>>Hi I'm Chris from Music Radar and we're here with Chuckie backstage at the Magnetic
Festival in Prague. So Chuckie, first time playing in Prague? First time in Magnetic
Festival? How often do you come here? >>To be honest, when I woke up this morning
I thought it was my first time in Prague and I'm like "hold on no!" exactly 1 year ago
I played here as well, it was with Avicii and it was so much fun. So its not my first time. I've
had so much fun, I'm so glad to be back here and obviously the vibe is amazing, people
are screaming so I think its going to be a lot of fun for me tonight.
>>And whats your vibe in the dj booth now? What are you playing? Have you changed the
way you play? I havent seen you play for 3 years and it was still that kind of electro-y
sound >>My kind of vibe from the dj booth... I've
kinda of evolved from back then because the records and the sound change but I still put
in the same energy, I still have a little- I would say I have a little hip hop angle
in my sets, although its electro music but the vibe is a little hip hop- but high energy
you know? >>Like hype
>>Yeah, I like to bang out the tunes and keep it interesting and tell a story with short
fragments of records. >>Which records are doing it for you? What
are you looking forward to playing tonight? Have you got any new stuff?
>>Yeah, my new single called 'down to this' with two guys from Canada called Dzeko and
Torres. That record has been going off for me the last couple of months. Definitely looking
forward to playing some of the new Knife Party EP, I love those guys.
>>Everybody's been talking about this. >>Yeah so I'm really hyped to play some of
those records and I made some special xxx for tonight, especially for Magnetic Festival
so I'm really looking forward to this set. >>And do you edit on the road, can you work
on the road? >>Yeah.
>>You can? >>I'm so much on the road that I learned how
to work on the road. So nowadays the whole set up is based on being on the road so I've
found the right headphones for myself... >>Tell me, what headphones? We love tech-
>>Its nothing special. I use Beats by Dre but I've kind of learned how to work with
it. >>You got used to listening to other people's
music on it now. And what about on your laptop, are you an ableton guy, a Logi guy?
>>Ableton guy, I have my xxxx my little chains going on. And most importantly is that you
get that constant inspiration. That's often really hard when you tour a lot. So I try
to be inspired a lot by my environment, so this is why every time I have a gig I come
early, listen to other DJs, listen to people's music. And even from the warm up DJs I learn
a lot because they always play the music you would never think about but its so perfect
for the night. I try to get inspired from all angles.
>>Have you had any warm up DJ problems? Like where they've played 5 of your records?
>>Oh yeah, I feel like a lot of warm up DJs have kind of lost the art of warming up. They
try to be the headliner, which is wrong because you need to put the right record on
at the right moment. Sometimes I go to gigs and I hear an amazing warm up DJ, so that's
why for me I like to go early and see what's happening and like to get surprised by...
>>And its kind of a tough gig isn't it, the warm up DJ. A lot of our readers might be
the warm up DJ or the resident. To keep it interesting but to..
>>Well its really simple you know. The thing is, when you go for dinner you don't start
with a main course, you don't end with main course so you have to build it up. This is
the kind of role the warm up DJ has, so you start with a nice apetiser and you work your
way towards the main course. So you cannot be the apetiser and try to be the main course.
>>So are you the main course tonight or are you desert?
>>I'm the main course AND the desert. No I would say, I would say I'm the nice wine and
the desert. >>And why have you moved to Aruba? Has that
not made your life mega complicated for traveling? >>Moving to Aruba was a good choice for
me because first of all I tour a lot in America, so that's why its a good choice. And I play
in South America a lot so Aruba is kind of in the middle of it so its a great help for
me. So this is why I moved to Aruba but also because the weather is super nice. Its summer
24/7, 365 days a year. >>And coming from Amsterdam that's..
>>Coming from Amsterdam where you cannot predict the weather, its really hard to predict the
weather. So in Aruba its perfect. >>What's on your DJ tech rider?
>>My tech rider is real simple. I don't do all the fancy stuff because I'm the guy that
forgets everything. So on stage I only need my USB but in my rider it has CDJ 2000s, 2
on the left side, 2 on the right side. CDJ 900 in the middle. That's everything I use.
>>All linked? >>All linked. And that's all I need. For me
its kind of hard when I'm DJing and the next DJ comes and is trying to plug in all these
laptops and controllers so... >>Its a bit distracting.
>>Yeah... For me, I'm too messy for that stuff so I just want to plug in the USB.
>>Do you think there will be a change? I mean there's a few DJs that are laptops and stuff.
The majority that I interview still seem to be CDJs. But the next generation it seems
are laptop DJs like...in the clubs the warm up DJs are laptop DJs.
>>It has a big advantage to play with the laptop because your music can be way more
safe so it leaves you more space to be more creative and think about stuff you could never
do with the CDJs. >>Who do you think does it the best that you've
heard? >>Its so hard to say, its so hard to say,
but for example if you see this hip hop DJ called DJ xxx playing with the laptop, you
don't even know what's going on. He's killing it.
>>Who in your mind is the most technical CDJ? Like operator?
>>Everybody says it but I really like Laidback Luke. He puts in so much work in his sets
and its always very interesting for a regular visitor and also for a real music ad and for
real technical DJ its always really interesting to see Laidback Luke play.
>>Ok and I've asked this for every DJ. Worst DJ gig, as in disaster. You know you show
up and everything is wrong. Talk about the worst DJ gig you've ever had.
>>Worst DJ gig... Its kinda hard. The worst DJ gigs in general are the gigs where the
whole set up is nice and its super crowded and then the volume is way too soft. Those
are the worst and I've had a couple of those. Because you cannot tell your story and the
people don't feel the vibe of the music. But to name a set was really hard.
>>Have you not had any CDJs crashing or technical disasters?
>>Oh yeah yeah yeah. I had to play in xxx this year in Miami and then the sun was out
obviously and it was so hot I couldn't even touch the CDJs or the mixer because it was
so hot. Apparently one of the CDJs just scratched because of the heat.
>>So it just over heated >>Nobody heard it because I had enough and
I could save it on the last minute. >>I guess they're just like a laptop inside
really, they're just a computer >>Exactly you know, but it was really hard
to play in the circumstances. The mixer was super hot and the CDJs were like burning.
>>That's a good DJ that can play in that isn't it.
>>And then because the sun is out you can't read the display so I had to be like.. But
I wouldn't say it was my worst gig because I came out with Slash from Guns and Roses so...
so that kind made it up. >>So how did that happen?
>>Me and Slash have been good friends for a while now and his wife, his lovely wife
Perla Hudson. So whenever I'm in L.A. we kick it, we hang out, I go by the house. We celebrated
Christmas with them. And then one day we were like we've got to mix it up. We weren't even
talking about music but at some point we were like "you know what? Let's try to make it
happen." >>So did people know? Or did he just appear and
it was like... >>No he prepared it but people didn't know.
So we had a little rising bit on part of the stage and all of a sudden Slash was standing
there and people were like "wow!" >>Because everybody knows what he looks like..
>>Exactly, the guy with the big hat you know? So when he came out everybody was talking
about it. Because with a stage like that everybody is trying to bring something extra to the
table. >>And what's Slash's views on what you do
and your electronic music? >>Well he's more of a groove kinda guy so
he'll go with anything and that's why it was so cool to work with him. So I played him
a beat and he was like "Ok, let's jam" and then I cut out some parts, rearranged it and
he played it. >>Do you think you'll work together again?
>>Definitely, yeah definitely. >>And what's coming up for you the rest of
the year? Albums singles.. >>I just released a club record but soon-
I just recorded a video... I wouldn't call it hip hop but I wouldn't call it electronic
music but it features Lupe Fiasco, Snow tha Product and Too Short and its like a xxx record
but its still cool and you still hear the electronic music in it. And then I have a
super- I call it a super radio record because there's so much vocals in it. Its together
with May Day, co-produced by Stargate, got Rihanna in it. And yeah, busy busy recording
so many songs, I literally xxx I booked out a studio. And its not like I produce something for a
purpose, I just go in and try to make music and hopefully by doing that I'll come up
with an album. >>Ok, and this is around the world? You just
book studios around the world? >>Yeah yeah-
>>So favourite studios you've been to in the world then?
>>I like the Atlantic studio in L.A. but there's another one called Boom Boom room in L.A.
that I like a lot. >>Is that Will Smith's place?
>>Yeah Will Smith's place. Let me think.. Triangle studio in Atlanta is one of my favourite
ones and then my studio in Aruba on the beach! Just a laptop its just a laptop and me on the beach.
>>Amazing. Well thank you so much for speaking with us, I really appreciate your time, thank
you. >>Magnetic Festival baby I'm back mother fxxxxxx.
Its your boy Chuckie representing that dirty mother fxxxxxx Dutch bxxxxxx. I had to get
it out you know, I had to get it out of my system.