Grammy nominated and a veteran in the industry; EDX joins us today for an interview. EDX is a very busy guy, being a top DJ and producer, he also founded and is now leading Sirup Music. Just a handful of EDX’s productions together have grossed over 200 million streams on Spotify! We chat about his latest single, 2019 highlights, his record label, what the future holds and more!
Hey Maurizio, welcome to CULTR and thanks for taking the time to chat to us.
Thanks guys, what’s up! Great to chat to you also.
Where in the world are you now?
I’ve actually been back in my home town of Zurich for a couple of days and currently I’m in the office (where we also have our studios) surrounded by my team — the machine that makes this whole thing possible! It’s a short visit though, as I’m off to Ibiza in a few minutes!
How has 2019 been for you so far? Any highlights that stand out in particular?
2019 has been another great year for me. Being nominated for a Grammy was a huge life achievement for me and spending the week in Los Angeles with my team back in February for the award ceremonies was something I’ll never forget. My recent summer club track ‘Ubuntu’ has been doing amazingly well and has been at #1 on the Beatport charts for over 40 days and touring wise, it’s been super busy. I’ve been playing some amazing club shows and festivals all over the world and I’ve been overwhelmed by the support from all of my fans. It’s been a great year!
Congratulations on the release of your brand new single ‘Stay’. Can you tell us a bit about the record and how it came about?
Thanks so much! Yes, of course – so ‘Stay’ is my brand new vocal single for summer 2019 and I’m super excited to share it with you guys. I did a lot of club records in 2018 so I really wanted to mix it up this year with some more top lines. It’s been getting some incredible reactions in my sets so far which I’m obviously really happy about. I think it’s got a lot of potential.
You’re previous single Ubuntu is still #1 in the Beatport charts! You must be thrilled?
I am! Ubuntu was actually a record that I started last summer. I originally wanted to release it last year but by the time I finished it, the summer was in full swing and I thought it would be better to wait until this year to give it the best possible opportunity. I think the melody is really strong and the steel drum sound works really well for those summer parties. I’m still getting a lot of love for the record from so many DJs around the world. It’s amazing.
We’re loving the music video for ‘Ubuntu’ here at CULTR. What was the inspiration behind that?
Ubuntu is a South African word meaning “a quality that includes the essential human virtues of compassion and humanity” so it was important that the video was shot in South Africa. I have a great team over at Spinnin Records who managed to do an amazing job with a very small budget and I’m super happy with the outcome!
You’ve also released a couple of other vocal singles this year. Can you tell us more about these?
Last year was all about club music for me as I didn’t release any EDX vocal records in 2018. I did some remixes of course but no original vocal singles so I really wanted to mix it up, starting this year with two great vocal singles. I did a record with Amba Shepherd called ‘Off The Grid’ which is still doing great and my kick-off record of 2019, ‘Who Cares’, is still getting amazing feedback. And of course my brand new single called ‘Stay’ which has just been released that I’m super excited about.
Considering some of your biggest tracks are remixes, what are some of the differences when producing remixes vs originals?
I guess the biggest difference is that with the remixes, you’re working with an idea that’s already on paper. It’s essentially a collaboration between two artists with their own unique styles. With originals and with club tracks especially, you’re starting with a blank canvas and you can go in any direction. I would say that original productions are a bit more personal for me, as you need to put more time and creativity into them.
You’re one of the busiest artists in the game and you constantly seem to be on the road, playing some of the biggest festivals and clubs all over the world. What have been some of the standout gigs for you this year?
I’ve played so many incredible parties this year and I’m so blessed to be able to travel the world and meet amazing people week in week out. I played an amazing gig in France last weekend and Tomorrowland is always a standout show for me each year. Also Sunrise Festival in Poland. To be honest I could go on and on!
Do you prefer playing club shows or festivals?
I love playing both and they’re so different that it’s hard to compare. I love the intimacy of club shows, and that’s where I started my career, but I also really enjoy the open-air summer time vibe of festivals. I really couldn’t pick between the two!
Talk to us about your label, Sirup Music…
Sirup Music is a journey that started over two decades ago. We work with a lot of artists and we release a lot of incredible music across a number of different imprints. We’ve been a springboard for a lot of now-hugely successful artists which is something I’m really proud of and we do everything out of our home in Switzerland. We have the knowledge, network and structure to be able to release music from any artist — whether they’re completely unknown or already established.
Any upcoming artists you’re loving that we should be keeping our eyes on?
There are so many, but if I had to choose — Passenger 10, Barkley and Troste are some amazing talents releasing on Sirup Music. Check them out!
How about the rest of the year. Any exciting new projects you can tell us about?
I just finished a remix for Loud Luxury, which I’m really excited to share with you guys, and my brand new vocal single ’Stay’ which has been getting amazing feedback so far. I’ll also be touring the world non-stop as usual!
Any final words for our CULTR readers?
I’d just like to thank you guys so much for your ongoing support. Great feedback from fans is one of the most rewarding things and it really does mean a lot to me, so thank you!!
EDX’s new release ‘Stay’ is out now.
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