Even if you are not a fan of house music, there is very little chance that you have not heard the track "The Weekend" by the British DJ and producer Michael Gray, half of the duo Full Intention, in clubs, beach bars, parties or possibly on TV.
It was Gray's first self-released single under his own name and a global megahit, even in the US which is not often the case for British DJs, where it topped Billboard's Hot Dance Airplay chart and could also be heard in commercials for Honda and the series "Ugly Betty". There could hardly be a greater honor and recognition for good work for the Montenegrin duo 84bit than cooperation with this popular musician.
Miloš Rakonjac, better known as DJ AP and his partner Nikola Jovićević FFunk did a remix for Grey's tape "Take Me Back" and recently released it, and it is available on Traxsource, one of the most famous electronic music stores on the Internet, at a price of $2.49 ( 2.10 euros).
That this collaboration was a real hit for 84bit was also shown by the fact that the remix soon found itself at the top of Traxsource's top 10 list, and the Montenegrin duo was especially inspired because, as they say, Gray is among the five artists who most influenced their work.
Winning the mentioned chart is the highlight of a great year as a producer for 84bit, during which they had successful independent releases and other remixes, and they talked about all this for "Vijesti".
How did the collaboration with Michael come about, how did you approach the remix?
We had contact, or more precisely, cooperation, with Michael two years ago, when Full Intention did a remix for us for one tape, after which we met in Amsterdam at the Traxource party as part of the ADE (Amsterdam Dance Event) conference. Michael is a very relaxed character, very simple and a real professional. We asked him to send us the stems for the remix, which he did the same day. We wanted that old school house sound to be heard in this remix and we succeeded in that.
How much does it mean to you that it took the top spot on Traxsource's list, what have been the reactions?
We are not one of those who chase charts, statistics and numbers, but numbers are another proof that something is done well. The feeling when you see your song at the top of a list with some of the most famous house producers ever like Morales and Lui Vega is really beautiful, but our priority is the music, that is, the creation process itself. This is where the biggest range of emotions happens and they are the ones we love the most. The reactions so far are phenomenal and the remix is supported by a serious crew of producers such as: Claptone, Sam Divine, The Shapeshifters, Dr Packer...
Which list is it specifically in question and how much do you think this can affect your career?
This is the Traxsource Top 100 list. Along with Beatport, Traxsource is the world's most famous music portal and online shop when it comes to electronic music.
How are you spending these days of the corona crisis, how has it affected your everyday life and your work? In the inability to perform, many, who have that possibility, have turned to work in home studios and the like?
We almost mentioned how this entire period in the musical field was actually ultra productive and successful for us. Everything you focus on in life grows, and we focused on working in the studio and the results are great.
How will all this affect the club scene in your opinion, is there a way out, some alternative solutions?
Uh, we can answer this question for hours... Clubs and bars in general, as well as the entire catering industry, are very affected by this situation and a large number of them had to or will have to end their work. It's terrible, both for the owners and for the scene itself. There are people who have devoted their entire lives to building something that has enormous value for them, and the whole situation with themselves, in addition to the financial one, also carries the other - emotional side. On the other hand, the question is what was the scene like before the start of the whole story around Covid-19, actually what were we ourselves like, how hard we all worked together and so on. Also, the expansion of online live sets is noticeable, which gives everyone equal conditions to present their work and is a great opportunity for a younger team that is now breaking through. The way out is always visible, because the way out is within ourselves. We are optimists, when the earth is "rotten", then it is best to throw the seeds...
Do you miss parties, festivals, performances and how do you make up for it?
Of course, we really miss the performances and the energy they bring with them. We actually miss all those people in one place. It's all about people... We try to draw energy from those other things that fill us up besides music. We're going fishing, it's our second mutual love, and we won't reveal the locations to you on this occasion. (laughs) In general, we have turned more towards nature and we like it very much.
What else have you been working on this year, have you had any other remixes as well as your own releases? Are you happy with how they were received, which went best?
This is definitely the most productive year for us, and as things stand now, it will be the most successful so far. All the releases we released went very well, both our original songs and the remixes we did. A remix for a mega hit by David Peña, the Spanish DJ star and producer who has been selected as the best house producer in the world for three years in a row, should also appear soon. We have a few more big surprises to announce in the next couple of months.
What are your plans for the next period until the end of the year?
We will release new releases every month until the end of the year. We follow the plan, we are focused on the process of reaching results and personal development. There's always something new to learn, and today it's really not hard to find content and learning materials. In addition, we are strengthening our publishing house 84Bit Music, which is also having a successful year.
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