SHA Interview & Mix // Prince Club & Poupon
To celebrate their new release Prince Club & Poupon – Platinum EP on Snatch! Records the kind people at Faceless Management arranged for SHA to grab a quick interview with both artists and for Poupon to drop an exclusive mix for you all the check out. SHA’s Craig is on the questions so here we go….
PRINCE CLUB & POUPON
PRINCE CLUB
Hi Zach & Max (aka Prince Club) thanks for taking the time for SHA to ask you some questions.
Our pleasure !!!
First up, you were previously known as MadKids before Prince Club came to be. I read that you aspire to be house music royalty, was this the thought process behind the change and the Prince Club name?
The name change was simply because we didn’t like the name anymore. Not to mention Riva said the name sucked & that sealed the deal. Our style matured along with us, it was time for a change so we changed our name to suit our music.
You guys were raised in Montreal, Canada. The Quebec City has seen the birth of massive talent including Tiga and A-Trak, two names doing quite different things. What influenced you both into the guys you are today?
Originally, we were part of a band. We continued making music in another form; instead of a band & instruments we use a computer & CDjs now.
Your new release ‘Platinum EP’ with Poupon was is out now on Snatch! Records. What is the story behind this latest release?
Max: Ben and I met a couple months ago. He’s said before use to like our old stuff. When he came to play in montreal he introduced himself and we became friends instantly. When I came to play in Toronto, we ended chilling at his house.
We made platinum in 2 sessions over night and now we have matching tattoos! hahaha!
You have had numerous releases on labels including Snatch!, Disconbelle and Made To Play. An impressive early repertoire! A few of these have been collaborations, who would be the dream artist you would love to team up with?
Haha Thank you. Tough question but I’d love to sit down with someone like Martin Buttrich, MK or Axwell! You know a likeminded production nerd…hahaha. It wouldn’t be similar to the sound/style we currently produce, but I’d like to learn from those types.
Finally, 2011 was a massive year for you guys with huge support on your releases and gigs all over the globe! What do you have in store for 2012?
In 2012 we want to do/experience things we didn’t the year before! We’re working on coming out to the west coast in North America, Europe, and we’re really looking forward to WMC this year.
POUPON
Hi Poupon, we’re delighted to have you on board for a quick SHA questioning! Tell us about your artist name? I note that the French translation is a little baby or doll but then Grey Poupon is also a brand of Dijon mustard.
Haha, it’s kind of a combination of both of those meanings. One half of my family is French Moroccan, growing up I had a relative whose nickname was Poupon. I’m also a huge food guy – so the Grey Poupon reference is an ode to that as well.
You also hail from Canada in the city of Toronto, the neighbouring province of Ontario to Prince Club’s Quebec. What was your upbringing like and who were your influences at a young age?
I grew up with a pretty musical upbringing. My Dad plays multiple instruments, and used to always play his vinyl collection around the house. Some notable influences from that time were Bob Marley, Michael Jackson, Jimi Hendrix and Tower of Power. I took guitar and bass lessons as a teenager, and played in a funk-rock-blues-jam band throughout high school.
I asked Prince Club what their take on the new release ‘Platinum EP’ was, since it was a joint effort it’s only fair I get both sides of the story. Tell me your side?
This EP came about through testing the waters. Max and I had no idea if we would be able to produce well together, but in our first session, we came up with Platinum. I had found the Biggie sample, but didn’t really know what to do with it. We constructed a beat to go with it together. The B-Side, La Nuit was made much later, after we had signed Platinum as the A-Side for an EP with Snatch! Records.
You played sets alongside some massive names, Riva Starr, Fake Blood, Calvin Harris and I notice you played with DJ Sneak on NYE. Huge! What dj’s and producers to you look up to and learn from?
There’s a ton of DJ’s whose styles have really left an impression on me both as a producer and DJ. Some of the guys I’ve had the chance to see live are Popof, Sebastien Leger, Cajmere, DJ Sneak, Pryda, Paco Osuna, Claude Von Stroke, Jamie Jones, Art Department – just to name a few. All of them have inspired me on both ends of the spectrum.
Finally, much the same as your new track collaborators, 2011 was a big year for you with releases on labels like Snatch!, DubNoir, petFood and Dim Mak. Whats does 2012 hold for you both as an artist and dj?
I’ve got a few remixes lined up and approaching release for friends D.Fine, Anthony Ross, and Brodinski & Rynecologist. I also have another collaborative release to come with D.Fine, more tracks with Prince Club, and of course, my own solo original projects in the works as well! I will be down in Miami in March, as well playing shows in Toronto and other Canadian cities, and hopefully heading back to Europe and wherever else the music takes me!
RELATED LINKS
PRINCE CLUB FACEBOOK
POUPON FACEBOOK
PRINCE CLUB SOUNDCLOUD
POUPON SOUNDCLOUD
PRINCE CLUB TWITTER
POUPON TWITTER
FACELESS BLOG
