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Now on the subject of the Mescal Kid, I asked if he is making a conscious shift back towards a sound that he was once known for. “I’ve been going with more and more bass-driven tracks. Even though you throw in an acapella once in a while for the crowd, it still has to be really driving and energetic. Even if it’s techier, I still need those bass lines and I still need some kind of energy. I’m just having a blast, enjoying DJ’ing … I like to take it back to where it all began, which is dark little clubs where you could play anything without anyone having any expectations; I miss that a lot. I think once your career becomes really successful and you become really big, there’s a bit of a pressure from a lot of the fans coming to your show because they obviously want to hear your big records. So you have to just have fun with it and please them as well as please everybody else, but first and foremost you have to please yourself. You can always throw a real big acapella on a techy track and make it work, as long as you do it right. So I’ve been doing a lot of that lately and I’m really enjoying it.”


While he’s enjoying taking his DJ sets in a new direction, perhaps the biggest change we will see from Angello this year will be in the form of his forthcoming studio album, which he says is: “Really, really different. It’s not my old style, and it’s not Mescal Kid; it’s something completely different. I’m now actually doing a live album too, which is going to be a mixture between my old stuff and Mescal Kid, combined with this new sound. It’s just music, you know. I’ve worked with some unbelievable artists that I never dreamt of working with in my whole life, like some people that I’ve never even imagined I’d be working with. A lot of indie bands, a lot of indie singers, I’m just having fun with music. I’m not in a frame, I’m not in a box, it’s just pure music and then it is what it is. I don’t want people to put it in a folder, I don’t want people to think about whatever I’ve done before or what they expect. It’s just super electronic with symphony orchestras and amazing vocals, so it’s a really eclectic alternative electronic album, it’s not 15 bangers. I’ve had a lot of fun working with choirs and string quartets, a lot of bands.” When discussing a projected timeline for these two albums which he is producing in parallel, Steve said he’s not in a rush, they could be released tomorrow or in a few months, but timing has to be perfect.


To make sure he’s putting his full focus into the album, Steve’s touring schedule has slowed down considerably this summer, decreasing his number of gigs by about 50% compared to last year. One of the things he’s skipping this year is the quintessential Ibizan residency, which gives him all the time he needs to spend in the studio and alongside his family which now includes two young daughters. “I’m not going to do a residency this year, maybe next year. If I was doing a residency in Ibiza I wouldn’t be able to come and play VELD in Toronto, I wouldn’t be able to come and play Escapade in Ottawa. It’s really easy to say yes to a lot of gigs and then get overwhelmed and regret those decisions, so I think you really have to prioritize where you play. I’m having a lot of fun at the moment, and I’m not going to just commit to something for the sake of it.”


With all this studio time and touring combined with his growing family, it’s hard to believe Steve still makes time to cultivate new talent and mentor his upcom- ing generation of label mates, but one Canadian duo in particular has the boss’s full attention. “I’m starting this project with the Redroche guys. They are send- ing me amazing music right now, I’ve known them for about ten years, and they have a really strong studio output right now. We’re just building the project and planning it at the moment, so you’ll definitely see a lot more from those guys. They’re doing really well and I’m really happy about it” said Angello, sound- ing like a proud father. From what we can tell, that is exactly the role he plays every day; not only to his two daughters, but to an army of young producers that include his younger brother AN21 among a diverse range of talented musicians.


While we wait patiently for Steve’s forthcoming albums, we look eagerly towards his Canadian appearances this summer, unsure of how his DJ set will evolve to incorporate the new sound he is working on. One thing we know for sure is that Steve is not resting on his laurels; he is taking risks and pushing boundaries to reinvent his style and move his music forward. While the mafia fans wait for the next Size release and the underground welcomes the X label with open arms, one thing remains unchanged; Steve Angello is a house music don, mafia or not.


WORDS BY DREW BARTON


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www.djmag.ca


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