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French DJ Missill's debut album, 'Targets', mixes hip hop, electro, ragga, dancehall, breaks and grime to devastating effect.
Featuring guest vocals from the likes of Dynamite MC, Junior Red, NineLives The Cat, Yethz and Blurum 13, it's one of the most enjoyable dance albums to reach the CMU office in a while.
The album was released in France earlier this year, but makes its way onto UK shelves on 1 Sep via Discograph.
We asked Missill to answer our same six questions. |
Q1 How did you start out making music?
My first passion was for hip hop. I got into graffiti, then went on to graphic design, doing flyers, album covers, posters, logos and then my DJ career took over. I’m always looking for new sounds to add to my sets and also remixing, editing and bootlegging most beats to make them more personal. Making my own beats was a logical step forward, so I started learning how to use different music making software. I got help from my friends at first. It was a challenge I set myself, that’s why I called the album ‘Targets’, as making my own album was definitely a target I set myself a couple of years back... and now it’s out!
Q2 What inspired your latest album?
I get the inspiration from all the different kinds of music I play (electro, hip hop, breaks, booty bass, baile funk, rock and more). I wanted people to feel the same energy I put into my mixes. I get a huge inspiration from travelling and playing in so many different countries, discovering new cultures, new crowds. I am a DJ before even being a producer so I try to make my beats with a dancefloor approach. I want my tracks to make people get up and dance. So, I test them when I DJ and see how people react to them live. I invited some singers & MCs from all over the world to guest on the album, mainly artists I had met through music, touring, sharing the same stage.
Q3 What process do you go through in creating a track?
It depends whether I make a track with someone else or by myself. I like to work with other artists, producers, singers, rappers, guitarists. Most of the time I get ideas and I put the main lines down, work on the arrangements before I mix the track in a friend’s studio. Some of the beats I produced with friends and I love to collaborate with people, as it was all new to me. When I mix I do everything by myself - editing, remixing and playing live – so it was a great experience to share music with other people. I had a clear idea of who I wanted to work with and what styles I wanted on my album.
Q4 Which artists influence your work?
A lot of different kinds of music and artists, all the music I play and listen to influences my music.
Q5 What would you say to someone experiencing your music for the first time?
It’s music made for the dancefloor, an intense mix of hip hop, electro, grime, breaks, baile funk, booty bass, dubstep...
Q6 What are your ambitions for your latest single/album, and for the future?
I want to do make more beats, keep touring to promote the album all over! I am developing my Riot C Crew concept, you can create your own little character on www.missill.com and then play a game against friends. I am working on a series of toys with my characters. I am also working on a live project with musicians.
published july 2008
