STRANGERS (PREVIEW)
As we get ready to welcome in RAC to the Mile High City, we were able to have a quick fifteen minute chat with him to talk about this tour. Before you head out to Gothic Theater tomorrow night, take a few moments to see what he had to share.
TMN: Hey Andre! Thank you for taking some time to talk with us today. Let’s kick things off by talking about your upcoming “Something Classic” tour.
RAC: Thanks! Yeah, I’ve been trying to organize my life! I feel like I’ve been working towards this for a long time, like months now. It’s nice to get things ready and get on the road. We’ve kind of switch things up a bit with this one – we’re doing a fully live show. It’s new territory. It’s a weird mix of nervousness and excitement.
TMN: We’re obviously excited to have you in Denver, but what are your thoughts about coming to the Mile High City?
RAC: I love Denver. It’s always a great time. I’m really glad that we finally get to do the live show there. It’s not like we intentionally skipped over Denver or anything, but I’m glad it’s finally happening.
TMN: So are we! Strangers was just fantastic, by the way, highlighted by your smash single, “Cheap Sunglasses.” It also features artists like Tokyo Police Club, Penguin Prison, Tegan and Sara, etc. This approach almost reminded me of a classic hip hop album. Talk to us about bringing all these acts in and why?
TMN: You seem to be drawn to Kele, having worked with him on “Let Go” and remixing his tune “Everything You Wanted.” Is he one of your favs in the scene right now?
RAC: We go way back. Well, first of all, we’ve never actually met in real life. We’ve only spoke over email and whatnot, which is kind of funny. But, we kind of go way back. Before RAC, in 2005, I did my first official remix for someone and it was Bloc Party. So, they kind of kicked off a lot of things for me. We’ve been working on stuff for a long time since, so it’s nice to keep that going.
TMN: You also just posted your remix of one of our favs, Young and Sick. That song just is so groovy and soulful. Talk to us about the way you approached this remix in particular.
RAC: (laughs) That one I did recently. Sometimes there’s a long lead time, but this one I did recently. I wanted to showcase the vocals. It was definitely really prominent in the original, but I wanted to do something a little more funky. His original was almost spastic in a way – which is great – but I wanted to give it a solid groove. The vocals are so smooth that I just wanted them to bounce off something.
All it is in the end though is just me in the studio, messing with it until I find something that works. It’s just a couple instruments, really. Some piano, some effects, some synths – but primarily drums, bass and guitar.
TMN: So, there was a moment where we were fully convinced that you and the Knocks were trying to break the internet. Within an hour of each other, they posted their remix of “Cheap Sunglasses” and you posted your remix of “Classic”. Were you guys having a bit of fun there, or just a stange coincidence?
RAC: It was absolutely intentional. In many ways, it was to announce the tour, as well. That’s basically why we did that. You caught on to it! It’s fun to do stuff like that every once in a while.
TMN: Speaking of your career, you’ve hit #1 on the Hype Machine Charts 32 times. It’s safe to say that the blogosphere loves you. What are your thoughts on the hype machine and music blogs?
From there, after years and years of doing it, people have been very kind to me. I would not even be talking to you right now if those blogs weren’t there. They played a very invaluable role in my career. I actually think that’s something people take for granted now. You have soundcloud and all that stuff, but in 2007, you had to set up a webpage. You had to have some kind of weird hosting service. It was just a different place, and blogs were a great outlet. I feel lucky I fell into that world.
The Music Ninja was definitely in there, continuously. You guys have been very supportive through the years. I’m well aware of that and very thankful for it.
TMN: We’ve been posting about you as long as I can remember! I think some people might not be fully aware of RAC’s progression as an artist. You first started off with other producers, creating the “Remix Artist Collective,” but now it’s down to just you. Can you walk us through that evolution?
RAC: The real story is not that exciting, or anything. Basically what happened was – nothing really happened. I started RAC by myself, wishing and hoping that more people would join and we could create this scene. That’s where the name came from. What it ended up being is that we were getting offers to remixes, but I ended up doing 95% of them. So, it was always kind of my thing. There were certainly other people involved, and are still involved in different ways, but it’s kinda always been my project.
The name really made sense…I thought about changing it actually when I was moving into some more original material. Then I realized I spent six years of my life building this, so why would I change it? I feel like if people like the music though, the name isn’t going to change that.
With that said, Karl Kling plays in the band, he sings on the record, and tours with me as a DJ. Everyone is still involved in some ways.
TMN: Nice. At the end of the interview, we like to ask some random questions. If you could switch places with another Andre for one day, who would it be?
RAC: Andre the Giant.
TMN: In his prime though, obviously? (Laughing)
RAC: (Laughs) of course. Not now.
TMN: If you were headed to a deserted island, and could only bring one possession and one person, what would you choose?
RAC: I’d bring my wife and a helicopter so we could get back. That’s probably not a fair answer, haha. If I had to stay on the island, I’d bring an industrial 3D printing machine, with an unlimited supply of of plastic and a generator.
TMN: You’re on death row. What’s your last meal going to be?
RAC: Probably a bacon cheeseburger.
TMN: What’s your favorite doughnut at Voodoo doughnuts?
RAC: They have one with Captain Crunch on it. It’s really good.
TMN: If your music were an animal, what would it be?
RAC: Pry be a Koala, and I’ll just leave it at that.
