DEADMAU5 and SBTRKT aren’t the only ones to rock the masked DJ look — house producer Mike Candys and his signature smiley mask have been doing pretty well for themselves during 2012, completing over 200 shows across Europe, alongside a lot of writing, producing and remixing, as well as running his Wombat Music label.
So, has it been a successful year for Candys? You bet it has. “Definitely!” he confirms. “My tracks achieved several platinum and gold awards in different
If you were a superhero, what would your superpower be? “Because I’m not the tallest and strongest guy, I would use my mental power to make other people follow my ideas.” Should you play to the crowd or for yourself? “I play and produce in my studio first for myself and then I go out and want to play for the crowd.” What does EDM mean to you? “I’ve been producing and writing tracks for 20 years. I did everything, from R&B to rock, but my heart was always with EDM, and therefore I love being an EDM producer and DJ.” Should celebrities be DJs? “Only if they’ve got a deep relation to dance music and the skills to do it.” Have you ever been thrown off the decks? “Yes, once when they didn’t tell me before that the club was gonna close, but this is a long time ago.” Are you a DJ if you don’t beat match? “Maybe a radio DJ, but definitely not an EDM DJ.” Where’s the next dance music capital? “I guess it will be somewhere in the East... Russia, or even China or Japan.”
Style: “Sports casual.” Best known for: “Massive teeth.” Tune of 2012: “AWOL Nation ‘Sail’.” Breakthrough DJ/ producer of 2012: “Kill The Noise and Bro Safari.”
AS Spor, Jonathan Gooch has released drum & bass on labels such as Renegade Hardware, Barcode, Subtitles, and his own Lifted Music, but it’s as Feed Me that he’s really made his mark globally. Signed to Mau5trap, he’s released a string of kick-ass tracks at the point where dubstep, electro house and moombahton meet, and is currently supporting Nero on their world tour. “Touring my own production show with a great crew, and getting to play for amazing audiences and watching my fan- base grow and be more supportive than
I could ever dream, has been an amazing thing,” Feed Me tells DJ Mag. The question about being thrown off the decks has him reaching for some anecdotes of touring high jinks. “I picked the wrong sort of fire extinguisher to engulf Datsik at EDC with, which resulted in a big mess and some vomiting and equipment damage,” he says. “Also, Nero got me thrown out of Sonny’s show on my last birthday for throwing Jager on people who didn’t appreciate it. It was totally Nero’s fault.” CARL LOBEN
If you were a superhero, what would your superpower be? “Turning steak back into a cow with a single touch for no reason.” Should you play to the crowd or for yourself? “Adaptability is important; but if you’re representing a sound people want to hear, there shouldn’t be too much difference between the two.” What does EDM mean to you? “Not much, the term itself sounds a bit irritating to me. I’m just here to make music.” Should celebrities be DJs? “Only Danny Dyer should be allowed to — ha! Music is for everyone, though; who am I to say some- one can’t play it to people? As long as love for music is the motivating factor, then fair play.” Have you ever been thrown off the decks? “Not while I was play- ing, while other people were playing... once or twice.” Are you a DJ if you don’t beat match? “I learnt to DJ on belt-drives, I love the process of mixing and how it makes you feel. But who cares about beat matching any more? I think the term ‘DJ’ has been outdated for a long time.” Where’s the next dance music capital? “I don’t even know where the current one is. I’m going to go with Huddersfield.”
Style: “Electro/progressive house.” Best known for: “Smiley mask, remixing Example, Arash, Sean Paul, Lil Jon and LMFAO.” Tune of 2012: “Mike Candys ‘If The World’.” Breakthrough DJ/producer of 2012: “Nicky Romero.”
European countries, and I played at so many great clubs and festivals. 2012 was awesome.”
As for his favourite moments of the year, how about “the No.1 chart position on iTunes Germany, and a gig in France at the beach with 30,000 people”? That’ll do nicely. TRISTAN PARKER