This week, joining us for the latest episode in the Prima Lux series, we welcome Montreal DJ & Producer Stonehouse. The former Minds Of Sin man is fresh from a much lauded release on noted New York imprint Nervous Records (home to the likes of Armand van helden, Joeski and DJ Sneak). Stonehouse has supplied two whopper warehouse ready weapons in collaboration with Defected Records and Snatch! Records artist Prince Club, likewise a local Montrealer. In addition to providing When We Dip with an awesome sixty minute recording, he’s taken the time from a busy schedule to talk us through the release!
Stonehouse & Prince Club – From The Heaven / The Remedy is out now.
WWD: Thanks for joining us Joe! How are you doing?
I am exhausted. Long weekend in Canada, and I ended up dancing, spinning a bit, and more dancing all weekend. I just woke up after witnessing Ben Klock and Marcel Dettmann set fire to Stereo’s dance floor. But I am inspired to make a mix for you guys!
WWD: What’s Montreal like in the Summer months? Hard to get the work done in the studio?
It definitely takes a lot of discipline. When I don’t have gigs, I still have friends, promoters, DJs twisting my arm to go out. I treat producing as if I was running a business out of a home office. Monday to Friday are my work days. Some days I work late, and some weekends I bring work home.
WWD: You’ve just released on iconic NYC label Nervous this week in collaboration with Defected & Snatch! producer Prince Club. What can you tell us about the record?
This record is definitely a mix of our two styles. Prince Club has a knack for incredible top lines and grooves. I like darker driving tech house. His vocal chop on From The Heaven just made us get up and dance and is a great summer terrace track. The Remedy started off with a bass line that I made on a Moog Minitaur (every beginner producer should buy one of these), and then just recorded myself playing around with the filters and creating an arrangement organically that way. When I brought it to Max (Prince Club) we just turned it into a driving banger tech house track.
WWD: What sort of frame of mind were you in when you created the tracks?
From The Heaven was genuinely inspired buy some grade A Kush and us laughing at a video of my friend Chrys trying to jump over a folding sign and failing miserably (you can watch it here http://bit.ly/29naWEP). The Remedy bass line just popped out on a gorgeous summer day when I was in a good mood. Max came up with the whispered word break, and then we watched Chrys’ video again a few more times and finished it up.
WWD: Is the EP reflective of the sounds of Montreal or did you take your influences from elsewhere?
The summer mood definitely pushed these tracks forward. Montreal has a summer that doesn’t sleep and is driven by music. It is easy to come home from Piknic Electronic feeling inspired and crank out some ideas before you go to bed. I think as a DJ, when you spend a weekend off dancing and listen to the music as a Dancer, not a DJ, you feel inspired to go home and make tracks that will replicate those feelings you just had, but in other people.
WWD: Do you go through spells or creativity or do you find it easy to sit down and get going?
I definitely have dry spells and the creative bursts. I read an interview with Chocolate puma, and they say that for every 10 ideas they come up with, only 1 or 2 end up as finished projects. I think that is a pretty accurate breakdown. If after 3-4 hours an idea isn’t go anywhere, I scrap it and start a new one. Once I have an idea I like, I try not to start another project until it is pretty much done.
WWD: Best single tip anyone ever gave you on production?
Finish your tracks!!! That was my first lesson from Prince Club, who is my Jedi Master in the studio. If you have an idea you like, FINISH IT! Don’t over think it. If it sounds good, go with it. Eventually our skill set will overlap with your taste, and you will discover your own sound.
WWD: What else is happening in Montreal right now? We hear you were spinning with Justin Jay recently?
Too many things are happening in Montreal hahah. Yeah, I played with Justin Jay a couple of weeks ago at the DSTRKT stage at New City Gas. It is the out door Terrace of the club, so it is nice to play some tunes and dance outside. On July 29 I am playing with Olivier Weiter at Velvet on Osheaga Weekend (It is a massive 3 day Music Festival in Montreal). It is hosted by Minds of Sin who put out my first EP (https://www.facebook.com/MindsOfSinRecords). Velvet is the sexiest club in Montreal. It is in the basement of a very old stone building, so it feels like you are dancing in a 19th century wine cellar.
WWD: Can you give us your three favourite places to chill out in MTL?
Chill in Montreal? Probably my bed, cause sleeping is the only down time I get. But other than that… Tam Tams is the most relaxing party in Montreal. People of all ages go to a massive park on the hill to relax. You can eat, drink, smoke, dance, play frisbee, soccer, sun tan, or even sleep. They even have LARPING. And it all starts with a big drum circle.
Piknic Electronic is the best balance of dance music and relaxing. They book amazing DJs every Sunday. Len Faki played there a few weeks ago and blew my mind. But it is outside in a park by the Saint Laurence River. So you can go dance or go sit down by the river. Lastly, but not least, I like to go back to Beaconsfield, which is the suburb where I grew up, and hang out by the Lac Saint. Louis. I like to drive down for dinner and sit by the Marina in Ste. Anne de Belleveue, and then go to a quiet spot by the water and listen to the water.
WWD: You’ve spent some time in Madrid recently. You’re off to London soon. What excites you about the scene in the UK?
Meeting new people is what I am most excited about. Also, in terms of learning, I can’t wait to go out and see new DJs I’ve never heard of and see how they mix.
Follow Stonehouse: Facebook // Soundcloud