RB Exclusive Interview: Mosimann Brings An Eclectic Set Up to Dance Music

Ranked as Top 100 DJ for four consecutive years, Quentin Mosimann is a phenomenal producer who incorporates live drum sets, keyboards, and singing within his sets. Music is his life and has been since day one. Nothing got in Quentin Mosimann’s way and nothing will get in his way from being the best. Let’s dive in with Quentin Mosimann’s RB Exclusive Interview!

Mosimann @Fête de l’Iris – Brussels (BE)

What made you want to initially start a career in music? You also won the reality TV show, Star Academy, at age 20. Can you elaborate on your singing career and beginning stages of your DJing career?

Making music wasn’t a choice actually. I started playing drums at 5 years old, the piano at 8, singing at 13, deejaying at 14. It’s always been my shelter and the only thing I wanted to do. Then I started to animate some parties in my village, and discovered the clubs when I moved to the French Riviera. I was deejaying and singing on my sets, and I had produced some tracks with 2 DJ friends that worked well. We played at Pacha Ibiza, in the little funky room, and a guy working on the ‘Staracademy’ show was there. He liked what I was doing behind the desks and told me I had to do the show! I went to Paris and everything was fast: I entered the show for 4 months and won it with a record deal in Universal Music and a big amount of money.

Well, it’s been 8 years already, that’s crazy. It was an amazing experience, learning all about the media, sharing the stage every week with big international artists, taking singing and music classes in front of 8 million of TV viewers… It was a really serious and professional TV music show that taught me a lot about the real job. But even if I could not impose my turntables at every show for 4 months, I never left them behind the second I was out. The biggest challenge after that was to make myself accepted into the more underground community, also by the audience who was expecting an usual singer, and with the record company (Universal) who was waiting for pop songs. It took time to find my musical way, I spent time to build my DJ career first by touring A LOT, focusing on production, not singing so much, but I’m glad to be finally ready today for underground club tracks AND electronic pop songs, with and without my vocals. And most of all, I’m super proud to have won the TV show because I was able to make my mother’s dream come true and make her happy after years of pain: I bought her a house with a pool and 5 dogs. It had always been a joke between us before as we thought it would never happen… And most of all, it made myself and allowed me to perfectly know what I wanted to do… and not wanted to do.

In the beginning, you DJing during school to pay for your studies. What did you study and did you have to give up on anything to pursue music?

I’ve always been an artist actually and I always knew it would be the only thing I could do so I never gave up something to pursue music. It was written. So when I was 13 years old, I was making singing contests, I was mixing for weddings, bar mitzvas, even old people’s homes and other village feasts, to learn the job and pay for the private school my mother could not afford. I was not good at school, the teachers liked me but I was doing a show instead of listening quietly… And my mother always told me it was okay to do my music career only after graduation, so I had to go “that far”. I worked just a bit at McDonald’s and on some building sites to get money and buy my own turntables and softwares also! Then I took a residency in a club in South of France. All these experiences were the basis of my current knowledge, they’re the best ones. I’m a self-taught person and that’s how I learnt how to keep my dancefloor, to build a set, to choose the right tracks and find different ways to share the most possible with the crowd. I’m proud and glad I did them but to be honest, I don’t miss them at all! lol

Can you explain to us your live set-up?

I always wanted to share in a different way with the audience, this is a part of me. That’s why I include singing, drums, keyboard, some scratch, a lot of energy, emotions. I was so frustrated about DJs just mixing, without even looking at the crowd, in their own bubble, this is selfish. I’m on stage to be with people, and I’m fighting for LIVE shows. It’s tricky to sell myself (lol) but if you come to on of my shows, you’ll be able to live a real experience, sharing and traveling with me during the set: the setlist is essential and quite adapted to the audience I have in front of me, it’s important to feel the dancefloor’s needs, and I want everyone to leave the party with the sensation they spent an awesome night.

You incorporate live drums into your set. That’s very unique! How did you come up with the idea to do so, and was it difficult to integrate this successfully? What are the positives of incorporating the live element and what proves troublesome at times?

Thank you so much! The drums went naturally in my mind as I was doing some since I’m 5 years old. I like the energy it brings on drops and this is quite easy to integrate on tracks, and on stage. All usual technical guys know how to integrate them on stage, with microphones as it’s a real one and not electronic, a monitor as I need to hear the sound from the turntables to keep the good rhythm. Sometimes, incorporating live elements like the drums, the keyboard or singing, is quite disturbing for the clubs as they’re not used to. I have to do a soundcheck before every performance, when it’s very pro it takes 15 minutes, but when it’s not it could take 2 hours! Lol Fortunately I’m a real musician so I can help to move forward quicly, but live elements come with live risks: power or cable problems, unprofessional technical team during the show.

Besides, I went further regarding the live concept. I was always sad in festivals particularly to have people so far from the stage, and I wanted another way to share with them beyond music. I remembered Joey Jordison (the drummer of Slipknot band I was a fan of) and his 360° rotative drums, and I also wanted to offer a real show for ears and eyes, and let people be with me in the booth, so I imagined this stage design that rises 26-foot high and tilts to a 70-degree-angle to the audience, so everyone can see my hands mixing, scratching, doing some technics. It’s a way to include everyone in my set. I have an awesome Belgian team, crazy guys who followed me on this! They’re used to work in control rooms during big events or for David Guetta and other big DJs performances, and they managed to concretize my ideas in real. They built a hydraulic system with an engine they’re controlling while I’m playing for the rising, and I control the slope with a button on my DJ booth. The first version was actually just sloping and then we improved it with the rising. Next step would be to have a hinged support to get the booth right above the audience. Let’s dream BIG! 

It’s not dangerous because the team worked hard on security, but still quite scary! Fortunately, my setup is all fixed on the table so I know anything won’t fall except my snapback I forget sometimes on the table lol… But when you’re 26-foot high and completely 70-degree angle tilted, it’s a real roller coaster sensation! I love it, with the adrenaline of the show, I really have fun. I have a security belt but I often forget to fasten it, don’t tell my manager… But what about you coming and trying it someday? 🙂 

How does it feel to be awarded as a Top 100 DJ in the world and being elected as Best French DJ in 2014? Does this motivate you, inspire you, scare you? What other goals do you want to achieve in your career?

Each year when I found out I was really surprised and moved. You never know if the work you did during the year will bear fruit for this relevant poll. I try to give my best and go further year after year but only the audience decides… I like to ask people to vote with self-mockery videos every year because I’d like them to support my work without letting them think I’m saying “I’m the best”, which is absolutely not my approach. Besides, the poll can be criticized because of some incoherencies. I respect all points of views, and I thank all the people voting for me for 4 years in a row now. It really helped for international spotlights and it’s definitely a positive pressure to do more.

What is your favorite memory/show since your music career began and why?

I have to say Tomorrowland of course… The atmosphere is unique there. Summer Festival in Belgium also, mainstage with my drums set, was incredible too. Then Sundance Montreux Festival stays one of my preferred festival, especially last year as I played after my mentor David Guetta, big positive pressure on me!

But to be honest I’ve played a lot of shows and I think I enjoyed every single one! The stage is my playground, the reward for hours of studio time, my outlet. Sharing with the crowd with music on stage is transcendental for me. The ones I cherished the most are Sundance Festival (Montreux, Switzerland: home! My other country, I’m Swiss too and being there was a child dream), Electrobeach Festival in South of France, Inox Park (Paris, France: Second home!), Ultra Music Festival (Miami, USA: first step until mainstage lol), Mansion (Miami, US) but I enjoyed so many others, festivals and clubs… I was supporting Fedde Le Grand at Sziget Festival (Budapest, Hungary) 2 years ago for example, awesome crowd there.

Are there any plans to have a larger showing in the United States? What do you think about the dance scene in America compared to other parts of the world?

Definitely! I’m on tour a lot in Europe and Asia and I can’t wait to come in the US. I played a few times in Miami at Mansion or Set Club but I definitely want to get the bigger picture and it takes time to prepare the good music, the good profile, the good team. I’d like to make progress DJ live shows. The US audience and dance scene in America is expecting some entertainment, more than anywhere else, and I’m dying to give some. That’s why I’d really want to start with some shows at Las Vegas like at Omnia or Hakkasan or XS… I belong there, I love the vibe, I’m convinced my place is right there. I guess I was American in another life! I can’t wait to come and my team is working hard on it. I trust fate, things are happening at a time for a reason, so when it will be the good timing for me to come in the US, I will definitely have a blast and make it last, this is the most difficult thing: building a career, not some buzzing one shots. That’s how my management keeps me waiting ☺…

Are there any hardships with being a famous DJ? For example, are you ever stressed, overwhelmed, or miss your home?

Except the fact that you can’t enjoy enough family time, I think I couldn’t be happy or actually live without this lifestyle. Some DJs can go crazy but I have no strings attached, my people understand that I work everyday to keep it going, they accept it and support me fortunately. (As soon as I find a fast food to eat at on tour, I’m fully happy.)

No jokes, of course this is a stressful job, always wondering about the uncertain future, the big amount of work to achieve, missing home and the ones you love… But I live in the present and these are sacrifices I make without thinking about it a second.

If you could give any advice to any fans that consider you a role model, what would your advice be?

Fans are the foundation of my motivation, without them and if it wasn’t for them I’d be playing in my bedroom! I always had a great relationship with them and a great active community, I’ll never thank them enough for being here in the awesome moments and less awesome moments of a career.

To any upcoming producers, my first piece of advice is to work no matter what, never let go because there’s no secret if you have talent, work is the best way to achieve your goals. Then, the other main advice is to find the right people to work with, it’s quite as important than your talent! We all know how hard it is to trust people in this business but surrounding yourself with the good people is a part of your talent. Learn to listen to professionals who know their job and have more experience. Listen to your heart for all artistic decisions, to your head for the rest. I don’t have regrets, I did things at a moment and I did them because I felt like this at this moment in the bottom of my heart, that’s how I work. But of course, when I was younger, passionate and more impatient, I used to make decisions without thinking or asking some advices actually. I wouldn’t do it differently but now I grew up and understood that rushing and walking straight is not the solution to move forward on your projects and build a career. Don’t forget to respect your peers and never let your work getting careless. House Bless You!

This interview just made me smile and of course Quentin Mosimann’s music sounds even better to me because of his humbling heart! Very excited to see what else this incredible artists will produce next. Thanks for the invite and this incredible interview! Don’t forget to vote for Quentin Mosimann for Top 100 DJs Magazine!

Connect with Quentin Mosimann: Website| Facebook| Twitter| Soundcloud