The man who successfully convinced America that synth-heavy dance music was as legitimate as rap music; the Parisian producer who turns black hip-hop stars into global megastars; the skinny, greasy-haired guy who still runs a club night in Ibiza called ‘Fuck Me I’m Famous’: David Guetta symbolises not only the shifting of the tide in chart music as we know it but also the great entrepreneurial dream of pretty much every white kid in the world.
With an ear for melody, a head for business and a heart for music, the only strange thing about the Moroccan-Jewish master of hedonism is that it took the 43 year-old this long to rule the entire god damn world. But as he makes clear in detailing his relentless work ethic, it’s certainly not from want of trying. Like few DJs of his calibre, Guetta doesn’t take the free ride; he’s the kind of guy who will write a song on a short plane ride and debut it at a show that night before heading back to the studio all over again. So sure, hate on him all you like, but don’t ever dismiss the man as being lazy.
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TheVine: I was watching the documentary about your new album [Nothing But The Beat -- see trailer below] and the bit that I found interesting is that you still make a lot of your beats in the studio in Ibiza. I know that you used to do a lot of stuff while you were traveling.
David Guetta: I am still dong this, actually. I have a studio in Ibiza, yes, and one in Paris. But the rest of the time it’s wherever, you know? I work a lot with my laptop on the road. It’s really amazing that you can come [into the studio] with almost final versions coming out of a computer, the evolution of technology is changing the world of music.
Before you would have had to go to an actual recording studio.
Exactly. It’s really incredible. And even though it’s happened many times I still think it’s so cool that I can start something on a plane, in a hotel room and play it in the night in the club. It’s really crazy!
There was that incident where someone parked outside your studio and hacked your WiFi and managed to get a copy of one of your songs before it was released. Do you still worry about that kind of thing?
Of course. I’m really careful now. But it’s difficult, especially with the vocals [the scam was run by a phisher emailing Guetta pretending to be Usher’s manager] where I have to be in the studio. That is where it becomes complicated and people have access.
I’ve read that you found it very difficult, particularly in the case of America where they had pre-established ideas of what pop music had to be and how you’ve been excited — particularly with Black Eyed Peas — to bring those ideas of urban and dance music together. With other territories like Australia, where perhaps the electronic scene was a bit stronger to start with-
Way stronger!
-do you feel like it’s a different challenge to bring that sound over here?
It was actually easier. Australians always supported DJ culture a lot and it’s one of the first places when I started to tour a long time ago that took me in and I’m so thankful for that.
At the beginning it was the UK and Australia and then it was the whole of Europe and now the world. But it was always the way -- that every DJ I knew from Paris loved to come and play here. It’s a good crowd and always a good time for us because people are so nice to us over here.
In the documentary you were talking about how after the last record [2009’s One Love] you felt you really needed to push the envelope and become even more innovative. There seemed to be lots of replicas coming out of your sort of sound now. Much of that has to do with you obviously, but I feel in listening to the new record that a lot of it is related to the selection of the guest artists, like Nicki Minaj…
Yes, of course. For me it’s also exciting to take people who don’t look obvious—for me—to a place they don’t expect to go. So ‘Where Them Girls At’ is typical Nicki Minaj, but ‘Turn Me On’ is totally different from anything that she’s done before. I’m really proud of that record because I think it’s so new for her and she sings like crazy on it.
There was a moment with – it might have been with Usher – where you present an artist with a beat and they fight you about who's going to have the track. They want it for their album and you want it for yours. I think Black Eyed Peas did it with you as well.
[Laughs] It happens all the time -- in a nice way. It’s not an actual fight. We are all passionate about music, so when we work in studio we don’t define who the record is going to be for before we finish, because we want to be free to let it go creatively. And then we decide to go where is the best home for the record. And of course, sometimes it’s very funny because everyone wants to have the big one. At the end of the day, to be honest, we all want to be part of a beautiful record, so whether it’s for me or somebody else, it’s the same to me. If I produce a record and I think it’s amazing I’m very happy about it regardless of whether it’s under my name or not.
I notice that you still live and record in Ibiza, which seems a bit strange to me given that it’s not a particularly quiet environment.
Oh no, it isn’t! But for me I don’t really separate my life from working and playing and writing and collaborating to just living. It’s all the same thing to me. I don’t have party days and ‘off days; it’s a non-stop party and it’s non-stop work, but I love it, you know?
So how do you stop yourself from getting exhausted? I mean if you are partying and your partying is work, is there a point where you say ‘I need to stop for a bit’?
Not really because for me it’s about the music; I don’t do drugs, I don’t drink or smoke. I just do what I love to do which is making and playing music!
Oh no I wasn’t even asking from the debauchery perspective, just actually being tired from being out so many nights than in a row…
Yeah, but I think there’s nothing more exhausting than to be bored. It’s not happening to me because I’m having a great time. I’m not tired, I’m full of energy!
Jonno Seidler