| |
Music - bnext bnext community
| Join the bnext community and meet other members
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
David Guetta
| Guetta Blaster. That was the year that was. The year 2009 belonged to Frenchman David James Guetta. And for good reason: Guetta produced the Black Eyes Peas runaway smash I Gotta Feeling and leant a production hand on former Destiny’s Child singer Kelly Rowland’s similarly booming single When Loves Takes Over. Add his latest radio friendly collaboration with Akon, Sexy Bitch (also known as Sexy Chick), to the mix, and the Frenchman has achieved pop star prominence.
“I wasn’t expecting anything like this but it’s been a lot of fun. 2009 has been a very busy year for me. I can’t imagine 2010 can be any better as it’s actually been crazy and beyond my wildest dreams,” he says.
He states he’s not trying to be credible, more he views the underground scene as restrictive. “I can’t call myself an underground DJ when I appear on TV and on pop radio stations. What I can say is I still have a credible DJ profile. My records are being played by every DJ on the planet. However, I still play underground music to keep my underground fans happy,” he says.
That the Grammy-nominated French DJ has taken the road less travelled by teaming up with mega pop-stars is commendable. It’s a plop or paddle approach that could have ended in tears and frustration yet Guetta has achieved fame and notoriety, an approach which has become increasingly popular. But Guetta has a different take. “Other DJs don’t always get the opportunity to work with stars of the calibre of (Black Eyed Peas) will.i.am or Kelly Rowland. I had this amazing opportunity to work with them, so of course I took it. As things went well with will and Kelly word spread when suddenly I’d have artists calling, asking me to produce tracks on their albums.”
It’s positioned brand Guetta nicely for 2010. He admits his phone has been ringing hot with offers. “Seriously, I have so many artists calling to ask me to produce tracks it’s just crazy,” he says.
Obviously the success of I Gotta Feeling has helped place Guetta as the man of the moment. His production work on the Peas’ I Gotta Feeling facilitated its success as it rose to become the breakout hit of 2009. (At time of writing it’s the longest-running number one single on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart in 2009). Guetta admits he expected a modicum of success but not the sheer level of airplay the song has achieved.
“At the time will was embracing electronic music, particularly electronic music from Europe. He immersed himself in the culture and called me to say that he basically loved the sound. So I sent him a few tracks. Needless to say I went to Los Angeles and we worked together. When the track started coming together I just got a crazy feeling that it was going to be big,” he tells.
He reckons the success of I Gotta Feeling sits with the underlying positive message the track has. “When the song was released it was a difficult time for everybody given the financial crisis and other issues. It was an incredible experience to work with will and we also ended up recording Rock That Body for Peas’ album The E.N.D.”
The achievement of I Gotta Feeling became clear when the hit was heard on the Oprah Winfrey Show. A little bit surreal, perhaps?
He laughs, “There were around 25,000 people singing and dancing in unison and all I could think of was how crazy the whole experience was. I actually cried,” he says.
The Frenchman was approximately twelve or thirteen years young when he picked his career of choice. He was determined - it was music and DJing: case closed. “I always wanted to be a DJ,” he tells. “I practiced, practiced and practiced and made edits of other people’s records because I felt I could improve the sound by making it more dance friendly. Soon afterwards I started to make tracks of my own before I gradually started to remix other people’s music.”
He remembers his first DJ gig fondly. “I must have been about 15 or 16 at the time but I can hardly forget the gig as it was in my basement. I invited everybody from school and charged them $1 entrance,” he laughs.
In 2001 the Guetta bandwagon gained traction. He released the album Just a Little More Love and started to push his name around the electronic music neighbourhood. Then followed Guetta Blaster and Pop Life. But all albums had a common denominator: quirky, uplifting pop tinged with electro.
Guetta says the ever-changing diversity within electronic music is a good thing and the current multiplicity of sounds should be embraced, not ignored.
“Right now it’s very exciting, even in America where they have typically ignored dance music from a commercial viewpoint. Dance music is just as big as rock, hip hop and r ‘n’ b. Because will.i.am decided to seek out other sounds and musical cultures, he was able to take what he heard and use it. He even came to Ibiza and spent time with me in the DJ booth.”
Guetta’s recently released his forth artist album, One Love. The album includes from a variety of notable artists, including Kelly Rowland, Akon, and will.i.am. He describes the music on One Love as a hybrid of European electronica blended with American urban.
The urban flavour is seemingly getting stronger for Guetta as next year he’ll again team up with will.i.am for the American’s Interscope record label. This time Guetta will produce albums for Kelis, Akon and Kelly Rowland. He’s coy about his other projects.
“I’m going to be working with a few hip hop stars but nothing’s signed so I can’t tell you about it,” he says.
Although he forecasts 2010 as another busy year, Guetta has an understanding wife.
“I actually met my wife in a nightclub. You could say that love took over when we first met,” he laughs. “She’s my greatest supporter and partner. Every year we throw our F**k Me I’m Famous parties in Ibiza, which she organises. She deserves a lot of credit for my success.”
| Home
|
|
|
|
