photography//dan almasy royale // june 2013 Royale Breaks down everything you need return of to know after 16 years of robot rock... Daft the robots

arisians and Guy- distinctive, accessible style while listeners were Manuel de Homem-Christo, who hooked by the seduction of retrospective in the punk famously decided on the name Daft plethora of references to 70s and 80s pop Punk following a critical review from throughout the . an overzealous reporter, first stepped But Homework was much more than just a onP the electro scene in 1995, with the astonishingly -fest of audio pleasure. ’s debut addictive record ‘’ becoming the French album reignited a genre of modern duo’s first track to flourish on a commercial scale. that had become too comfortable, too repetitive, It was immediately obvious that the youthful and had ultimately become stale, while the duo were something special - the innovation album’s influence paved the way for a host of and flawless synthesis of multiple musical styles other electronic dance artists to find their way in their debut track was testament to that, and it into mainstream music. didn’t hurt that it was also funky as hell. A vigorous battle between record labels for the musical maestro’s signatures ensued (with Virgin -Discovery- records eventually proving victorious). An army of fans began to emerge, tapping their feet in unison A long four years passed until the meticulous and as they enjoyed the birth of a new era in electronic stellar sequel to Homework was released with much from the earphones of their portable expectation. 2001s Discovery marked a poppier, more CD players, and people began frantically scouring glamorous return for the Frenchmen. Filled with an eBay for replica helmets and leather onesies (in a infectious array of tracks, Daft Punk’s 80s pop influences phenomenon that is, incidentally, just as prominent >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> today). Daft Punk were emerging. -homework-

There was little time to bask in their hard-earned glory, however. The duo immediately began work on their debut album, Homework, which eventually dropped in 1997 to a rapturous audience. The album provided a true test of the bass capability of many a sound system. Listeners couldn’t help but indulge themselves in cranking up the volume to maximum - the result of which would often be a routine circuit of the house, carefully straightening all the pictures on walls that had become askew. Less-is-more was the name of the game here. Tracks such as the insanely-catchy Around the World (which was arguably one of the singles of the decade) and Rollin’ & Scratchin’ showcased Daft Punk’s

royale // june 2013 // 4 5 // june 2013 // royale were once again clear for all to hear in tracks such as wonder of the world stands at 40 ft. tall and beams infamous opener One More Time and the squealing a kaleidoscope of colour that shifts majestically in electric guitars of Aerodynamic. tandem with the music. It is a colossus, and provided Daft Punk had not rested on their laurels, and had a much needed boost to an album that wasn’t And what a group of people. In developing their continued to show their willingness to bravely push the actually particularly good. In ex-Daft Punk manager newest album Random Access Memories Bangalter envelope of as they had done so ’s own words “The live show changed and de Homem-Christo sought to recruit a nine- when they redefined the genre four years earlier. While everything”. And it did. Those lucky enough to be piece dream team of talented artists and producers Discovery was just as refined, polished and intense as there were left in some ethereal state, as if they had to collaborate with, including 70s disco legend Nile anything else they had crafted, Daft Punk had managed witnessed the second coming or The Empire Strikes Rodgers (otherwise known as the man responsible to create something sublimely different in their second Back for the first time. The Pyramid added a different, for 1978s Le Freak and 1979s Good Times as well as all- album. magnificent dimension to Daft Punk’s set and their live round nice guy), Strokes front man Julian Casablancas, shows had become unparalleled in their brilliance. ex- N.E.R.D singer and producer Pharrell Williams, and disco pioneer . Anticipation grew further following the release of -Tron- a series of clips - ‘The Collaborators’. While the four interviews with some of Random Access Memories’ The release of Human After All showed the world for the That’s not to say Daft Punk had become all about the collaborators (including Nile Rodgers and Pharrell first time that the duo were not machines, but indeed live experience. Bangalter and de Homem-Christo’s Williams) kept everything hush-hush, courageous very human. Built largely with a drum machine and two work on the soundtrack for the visually beautiful 2010 statements such as “Daft Punk are not bound by time guitars, the aptly-named 2005 album hit earth with an remake of Tron showed that there was still much and space” and “The robots’ music has the power almighty thud. It was a poorly-executed masquerade more to be offered by the robotic duo than enough to separate itself from all else that exists” (Pharrell of Daft Punk of previous years, and even the expectant LED’s to power a spaceship and enough speakers to Williams) ensured the clips only amplified the promise listeners who thought they’d hit the jackpot when cause a minor earthquake. Tron offered a completely of the duo’s newest album. the album leaked early felt cheated by their illegal different challenge, which demanded that the robots And so here we are, still waiting with bated download . put the synthesizer and drum machine to one side breath for the release of Random Access Memories. No one could quite believe what they were listening and instead instruct a 85-piece orchestra. The result It cannot be known for certain whether it will be the to - the album was devoid of ideas, repetitive, and was pure bliss. Organic and synthetic sounds are shining return to form for the Frenchmen following the massively lacking in originality. Even more irksome for intertwined seamlessly to create a hybrid of bio- disappointment that was Human After All. Still, if 16 fans was that, after having four years to develop Human digital brilliance where it is often difficult to tell where years of Daft Punk has taught us anything it’s that these After All, Daft Punk’s decision to mix and produce the one ends and the other begins. It is atmospheric, guys know how drop Da Funk, all Around the World. entire album in six weeks. It was perhaps unsurprising complex, and exceptionally majestic - everything Yeah, I’ll see myself out. then that the end product sounded hideously rushed. Human After All wasn’t and everything a film Even so, it seemed everything was forgiven following soundtrack should be. Daft Punk had drowned their their 2006 Coachella set, where the duo rolled out the 85-piece orchestra in delicious electro. Daft Punk had infamous Pyramid once again to remind people what evolved. Royale’s ultimate they are capable of. The duo had no intention of reverting back to the An architectural feat, Daft Punk’s LED-encrusted 8th old ways either, where a sample would be plucked daft punk playlist - from an obscure 70s track and revamped with the aid of synthesizers and drum machines to create 1. Harder, Better, 9. Digital Love. photography // andreas h. something that, while often exemplary, was still not Faster, Stronger. 10. Get Lucky. quite totally they’re own. If working on Tron had 2. . 11. Face to Face. “The live show taught them anything it was that live instruments 3. . 12. Something About Us. are vastly superior - the robots told 4. Da Funk. 13. Veridis Quo. changed everthing.” that with future releases they “wanted to do what 5. One More Time. 14. . we used to do with machines and samples, but with 6. Around the World. 15. Make Love. people.” 7. Robot Rock. 16.Superheroes. 8. Aerodynamic. 17. Crescendolls.

royale // june 2013 // 6 7 // june 2013 // royale A Royale Exclusive

oyale speaks to Adam of Eton Messy - the You recently held an ‘Eton Messy Presents’ event. How collective responsible for breathing life back did it go? Can we expect more shows? into British electronic and house music. With a 75,000 strong (and growing) YouTube It went amazingly well, thanks. The place was vibing and following and a view-count of almost 11million, the music was on point. Perfect evening. We are currently working on a series of events across Eton Messy’s channel has swiftly become a colossus, R the UK for later on this year. That’s about all I can say regularly showcasing the latest forward thinking about this at the moment but expect to see Eton Messy and artists inspired by Garage, presents all across the UK at some point later this year. House and Bass. Now more than a YouTube channel, Eton Messy has gained support from electronic and house heavyweights Disclosure and Bondax, among “there is nothing better numerous others. Eton Messy have sought to build an empire, with the collective now an established record than being sent something label and DJ collective that continue to hold packed- out shows all over the country. really special to promote.” Who and what exactly is Eton Messy, and what roles do each of you play in the collective? Given the popularity you have gained, is there a hope that shows in the future will eventually be on a much Eton Messy is a music channel, and DJ larger scale? collective. We also host our own events called ‘Eton Messy presents..’ which have been really well received so far. Everything is growing at such a rate for us that we really It consists of 4 of us. I run the channel and DJ at events, are hopeful that it will continue in this vain. We would Charlie DJs and manages events, Ed helps with events love to do big shows most definitely but we want to and handles merchandise, then Ross is in charge of make sure we don’t lose the personal touches that you management and events. We all chip in where we can as get at a smaller event. well though. How often are you approached by artists looking for you How did Eton Messy come about? to promote their music?

Well I really came about setting up the channel in a really We get artists approach us daily nowadays which is random and unplanned way. I wanted a place online to fantastic. It does make it hard for me to hear everything stream my music from and put into playlists, but when I >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> realised a lot of the music I was into wasn’t on YouTube I decided to start uploading them myself, and it just blew up from there.

Have you been surprised by the massive amount of popularity you guys have managed to accumulate in such a short space of time?

We’re very shocked that it’s our channel that has done so well but not greatly surprised at the fantastic response to the music. If anything its only just getting the attention it truly deserves. Seeing some of the artists we have supported from the very beginning then going on to do US tours is pretty incredible. royale // june 2013 // 8 9 // june 2013 // royale and sadly a lot of stuff does get overlooked but that Do you have a preference of music promotion over is down purely to the sheer scale of submissions we production? receive. So if you’re a producer out there who has been sending us music to [email protected] That’s a hard one because they are two totally different but had no luck getting an upload then please don’t stop ball games. Production is fun because of the creative sending - we will get to you eventually! aspect and the pride you take in making something others enjoy, but on the other hand there is nothing Are you ever contacted by record labels looking to scout better than being sent something really special to artists you feature? promote. I get really excited sometimes when a track I really love comes through. Whether you’re a keen I am contacted regularly by record labels who are producer or an avid music fan, we all get the same buzz looking to get material uploaded on the channel but not off music we love. so much by ones who are scouting. Purely because they would contact the artists they are interested in off the Are there any future plans you can talk about? channel first. I have been told by a few people though that they have secured releases on decent labels from We are really excited about launching our free being heard on EM. download series pretty soon. There will be a free exclusive D/L via the Eton Messy Music Soundcloud on In terms of your own productions, where do you hope to a regular basis - around every three weeks. The EMDL be in the future? series will showcase the best of new and exciting talent, so we can’t wait to share some of the treats we have in Eton Messy will always be a promoter & label and never store for this. a production collective. Just because we don’t want to confuse matters. We want people to know what Who are your favourite artists? they are getting from the channel and really want to help promote others music as opposed to just our own. Currently listening to a lot of Bondax, Real Connoisseur, However I do have a side project that I do produce Karma Kid, Pale & Henry Krinkle at the moment. But a under called Blonde, which I do with Jake from Thieves. favourite is too hard to pick. We have some exciting releases in the pipeline!

live at shepherds bush empire // out now on itunes photography // eton messy

royale // june 2013 // 10 producing our own stuff leads us to better qualities. Has being featured on Goldroom’s ‘Autonno’ mix been a At the moment, though, we’re working more on remix boost to your careers? projects than original productions. That’s not necessarily because we prefer it - that’s just the way things are George - It was really big deal for us. Having Goldroom going right now. feature our track in his ‘Autonno’ mix attracted a bunch of new listeners, it was a massive step forward and we Any tips for people wanting to learn to mix? hope to build on it. We’re also a big fan of his music, so it meant a lot to be featured in one of his mixes. Both - The best tip we always suggest is working hard on Georgian wunderkinds rotkraft on the influence of yourself - everything is inside us. Producing music is like What are your biggest musical influences? being a writer - at first you might not be able to find the right words to get your message across but with time soundcloud, French sounding music, and giselle rosselli. Lasha - Mostly we’re influenced by old funk/disco artists and practice everything eventually comes to you. With otkraft are fast becoming a household There is no doubt that the duo have had a and modern artists who reflect that style. So artists experience and hard work on yourself you’ll get there - name - and not just because their monumentally successful year thus far. Even so, Rotkraft like , Todd Terje, and Fred Falke. We’re mostly nobody’s going to tell your story better than you. name sounds distinctly like Kraftwerk. have have no intention of slowing down just yet. Fresh influenced by French sounding musicians - they’re style always seems to be a bit different. What can we expect from you in the future? Since releasing ‘To Love You’ last year, from the release of their debut EP, Rotkraft wax lyrical youngsters Lasha Margiani and George with us about their meteoric rise to the fore of electronic music, what the future holds, and the ‘angelic’ Giselle Both - At the moment we’re doing remixes for a lot Japaridze of Rotkraft have continued to defy the “It would be great to R Rosselli. of different artists. We’re right in the middle of putting rules, releasing remixes for some of the world’s most remixes for Aimes, The Reflex, Coma, and respected artists as well as their own tracks at the When did you guys start producing and what inspired collaborate with giselle others. It’s been great so far, they’re all really good guys. sickeningly tender ages of 21 and 19 respectively. your decision? We’re also about to release our remix of Stimmhalt’s rosselli.” ‘Again’ which will be a vinyl release on 6th May with Born and raised in Tbilisi, the duo build beats heavily Lasha - I started making music about 5 years ago when I Exotic Refreshment. influenced by which lurk somewhere accidentally downloaded toy software eJay 4 - I Your favourite artist/producer and why? between Nu Disco, bouncy House and ambient poolside think that’s what it was called. I didn’t actually mean to In terms of original material we’re also working on two bliss. If their soundcloud page is a sign of things to come download it, but then when I started using it I realised it Lasha - There are several artists I could talk about but of our own EP’s for two different labels that we’re very the Georgians surely have a big future - their debut track was great as something to play with when I had some I guess if I had to choose it would be Fred Falke. I’ve excited about. Those will be announced very soon. ‘To Love You’ and their remix of Goldroom’s ‘Fifteen’ spare time. After a while I started to get good at it so I always liked his sound and it’s what I’ve always wanted received an obscene amount of reloads from their upgraded to Fruity Loops Studio and started to learn to produce. His style of music is what I eventually want 1000s of followers which boasts Italian producer Rodion, how to produce properly. to replicate, I just have to get good enough! Every part hear these tracks // extraordinaire FS Green and Goldroom of his tracks and remixes are just amazingly engineered, -to love you -Mumbai himself. It seemed the Los Angeles based tropical-disco Later on I met George. At first, he was much more into but my favourite part of his productions are always the genius couldn’t help but be impressed by DJing but he eventually came around to the idea of baselines he uses. -fifteen (Rotkraft rmx) -you’re the one for me the Georgian duo, after Goldroom included producing. We started working together and the rest is -make believe (rotkraft -again (rotkraft rmx) Rotkraft’s simplistic yet awesome ‘To Love history. George- One of my many favourite artists is Lindstrøm. You’ in his critically acclaimed ‘Autonno’ mix He has his own specific, unique sound of production, rmx) last year. At first our productions didn’t sound too great, which is to which I love. The progressive arpeggios in his tracks are be expected I guess, but we worked hard and eventually just outstanding, and I really get inspired when I listen to managed to achieve the quality we’re at today. his stuff.

How important do you feel websites like soundcloud Is there anyone in particular you would like to work with have been in terms of gaining exposure? in the future?

Lasha - Websites like Soundcloud and Mixcloud do a lot Both - It would be great to collaborate with Gissele of work for independent and young artists who want Rosselli. Just hearing her name always makes us want to

to get noticed. Without them, it would have been much listen her beautiful, angelic vocals. She really is that good. photography //rotkraft harder for us to achieve the success we have so far. So If you don’t believe me you should check out ‘Crave You’ yeah, they’re massively helpful and we’re very thankful by Flight Facilities - her vocals are incredible on that that they’re around. track.

Which do you prefer - remixing or producing your own stuff?

Both - Actually we really enjoy both and can’t say that we like more than another. Remixing is a new experience working with new artists which can teach us a lot and

royale // june 2013 // 12 13 // june 2013 // royale kastleKastle’s much anticipated self-titled album is as impressive as it is diverse. Hip-hop and R&B lover Barrett Richards’ what we’re debut album is dubby, bassy, complex, and sexy, with beats, arrangement and vocals all top-drawer. The track listing boasts immense taste and individuality, as the album ambles along with a cool factor that would make Ryan Gosling look like James Blunt. ‘Kastle’ is brilliantly engineered - the album is an evolution of interesting drum patterns, atmospheric synths and pitch shifts. This album will make you sway, we guarantee it. listening to... // Kastle is available to buy from iTunes bondax Teenage producer duo George Townsend and Adam SauxAmsterdam-based producer, DJ, and blogger Saux has Kaye achieved success almost overnight after putting steadily grown in popularity over the last couple of years. together a series of promising tracks (‘Just Us/ You’) late last His third EP - Bring Me Home - is four alluring tracks of lush year. The pair are known for their unusual sound, building soul, soothing vocals and minimalist electronic. Saux’s evocative beats that loiter somewhere between ambient newest release is much more mellowed than previous urban dreamscapes, house and garage. There isn’t a name outings, and it seems there has been an attempt to create for what they’re producing, all we know is that it’s pure a happier medium between synthetic and organic sounds. electronic ear candy. Bondax’s newest release - Gold - is It may not be to everyone’s liking, but we’re digging Saux’s no different. Inherently summer, we imagine this track will new sound. be responsible for swathes of hasty disrobing and ice lolly // Bring Me Home is available to download from wielding in a couple of months time. soundcloud // Gold is available to buy from iTunes yyjmyy amine edge YYJMYY’s glorious remix of Daft Punk’s ‘Get Lucky’ has put the Polish producer and DJ firmly on our radar. His was Marseille& born dance duo Amine Edge & DANCE’s own genre the standout of a stratospherically plethoric number of remixes of Daft Punk’s much lauded return single, replacing creation has become one of the most exciting sounds Pharell’s vocals with that of Indeep’s 80s classic ‘Last Night since the recent explosion of earlier this year. a DJ Saved My Life’ and adding an incredibly funky guitar The Frenchmen’s G-House genre was born after the duo’s riff to create something that barely resembles the original. love for hip-hop and house collided, resulting in the Biggie The remix is currently blowing up on soundcloud and we Smalls-sampled beauty ‘Going to Heaven with the Goodie expect to hear more from this talented producer in the Goodie’s’. Released earlier this year, this track may just future. have scratched the surface of a whole new genre that you //Get Lucky (Saved My Life (YYJMYY Edit) is available to would be crazy to ignore. download from soundcloud // Going to Heaven... is available to download from iTunes royale // june 2013 // 14 15 // june 2013 // royale