Fedde Le Grand talks latest release, industry reflection and offers advice to bedroom producers

Enjoying artistic freedom afforded only to an elite few, Fedde Le Grand is a masterful pioneer of electronica, considered by countless fans and artists as one of the single most defining figures in House music. Whether as DJ or producer, Fedde’s influence can be felt throughout the electronic landscape. His creative beats, grooves, melodies and rhythms surround us all and have done so for many years.

Dubbed by many as the “Savior of House”, it soon became evident that the Dutchman was no one-trick pony with iconic hit-singles such as ‘The Creeps’, ‘Let Me Think About It’, ‘3 Minutes To Explain’, ‘Back ͚N Forth’, ‘Control Room’, ‘Metrum’, ‘So Much Love’ and ‘Sparks (Turn Off Your Mind)’.

Recently we caught up with Fedde Le Grand at Rapsody’s event in Belgrade, Serbia to talk about his latest release ‘Monster’, his Darklight Sessions series and how the industry has changed over the years.

What do you think of the vibe tonight? What are you expecting?

“I’m expecting a lot. It’s been almost 6 years since I was last here and I’ve had some true fans from here, so that’s why I’m expecting so much.”

Talk to us about your recent release ‘Monster‘! How long did it take to create?

“Every now and then, you kind of want to do experimental stuff, and since I started out I’ve really been into UK Garage. I wanted to do a 2.0 or 3.0 version of Garage music, so I just started fiddling around with samples and stuff and first made ‘Bump ‘N Shake’. Then I added the vocal in and made sure that the vocal fit on the track because I thought they’d compliment each other. It was partly by design and partly by chance.”

Tell us a bit about the funky music video for ‘Monster’.

“I was doing a big party in Holland called ‘Let’s Dance’, and the guys that were dancing in the video clip were the #1 dance group in Holland who range from about 14 to 26 years old. We wanted to do a simple, yet fun video clip, so we just got a room and shot some footage. An amazing artwork guy in my office then did all the little extra stuff and it just went together really well.”

Your Darklight Sessions series is coming up to 300 releases. Do you have any special plans to celebrate the occasion?

“No actually! It was just this week that I realised we were coming up to 300, so we still need to come up with something special! It could be a video of the Miami special because it’s coming up, that could work! We could even do what we do every New Year and create a hi-speed mix!”

You released a celebration mix of ‘Let Me Think About It’ last year with the original now turning 10 years old. How has the industry changed since then?

“It’s changed a lot, but in the past year and a half to two years or so, it’s almost back to when I started, especially since Hip-Hop has gotten a lot bigger, it drove House towards the underground again. But I don’t think that’s a bad thing to be honest, I think it’s good for the music and people are allowed to do everything, again, which I think is great.”

With such an abundance of music available out there, do you think it’d easier or harder to find good talent now?

“I think it’s harder because everyone feels the pressure to release regularly, making it harder to maintain the same quality. I find that some young producers might have one or two really good tracks and a few that aren’t as good, hence why I feel it’s so important to stay at the same level. I think there are a few guys doing well, D.O.D is doing really well and he’s the best example. He does release a lot but it’s all of the same quality.”

As one of the few who’s stayed true to yourself, while adjusting to the industry, what advice would you give to up-and-coming producers? 

“I think one thing you need to have is patience and that’s one of the most important things because there are producers who might have 1 or 2 successful tracks, but their next 15 will be more or less, the same thing with a few things slightly changed. That works very well, but you grow as fast as your sound grows. But the problem is, you become so associated with that sound, that the hype never fluctuates and when that sound goes down, you’ll go down with it. That’s why I think it’s so important to diversify things from the beginning and just be patient. If you make good music on a regular basis, you’ll make it.”

Do you think the Old School Funk/House scene is making a resurgence?

“I really hope so because I think we’ve had more than enough EDM and it’s starting to become a little predictable, but what I really like about now, anything goes. House is really underground again and I like that.”

What do you have coming up in the near future?

“I’ve got 2 pretty interesting tracks coming up and I’m working on my Grand show again this year. We’re just waiting to confirm a date. Those are the two biggest things really. I’m always busy and I’m always trying to keep moving forward.”

Check out Fedde Le Grand’s latest release, ‘Monster’ below!