Backstage with Felix Cartal
On New Years Eve, Felix Cartal met with DJZ before hitting the stage at the BangOn! warehouse party. He described his most recent album, his DJ techniques, and answered our burning question: If Felix Cartal could kiss anyone at midnight, who would it be?
Also, make sure to check our exclusive photos from the party
***Transcript of the interview***
Jake: Tell me about your new record.
Felix: Different Faces. Yeah, it was cool. Making a second record is way harder than a first record because people are listening. But I did a bunch of things that I’m excited about, like making a song with The Sounds, which is one of my favorite indie bands of all time.
Jake: What are you going to throw down tonight? What are you planning to play?
Felix: I finished a couple of new remixes lately. I’ve only played one of them once and I want to play it again tonight.
Jake: What is the remix?
Felix: I did a remix for Zedd, for his song “Clarity.” I’ve only played it once and I’m excited to play it again.
Jake: Dope, dope, dope. So are you going to drop it early in the set, or later on?
Felix: I think I’ll play it at the very end. It feels like an end-of-the-night kind of song.
Jake: How long have you been DJing, and how long have you been producing?
Felix: I’ve been DJing since about 2008, maybe. The end of 2007, the beginning of 2008. I’ve been producing since about 2005 or 2006. That feels like a long time now, six years.
Jake: Thats not that long, man. My friend, you’ve come far in not that long.
Felix: I’ve been in bands growing up, so I’ve always been around music.
Jake: What kind of gear do you use when you produce?
Felix: Very simple: Reason and Pro Tools.
Jake: How much of your set is figured-out ahead of time, and how much do you figure out on the spot?
Felix: It’s a mix. I always know the songs of mine that I’m going to play. I think its important to play my own songs for the people that want to hear. The way I think about a DJ set is in blocks. Like, I know three songs that go really well together, and I think about how I’m going to get from this group of three songs to the next group of three songs that work really well. So, I’ll have a transition of three songs that work really well. And then I’ll throw some new stuff in between, and then try and get to the next group that I know will kill it.
Jake: This is a question that a lot of people I work with wanted me to ask here: If you could kiss anyone in world at midnight, who would it be?
Felix: Oh man. You know who I always thought was hot? Summer from The O.C.
Jake: … I don’t know if I know that one.
Felix: What? Come on!
Jake: I’m older than you dude – I’m an old ass.
Felix: You never watched The O.C.? Marissa is like the tall, blond, classic one, but Summer is like the curvy brunette. She’s the babe.
Related Videos
Related News
About DJZ 10
The DJZ/10 is a collection of ten DJs that we think you should know about now. Some of them are already familiar to you, others you may have never heard of. The list is not based on (1) a secret computer algorithm, (2) social media popularity, or (3) payola. Every month or so we get together to decide if somebody from the broader A…Z directory is about to break out and should be included in the DJZ/10, or if somebody already on the list, for that matter, is “phoning it in” and deserved to be replaced by another DJ who is more worthy.
×
Comments