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Will definitely not be expecting a Cerrone X AI track any time soon…
If there had to be one artist that’s been around for the various phases of dance music longer than anyone else, it would be French maestro, Cerrone. Boasting a career that spans over half a century, the veteran deck-slinger and producer has just about seen it all. It’s resulted in a mammoth catalogue and countless hits such as ‘Supernature’, ‘Give Me Love’, ‘Hooked On You’ and too many more to name. He’s done just about everything you could hope for as a dance artist, and now, he’s turning his attention to Australia.
Taking to Brisbane Powerhouse just last week and now the City Recital Hall in Sydney tonight, the acclaimed producer is bringing with him a reworked treasure trove of tracks and new live show that he’s been keeping a tight lip on. But if the recent reviews of him in Brissy are anything to go off, we’re guessing Sydney is in for the ultimate dance floor tonight tonight.
We caught up with the dance legend to chat everything dance, AI and Australia. Check it below.
You’re coming down under for Brisbane Powerhouse. How are you feeling for it?
Like an artist who is going to meet a new audience, it’s always exciting!
Do you have any sightseeing or plans in mind for when you’re Down Under?
Give me time to experience fully the cities of Brisbane, Perth and Sydney to answer you. After the three concerts, I could certainly tell you more.
You recently played a show at the esteemed Koko in Camden. What was it like playing in such a historic venue for dance music?
The English public is amazing, and the audience of Koko is really connoisseur, so it was both very exciting and fabulous for me to see a young public between 18 and 35 knowing my repertoire. It is the best reward for an artist.
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Throughout your years you’ve become a staple in disco and funk. How has your relationship changed with those genres from when you started to now?
After 5 decades making people dance, I didn’t find too much change, I always took what interested me in these developments but remained authentic to what I loved. I didn’t follow fashions, without ignoring of course the evolutions in my sound.
Do you have a secret to writing a compelling dance track? Any you can share with us?
No, i have no secrets for composing, but I must say that since I’ve been doing sets, it’s very motivating and inspiring to see the public react to new creations, it allows me to influence myself on musical constructions and I note them afterwards in the studio.
You also recently embraced AI tech with your recent release ‘A Part Of You’. AI is definitely a hot topic in music right now. How do you view it?
Apart from the amazing effects on the videos, no I don’t believe at all in AI for composing; human emotions, sensuality and warmth remain artistically incomparable. Happy for true artists.
Where do you see AI in music heading?
Actually nowhere, except maybe in some specific technical treatments that already exist, like track demixing or time stretching for instance. But definitely not in musical creation.
‘A Part Of You’ noticeably samples the vocals from Disclosure’s ‘You & Me’. Are there any artists like them you’re a fan of at the moment?
Yes, there are many artists which are too many to quote with whom I would like to collaborate. I find that the new generation of singers has taken its place. It’s amazing how they are today. However, I would not say the same thing about creators who haven’t created new musical universes; many just copy or draw inspiration from the past, but it’s pretty good news for composer-producers of this generation.
Any artists from Australia?
Yes of course there are some; at the moment I really like PNAU.
If you were tasked with creating the new Australian national anthem and had to use AI to do it, what would the name of the song be called and what would be the chorus lyric?
Wow what a question! You’re giving me too much honour. But no, I won’t use AI, no chance!
Now, you’re going to be performing a compilation of your reworked catalogue. What can we expect?
I’m currently working on it. I have the ambition to take a symphonic trip, I’ve always put a lot of orchestration in my productions. Expanding even more is a project that really tempts me.
The Brisbane Powerhouse is a pretty huge venue production wise as well. In terms of the show itself, what do you have in store for us?
You will see ;)
Lastly, you’ve amassed countless hits throughout your career. How do you ever decide on what makes it into each set?
Make the audience have a nice musical trip, just as I do on all my concerts around the world. Giving good times, happiness, joy, and above all, make people dance all night long, so they keep wonderful memories.
Be sure to cop tickets to Cerrone’s Sydney show tonight here. You can also cop tickets to the remaining shows at Brisbane Powerhouse here.
