Austin Leeds drops his debut compilation album, Love Machine, this month – and we’ve got a special MP3 mix from the man himself to give you a taste of what it’s all about…
If you keep an eye on the tracks and remixes that top the DJ charts, you’ll have seen Austin Leeds' name before. The Las Vegas-based DJ and producer has had numerous songs in the Beatport top 10 over the past few years, including three number one downloads, and his productions have one over everyone from Deep Dish to Eric Prydz. Paul Van Dyk is also a fan, naming Austin and his production partner Nick Terranova as his producers of the year for 2007. But as Austin’s debut DJ mix album, Love Machine, shows, the US spinner doesn’t play the sort of tunes you’d associate with the PVD trance sound. We caught up with Austin to find out more…
Tell us a bit about Love Machine.
My partner Nick Terranova and I have been branding this ‘dirty sound’ concept for a while, so we wanted to compile a disk that was mainly made up of our original productions and remixes. When we play out, we play so many of our own tunes, so we thought it would be a wicked idea to have a killer package where people can see what we are up to. This is volume two. Nick did volume one, Dirty Sound – The Injection, as Starkillers.
Is Love Machine a good representation of the Austin Leeds sound?
I think it represents one aspect of me, yeah. It’s on a more vocal tip and is slightly commercial in spots, but it’s an overall good representation of my sound, with plenty of underground vibes throughout the mix. I’ve always felt a mix comp should have a different feel to a DJ live in a club, and there are some records that destroy a dancefloor, but sound terrible on a mix. I like the fact that people can listen to a good mix, at home, in the office or car, getting ready for a night out. I always classify my sound as ‘a bit Miami’ – just good energy, yet very twisted and sexy. It falls between genres, but it’s all stuff I know works great in and out of the club.
Things seem to be going really well for you just now. What do you think has got people so excited about your current crop of material?
Well, I’ve been around for a bit and have paid my dues, so to speak. I was one of the first artists on Bedrock at 19 years old, and I made some great records back then. It’s been a slow evolution in sound, and I’m now at a place where I’m really content with the music I’m making. For a long time I was unsure of where I wanted to take things, but since meeting Nick and putting our heads together, we’ve really found a great sound.
I’ve always tried to make the biggest record of the night – I want people to leave the club saying: “What the fuck was that tune?” I always try to make a statement, and I think my music travels well between genres. I’ve made records that everyone from Paul Van Dyk and Deep Dish to Victor Calderone and Eric Prydz like, so it’s great to be exposed to so many different styles of DJs.
We were quite surprised to hear that Paul Van Dyk’s a fan. Your music’s not the sort of stuff we’d associate with his trancier sound. Were you surprised when he picked up on your tracks?
At first I definitely was. The first time I heard he’d played Bodyshaker, I was really surprised. It wasn’t the sort of tune he’d play, but as time went on he played nearly everything I produced. He plays a lot of my tunes at a faster tempo which gives them a different life and feel. I love the way Paul plays. It’s got a wicked energy and it’s very powerful. And I was honoured when he asked me and Nick to collaborate with him on his new record, New York City. We’ve also just done a huge remix of Binary Finary’s 1998.
What have you done with the Binary Finary remix?
That’s such a classic tune and one I grew up on, so it was incredible to get a crack at redoing it. It sounds very fresh and cool. I can't wait for the release. I’m not sure when that is yet, but I’m very happy with the mix. Paul has included it in nearly every mix he’s done recently, and nobody knows it’s our remix.
Tell us a bit about the mix you’ve done for EQ?
I just threw it together and had a good time. It’s just some tracks I’ve been playing out, so it’s got a fun, slamming vibe. It’s very listenable. There’s so much fresh stuff out there though, it’s sometimes hard to choose tunes.
Any other bits and pieces coming up we should know about?
I have a few solo singles coming out with Ultra Records, and I’m working on a remix for the Peter Gelderblom and DJ Chus single. I’m putting out an LP with Ultra Records either at the end of the year or next year, and Nick and I have an amazing CD/DVD project on the go with Nervous Records called Nervous Nitelife Las Vegas. It’s gonna be great!
Love Machine is out now on Made Records. Visit www.austinleeds.com and www.myspace.com/djaustinleeds
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD AUSTIN’S MP3 MIX
TRACKLISTING
Daniel Portman – Time Well Wasted
Laidback Luke & Tom De Neef – Humanoids (Arno Cost and Norman Doray remix)
Phunk Investigation – Crazy Diamonds (Stage Black Truffle mix)
Arno Cost & Norman Doray – Apocalypse (Sebastien Leger remix)
Splitter – All Alone (Dim Chris remix)
Laidback Luke – Break Down The House (Tocadisco mix Boteka re-edit)
C&C Music Factory – Move Your Body (Robbie Rivera club mix)
Oliver Owizt featuring Mc Roga – Do The Monkey (Bart Bmore remix)
Nick Terranova & Austin Leeds – Follow Me
Starkillers vs Austin Leeds – Up 2 No Good (Boteka edit)
Lowrider – Cool (Ozi remix)
