Busy P

Gerd Janson

We have a nice gentleman from Paris, France here, who goes by the name of Pedro Winter, aka Busy P. He has done a few things behind the scenes, as well as on the scenes. He has been the manager of a well-known duo and another well-known duo, and of a great and quite successful label called Ed Banger. So, please give this man a very warm welcome. [applause]

Pedro Winter

Bonjour, bonjour. So, yes, I am from Paris, France, I crossed the channel to come to London. In fact, I am in town to celebrate the seven years of my small label, Ed Banger Records. We are throwing a party tonight and Red Bull people gently proposed me to come and visit you, and I like this kind of unprepared stuff. You are from all over the world, I believe. Anyone here from France except me and those two crazy drunk guys I met yesterday? We are the only Frenchies. So this is amazing, I’ve been lucky enough to visit the Academy this morning.

Gerd Janson

We are glad to have you here. But who is Ed Banger?

Pedro Winter

I was jealous, in fact. If I can speak to the Red Bull people, I was jealous that I’d never been invited to such a crazy thing, having your own studio 24 hours a day. I wish I could come and, like... How has it been so far? Any good tracks? Did you achieve something or did you just get drunk in London and get far away from your country? Both? Good.

Gerd Janson

It’s like Christmas for them, extended over two weeks.

Pedro Winter

Me, the only Academy I trust is the Police Academy, but I’m happy to see what is going on at the Red Bull Music Academy.

Gerd Janson

So you didn’t go to music school?

Pedro Winter

No, I wanted to become a lawyer. When you’re a kid you want to be an astronaut, you want to be a fireman, you want to be an actor, you want to be a star. Me, I wanted to be a lawyer.

Gerd Janson

Why a lawyer?

Pedro Winter

I don’t know, it’s not sexy, but this is how it was in my head at the time. I knew I wanted to be a lawyer in the entertainment business. Sorry, I’m going back to get to slowly arrive to what I’m doing right now. I wanted to be part of the entertainment business, but I wanted to be behind. I wanted to create the magic, all the work you have to do put on a show. The work you have to do to put out a record. So I started my university. I have to be honest, I did it for three months.

Gerd Janson

You were that quick a learner? It only took you three months to get your degree?

Pedro Winter

It took me three months to be lucky enough to meet some guys in a record shop in Paris, and it was the Daft Punk boys. I was only 20 years old, I was a bit late at school. At the time in Paris, I was throwing some parties in a club and I invited them to play for me.

Gerd Janson

What kind of parties?

Pedro Winter

At the time it was in ’95 and my life was all about house music, especially New York house music. So, Kenny Dope and Louie Vega were my gods, I have the biggest collection of Masters At Work recordings. For those of you who know them, you know it’s hard ‘cause those guys are…

Gerd Janson

Very prolific, it was like a remix a week.

Pedro Winter

Every two days, man. Especially in ’95. So, it was really house music, and you probably know those names, but at the time the guys playing in my parties were DJ Gregory, Dimitri From Paris, Philippe Zdar of Motorbass, who became Cassius later on. And then two robots, the Daft Punk boys. So we became friends. We were 20 years old, the three of us. We are from 1975. And I quit school, I quit university. There was no point continuing in trying to become a lawyer and at the same time throwing parties, traveling the world and trying to learn a job. And I learned the management business, even though I hate this. I don’t feel comfortable being a manager.

Gerd Janson

Before we come to the managing part of managing a group, what attracted you that kind of house music from New York, especially? If you want to be pigeonholing, it’s a very different musical style from what people associate with you these days.

Pedro Winter

If you want to go back, back, back, my very first rave party in ‘92 in Paris, I discovered electronic music with a pop group called Deee- Lite that you probably all know. But I didn’t fall in love with Deee-Lite for “Groove Is In The Heart,” but I fell in love with the track “What Is Love,” which I hope you all know, a track from the album in 1989. This is the first time I got repetitive music in my face. You know, when you’re 14 years old you can start to realize things. Before that you get it from people around you, your brother, your cousins, your parents, radio. But it’s not your choice, you know? I love it when people say, “I discovered Run DMC when I was 10 years old.” That’s not true, at 10 years old you shut up and you’re just listening to what people are throwing at you. So “What Is Love” in ’89, I thought I love this kind of trance, repetitive music. Then electronic music arrived in France in the gay clubs, but at the time I was too small, too young to go to those places. Laurent Garnier, David Guetta – this might be surprising – but David Guetta used to DJ with Laurent Garnier in a famous club called Boy. I could never go because I was too young, but I know, people have given me this knowledge. So it was the first wave of electronic music in France and me, I discovered it with the second wave, in ‘92, in these big raves in warehouses outside Paris. At the time I was skateboarding, all my life was about heavy metal and crazy stuff. But we were there, ten guys, we arrived in this warehouse, 3.000 or more. Lenny D, Ralphie Dee, all those names you know from this ‘90s electronic scene.

Gerd Janson

They were playing hard and fast techno.

Pedro Winter

It’s good you’re jumping on this because it was really hard music at the time. I enjoyed this rave thing and this crazy experience for a few years. Then at some point three years later, I was a bit fed up. Going to those raves was kind of a trip a trip, you had to take these shuttle buses outside Paris, not that easy. You’re like one or two hours away from Paris at seven in the morning. What the fuck am I doing here? So I gave up on it and discovered that Paris had some nice clubs. One of them was Rex club, where a famous DJ called Laurent Garnier was throwing parties called Wake Up. Wow! Derrick May, Juan Atkins, all those guys were spinning with Laurent Garnier and it was 20 minutes away from home. No more mud on my shoes, no more crazy trips. Then I discovered this techno music. Before that, in the raves, especially early ‘90s, it was trance-y. Today, I don’t think I would listen to it. Then I discovered techno music, then from club to club you discover other music and I discovered house music. We have the French radio, which is unfortunately now a bit crap, called Radio FG. It was a gay or alternative radio that turned into more of an electronic and house radio [station]. DJ Deep, who was a very famous DJ in Paris, and DJ Gregory had a show. It was called Deep Groove, and it was all about house music. I spent my money buying records, but then I wanted to be more a part of this electronic thing. You are part of it, I’d like to say that, this whole movement. You are part of it from the dancefloor, people in the clubs. It’s not all about the DJs, the VJs, the promoters. It’s about people who are dancing. From dancing I thought, “I wanna be that guy,” so I wanted to become a DJ. In ’95 I started to DJ, again in this whole electronic movement thing. Then I thought, “I want to play my own record,” so I produced myself. Then I thought, “I want to have my own label,” on and on and on, being part of it, feeling responsible for what we are doing, now with Ed Banger, but also with Daft Punk and other artists. I threw my whole body into this electronic movement.

Gerd Janson

Do you have any of these house tracks with you? Something that grabbed you back then and never left you.

Pedro Winter

I should have prepared this one.

Gerd Janson

You said you like it to be unprepared.

Pedro Winter

You know what? We are lucky. It’s kind of symbolic, even though it’s not completely pure New York house music. But it’s someone I really like, and I just found him. It’s nothing to do with house from New York City, it’s an artist called Daniel Wang from Balihu Records, you’ve probably heard of him.

(music: Daniel Wang – unknown)

Gerd Janson

This track is also an example of using samples in a nice way, right? It’s full of them.

Pedro Winter

It’s full of them. But since when is using samples a problem?

Gerd Janson

It became one for Danny Wang himself. He started saying it’s very bad using samples and he hates his old stuff and no one should sample and everyone should just do their own music.

Pedro Winter

Sometimes people change their mind, you know. But he was good using samples and he’s still good without. But, of course, if we want to go on this debate, using samples and not using samples. Of course, it’s a waste of time. Use samples as much as you want. If you sample my artists, we will sue you. [laughter] That’s all I can tell you.

Gerd Janson

Have you ever got into problems using samples?

Pedro Winter

I’ve never got into problems, but to be clear, it takes time and costs money. Right now, on Ed Banger we have an artist called Uffie, a female MC. We’re going to release her album at the end of May this year. I’m still working on the paperwork to clear some of the samples because some of my artists, like Mr. Oizo still think they can sample and give me some tracks. “Oh Pedro, release it.” Man, you sampled.

Gerd Janson

So they don’t tell you what they used?

Pedro Winter

Sometimes they don’t tell me, now they understand they have to tell me. But it’s part of the game. Me, you have to be fair, if you’re sampling someone, you have to share. I’ve never had any trouble, but if you want I will tell you this little funny thing. I’m sure we all share the same love for this Detroit artist called Jay Dee, and I think was about eight or nine years ago for his band Slum Village, he sampled a track by one of the Daft Punk boys. Because we knew Jay Dee and listened to the Slum Village album, we were, “Wow! He did something pretty good with that.” Of course, at the time Daft Punk, we were surrounded by Virgin Records and their lawyers, and they were all, “Pedro, you can’t let it go, you have to say something.” “Yeah, of course, I’m going to say something, but I’m not going to go on Jay Dee’s back.” So we took our phone and called Jay Dee’s manager at the time and I think we did something pretty cool, we asked him to return the favor. So he did a remix for Daft Punk and he did a brilliant track and now, with the history, I’m pretty glad we did it this way. I don’t know if you know this one.

(music: Daft Punk – “Aerodynamic (Slum Village Remix)”)

So yeah, sometimes sample issues make good things. It’s not all about a shitty contract.

Gerd Janson

They can be cleared in another way.

Pedro Winter

Exactly.

Gerd Janson

Now we’ve got back to Daft Punk, please fill us in on the magic fairy tale. So you met those two guys and they said, “Hey, you want to become a lawyer?”

Pedro Winter

Let’s do it quick, you know, because there is not much to say about it. Twenty-years old, I didn’t know nothing about the music business. The boys, too, didn’t know nothing about the music business. They were also 20 years old. I started work for them in summer ‘96 and in September we took the Eurostar for the first time in our lives, and we were invited to Virgin Records. You can imagine, 20 years old, wow! We’re like this, looking all around. The boys signed the contract with Virgin. The album came out January 1997, it was Homework. After that it all happened, I hope you all know of Daft Punk.

Gerd Janson

Is someone not familiar with Daft Punk?

Pedro Winter

First, the most important thing I owe them is them being genius. So from that day, they have to have the full credit of their success. Their intelligence they had at the time, and it wasn’t easy for some kids. I really insist on the fact that we were 20 years old and at the time it’s really hard. You are young and success is coming near you, it’s really hard to say no. I think the secret of Daft Punk is being king of the no. I was the king of the no, because I was the one saying no to everybody. They protect themselves and we get everybody from Björk to Madonna to George Michael knocking on the door.

Gerd Janson

What do you do when Madonna calls?

Pedro Winter

You hang up the phone – not with her, but her manager – and call the boys and say, “Woah, woah, woah, we’ve got Madonna on!” But at the same time, this is the funny thing. They were not running after success or fame, and they knew what they didn’t want to do.

Gerd Janson

Pictures, for instance.

Pedro Winter

What is that?

Gerd Janson

Photographs.

Pedro Winter

Oh, yes. They wanted to protect themselves, hiding. They want to be cool, to take the subway in Paris, go to the bakery without being assaulted. So they knew what they didn’t want to do, and they knew what they wanted to do. They managed a career with a dream of being an artist and being able to express yourself with music, your movies and your videos. All the money they got, they reinvested it in their productions. When we did the videos with Michel Gondry, with Spike Jonze, those names you’ve probably heard of, at the time it was a lot of money. Even though nowadays unfortunately no one cares about video. At the time we were spending a lot of money. We were creating art. We were creating pieces. Now, no one cares.

Gerd Janson

Why is that?

Pedro Winter

I don’t know, I don’t have the answer.

Gerd Janson

MP3 killed the video star?

Pedro Winter

No, no, no, MP3 saved lazy DJs like us. Me, I will not go into this talk about how it was better back in the day. When we used to take time, spend money, it was a different time. I’m more talking about difference rather than better. I’m very happy and I’m sure you guys are happy to live in 2010. Look at our equipment, I’ve seen the studio upstairs, you can make an album in a week, release it the next day, sell it on iTunes, Beatport or whatever, send it to your friend in Tokyo. I’m happy to live in 2010.

Gerd Janson

Me, too, but I meant, why do you think video is not important anymore?

Pedro Winter

Because there are no more channels. There is no more TV.

Gerd Janson

There is a channel called YouTube.

Pedro Winter

Yeah, come on, do you get money out of YouTube? They don’t share their success with the label, with the artists. YouTube screen your movies, your art, you get nothing out of it, and they’re selling adverts – before I watch your video I have to see some crazy advert for whatever. But anyway, that’s not the point. I’m more talking about the change. It’s good to live with your time. Evolution is a good thing. I will not go too deep into this. There are still some artists doing funny videos, cheap videos. But going back to Daft Punk, they were reinvesting all their money, got the success they deserved, and another good thing, they were rare. They didn’t run after fame or success, so they took their time. Again, as we are in an academy, we have to pass the knowledge to each other. Me, as an adult now — wow, fuck! — I keep telling my artists on Ed Banger to take their time. We are not in a rush and time is good to avoid mistakes and, most important, to get better. Daft Punk have only released three albums in, like, 15 years. So it’s kind of a slow production process, but at the same time they’ve achieved at the same time doing videos, photos. I don’t know if any of you were at their live shows in 2007, with the old pyramid and all-light shows. This was a pretty crazy thing to put up together. And again, they hit touchdown with this.

Gerd Janson

Was there a certain moment from meeting those two guys in a record shop to when you realized there was something going on? Was it listening to one of their tracks in a club or was it just the Eurostar to London?

Pedro Winter

First, an important thing. I was a fan, even though they just did two 12"s before I knew them. But “New Wave” and “Da Funk” were two tracks by Daft Punk I was blown away when I listened to it, so when I met them, of course I had something to tell them. It was in ‘95, again it was kind of a 109 BPM, George Clinton-getting-grunge kind of track. No one knew what it was. Do you want me to play it?

Gerd Janson

Yes, if people want to hear it.

Pedro Winter

For those who don’t know.

(music: Daft Punk – “Da Funk”)

You know what? I’m sharing something with you. This is a track that nowadays when I’m DJing people are singing it, they sing it, you know they are. “Laa, la-la-la-la.” It’s always impressed me.

Gerd Janson

I was singing it yesterday, all day.

Pedro Winter

Under the shower? We can speak on Daft Punk. So yeah, I was a fan, and then having the chance… I had a really nice Chinese meal with Thomas of Daft Punk in summer of ‘96 and he said, “We are in the studio right now, you should come and check it out. And we’re going to need someone, a right-hand man or something.” It wasn’t really a manager at the time because neither of them knew what a manager was. He was like, yeah, do you want to join us? I think it took me 40 seconds to say yeah, let’s try, let’s give up everything. I quit the nightclubs in Paris because at the time I was doing parties. So I gave up on all those parties and started sending my faxes from Thomas’ studio because at the time we didn’t have an office. It was all faxes, no emails, the email stories would come soon. Send faxes to people saying, “Yeah, Daft Punk can come to here to Germany and play,” receiving contracts by fax. Really boring.

Gerd Janson

But how did you work your way through it, not knowing anything about the dangerous music business?

Pedro Winter

Again, I think this is the thing, being completely naïve and fresh and new. It’s like, we give you guys a new sampler or computer or keyboard, some new stuff, you try it and you have an accident, and when you make accidents you make magic.

Gerd Janson

But, for instance, these guys in Chicago back in the day who were probably influential to Daft Punk, they were naïve and innocent as well and they signed all their rights away.

Pedro Winter

True, true, but we can go deeper into this. Thomas of Daft Punk has a father called Daniel Vangarde, who is an old disco hitmaker in France. You probably know some of his tracks, like Ottawan, “D.I.S.C.O.” Hey, come on Patrick, he knows it. So luckily, Thomas’ father got some music business knowledge and it helped a lot at the beginning, so to avoid signing crazy contracts or making bad mistakes at the beginning. But after that, signing with Virgin, and especially a man called Emmanuel de Buretel, who used to run Virgin France, who believed in Daft Punk and had some different approach to the business. As I said earlier, Daft Punk wanted to change the game, so they proposed some different ideas, they proposed a different contract and on and on. We tried to make things move, and even though we were that small [makes a tiny zero with his hand] in the game, we were the little sand thing that makes things move. Then there was the fact we were lucky, arriving at the moment when electronic music crossed the border. I don’t want to go too much on a sad thing, like back in the days techno was a forbidden music or whatever. Of course, it was there before that. But still in ‘96, ‘97, electronic music wasn’t as big on the radio or the TV shows. We were still close to the early years when electronic music was still the devil’s music, or gay music. It was something that was not accepted. Now, you’re opening the Olympics with David Guetta. So Daft Punk, Chemical Brothers, Prodigy, all those bands in the mid ’90s pushed the boundaries further and made it more pop music.

Gerd Janson

So what do you think was pop about Daft Punk? That you can sing it along without lyrics?

Pedro Winter

Exactly. And also it was a question of time. Like, I don’t think Daft Punk is more melodic than Derrick May, or stuff like that. It was just a question of time. We’ll speak about it later with Ed Banger, what I have been doing for the last years with Ed Banger. You are at the crossing of time where you are the right punk. Luckily, Daft Punk, with the help of Virgin Records at the time — we have to be true, having such a record company behind you helps to break boundaries. It’s not something we did alone.

Gerd Janson

I know I’m kind of obsessed with pictures, but what did they say about the method of not having pictures?

Pedro Winter

Oh, good question. You can imagine, a record company having an artist who says, “I don’t want to do any promotion, I don’t want to do interviews, I don’t want to do pictures,” the guys at the record company want to kill themselves. “I’m spending millions, I want you to be number one, you want to hide?” But after a few meetings and fights they understood that point of view, they respected that. That’s why we have to be cool to Virgin, they were smart enough to trust the band, who had a vision. But this idea of hiding themselves wasn’t like a marketing thing or whatever, they just didn’t feel it. It was naïve and fair to themselves.

Gerd Janson

It’s nice that you have them in your robot persona toys.

Pedro Winter

Yeah, I have toys of them. I quit Daft Punk management a couple of years ago now.

Gerd Janson

Speaking of time…

Pedro Winter

I spent 12 years with them, and I like to think that when we split, it was more like you’re 18 years old and your parents are looking at you and saying, “It’s time to have your own place now.” I felt a bit like that with Daft Punk. It was about time, and I wanted to try some other things.

Gerd Janson

And are you still in touch with your parents?

Pedro Winter

I’m still visiting my parents, those bastards are living in Los Angeles now. So, Los Angeles. Big houses, big cars.

Gerd Janson

They’re living the dream.

Pedro Winter

We’re far away from the good old days when they were punk… If you’re watching, Daft Punk. No, now they’re enjoying life and they deserve it more than anything. And most important, I’m still a big fan and I’m looking forward to listen to what they are doing for Tron, they’re doing the soundtrack for Tron. Disney is spending billions of dollars and they are smart to have the idea to call Daft Punk to do the soundtrack. So I’m looking forward to it. I closed down the big Daft Punk chateau with a big au revoir to Daft Punk.

Gerd Janson

What did you when you left your parents’ house?

Pedro Winter

When I left my parents I had an idea of setting up — because as you can imagine, spending time with Daft Punk is like living with a giant magnet, I keep receiving music or artists saying, “Oh, I want you to be my manager.” But it was too much.

Gerd Janson

It was like Facebook before Facebook.

Pedro Winter

Wow, good one! It was Facebook. Everybody wanted to become my friend, and at the time we didn’t have the auto-accept thing. [laughter] But out of those guys who tried to contact me I met a guy called Mr. Flash, a hip-hop producer from France. He sent me some tracks and he said, “Pedro, I want you to be my manager.” And I was, “No more, no more, I want to do something else.” Then one day, it was a Thursday, and that morning I didn’t know I would set up a label, I said, “Oh, I’m going to put out your music.” And I put out a track called “Radar Rider,” which was a pure instrumental hip-hop track, really in the DJ Shadow – to give him his respect – big opera, instrumental hip-hop. So I put it out as the first Ed Banger. And my friend Philippe Zdar of Motorbass gave me a B-side, so I put out this first Ed Banger without knowing what I was doing. It was 2003, all the French labels were closing down, every record company was spending millions trying to find the new Daft Punk, all the UK was still dreaming of disco filter house and I wanted something new, something different. During a famous cheese party — I was invited to a cheese party — I met two young kids.

Gerd Janson

To a cheese party?

Pedro Winter

Yes, I’m French. I respect you guys from Norway or whatever, so respect my Frenchy style. [laughter] We fucking eat cheese like pork. And it’s melted cheese, it’s hot, fondue. Raclette. So we were on a big table, I was surrounded by younger kids. Two of them, one little Chinese, one with curly hair, at the end of the meal went, “Pedro, we’ve been making some music. Can you come in the room?” And we went into Gaspar’s room and they played me “Never Be Alone (We Are Your Friends).” It was 2003, and I told them to come to my office the next day. Three days later I was playing in a French club that is closed now, called Pulp.

Gerd Janson

Pulp is where people like Chloé and Ivan Smagghe.

Pedro Winter

Kill the DJ, Ivan Smagghe, it was a lesbian club at the beginning. Again, we’re going back to the gay scene. It was a really nice club, a small thing, 300 people. I was playing one night there and I played that track and something happened. Some guys came up to me, “What’s that track?” By the time I do the artwork with Sony and press the vinyl, we put out this record, and I lived on this record for three years, I think. This smiling is not really what I’m expecting. When I say I lived on it, I didn’t live on the money, because you don’t make any money out of it. Even though you sell five thousand vinyls, you don’t make that much money out of it. But it gave us enough energy, it gave Justice the confidence to become a real band, give up their jobs, go in the studio and record their first album. You know in a computer game, when you have a racing car, you have the speed thing, how do you call it? [inaudible from participant, speaks French] But which one do you have here? Nitro, better! Sorry, I got to nitro. So let’s say “We Are Your Friends” was the nitro of Ed Banger. So you can imagine, I felt pretty lucky. Second release of a label. Even though my story being Daft Punk manager, doing a new label wasn’t that easy. This is where life is pretty funny.

Gerd Janson

But you haven’t had Daft Punk on the label.

Pedro Winter

I haven’t had Daft Punk, but inside I was, “All those guys who used to call me, who used to be my best friends, maybe they will play my stuff on the radio,” and it’ll be [mimes taking phone call], “Hello? Hello?” I take it as fun because it’s pretty fair, it can’t happen like this [clicks fingers]. But finally, it happened like this with Justice.

Gerd Janson

Do you have it with you? Maybe one or two people…

Pedro Winter

I don’t have it, I don’t play this kind of shit in my... [laughter]

Gerd Janson

In your spare time?

Pedro Winter

Because we are here talking between friends and no one is hearing us or seeing us…

Gerd Janson

Eh, a few people might.

Pedro Winter

I really think with “We Are Your Friends” we were lucky enough to release a track that’s important for a generation. And I think “We Are Your Friends” will be important for what happened for Ed Banger and for the club scene. A track becoming one of the biggest for house DJs, and [some who] used to be a big hip-hop head, all those.

Gerd Janson

So like Daft Punk it crossed over.

Pedro Winter

Yes. Completely. Completely crossed over. Mixing things and reuniting worlds. Talking about Ed Banger’s parties, or Fool’s Gold, Mad Decent or Stones Throw, when we throw those parties we have hip-hop heads wearing crazy colored sneakers. We have indie kids ready to rave. All these mixed things and I like being part of it.

Gerd Janson

What’s your theory for having all these hip-hop backpackers going crazy to these tracks, when normally they’re too cool for school?

Pedro Winter

Again, it’s a question of time. They were too cool for school maybe, but now they want to party. This is another thing I’m going to tell my kids: Enjoy life as much as you can. Don’t take it too seriously, don’t take yourself too seriously. I think it’s time people had fun and partied and this is what we’re doing.

Gerd Janson

Some academic theorists came up with the idea that it reminds them of early Public Enemy, tracks like “Bring the Noise” and that’s what attracts them.

Pedro Winter

We’ll see, we’ll see, we’ll see. But sometimes this is what surprises people. When Ed Banger does a three thousand-person party with Warp in Paris, of course, the too-cool-for-school, smart-ass, intelligentsia, techno heads whatever are like, “What? What the fuck are Warp doing with Ed Banger?” Me, I’m like this [holds up middle finger], we’re filling 3.000-capacity rooms and enjoying seeing Clark kicking it and then SebastiAn kicking it and the crowd enjoying it. When we do Stones Throw and Ed Banger, people are like, “What the fuck are you doing, Peanut?” And at the same time, Peanut is ringing me all the time, enjoying our parties. But this is what I want to do, this is what I want to DJ. When you are playing at Sonar in front of three thousand people, of course, you have to smack their face and play them banging tunes, but when I’m at home – and you have the proof today – I’m not listening to Crookers in my iPod. But I’m happy to play Crookers to smack some ass. Mixing things is definitely the key, and again, seeing you guys reuniting in this Academy, I hope you’re not going to be, “Oh, we have the backpackers Flying Lotus fans in this room, we have the LFO techno heads in this one, we have those here.” You should mix things. Earlier on, we were briefly speaking about Jay Dee. Jay Dee was one of the proof you can have hip-hop for the feet. He was from Detroit, so he was influenced by electronic music. But talking about someone I know very well, and I hope you know, DJ Mehdi, an artist from Ed Banger records, who produced some of the biggest French hip-hop songs. Really ghetto songs.

Gerd Janson

For instance?

Pedro Winter

What does that mean?

Gerd Janson

For example.

Pedro Winter

He was part of a hip-hop band called Ideal J, which for me, a tall, blond whiteboy, is not really the hip-hop I can understand. It’s raw hip-hop and Mehdi was part of this amazing band. I met Mehdi in 1997 and he wanted to put a foot in our disco game. I welcomed him because I was aware of his genius and he embraced our electronic thing. Nowadays, for me he’s one of the best DJs around. Now he’s playing mostly house music, even though his heart is in hip-hop, and he’s playing house music with the ears of a hip-hop guy. He makes it twist a bit different. He can get a dancefloor packed in a minute. Now he’s one of Ed Banger’s most famous artists. And I’m just thinking I would love to see if I have a hip-hop tune from Mehdi in my thing, I think I have. I would like to listen to one hip-hop track and then what he’s doing these days. Nowadays, Mehdi discovered house music and he’s in love with house music and is doing music with an English guy called Riton, who you probably heard about too. Oh, whoa, what do I have here? Oh boy, this is a special one, this is a bootleg from Mehdi and only Mehdi can do this kind of thing.

(music: Notorious B.I.G. – “Nasty Boy (Le Cirque Mix Remix by DJ Mehdi)” / applause)

Ed Banger is going house music, right?

Gerd Janson

I can tell, but your label is pretty diverse.

Pedro Winter

It’s pretty diverse as we are and as I am, you know. Of course it has to be. It is diverse.

Gerd Janson

That also translates into the artwork, right?

Pedro Winter

It does. Wow, you’re a professional, no?

Gerd Janson

I am.

Pedro Winter

I was, “What do you want?” Now I understand. It’s pretty diverse first. I’m not choosing, I’m not thinking, “Oh, I’m gonna release house, I’m going to release hip-hop, I’m going to release this, that.” It’s just the music I like, and what my artists are feeling. It’s just a reflection of the world we are living in. I don’t want to go too much into deep thoughts, like diversity, let’s all be friends and make love together.

Gerd Janson

That’s very French.

Pedro Winter

That’s very French, it’s true we’re like that. But it’s better than sending armies and fighting, like the English are doing. Ed Banger is the reflection of your youth and I’ve seen some of you bouncing more on the Mehdi thing and some bouncing more on the electro thing. This is what I want, being able to release French hip-hop like DSL, for example. You are talking about the artwork, those two are different [holds up sleeves]. Sorry, I didn’t bring much.

Gerd Janson

These are records.

Pedro Winter

These are records, for those of you who don’t know, who are only Serato or fucking shit stuff like that. Sorry, guys. No, I hate that. Live, Serato, Traktor, if you are watching us? So unsexy. Who is playing Serato? [noise from audience] Voila, voila! No, I’m kidding. Of course, with Ed Banger, we are still manufacturing 12"s, even though we don’t have many record stores in Paris, they are closing down one by one. I think it’s pretty the same in London, unfortunately, and I guess it’s the same everywhere. That’s pretty sad for those who spend hours in record stores… we call it le bac in French, I don’t know the word in English.

Gerd Janson

Getting dusty fingers.

Pedro Winter

This is the last Ed Banger record, it’s a thing called Breakbot. Even though we no longer sell five or ten thousand, or the golden years with Stardust, two hundred thousand vinyls – I’m not kidding guys. This is way over. Nowadays, for example, Breakbot, we are manufacturing one thousand five hundred, which is still a significant figure for an independent label like us. But it’s so ridiculous compared to the numbers we used to do. But I still want to do it, even though it’s not where we are making our money. But I like the object first, as a vinyl collector. And can you open it please? Because I want to keep talking and I can’t do both. But because we are in 2010 and I’m doing like a… oh, you’re a professional.

Gerd Janson

I used to work in a record shop, that’s why I know the trick.

Pedro Winter

Now, when you buy a record you have a little card with your vinyl, of course, and with this card you can download the MP3 for you Serato players. This is the kind of stuff that is an evolution.

Gerd Janson

And if I buy it on the internet, you send me the record?

Pedro Winter

Yes, and I send you a T-shirt and my sister. [laughter]

Gerd Janson

Oh, great.

Pedro Winter

This is why we sell a lot on iTunes.

Gerd Janson

How many sisters do you have?

Pedro Winter

I’ve got some all around the world. And so yeah, I still like the object, even though myself I don’t play with vinyl. I did a party the other day for DJ Mehdi and the game was I did a hip-hop set, vinyl only. I didn’t touch any vinyl for four years, and I must say it wasn’t the best set of my life. Even though the music was magic, the mixing was pretty bad. But no one cares, so it’s good. But yeah, I still want to do vinyl and the object is important. I’m working with a French artist called So Me, I’ve been working with him since the beginning of the Ed Banger adventure. I feel I’ve met my alter-ego, someone I can trust. He understands completely the vision of the label. He’s coming from the dirty graffiti artist [angle], but at the same time he wants to work more on pop images. He reflects pretty well the work we are doing, he can do those colorful things, for example. I don’t have it with me but he’s also responsible for all the Justice art direction.

Gerd Janson

For the cross?

Pedro Winter

For the cross, all this heavy metal-oriented artwork. I feel lucky I met this guy, and he has my complete confidence. I’ve never asked him to change anything on the record sleeves, and like I said, it’s been seven years now. My relationship with So Me is… you are influenced in life and you don’t have to be ashamed of your influences. I’m influenced by different people. Of course, Factory Records and Peter Saville, for those who don’t know, this Manchester label. Peter Saville was the art director and he was doing all the artwork for the label. I like this duo of the music head and artist working together and creating something. Of course, more contemporary, James Lavelle and Futura.

Gerd Janson

So do you think it’s important to have the iconography for the label?

Pedro Winter

It’s not especially important. There are tons of labels doing well and have different sleeves every time, not having a concrete artistic direction. But Factory and Mo’ Wax was a big influence for me, and I didn’t want to recreate it, but I wanted to be in this category.

Gerd Janson

So the trick is to always have a new sleeve, but it’s recognizable at the same time.

Pedro Winter

Exactly, but not doing the same thing. I would be really sad if people said Ed Banger was always the same design, always the same sound. I prefer people telling me, Oh, you have an art direction and a sound, but I hope we are not doing the same thing.

Gerd Janson

Speaking of sound, can we listen to it, because it’s kind of a new sound as well, an old new sound.

Pedro Winter

It’s a new one but again [looks through iPod].

Gerd Janson

But we have the record.

Pedro Winter

Can you play vinyls?

Gerd Janson

We can.

Pedro Winter

But I have it on my iPod.

Gerd Janson

It will sound better.

Pedro Winter

Since when is it better than my MP3 320?

(music: Breakbot – “Baby I’m Yours”)

Of course, since we are marketing geniuses, we released it on Valentine’s Day. But this is completely an accident.

Gerd Janson

And it sounded so warm from the vinyl.

Pedro Winter

Yeah, and crisp. But Ableton Live, now we have a special effect. Crisp.

Gerd Janson

You can put it on anything.

Pedro Winter

Hey, Logic.

Gerd Janson

Maybe we should open it up a bit to these guys asking questions.

Pedro Winter

Yeah, as you can see, guys, I can speak for hours and bullshit and stuff. Who’s got a turntable? [gives record to participant]

Audience Member

I want to know…

Pedro Winter

Where are you from?

Audience Member

New Zealand.

Pedro Winter

Whoa, boy! You did the craziest travel to get here.

Audience Member

Over a day.

Pedro Winter

I was in New Zealand last year.

Audience Member

Where about?

Pedro Winter

Rhythm and Vines, with Public Enemy.

Audience Member

Rhythm and Vines, I was playing that festival too.

Pedro Winter

We were playing in the forest.

Audience Member

Oh, I played on the second stage, not the main stage, the second main stage. A bit more main than yours, I think. [laughter]

Pedro Winter

Way bigger. Hey, come to France and we’ll see who’s bigger. I don’t even know if there’s stage for you in France. [laughter] Are you a DJ or a performer?

Audience Member

Drummer. From an industry point of view, when no one knew who Daft Punk were – and eventually they got signed and broke and everyone knew who they were – from that formative stage, what’s your advice to people who want to break into mainstream areas?

Pedro Winter

Unfortunately, this is what I’ve been saying. There is no recipe, no rules. Stick to what you’re doing. I know it’s a bit naff to say that, but dream. Those who say there is a recipe, they’ve lost already. When you see record companies trying to create the buzz, trying to create something, they’ve already lost. Ke$ha, to take a concrete example. Of course everything was planned, but they’ve spent millions of dollars and probably in two years nobody will give a fuck about Ke$ha anymore. Do you know the soufflé? It’s a French recipe. I can give you the recipe to have a big soufflé, but I can’t tell you in two years the soufflé will still be up, it’ll be [makes deflated gesture]. I wish you to keep playing second stage and enjoying it, having fun with it, rather than tomorrow playing the bigger stage and then the next year being nowhere and without any energy for creating new stuff. There is definitely no recipe, and I will never in my position tell someone you can achieve by doing this and that and buying some radio promo. Do this, do that. There is no recipe. It’s a game.

Gerd Janson

Maybe start a blog? Huh?

Pedro Winter

You should get a MySpace. I should have said that! [laughter] But I hope you understand the thing.

Audience Member

Hello.

Pedro Winter

Where are you from, what did you do, which stage did you play?

Audience Member

I played the shittiest stage. I’m from Portugal.

Pedro Winter

[in Portuguese] Porto or Lisbon?

Participant

Lisbon. I wanted to ask you, I mean it’s obvious what Ed Banger does is happy music, but was it a choice from the start, “I'm starting the label and fusing house music with heavy metal”? Because I’ve seen you with all the Metallica T-shirts and Rage Against the Machine re-edits and all that.

Pedro Winter

It’s not a choice. I don’t want to sound like an ego trip, but it’s about me being a Parisian boy born in ’75 doing ten years of skateboarding. And it’s all those bricks together – discovering electronic music, discovering Run-DMC – all this together makes me want to do this label and mix these genres together. But saying that, I’m not the only one. This is why finally the kids recognize themselves in Ed Banger, there’s a bit of them in what we are doing. I didn’t calculate, I didn’t think, “I’m going to take the Metallica T-shirt, the Nike backpacker thing, I’m gonna be a fan of Jay Dee, I’m gonna be a fan of Kraftwerk, I’m gonna be a fan of LFO to be smart.” It’s just the way we are. It also has something to do with being French. To be a bit like a patriot. We are I think lucky – and I know I’m going to irritate someone – to be in the [speaks dramatically] center of the world, to be in the center of Europe. [laughter]

But I really feel it, honestly. French people – not being arrogant and I hope you understand what I’m saying – we are a multicultural country, growing up with disco and rock and rap and now with electronic music. And even though I complain about our radio, it’s too commercial or whatever, we are still lucky enough to live in France where we can listen to a large range of music. You can go commercial, but if you don’t want to hear commercial, you can switch off the radio. People go, “I hate Radio 1.” Listen to Red Bull Radio if you want. Listen to something else. There is other ways to get culture.

Gerd Janson

Is it true about French radio that they play an English song and then afterwards the French cover version?

Pedro Winter

No, that is not true at all, but I like your urban legend. But if we have in France – and I wonder if this is true around Europe – we call it a quota and the stations are forced by the government to play a certain amount of French songs. And it’s funny, let’s have a little joke about Daft Punk. At the time that we made “Around the World,” it was made by a French band, made in fucking Paris, but it wasn’t a French record according to the politics. “Oh no, it’s in English.” It wasn’t going on the French quota radio thing. But yeah there is this kind of thing but it’s not really interesting. But to go back to Lisbon, it’s not about calculating. It’s just the way I am and the way you are. I’ve seen you reacting on DJ Mehdi and reacting on Breakbot. I have open ears. I feel pretty lucky to cry on Metallica and cry on Isolée. And I hope you cry as well on Isolée.

Gerd Janson

Maybe he would even like a T-shirt. With a cool cat.

Pedro Winter

Maybe, I wish. I didn’t prepare all this. You could ask this as an open question, this one. Maybe some of you know that also aside from Ed Banger, I have launched a side-project called Cool Cats, which is a merchandising adventure where we do T-shirts, caps, sneakers, whatever. All the stuff that as a young boy in 2010, watching Hypebeast every day, being a fan of Stüssy from day one and stuff like that, and Supreme, I wanted to have fun with this. Which is for me, again, another media. Of course there’s radio, internet and newspapers, but I take merchandising as a new way of expressing ourselves, of spreading our sound, and also, in a more business way, another way to make money. As I said earlier, now that we are selling one thousand records, it’s not like I’m going to travel first class to Coachella. And to make money, of course there are the big artists – Justice, Uffie, SebastiAn, Mr. Oizo – but Ed Banger is not all about that, it’s also about Mr. Flash, Krazy Baldhead, DSL, some other small artists that you might never have heard of. But I’m still producing their music and I’m proud and happy to do this, and at the same time you have to find the money. So you find the money by scratching your head, meeting people, doing deals with brands, smarter deals in the better way. Shitty deals, sometimes it happens. Sometimes I’ve made mistakes, selling my ass to companies that I regret. But that’s life.

Gerd Janson

Which companies?

Pedro Winter

I can’t say on video. But it was kind of recent. And it's not a big deal, because it’s done, it’s done. I’m not ashamed of that too. Earlier, you asked me if there was some stuff we couldn’t speak about. Talking about the way of financing, funding your creation, it is for me not a problem to speak about it. Finding money with brands is the new game today. How many labels are making collaborations with brands to fund their labels? Most of my friends are doing it and I’m doing it too, and it can be interesting.

Gerd Janson

Because it’s still stuff you’d like to wear yourself, right?

Pedro Winter

Yeah, of course. More on the brands merchandising things, when Nike is calling me to do a pair of Nike, how can I refuse that? When I am watching all your shoes, how can you refuse something from Nike, even though they are the monsters? [laughter] But sometimes it’s good to play with the monsters. I’m just trying to make you smile about it and to take it in a laidback way. I know electronic heads are like, “Oh, he’s selling his ass to a brand. Selling off.” All this discussion about being underground, not being a sell-out artist – guys, we are in 2010. It’s different these days. Enjoy life, scratch your head. When a brand calls you. This is what I used to back with Daft Punk when I had a call from Coca-Cola or whatever. And I was like, “Whoa, whoa, whoa! Don’t even speak to me.” Now I’m taking the phone and I’m scratching my head and saying, “Let’s try to make something out of it, something interesting.” Especially nowadays at least brands, for example [points to Red Bull sign] understand that it’s not about putting your logo on a record, putting your logo on a flyer, putting your logo on a T-shirt. It’s about achieving something and being part of something. This is what I understand you are all doing in these crazy weeks. Red Bull – let’s talk clearly – was part of this big party I did in Paris with Warp. And to set up such a big party, and we have Hudson Mohawke in the house and he was there, he’s seen it, we had three thousand people there, it was a big party in Paris. Of course, I can’t pay for it myself but we had some smart people there, they recorded the shows, put it on the radio and I think it’s pretty fair as a deal. So, all of this, sorry, to make it short. Take life with a smile and sell out. [laughter] All of this underground and mainstream is over, guys. You are all mainstream now. You are all on TV. [laughter]

Gerd Janson

And we’ve paid him extra to say that.

Pedro Winter

In fact, and I say this with a smile, I’m definitely not paid to be here with you today. And I’m happy to be here. When Laurence from Red Bull France proposed me to be part of this, I felt pretty comfortable. Not to be teaching, I’m no one to teach you anything, but I’m just happy, I’m 34 years old now and I know that, if I was younger, I would be happy to listen to some French asshole who has traveled the world.

Gerd Janson

You’re not an asshole, come on.

Pedro Winter

Yes, I am and I am cool to be one.

Gerd Janson

We have another question. First the lady, then the gentleman.

Audience Member

I’ve forgotten what I was going to say.

Pedro Winter

Where are you from?

Audience Member

I’m from Los Angeles. My name is Jennifer and I’m from Brainfeeder. Now I forgot my question. OK, now I remember. Because I’m from Los Angeles, I remember when Ed Banger first came over it was more like a hipster thing, no one really knew about it. This was several years ago. Now it’s come to a point where I can go to any mainstream club and then I’ll hear an Ed Banger party. It’s not like they’re particularly sponsored, but that’s all they’ll play. And I’ll hear people that are the most musically uninclined, I mean, they don’t know shit about music but all they know is Ed Banger. Then you see a lot of younger producers coming out from our area, basically kind of trying to formulate that sound and come out and just emulate the artists that are on your label. I’m sure that’s worldwide, too. What do you think about that phenomenon of having a lot of biters? Your concept is being original and well-rounded, but these guys are setting out to just copy.

Pedro Winter

We have to be fair with it, that’s part of the game. Life is a cycle. Daft Punk, 2003, France was a nightmare. We had like 20 fake Daft Punks at the time. It’s our responsibility to offer you some real music. If you come to a real Ed Banger party, I will definitely not play the fucking noisy sound that everyone else is playing, because even I’m fed up. I will not be happy if Justice come back with a new record that is [makes motorbike noise / laughter]. We did it a few years ago, and I completely understand your frustration. When I’m DJing now, the kids in front of me are like [looks wild] and me, I want to play house music. It’s a cycle. Responsibilities, I hope it’s a good translation in English, but I feel responsible. I’m having fun with my label and with my life, but at the same time I don’t want Ed Banger fans and kids to listen only to shit, fake, noisy, distorted disco or whatever. I’m trying to open their ears. And this new wave of as you said, new producers doing the same sound, this is the game. It was the same for Daft Punk. It was the same in rock ‘n’ roll. How many the Strokes did we have? We had like twenty the Strokes. Luckily only one, only two stay and like I said, it’s a question of time. We’ll be back in Los Angeles in April and I will invite you to a crazy party, it’s going to be different. From the music we’re releasing, the way we are DJing, of course, we have to reinvent ourselves. The day we are bored ourselves, I can’t imagine how bored the kids will be. Again, this is our responsibility to prove we are not just hipsters or whatever. It’s cool to be a hipster. Again, don’t misunderstand me. It’s cool when Urb, XLR8R, Dazed And Confused, those are telling you you’re label of the year 2006, 2007, 2008. Because this is true, sorry. [laughter] Three years in a row, what can I do? But not 2009.

Gerd Janson

Who was it in 2009?

Pedro Winter

I don’t care. Stupid underground shit. [laughter] Who was it? I don’t know. When I’m talking about cycles, this is the game. Sometimes you’re winning, sometimes you’re losing. Me, I’m a good loser, you know? You have to be a bit back and come back with a completely fresh sound. But I completely understand because I know Los Angeles quite well – and fuck, what a nightmare.

Audience Member

You guys own the city, apparently.

Pedro Winter

How can I apologize?

Audience Member

It’s not a problem.

Pedro Winter

No, those guys are polluting your ears, you know? Again, I want to make the difference. When I’m making fun of Justice and distorted techno and stuff, I feel what we were doing is melodic noise, you know? But nowadays, it’s just too strong and crazy and…

Gerd Janson

Noisy noise.

Pedro Winter

It’s noisy noise. What’s the point? I can fart and it’s going to be more noisy. So I don’t understand, so let’s go back.

Audience Member

Thank you.

Audience Member

Hi, I’m Moises from Tijuana, Mexico.

Pedro Winter

No!

Audience Member

Yes. All the way from the corner.

Pedro Winter

Do you know Tony?

Audience Member

Yeah, of course. It’s a really small city. [laughter]

Pedro Winter

I had a crazy one in Tijuana. We got stuck at the frontier on the way back.

Participant

Yeah, the border’s shit. It’s shit. But in Tijuana, I mean it’s everywhere you go. They even have a Daft Punk night, fifteen year old kids have started producing that sound. They call it microwave house.

Pedro Winter

Microwave house? I’m calling my assistant, copyright, copyright, register microwave.com. Let’s continue.

Audience Member

But in a way, I think it’s good, most of these kids are like 14, 15 years old, and they’re already making banging tracks. It’s pretty generic but you can dance to it. Especially, Kry-lon. I think Tony’s their manager.

Gerd Janson

Who’s this Tony you’re talking about?

Pedro Winter

Sorry, for the personal joke. Tony is a promoter from Tijuana. e throws parties in Tijuana.

Audience Member

Not so much anymore, it’s more spread out now.

Pedro Winter

In 2007, he was bringing over most of the DJs from Ed Banger.

Audience Member

And the sound was really, really big in Tijuana, but I see it as a good thing nowadays, ‘cause those kids started making music at 15. Whatever sound you start with, if you’re really into music you’re going to break through and create your own stuff. It’s like if you start off playing guitar you might start with a crazy punk or metal band, but if you’re really into music and you’re really into originality, you’re going to make your own stuff. But going back to the question, is there such a thing as being too famous?

Pedro Winter

The problem is not about being too famous. I don’t have any problem about underground, mainstream, overground, sell-out, Justin Timberlake. A musician being known all around the world is never a problem. Now the problem, as I can hear and I can see, is the copycat or the bad education. It’s probably a question of education. Those guys are 15 years old. This is why we have to understand why they’re doing Daft Punk nights. I don’t know the average here, maybe 25. But imagine, the kids coming to those parties are 15 – they are so small. You speak to them about ‘97 when Homework was released, they were babies. So discovering Daft Punk, discovering this whole club energy, mixing, these guys who are 15, they don’t have this whole question about there being a heavy metal guitar and an 808 beat. They don’t understand that it’s two different worlds getting together. This is why by doing stuff like sending playlists to magazines, doing interviews, we have a responsibility to show we don’t just listen to Daft Punk or Justice all day long. I’m listening to different kinds. This is what we have to spread, this is why they have to read our stories. Another interesting point I want to jump on: The way kids are making music today, we all have the same instrument. Daft Punk in ‘96, ‘95, their studio was two tables like that; 909, 808, Orbit synthesizers, Ensoniq samplers, SP 1200 samplers, a lot of equipment, sequencers, compressors. At the time, I don’t know the cost, but it was a lot of money. No one could do this kind of music at the time. For example, Homework, only people with a bit of money and a lot of equipment can make such an album. Ten years later, I’m in my hotel and I can make an album with Logic or Live. This is where the turning point is, from having the curiosity to learn those machines, Roland TB-303, all those things that were a bit tricky because those machines were not easy to use. These days we are all equal, you just press Apple-C, Apple-whatever. The difference is in whether you’re a creative person or not. Unfortunately most of the kids making banging tunes that are cool to play in clubs did it, like I can do it, in two minutes, Apple-C, Apple-D, Apple-A, whatever, Live and Logic software. This is a turning point in the situation. Finally, anybody can be an artist and make beats, but luckily art and creation isn’t something you can buy in the Apple Store.

Gerd Janson

But with your pretty tight time schedule it’s a blessing for you. How do you find to make music yourself?

Pedro Winter

Because I’m happy to live in 2010. I’ve just finished a remix – I’m a bit of lazy bastard on the production level. I’ve been introduced to Akai MPC 2000 in 1997 by DJ Mehdi and it was how I was making music at the time. Recently, I discovered Logic, so now I’m mostly making music with Logic. And you can finish music Logic in a plane, in your hotel room, whatever. I’ve finished this remix for my friend Tiga, it’s in fact not for him, it’s for his label Turbo. He signed a German band called Hey Today! I’ve just finished this remix and I’m gonna use this time to go pee.

(music: Hey Today! – “Talk To Me (Busy P Remix)” / applause)

Gerd Janson

We have one more question.

Pedro Winter

Tell me.

Gerd Janson

I don’t have a question. This young man over there.

Audience Member

Hello. I’m Andrew from Montreal.

Pedro Winter

Oh, no!

Audience Member

Good segue.

Pedro Winter

Pourquoi?

Audience Member

The Tiga record.

Pedro Winter

[speaks French]

Audience Member

Mon Francais c’est pas…

Pedro Winter

Oh, la la, you’re fucking Montreal English side. [laughter]

Audience Member

I’m not from Montreal originally. Anyway, I have a question, I’m going to use the broad term of disco. You talked about how you used to be into the skateboarding culture. I find it interesting how most genres, as they progress, they progress towards disco – like punk, even metal at one point seemed to be heading that way. You could say Justice are an example of that too. And you’re talking about skateboard culture. Why do you think that is, or do you agree with that? And where do you think it can progress beyond disco sound?

Pedro Winter

So if I understand you, you’re talking about two worlds that weren’t communicating.

Audience Member

Yes.

Pedro Winter

It wasn’t a challenge, but this is what’s exciting, you know? Playing with some stuff where you’re discovering different worlds. It’s about that. It’s also about growing up, spending 10 years listening to Dinosaur Jr., something like that. At some point you’re discovering other stuff. I don’t think it’s incompatible, and we are the result of that, the proof. When I say we, I’m talking about my generation and talking probably some of you here. This was, you know, maybe 10, 15 years ago, when DJ Mehdi entered my life. At the time we were DJing together and we were playing hip-hop and electro and things like that, people were still like, “Oh, no, we want only house music, we want only this.” They were still a bit weird about hearing different music. Nowadays, it’s not a problem. Sadly, from my point of view, the hip-hop DJs went 100 percent into shitty house music, bad taste. Luckily, for example, we have A-Trak. Even sometimes I tell him he should use his skills. He’s the best in the game, he’s just playing proper house.

Audience Member

Also from Montreal, I should add.

Pedro Winter

He’s from Montréal. I’m telling him, “Don’t give up on your hip hop roots.” He did an Ed Banger party in Montreal and in the middle of the set he did a 15-minute or 20-minute break of hip-hop. People went mad. Nowadays, those differences are forces. Mixing things is the answer. Mixing our worlds is definitely the only advice, finally, after this two hour talk with you guys. It’s the only solution, the thing I would recommend to you in this Academy thing. I think it would be funny to look at all your profiles and choose for you, because I’m sure you are still a bit shy. “Oh, I don’t know if I want to go with him.” But you’re going to go with this guy in the studio. “But he’s a weirdo, look what he looks like.” You’re going to go into the studio and maybe you’ll do something crazy. Mixing things is the key. Again, we are the proof. Of course, I’m going to go to a Rage Against the Machine concert when they’re playing in Paris and the next day I’m going to see Derrick May at the Rex Club, and I’ll get goosebumps and I’m not the only one. Maybe because we’re French, and we like to play different games. I’m not saying we’re just taking the best of it, we’re really enjoying it.

Audience Member

[speaks French] Oh, my god! Wow, alright.

Pedro Winter

I love Canada. I’ve got a maple leaf tattooed on my arm, so I needed to show it to my Canadian friends.

Audience Member

My question is, in terms of drums, because I know there’s a specific kind of drum sample that you’re using. I’ve noticed from Daft Punk in the ‘90s to Justice in the 2000s and how that evolved into much harder hits, now with your remix it’s evolved into a more hip-hop-oriented…

Pedro Winter

Because the one I use is 808.

Audience Member

Yeah, and I was wondering if in terms of the stage from the Daft Punk to the Justice, did you see a noticeable evolution of the drums?

Pedro Winter

Yes, of course, it’s a really good question. Maybe it’s going to be a bit technical. Daft Punk were using a 909 drum machine, which is the most famous techno drum machine. Justice, they are sampling their drums from rock and FM bands, so this is why they have their sound. The one I use on this one is the lovely Logic 808 beats, so it’s different, but it’s just at the same time what I told you. Daft Punk are more techno, Justice are more into California FM radio and I’m more influenced by the master, Rick Rubin, who produced Run-DMC and the Beastie Boys who used the 808 Drum machine. So I’m trying to rip off Rick Rubin’s style, even though I have a lot of work.

Gerd Janson

Thank you.

Pedro Winter

[speaks French]

Gerd Janson

Then, I guess our time is up.

Pedro Winter

No, you told me four hours.

Gerd Janson

Four hours?

Pedro Winter

I want to tell you about my mother.

Gerd Janson

We have a lunch break, then you can go on for another two hours.

Pedro Winter

I already said my outro by mixing stuff. But what’s most important is enjoying everything and having fun with it. I know it’s really naff, but I’m not ashamed of anything as you can see. Enjoying it. Making fun of yourself. This is the key. Because the minute you’re going to be a serious guy, you’re going to make some boring music.

Gerd Janson

That’s a nice word. Give it up for Pedro.