Vitalic

Mike: Getting ready for the show I see? Thanks for taking some time to talk to me.

V: Of course.

Mike: So let’s start with the basics, what first inspired you to start making electronic music?

V: I’ve listened to electronic music ever since I was a kid. A lot of disco, 80’s stuff, things like that. And I listened to it my whole life, so in 1995 I finally decided that I wanted to start making it.

Mike: Yea you started making this type of music a long time ago considering how quickly the genre has progressed. How do you feel about the way that it’s changed since you began?

V: Well it’s really a loop. The sound now is very, kind of, ‘ravey’ you know? And this was the sound of the 90s as well. So, there’s always a loop.

Mike: So you think that everything kind of ends up where it started from?

V: Yea but in a different way. It’s all been recycled but you make changes to it each time around to make it new and exciting in a way.

Mike: Over the course of your career, how would you compare the European and North American scene for your type of music?

V: I don’t really see any difference honestly. I mean I’m not quite as sure how you do it here in Canada or in America, but I’ve mostly found that clubbing is clubbing around the world.

Mike: How do you feel about the new types of music being created now? I’m sure that dubstep, for example, is something that you might not have necessarily expected to emerge the way it did.

V: Well again, dubstep is a mixture of a lot of different types of music. It reminds me of Chicago House for example. Dubstep is slower, with more of a hip-hop influence, but still I can really hear Chicago House in it as well.

Mike: Considering that you’ve been around for quite a while now, do you consider yourself an innovator? I know that if I sat down with a lot of other DJs today and asked who influenced them, a lot of them would mention your name.

V: Well 10 years I don’t think is that long. Do you think it’s that long?

Mike: Well I’m only 20.

V: (laughs) Yea well it’s true that most guys only stay famous for only 2 or 3 years, so it’s true that in my case it’s been quite a bit longer.

Mike: Why do you think that is? Is it your preparation, or just the ideas that you have musically? Why do you think you have lasted so much longer than most DJs do?

V: I think so far it’s because I really try to start from scratch with every record. You can recognize my sound but I try and take every track in a new direction and discover some new tricks. I honestly don’t think that a lot of producers like to take risks now. They find something that works and they just stick with it, and I personally think that leads to something boring. So it works for me. I was just listening to some of my first records today and it’s funny how different they sound. I was doing a lot of different things when I started.

Mike: So you definitely think that you’ve grown as a musician since you began?

V: Yes, I’ve changed my sound many times.

Mike: What’s your setup like? Do you use a lot of hardware or do you prefer to keep things simple?

V: I have a lot of hardware in my studio, but I don’t use it all at the same time. I usually choose one or two pieces of equipment and stick with them, and then send it to my computer where I use mostly Ableton and a bit of Logic to put it all together. I’m so quick with Ableton that I mostly use that to compose.

Mike: What’s your opinion on blogs as part of the genre? Do you think the fact that anyone can upload their own song to the Internet kind of takes away from the quality of the music, or are you in favor of it?

V: I think it’s really cool. I think its great that anyone can share their song, because it makes the music better in a way when everyone is trying to distinguish themselves. It’s great because when I started, it was really expensive. You had to go out and buy records, the hardware cost more, stuff like that. It’s much more accessible now. Another way that it’s better is that you don’t have to go through labels and all that. Much easier.

Mike: So do you get a chance to see Montreal at all while you’re here? Or is it more like a situation where you land, get to your hotel, play the show and get ready to leave again?

V: Well usually I don’t really get much time at all, but last time I was here I got to stay for two days.

Mike: So did you go around the city and take the tour?
V: Yea I got to walk around, tried out some restaurants I had a really good time. I’m actually really into food, so this is a perfect city for me.

Mike: Here’s a question we ask to a lot of artists that we interview. If you could collaborate with anyone, who would it be?

V: I’d love to collaborate with Giorgio Moroder. He did a lot of dark disco in the 80s that I really like.

Mike: And a related question, who would you most like the share the stage with on a tour?

V: I think I’d love to tour with 2manydjs.

Mike: That’s a great answer. They’re among the best in the world, especially in terms of their visual set up. How much control do you have over your own visuals? Is it basically whatever the venue provides for you, or do you know what you want going into the show?

V: My visuals follow the music. They’ve wired to my sequencer, so I know when I play the lights are following along with me. At the same time, it’s not videos, it’s all programming, so it doesn’t react in the same way every time. The basic idea is that I want the lights and visuals to follow my cues, not the other way around.

Mike: I just wanted to say that I really loved the video for ‘Second Lives.’ Did you come up with the concept for that on your own, or did you collaborate with anyone to make that video happen?

V: No, I worked with a Belgian team on that one actually, they came up with the idea. I’m really pleased with the way that it turned out though; I think it’s a great video.

Mike: Well we’re almost out of time so I’ll end with this. What are three of your favorite albums that you’ve been listening to lately?

V: Caribou comes to mind right away; I really enjoy what they’ve been putting out. Other than that, no albums have really hit me in the same way lately, it’s been more individual tracks. For example TAI, Proxy, I really like their music as well. Also there’s something new on Boys Noize records that I really like, but I can’t think of the name right now (laughs.)

Mike: Alright, thanks so much for sitting down with me and have a great show!

V: No problem, thanks.