The Magician has firmly established himself as one of modern house music’s most celebrated names over the past decade. With a recent remix of the classic Savage track “Only You’ coming out on Italian label DWA, we spoke with him to discuss how he approaches remixes differently to original tracks, and what else he has coming up the rest of the year…
Hey The Magician, lovely to chat with you! How are you right now? Summer is here – does that change your mindset with what you play, how you play, given the warmer vibes and brighter energies?
Hi, I’m in Belgium right now and summer is finally here. The weather doesn’t affect what I play. Usually what affects what I play is more a set time or the dj before/after. It depends also if I’m the headliner or not.
You have always had huge success with remixing – why do you enjoy it so much?
I like to remix old songs especially because they are rich in melodies and chords. You can do a lot with only one song. Sometimes I get 3 completely different ideas.
What made you want to rework Savage’s classic track “Only You”?
It’s a classic, I have the vinyl and when I got the proposal, I couldn’t resist 🙂
What are the rules with a remix like this – do you have to change it entirely to make it your own, or respect the original and only do a little to it?
For this only, I sped up a little the tempo, changed the drums, the bass, the arrangement/structure. I kept the full vocal because I wanted to do a V2 of the original with a retro/futur touch and not just a club track.
How different is your mindset when producing your own originals?
When I produce originals, I usually start from scratch without a vocal. I never sample old tracks so it’s pure composition. I listen to a lot of old 70s and 80s pop/disco/indie/new wave and I get inspired.
Tell us about Potion Records – whats the sound, the vibe, the joy of having your own label?
Potion is a pretty free mindset label. I haven’t released a lot of stuff for a year or two but I intend to be more active after the album. It’s like a little to re-launch the label after 2 quiet years.
How do you judge success?
When I get played by many djs and radios or when I get asked to do a photo in an airport or in the streets of New York. I don’t make music for success though. It’s a passion for a long time and I’m grateful to be able to live with it.
You have had much chart success over the years but is that a good measure for you personally?
Not really, well, it depends which charts. Spotify numbers for example are not the right platform to measure success. Nowadays you need to show your face to have success which I’m very shy at.
What one change would make your life as a dj and producer better or easier?
Teleportation for DJING and a new studio in my new home for producing.
What else are you working on?
My first album is finished and gonna be released on Nov 8th.
A single with Purple Disco Machine (not on my album)
Another single with Mind Enterprise.
Savage “Only You” Remixed by The Magician is out now on DWA
grab it here
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