Get Get Down: An Interview with Laidback Luke

June 25, 2008 2:25 PM
by Marcos Colón [email]

[Article written by Michael Maryanoff]

Unless you’ve been clubbing under a rock for the past few years, you’ve doubtlessly heard Laidback Luke’s monster track Be (or at the very least one of the countless remixes it has produced). Be is far from his only hit, and even though he’s been touring extensively he still sets aside enough studio time to produce tracks that have been rocking the world’s dancefloors.

He’s been very busy over the past few years, collaborating with such big names as Steve Angello, Sebastian Ingrosso, Bob Sinclar, and Axwell. Laidback Luke has been a well-known name for around a decade, but his recent Essential Mix and seemingly infinite stream of hits makes it appear as though he’s just warming up.

CoolJunkie recently caught up with Laidback Luke to discuss his upcoming event this Saturday at Mansion, why Holland is a factory for world-class DJs and why it’s not a good idea to go out drinking after making a great track.

CoolJunkie: What have you been up to lately?

Laidback Luke: I’ve been doing tons of remixes, I have a whole lot of stuff coming up. I’m working on doing a remix for Bob Sinclar at the moment, and I’m also remixing Steve Angello’s new track Gypsy.

CJ: Tell me about the Stealth party. You’ll be in Miami this weekend for it.

LL: I’m really looking forward to it because we are doing it at Mansion. I’ve only been there as a visitor during the Winter Music Conference, and I’m really looking forward to playing there outside of the conference. I think it’s going to be crazy.

CJ: How would you rate the reaction to Be versus other tracks you’ve produced?

LL: I think Be is the biggest one I’ve done so far. Especially when the Robin S. mashup came along, which took the track to a different level. The funny thing is that Steve Angello and I made Be and Get Get Down on the same day in Axwell’s studio. It’s a funny story because the four of us, Axwell, Sebastian Ingrosso, Angello and me had just finished Get Get Down, and Ingrosso was so happy with it that he went out to party in order to celebrate, but Steve and I decided to stay in the studio because we were on a good vibe. About 4 hours later we finished Be and Sebastian came back quite tipsy. When he heard Be he almost shot himself for not being a part of it.

CJ: How do you consistently produce so many hits?

LL: It’s a standard I set for myself. I really want to do tracks that don’t sound alike. Before meeting Steve Angello and Axwell I used to do tracks in two to three weeks, but I saw the Swedes working and saw their methods and it made me realize I could produce much faster than I used to. After that I could hammer out a track a day. Right now I’m on four hours per track. The DJing end also keeps me going. I really want to finish bootlegs and remixes just before the weekend so I can play them out.

CJ: What, outside of dance music, has influenced your music the most?

LL: I’ve been a fan of Timbaland from day one, but I used to listen to a lot of 80s classics like The Police and The Cure and stuff like that, but the last couple of years it’s only been dance music. I’ve been studying classical piano for 11 years, so there are also some classical influences going on there.

CJ: How has your experience as a hip-hop DJ played a role in your house DJing?

LL: I’m really a house DJ that learned to scratch. After about two years of spinning house, it got boring. I got more and more into scratching and then I saw myself turning into a turntableism groupie. Turntableism makes me a better house DJ because before I got into scratching I was kind of scared to touch the turntables and manipulate tracks, but now the live aspect comes naturally. I can incorporate my knowledge as a producer in order to create live mashups, live bootlegs, and manipulate tracks like I would in the studio.

CJ: Has hip-hop played a role in your house music production?

LL: Totally. I was into hip-hop before I was into house. The track that turned me over to house music was Technotronic’s Pump Up The Jam which I think incorporates the hip-hop feel with the house feel really well. The thing I miss about hip-hop right now is that it’s no longer an energetic music like house is. Back in the day I used to be jumping when I listened to hip-hop, it had really good party vibe. I’m still trying to incorporate that raw, energetic, and tough edge in to house music.

CJ: Holland is a small country, but it is responsible for loads of world class DJs. Why do you think that is?

LL: I think that it’s the Dutch mentality. We have a really picky crowd over here, and nothing comes naturally. You have to work and push hard. I’ve been known here as a professional DJ for like 10 years, and my name is doing really well, but if I were to play a bad gig tomorrow, I think lots and lots of people would slaughter me for that. I think it keeps you on the edge. The crowd is quite spoiled and they want you to work for it.

CJ: Do you have any hobbies outside of DJing?

LL: I came from skateboarding, I’m a skateboard kid and I still try to do a couple of tricks whenever I can. I’m also into martial arts, I’ve been doing that for six years now.

CJ: How does Miami compare to other cities you’ve played?

LL: Miami during Winter Music Conference is kind of like Ibiza outside of Europe, so I always have a really good party experience in Miami. I can’t really tell you any more because I haven’t been there outside of conference. It’s really cool and interesting. There are a lot of people that like to party, hang out, and hear good music.

Click here to hear more from Laidback Luke.