Calvin Harris opens up about falling out of love with festivals and EDM

Having just released his first track of 2018, ‘Nuh Ready Nuh Ready‘, Calvin Harris is well and truly back, kicking off the year in epic style. With the track having hit almost 2 million streams on Spotify already, it is clear that his audience are in favour of his shift in style. 2018 seems to be the year of change for the Scottish DJ/producer, as he continues to revitalize his identity through sound and branding. Recently, he sat down with Zane Lowe for a Beats 1 interview which saw him open up about his opinions on festivals, money and his latest collaboration.

Speaking about his preference for performing in Vegas, Calvin Harris said:

“All that stuff got a little bit too impersonal. Standing up there and it’s the fireworks and all that stuff, but you’ve got no connection with anyone. And that’s why I actually love playing Vegas at the moment because I get to see people’s faces and get to see people enjoy their night. Those big festival shows which I wasn’t getting into personally other than a bit of money and money is, you know, the root of all evil.”

Referring to his collaboration with PartyNextDoor ‘Nuh Ready Nuh Ready’, Harris said:

 “I want to spend more time in studio and it’s been that way for a couple of years. I haven’t done any meaningful festivals for years. Almost did one but I didn’t announce it because that’s the sort of guy I am. And also because I really might want to go back. I thought he was a genius for a few years. The thing is, I feel now more than ever, if you don’t come out acting like a genius then you don’t get called a genius. And because he’s to the outside a very reserved and very like just off limits, you don’t know what he is; you don’t know what he’s like.”

In a separate interview with Annie Mac, Calvin Harris further explained his decision to change his style so drastically. He previously changed his sound when he released his ‘Funk Wave Bounces Vol.1‘ album, after feeling dissatisfied with commercial dance music, saying that he had “never felt so unexcited by what I was putting out in my life” in December 2016, after releasing ‘My Way‘.

 “I basically took a year off dance music when I did all the Funk stuff. I thought I didn’t like it anymore…I was like wait, wait, wait. So actually some of the best producers in the world are EDM producers, even though they got shit on by everybody, the critics and cool music lovers. I’m sorry, but some of the best producers in the world are EDM and some of the best producers are Dutch.”

Listen to ‘Nuh Ready Nuh Ready’ below.

H/T: DJ Mag