When I first stumbled across house music back in my early college years, Dim Chris was a producer I took immediate note of. His remix of John Dahlback’s ‘Blink‘ immediately grabbed as it was one of my first listens to electro music. He took some time off and stepped away from the game for a year or so, but has made a bold and stunning return on John Dahlback’s label, Mutants Records.
Recently, we caught up with Dim Chris to discuss his brief hiatus, what it’s like to ‘get back in the game’ and how he and Dahlback formed their friendship so many years go!
For our friends that might not know, can you introduce yourself?
Hey guys! Dim Chris here! I’m a DJ / producer from Paris, France. I started my international carrer in 2007, only 1 year after I began producing in the studio. From there, I started producing original content and remixing for several major artists. I also travel a lot around the world for gigs
How did you get started with dance music and what kind of role did Joachim Garraud play in your career?
I started producing in 2006. In 2007 I had the chance to win a Young & Talented Contest organized by Joachim Garraud. From that point, I started releasing tunes on Antoine Clamaran’s label. After that, I joined DJ Center Records France (John Dahlback, Roger Sanchez, Laidback Luke, Chris Lake etc..) I also began to remix talented artists such as Moby, Joachim Garraud, David Vendetta and many more etc ..
Your remix of Blink pretty much defined my entrance into appreciating dance music. How has your style and sound changed since then?
Yes, I made a remix for John in 2008 on his hit single “Blink” and my remix was signed to his own label, Pickadoll and played By Pete Tong on BBC Radio 1 and tons of DJ’s. Around that time, my sound was purely electro based stuff.
Young in the industry, I was just producing all the music I’d like to play in clubs and it actually worked! Dance music style changed a bit around 2010 to the more progressive music.
So I moved a bit from electro to progressive in the studio such as my remix of “Hey Hey” I did for Dennis Ferrer.
Nowadays, we’re coming back to the authentic electro stuff , so I’m back to it!
How did your collaboration with Clubbing TV begin?
Clubbing TV is based in Paris, France and it’s a young TV Channel. I met the owner and entire my profile interested them as I was well known in France just for music. We started working together and I became Official DJ of The Clubbing TV channel in the clubs. Today I’m still working with them but some other ones are working with them too.
What do you have planned for this year in terms of music?
For personal reasons, I produced a little less last year but I’m now back in the studio and working very hard in. Lots of original productions, remixes and collabs are ready now and or coming up. The first one is “Show” signed on Mutants Records (John Dahlback’s Imprint) was released on Beatport May 6th.
It seems like you and John Dahlback have a great rapport, especially with your recent release on his label. How did this relationship start?
John was signed in France to DJ Center, the label with whom I worked with. I made remixes for him on “Blink” also “Out There” Feat. Basto. From that, I got to know his crew and also John himself, by meeting them several times in Miami (WMC) and ADE (Amsterdam).
I definitely wanted to sign on his new label Mutants but only I thought I was fully ready. When I produced “Show”, I knew that this track would interest John, so I sent it to him and he signed it! Now we are closer thanks to this, and another track is already signed on his label and will be out this summer.
You’ve been in the game for so long, what do you think about this ongoing EDM trend?
As I said before, the music is changing a lot. Now we are coming back to something more electro. In fact music is a cycle and the most important thing and also hardest thing is to grow in the studio and music changes.
Being a Parisian DJ, there seems to be a lot of hot talent coming fresh out of there. How has the culture changed over there?
Yes man, you’re so right! We all started approximately at the same time like Arno Cost, Norman Doray, Tristan Garner and then Gregori Klosman. We all know and respect each other so much. I guess all of us have been influenced by Daft Punk in some way. Now we are all producing a lot more to our own respective styles and working with international artists. It’s good for us and for the image of France in this industry.
What are three pieces of advice that you would give to up & coming producers?
First thing: Work hard in the studio, discovering the tools and weapons and learn the way to make good synths, mixing, mastering.
Second: Listen to lot of music and always compare the sound of big tunes with the ones we are producing to understand the details and the way to produce in the best way.
Third thing: Find information about how to produce, ‘mix and mastering’ by reading articles, blogs, forums, magazines and all specialized websites!
The post Interview: Dim Chris talks his return to dance music, working with John Dahlback, and gives production advice appeared first on PB&J.
