Once again we found ourselves at Beta Nightclub, and once again we found ourselves interviewing an amazing musician. This has come to be a regular occurrence for us, and we couldn’t be happier. This time around we sat down with German born producer Moguai, who happened to be one of the most genuinely nice people we’ve met in a while. We did have the chance to interview him a while back via email, but with the caliber of music he produces, we felt it necessary to sit down in person.
TMN: Welcome to Denver! What are your thoughts on playing at Beta Nightclub?
M: Thank you. Always good to be here. For me, it’s a special club. I like the cozy surroundings, nice people working here, the greatest sound system. When I think about Beta, I always think about the fog generator and the girls dancing in front of the booth in the fog. I don’t know why, I have a picture in mind when I think about Beta.
TMN: You’re currently on a large tour in the US, coming to Denver from Austin. What’s been your favorite show to date?
M: The L.A. Supper Club gig was very special. It was a huge club, I think 1,200 people or so. It was packed, sold out, and incredible. And it was a Wednesday!
M: I usually bring a talisman with me, for good luck. But I also bring my friend. He’s a dentist, but I knew him before he was a dentist. (laughing)
TMN: This is a music ninja first! We’ve never interviewed someone who brings their dentist with them!
TMN: You became widely known and respected with the release of your track “U Know Y”. Talk about that track, and what it did for your career as a producer.
M: It opened the European market for me, and also the German market. I was big in Germany in some parts, but after that it exploded. Guys like DJ Westbam, a well known DJ from Germany, at an open air party for 750,000 started the party with that track. After that, everyone played it. It did a lot for me. In Eastern European countries it was the song for Coca Cola commercials. It was huge.
M: You can easily compare it to the “U Know Y” track. “U Know Y” was a single that was very huge in Europe and Mau5trap opens North America for me. Since that I’ve been touring here for two years. People hear it since it came out on Mau5trap, it was a big honor, and I’m very proud to be in such a surrounding to release my music with Deadmau5 and Skrillex.
He (Deadmau5) was looking for something that he was doing, but in a different way. So I was the first artist on his label to do an album.
TMN: The title track on MPire is absolutely stunning. How did you craft that track? Did you write the melody first, and then work on the structure? Or was it the other way around?
M: The melody was first, then came everything around it. The glitches and breaks and beat came after. This melody I had after 10 minutes! Sometimes it takes 3 months, and sometimes it takes 10 minutes.
TMN: By the way, Rising Digital proclaimed you as one of the nicest people in Electronic music scene.
M: They do? Ok. Hahaha. Cool, thank you! They’re cool people. The good thing is they’re very into music! It’s important to have that now. It’s different when you compare it to the older days.
M: I’m a big fan of light beer. Coors Light, Bud Light, Michelob Light – it’s great! It’s not only light beer, steak is always good. You have very good sushi here. I’ve been many times to Tokyo and it’s more than the same.
TMN: You do realize that Coors Light is produced right here in Colorado? So while you’re here, you have to drink only Coors Light.
M: Is it? I had it today!
TMN: Ok, finally, you have a remix dropping on Monday. Talk to us about it.
M: He (Wally Lopez) did one for me back in the day for nothing, I think it was five years ago. He gave me a call and said “You owe me a remix.” I said, “ok”. It comes out EMI Spain, and the Beatport thing. I also did Kelly Clarkson for RCA. I love the original, I’m not a big Kelly Clarkson fan, then I had a chat with David Brady. I said “if I like it, I’ll do it”. And that’s what I did, and they loved it. It has a big dubstep part in it! I think I’m going to play it tonight.
TMN: A lot of great remixes come out of reworking a pop song.
M: It all depends what you do with it. They don’t tell me you have to make a drop at one and a half minutes. You do what you like, otherwise I won’t do it. The best story what I can tell is this Brittany Spears thing. I made it last year, and played a show in Berlin with Deadmau5. I played that remix, and someone from the record company, I think Sony, he passed it over to America and Brittany put it on her physical cd. She decided that on her own. That was a funny story!
TMN: Anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
M: Have a good time. Enjoy life. Do whatever you like. Live your dreams.
TMN: Words of wisdom for the readers! Thank you so much for your time.
