EMME & Erotic Cafe Heat Up The Dojo With New Single “Fiyah” [TMN Interview]

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Today we’re turning the dojo into a sauna thanks to some extra heat from EMME and Erotic Cafe. Their latest collaboration on the moombahton single “Fiyah” is setting the dance music world ablaze. Released on Rude Mood Records, this single is ushering the warm weather and festival season in style.

With the single comes both acts who joined us in the dojo for a quick Q&A to talk about their single, how Rude Mood got involved and what their favorite moombahton tracks are. Finally, you’ll get into what they’ve got set for the upcoming seasons. Get ready to dance and sweat, the “Fiyah” is here.

TMN: How did you guys end up coming together for “Fiyah”?

Em: It was a while after we put out “Bad Mind,” and we were kind of shocked at the impact that track had and how well it was received; so that inspired us to want to create a follow up.

Marco: Nothing much to add on what Emlyn already said, we just wanted to make a follow up to “Bad Mind” with more moombah vibes in it, and we made it.

TMN: From it’s start to finish, how did you guys dial in the track for the final product?

Em: The main theme, vibe and sounds behind this one were actually all Marco’s concept – he sent me this whacky idea with moombah beats and what I like to call retro-inspired lead sound. They almost gave me a throwback to Nintendo days. It all came about very quickly, more so than usual, with a few ideas being thrown back and forth until the final product was landed.

Marco: I wanted to make a moombah track using only chopped vocals in the drop so I started looking for good samples to use and, after I found some and processed them quite a lot, I couldn’t stop laughing because at the beginning it was sounding too much like a chicken’s cluck, so I really enjoyed working on it.

TMN: The good people over at Rude Mood signed this one, how did they end up getting on board?

TMN: Where do you guys think Moombahton is at right now and where is it headed?

Em: I think it’s in a really good place right now, especially in the US. With high profile guys like Diplo and Dillon pushing similar sounds it definitely has the potential to keep growing. In Australia it’s a very different story and I’m really trying to push the sound here more because I think it has a lot of potential. With such massive use of African, Caribbean and Latin inspired rhythms and sounds in so many popular songs, moombahton has a bright future.

Marco: I think Moombahton in general is quite underestimated right now, maybe because most of the artists still need to understand the power of the classic moombah drum pattern, maybe because it still needs to grow as a genre, maybe because most of the tracks out there are very similar each other; when music producers will start making moombah implementing elements from other kind of bass music (for example, dubstep or uk basses, why not?) this genre will go into an upper level. I think the key is mixing what we already have to create something new.
That’s not the case of “Fiyah,” this time we wanted to make a classic Moombahton song.

TMN: Each of you give us your Top 5 Moombah songs…

Em: 1. J Balvin & Willy William – Mi Gente (Dillon Francis remix)
2. Major Lazer – Particula (ft. DJ Maphorisa, Nasty C, Ice Prince, Patoranking & Jidenna)
3. Bad Royale & Party Favor – BURY (ft. Richie Loop)
4. Party Favor & Dillon Francis – Shut It Down
5. Dillon Francis & Fuego – We The Funk
Bonus: Rickyxsan – This Feeling (ft. Kalibwoy)

Marco:
Herobust – Vertebreaker (Matias Flip)
JSTJR – Fried
Henry Fong & Bad Royale – Rock Ya Hips
Ed Sheeran – Shape Of You (Major Lazer Remix)
Metaljackets & Cannibal – Gata

TMN: Lastly, what else can we expect from each of you, together or individually, this Summer and Fall?