Fresh off the release of his latest sonic masterpiece, ‘I Choose You’, CHANEY has once again proven why he’s a force to be reckoned with in the realm of dance music. With an impressive track record of chart-topping hits on labels like Toolroom, Defected, Insomniac, and Perfect Havoc, CHANEY has amassed over 40 million streams in just three years, and no wonder! CHANEY continues to drop smash after smash summer house anthem.
Today the talented UK artist joins us for our Around The World feature, detailing his travels ‘around the world’ below.
BARCELONA, SPAIN
My first time visiting Barcelona was around 6 years ago as part of a writing/recording trip – it was a brief few days and didn’t leave me much time out of the studio. But although I was on time constraints, I was already falling in love with the city’s vibe just from the short car ride from BCN to the hotel I was staying at in El Poblenou.Â
I do believe the company around you has a larger influence on how you perceive new places – but after seeing more people living here and going about normal life, it was clear the city just had a super chilled effect on everyone. For each studio break, I was sitting down on the street corners with an espresso, little beers and good food. I’m half-Italian and always loved that slow-pace of life especially when I’m away.Â
After feeling sad to leave the city early, I’d already planned the next trip over a few months after with my girlfriend this time – to really explore the city more. After both of us loving the time we spent there, I was lucky enough to go back many times with more studio sessions and my debut at W Barcelona.
LOS ANGELES, USA
The first visit to LA was last July for my debut in the city. It was a real ‘in-and-out’ job leaving just two nights before heading back – the second night being my debut at the Academy for Toolroom’s anniversary party. Fortunately, we managed to find a decent deal on flights plus two night stay at The Hollywood Roosevelt – which was pretty much the land of dreams and probably set the barrier extremely high for otherwise a quite rough round the edges part of town. Mooching about Hollywood Blvd, Downtown and some other areas was interesting (when you’ve already got a pre-conceived image from seeing it on the TV screen) – but even though it was edgy and eye-opening, I loved it.
I’d played an amazing debut party and generally left feeling like I couldn’t wait to go back a couple months later for more shows. My second trip left me slightly more time to experience more of the place and really enjoyed seeing different neighbourhoods as well as some of the popular tourist spots (Venice Beach, Santa Monica, Beverly Hills). I played great shows, ate some really good food and soaked it up.
LONDON, ENGLAND
In terms of cities that have had some kind of impact on me – I couldn’t leave out London. Ever since I started doing music (when I was just a young lad) I was always heading down to London for either a gig, studio session, or a meeting which left me feeling excited about the future. My earliest memories date back to when I was just 14/15 gigging around London’s iconic pub venues (in bands and as a solo artist), and starting to work with different writers in different studios – it was an exciting time which lead to me signing my first publishing deal just after my 16th birthday.Â
Being just an hour away from the centre (via train), I started to see London in a different light (being old enough to go out) – and it start feeling like the central hub for all of the different labels/industries I started working with as CHANEY. Fast forward 12/13 years, I’m still meeting new people, visiting new studios, and I still have that same feeling every time I’m on my way to London – if it’s the studio, a club, or even just a day with no plans (they’re sometimes the best).
Listen to CHANEY’s latest summer house release below!
