Tiga tells us how to run the perfect electronic party

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Tiga tells us how to run the perfect electronic party

First things first, I’m a big old fucking fan girl for Tiga. Between seeing him several times when he’s made the pilgrimage down under – to stalking his amazing early career – to doing disjointed slut drops to ‘Shoes’ in the early hours of the morning, he’s solidified in my mind as one of the most interesting artists of our time.

After seeing him in 2013 at the Strawberry Fields festival I was compelled to write ‘Tracking the Trajectory of Tiga’ – a piece which investigated his abilities to run amazing parties and lead techno revolutions whilst maintaining his title as most stylish man in the game. With an upcoming tour to spread the serious vibes of latest smash ‘Buggati’ – we were keen to ask him some burning questions. Needless to say, what he was driving was not one of them.

IC: We’re really interested to know – how did you get introduced to electronic music?t

T: I was into it for a really long time – I guess it started with Depeche Mode and Duran Duran. It wasn’t electronic like we know now but it was synth pop at the time. So as a child as soon as synth pop came out I knew it was the music for me and it was what I related to – that grew into more 80s stuff and then industrial stuff then I discovered proper techno and it was game over. My father had pretty good records around the house of varying taste – some of it was a bit strange for the time and that really helped.

IC: I wrote about you last year and i read a quote that said you were playing in the clubs in your late teens and you only had a handful of records you would play – what were some of those records? I’m guessing the Duran Duran was out of the collection by then. 

T: [laughs] The Duran Duran stuff was when I was about six years old.

IC: It could have been nostalgic for you to drop that at the time.

T: Well for  my first proper gigs I was about 17 years old – like early 90s. Those first records that I played for other people were early 1993 era hardcore wave stuff. Stuff like Alternate and some Prodigy and Belgian and German records – hard techno. It was a big deal at the time for music to be very hard and fast and crazy and I guess not much has changed when you’re young.

IC: That must have been pretty weird when juxtaposed against the other music making headway in Montreal in the 90s?

T: I mean it was new, it was an introduction of a new culture. But it was happening simultaneously all over the world. It was different then because there was no internet so it didn’t move quite as fast – but it still moved quickly because it was very exciting music and a very exciting time. There was new drugs and new ways of dressing and new language. It was quite revolutionary and I think thats one of the only things that are not the same now. When electronic music hit in that period it was really coming out of the dark ages. It was a complete break from what had existed before. For example when I was a kid in school – the dancers would be listening to medieval records playing. So these ideas of all night raves and drugs was pretty revolutionary. So yes it was a bit weird and strange but quickly it took over and I was very very in love with what I was doing.

IC: I’m interested in the idea of a revolutionary time and your music coinciding with a change of social aesthetic – how do you find as a performer that your music and your aesthetic have developed and coexist?

T: For me the visual aesthetic follows the music. The music is the first step and the aesthetic can decorate. But sometimes that’s not even true. Sometimes I visualise the event or the party that I want to make the record for so I guess that goes both ways. Simply put it’s like –  if you’re going to be in a music video or if you’re going to be on a record cover you want to look good. We all have our own personal taste. In that respect I’m like a little kid who has to get dressed up and they wear what they think looks cool. Like how Michael Jackson would wear those weird bandaids – it’s like little kids wear stuff that makes them look tough. I’m kind of like that I just have ideas that I haven’t necessarily outgrown them about what looks cool. I think you just want to look good and feel like you deserve to be on a record cover.

IC: I agree with that it’s like your music kind of promotes vision and that is enhanced by your aesthetic and I like how those two factors coincide.

T: I also think that there are a lot of my songs over the years – because all of them have lyrics and the lyrics are quite simple – it’s almost like a slogan. That also for me is kind of visual because it’s like the idea that someone gets the track, the vocal and the image and they work together like a little package. It’s not like the full package – I’m not like Beyonce (laughs) but it’s meant to work like that.

IC: I also like how you mentioned in there – and I wasn’t going to ask this – but with the advent of the internet age, how do you think that has transformed the landscape from whence you first came onto the scene?

T: Well now it’s a bit like asking how fire changed the world – on the one hand it hasn’t changed that much but then in another sense it’s changed everyday life for all of us. It’s changed how we spend our time and how we act with different people but for me as far as what I actually do – only the details have changed. Even though it’s a radical transformation in civilisation it hasn’t changed me that much because the basics are the same – you’re trying to come up with a good idea that you fall in love with and that you feel good enough about to give to the world. That part of it doesn’t change.

IC: I think it’s interesting because there’s an ability for mass creation and constant generating which is an important shift for the creation of a scene.

T: Well the way other people digest music and the way that it’s received is obviously very different – but I don’t know. The way I see it is you can’t spend too much time thinking about that because you don’t have control anyway. For me once I make something and if I love it and feel good about it – I care about if my friends like it and obviously I want success but you cant really get to into what others are saying.

IC: So moving from the online to the physical world – you have run some incredibly successful parties. In sydney we are having some issues with our party scene. So this is a double barrel question – if you were to run a party today who would be on your dream lineup and what is your advice for a successful electronic party?

T: Well I think programming is really important – the best part is when it’s a real scene. When everyone is patient and wants a certain type of music and the DJ is buying into the same thing – it’s not just an out of town guy that comes in and does his set and leaves. It’s good when it’s a scene and a community. It doesn’t have to be a huge party –  and everyone’s really into the same music. I think it’s also good when things are really repetitive with parties you can build week by week and build trust with the audience. Patience is really important – crowds don’t just want hits, when they just want things they already know, that makes it difficult to create a good party. Y’know crowds that are there that trust the event and trust the environment make the best party. I don’t think people realise how wicked it is if no one has a telephone. It doesn’t happen much any more. What’s also really important about a party is isolation – thats why for example – well you’re australian so you might not understand this – but horrible weather will make people get to a venue and they’re there and they cant leave. That adds a lot to an event – the feeling of commitment. So phones and texting and other technological distractions has eroded that feeling a bit. In the old days you weren’t going anywhere else – you couldn’t contact your friends or record anything you were fully committed and that provides a different energy.

My dream lineup right now – I really like the Martinez Brothers. I like them a lot. It’s not always my favourite music but I think they’re fantastic DJs and i love their vibe and their energy. So it would be me and them – Seth is fun to be with. I also like similar techno – Ben Klock and Marcel Dettmann – my brother is a pretty good DJ. There’s a band called Paranoid London and Aphex Twin would probably play for a couple of hours.

IC: [It was here that Telstra gave me a one minute warning and I started to freak out] Shit, one minute warning – I have to know about the tour! What can we expect from you? Whenever I’ve seen you you’ve always been very understated and focused on creating serious vibes.

T: That probably won’t change [laughs] – even though I’m in a pretty good mood lately. But with the tour I’m in a really good place and just coincidently Australia is going to be the battle ground to test some things out. So I’m bringing my sunny personality and fantastic energy and they’re going to be good parties. I think it’s a really good time lately in general – people are so open to new music. They’ve been introduced to things over the last 3 or 4 years through EDM and I think it’s made a really good climate now. So Australia’s going to be magical.

Of that we have no doubt. Find out more about Tiga’s upcoming tour here. 

Follow Izzy on Twitter @IzzyCombs

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