have you still got the fire in your belly?
DD: Yeah, we've still got that fire- burning! As far as where our heads are at now, we're trying ot bridge the gap between rock and electronica. It's something we touched on with our first album, which came out in 1998. With the sucess of Flashdance and other songs we've done and that have come out since then, they've have blended rock, instrumentation and 4/4 beats- people are more accepting of that. It's ushering in a new era.
CA: There a lot of people trying to meld two genres together. Some haven't been all that but those that but those that've taken the rock, the hip-hop loop, Chemical Brothers for example have broken straight through. Is that something you have always been aiming to do, or is Deep Dish their own brand of rock and dance?
DD: No not really. Our influences are pretty wide-ranging. I used to be a hip-hop dj for 5 years. DJ Premier was one of my idols and he's one of th ereasons why i have approach to our music making process. Adrian Sherwood and the 'On You' soudn thing in the UK and the dub-raggae thing which I was fond of. So there have been diffrent influences that have helped shape who I am today.
CA: Actually you have done quite a lot of stuff. In terms of your remixes there's Michael Jackson and of course the Grammy award for [Madonna's] 'Music'?
DD: We were nominated for that but we won for Dido.
CA: How did it feel winning a Grammy? Surely that's the pinnacle of what you can achieve in Music?
DD: It felt gtreat to be recognised. it's the highest achievement anyone can have, at least in the American recording industry. Hopefully it inspired other poeple to get involved. The dance category is only going to get bigger and better if people get involved and give it the respect and recognition it deserves and needs.
CA: Who would you say are your heroes....if any?
DD: There are too many to mention. My heroes and influences change on a daily basis. If I hear a particular song, group or album I tend to absorb myself into their world for a given about of time and then move on.
CA: Okay fair enough. I won't ask you what's in your record box but what's in your CD player at home?
DD: Ummmmm at home i'm listening to the Secret Machines album.
CA: You like them?
DD: Yeah i think it's fantastic.
CA: Okay. Let me reel off a few names and you just tell me what you think of them.. you don't have to be that PC, you can tell me if you think they're crap!
DD: Ok!
CA: Let's start with Mirwais seeing as we've talked about Madonna [he produced 'Music']...
DD: Professional. Do you want one word or...
CA: Whatever comes into your head. Ummm Chemical Brothers?
DD: They....They....Rock!
CA: Groove Armada?
DD: Extremely nice guys.
CA: (You love rock so) Queens of the Stone Age?
DD: Consumate musicians!
CA: Would you say Dave Grohl is an absolute legend?
DD: You could say that. Dave Grohl is from DC
CA: He's definitely a hero.
DD: Yeah he used ot be in Scream. All those guys, Fugazi etc we used to see out back in the day in the DC punk scene. he's had so many different careers. The punk scene, then Nirvana and now Foo Fighters. he's the kind of guiy that keep re-inventing heimslef because he's hungry. You can see how hungry he is. He's drumming for Nine Inch Nails and QOTSA...
CA: ...He drummed for Killing Joke on their previous album.
DD: Yeah, he had like a metal project as well
CA: An absolute legend. Back to dance! In terms of the future of music, the editor of GQ just published a book about how the iPod has changed music, how it's delivered and therefore how it's produced. What do you think is th efuture of dance music? Will it lose it's title and just be music? All the (dance) songs hitting the charts almost don't seem like dance. You have electric guitars, organic drums etc...
DD: I just see all the scenes over the last decade converging into one because of technology. It has opened people's minds and made them appreciate and embrace differecnt styles of music they wouldn't normally because DJs are playing a variety of music these days becase every song is infused with a different musical genre.
CA: Especially since the remix- you have to put a diffrent tint on it and the simplest way to put a distinct tint on it is to put it out there- like some bongo's on, some electric, raw base. What can fans expect from 'George Is On'?
DD: It's our sophomore album so we're on that evolutionary cycle, trying to establish ourselves as artists and there are great down tempo tracks, some things for our core fanbase whom we didn't want to alieanate- clubby tracks. And then there's stuff that's very experimental with the whole meshing of rock and electronica which I think people will be in to.
CA: I think that's about it...anything else you want to add....any shout-outs?!
DD: Yeah, to everybody in the UK that's supported us so far. Everybody that came out for the Ministry of Sound and hopefully we'll be back soon.
CA: Thank you, that's awesome. |
About Petrol Records
About Petrol Records
