Interview: Brodinski

“I think the French language is supposed to be sexy. This is a cliché, man” bemoans 22-year-old French dance sensation Louis Brodinski. With his jet black mop of hair, golden tan and a track selection that makes us want to loosen a few items of clothing and wriggle about (on the dancefloor), we remain unconvinced. Here in August to turn up the temperatures on Zouk KL, it isn’t just Lapsap, who have been singing his praises to JUICE, who are hot and heavy for him. His first single ‘Bad Runner’ was a runaway success garnering support from peers like Erol Alkan, A-Trak, Busy P, Switch, Laurent Garnier and the role call of artists he’s remixed for – Tiga, Bonde Do Role, Radioclit, Klaxons, Heart Revolutions, Ebony Bones, Buraka Som Sistema, Peaches… – read a lot like our dream guestlist. Cross merging the bounce of hip hop with the bluster of techno and the wanton enthusiasm of a cute puppy, JUICE had a word before nipping away for a cold shower….

You’re from Lille in France. Do they make good wine there?
Not in Lille. But my hometown, Riems, is the most famous city in the world for champagne.

Your first single ‘Bad Runner’ leaked on the net through music blogs. Do you credit blogs and Myspace for your fame?
Yeah. I think blogs are really big. MySpace helped me a lot too. Like, maybe in one month I can have one million views for my page and in 3 years … it’s amazing! Maybe it’s more for other artists like Kanye West or Justice. But for me as a DJ, it’s really big and people are interested in my music because of the internet. In France especially, radio is really mainstream.

Is there a particular website or blogsite you’d recommend to DJs trying to get their music out there?
I think a really good one is discobelle.net. If they like your music, they will post it and a lot of people will see you. For me it is the best blog on the net at the moment. All day they post like 10 tracks and I can listen to it. I trust the blog, so if they post something I will listen to it because I know it might be really cool.

What’s the weirdest musical style you’ve experimented with?
Dubstep. It’s not weird in Europe. In England for example, it’s big. In Glastonbury, like 50,000 people will go wild and crazy because they like this type of music now. But it’s hard to play. It’s the new thing and I’ll need a lot of time to understand everything in dubstep. But I think it’s going to be great!

Do you spend a lot of time in England?
I go there maybe 4 to 6 times a month. I play everywhere in England, because it’s not like France. France has a lot of cities but just 3 or 4 are cool for playing in. It’s that same with Belgium. But in England everywhere is cool.

Do you like England?
Yeah I like England. For playing it’s cool. The food is awful though.

What influences your music?
I listen to a lot of hip hop music. In France, it’s really underground and it’s not big like in America. I think as a producer, I have to have a lot of ideas and I can get ideas from this kind of stuff. And this I think applies to all other producers.

Who is your idol?
Pharell Williams made an impact on me. He’s really good and produces a lot of great stuff. But I listen to a lot of techno music too, like Evan Smarga from France and a couple of guys from Belgium called 2 Many DJs. They make a lot of good music everywhere they go, they’re party DJs.

Is the dance scene in France limited to just a few cities like Paris?
Yeah, it’s for few people only, not mainstream stuff. Everyone doesn’t love electronic music. Now it’s in fashion so people love it. But certain people still prefer to dance with cheesy music.

What do you think of Justice?
It’s noisy music but it’s really cool too. People love it and enjoy it. So it’s cool because they are big to the world.

You’ve collaborated and remixed for the likes of Tiga, Yuksek and Crookers. Who’s have you enjoyed working with the most?
Yuksek, it’s really cool to work with him. He’s my producer and he gives me a lot of ideas and tips. So we have a really good relationship because we’re good friends.

If you could have anything in the world but it must be black in colour, what would it be?
You know the Black Beach in Mexico? It turned black after the volcano erupted. Maybe one day I could have a black beach like that. It’s amazing!

You’re a DJ and a Frenchman. Does that make you doubly sexy?
Hahaha! I don’t think so. I think Italian men are more known for that. I think the French language is supposed to be sexy. This is a cliché man…

So, if you’re an Italian, able to speak French and a DJ, does that make you triple-sexy?
I know some people like that. And they are not sexy at all. Haha!

Brodinski showed us some French love on Friday 7 August 2009 at Zouk KL, checkout pictures at our gallery. His latest Bugged Out Presents Suck My Deck Mixed By Brodinski is out now at all respectable record stores. More Brodinski at www.myspace.com/brodinski, www.myspace.com/brodinskimusic and twitter.com/Brodinski.