Thursday, December 17, 2009

EXCLUSIVE: Interview with Heads We Dance PLUS Remixes!


If you read the blog regularly you'll know that I've been anxiously awaiting remixes for "Take My Picture"... and they couldn't come at a better time of year! Just as everything is freezing and awful looking they deliver remixes that make it feel like Summer again :)

Heads We Dance we kind enough to take a few minutes to do a little Q & A for us and give us 3 new remixes! So please read below to find out what their new single is about, what artist almost made Yoni take scissors to his neck, and HWD's tips on how to make it in the industry. Of course the aforementioned remixes are just below this awesome interview...

ISoA: What was the inspiration for "Take My Picture" (which by the way has one of the catchiest choruses you've ever written)?

It’s about the power relationship between celebrities and the press; it’s a two-way thing, which can work in a similar way to a romantic relationship. That’s the main theme of the song anyway; the inspiration for the general sound of the song was the fact that we were really longing to make an out-an-out pop track! I’m glad you picked up on the catchy chorus – we definitely went for that, and putting Becky centre stage also gives the track a real pop feel.

ISoA: It seems like most bands or artists have one... do you have a favourite song that you've written?

We always get really excited by the song that we’re currently working on. As a band it’s important you keep it exciting for yourself, and I guess you always want to be thinking the next thing you do will be the best thing you’ve ever done. Now is no exception! It’s a bit of a cop-out because nobody can hear this track yet, but we’ve nearly finished the follow up to 'Take My Picture' and we all absolutely love it… It’s called 'Guilty Heart' and I honestly think it's the best thing we’ve done.

ISoA: What have been your favourite albums this year?

Heads We Dance: I really like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs album; we all went to see them live a couple of weeks ago and it was just great too. ‘Heads Will Roll’ especially was just huge! The Fever Ray album was sonically fantastic; amazing soundscapes. Recently I’ve been listening to quite a bit of the new Boys Noize album (which seems to have been somewhat overlooked) and the Blakroc album as well.

ISoA: Is there any song you could go the rest of your lives without hearing?

Heads We Dance: Can I say the entire Jamiroquai back catalogue? I was having my haircut the other day and they put a Jamiroquai album on. I almost wrestled the scissors off them and stabbed myself in the neck to make it stop. I didn’t - I stayed in my seat and got my hair cut – but only because I’m polite! I would happily never hear any one of those songs again!

ISoA: Are there any artists, or bands, that you expect big things from this coming year?

Heads We Dance: Loads of the acts that inspired our Love Technology album like Justice, Chromeo and Digitalism have been out of the spotlight for a while so I'm looking forward to what they come up with next year. I'm also hoping that A-Trak will put an album together as I've loved almost all his remixes and original tracks. I also have to confess that I'm looking forward to some big blockbuster pop albums from Britney, Kylie et al!

ISoA: Obviously you've kept it together and big things have happened for you all. Has there ever been a moment where one or all of you said, "We may not be able to do this", where you considered packing it in?

Heads We Dance: Yeah I think it's fair to say we've all had our moments, especially when we're juggling music, jobs and relationships. We've had some amazing reactions to our tracks over the last 18 months but we still have to work really hard to keep things moving!

ISoA: So far what has been your biggest moment as a band?

Heads We Dance: I'm not sure really. Releasing 'The Human Touch' was a big moment as it felt like a turning point and the start of a much more positive time for us. Releasing 'Take My Picture' feels like a big moment too though because it has shown us we can surpass our indie band origins to make some proper pop!

ISoA: Are there anything embarrassing moments hiding in the bands past?

Heads We Dance: We like to keep moving as a band so we can be pretty dismissive of things we've done in the past - there is a demo version of 'Love In The Digital Age' floating about on the net which is pretty embarrassing. If we stand back from it all though we realise that we wouldn't be where we are now if it wasn't for past mistakes... don't listen to that demo though!

ISoA: Does anyone in the band have a hidden talent?

Heads We Dance: Becky is an awesome cook and likes to bake stuff to keep us going in the studio! I have also been told that I look like an albino Snoop Dogg though I'm not sure if that's a hidden talent...

ISoA: You guys are the ones who introduced me to Frankmusik; how did you come to work with Vince on the "Love In The Digital Age" remix?

Heads We Dance: We were put in touch with Vince via the guys at Puregroove Records. We had actually never heard of him (this was back in 2007) but loved his remix of 'Digital Age'. We supported him at The Cockpit in Leeds in November this year - one of the best and most fun gigs we've ever done.

ISoA: This is probably my most asked question: With the collapse of traditional music industry, what do you suggest to young bands trying to make it right now?

Heads We Dance: Be organised and be prepared to put in some hard work! I think it's also important to enjoy what you're doing while you're doing it - it's easy to get sucked into always looking forward to the next stage and getting hung up on that. Also, don't be shit and rely on a nice haircut - there's too much of that about!


I wanna thank them for taking the time to answer these questions and for giving us these wicked remixes! Make sure you pick up "Take My Picture/After Dark"!

Heads We Dance - Take My Picture (Digital Foxglove Remix)"

Heads We Dance - Take My Picture (Justin Faust Remix)"

Heads We Dance - Take My Picture (Coin Operated Boy Remix)"

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