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You may be most familar with French DJ/producer Klingande by his hit track "Jubel," which has already amassed over 40 million plays on YouTube, reached #1 on Hype Machine, and most recently, is featured on the 'Ultra Deep House' compilation. Klingande, formally a duo and now represented by Cédric, just embarked on a sold out North American tour with stops in New York, Los Angeles, and Toronto among others.
We had a chance to catch up with Cédric during the tour to chat a bit about his experience visiting New York, how the American crowd has responded to his signature sound, some of his nonmusical influences that you may not know about, how he chooses to spend his free time, and what else he has in store in the coming months.
You played two shows in New York this weekend. Had you been to the city before? I had never been to New York before, except for once when I was a small child and I don’t have memories of it. The two shows in Glasslands Brooklyn and Le Bain were amazing - people from New York really rock! It was packed and crazy, and I didn’t expect it but they had the same reaction as in Europe. They loved the sax, and more the EWI which is not so appreciated in Europe. I loved it and can’t wait to come back.
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You’ve had a few gigs so far on your North American tour. What has your experience been like bringing your “instrumental melodic house” sound to the North American audience? Honestly, I didn’t know what to expect. I was not sure this music was really known and welcome. And finally, from the moment I pressed play in LA, to NYC, through Toronto, all the shows were really great. I had a feeling, an excitement as I was a young artist. It was a new vibe and experience for me after a year of touring in Europe every week. I felt that people really loved the show everywhere by the amazing feedback on Twitter and chatting after the show with fans, so I can’t wait to come back.
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Your track “Jubel” has gotten over 40 million plays on YouTube, reached #1 on Hype Machine, and is now being featured on the forthcoming ‘Ultra Deep House’ compilation. Did you ever expect it to get this big? Absolutely not! When I started it was more for fun with my friend. I put the track on SoundCloud to share it around in my hometown, and blogs picked up on it and shared it. It all started from there, and you know what happened. It was a surprise and it changed my life.
What are some of your nonmusical influences that have inspired your productions? Nonmusical influences are the movies I watch, the people around me, travels, landscapes, the sea... I love the sea and the beach, and I love to be close to there when I produce some music. That’s not really original but the most important for me is the moment I share with people I love. That’s what inspires me, and that’s why I make this kind of music.
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In a few recent interviews, you said that you would eventually love to release an album. Have you made any progress with this or are you focusing more on singles at the moment? I’m focusing on both. The next single will be the first step of the album. It’s difficult for me because I spent most of my time on the road, and I need to get back in studio to calm down and focus on music. I have a lot of projects I need to focus on. In September I stop touring for a few weeks after a really hard summer, and I’ll spend this time in studio.
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What are some things we can find you doing when you’re not producing or touring? Sleeping? No really, when I have a little time at home, I see my friends, I sleep, and I answer my emails and interviews.
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What else is on your horizon in the coming months? I’ll come back to the US, discover Asia, Australia, and South Africa, and will spend more time in studio and releasing new music.