Exclusive Interview With Vanilla Ace

Beyond Noise caught up exclusively with Vanilla Ace for a chat about his recent E.P & upcoming US Tour

So tell us more about the recently released EP’s Getting It On & Hold Down/Take Care?

The Gettin it On track I made with Chad Tyson over 1.5 years ago but it’s taken awhile to come out as Sleazy G needed other tracks to go with the EP, so I did the ‘Shake That’ remix which rounded it off nicely. Also when we initially made ‘Gettin it On’ Chad and I thought it was a bit hard, but it actually it was ahead of its time. The Volac EP was more straight forward to make as they sent me the two demo’s of ‘Hold Me Down’ and ‘Take Care’ and asked me to finish them off so we could do a collab release. See music bringing Russia and the UK together! Politicians take note! Lol

What were your Influences behind the releases?

The Gettin it On EP is more Nu Disco based but with a heavy ghetto feel, but I did the ‘Shake That’ remix so I had one extra remix that was a club banger! ‘Who Do You Love’ track is based around a very obscure 80’s rare groove record I had. With the Volac collabs those guys built the initial demos around the vocals they used, I just finished them off.

Each EP has a very distinct style, how would you describe your production style?

It always depends on what direction I want to go in, sometimes if your sampling that can lead you a certain way or if you have a clear vision of what you want you will make it into what you need. Then again with remixes I always tend to make it something I would want to play in my sets be it a peak time or in a warm up/pool party situation. But lately the productions are defiantly heavier on the bass and aimed at the dance floor.

You’ve release collaborated with Sharam Jey on Bunny Tiger & Volac is there something specific you look for when you look to work with someone?

Sharam Jey is a good friend and we always try and collab when possible. Collaborations are great because someone can come to you with a great idea and all you have to do is finish it, like the Volac EP and my recent collab with Sharam Jey ‘Shut Em Down’. And it goes the other way as well and I’ll send a idea/demo to get it finished off.

Do you have any new collaborations you’re excited about in the pipeline?

Yes there is quite a few coming out…I have a great track with Lou Van from Denmark coming on Milk & Sugar called ‘Open Your Heart’ lovely slice of summer house music, a very cool two track EP with Sebb Aston from Spain on Erase/Tropical Heat, two nu disco cuts with Adam Baum on Enormous, a remake of ‘Let me be your Fantasy’ with Consoul Trainin on D*Vision and later this year more work Destructo, Sharam Jey, Tapesh and Barber.

You’re upcoming release Take Care is getting a lot of love currently. Why do you think people have got behind the track? And will this influence any future releases?

I think that EP got a lot of love because both tracks are very strong with good production style and hooks. Good dance floor material without being to commercial or underground. Nice balance.

You were in the top ten selling artists in the Nu disco & indie dance category last year on Beatport, but your most recently release sounds like a step away from that category. Is this a start of something new or will you be returning to this in the future?

If you recall a lot of my early releases were more deep house than Nu disco/indie dance, especially my releases on OFF and Suara. I don’t like to stay in one lane and as I tour and DJ more I want to have material of my own that I can play, so yes it is defiantly going in a tougher more underground direction when I can, be it house, ghetto or tech.

Should we expect the same sound for your next release?

I have two new remixes out this week, one for Rachael Starr on Jungle Funk and the other for Bjorn Mandry on Wonnemusik, both are very different. The Rachael Starr remix is more mellow groovy house vibes and the Bjorn Mandry remix more on the darker deep/bass style of things.

You recently did a guest mix for legendary Pete Tong, How did that come about? And how does it feel to get support from such a global legend like Pete Tong?

I got that guest mix via my PR (Listen Up)…but I have DJ’d a few times with Pete over the years, mainly prior to me starting my Vanilla Ace project. But yes it was a honour to do the mix and have his support.

You’re at a number of events this year, what event are you most excited about?

The second leg of my US tour starts July 31st so looking forward to playing Hard Summer again. And I have some exciting dates at Cielo in NYC, Beach Club in Montreal and a amazing Moon Boots and friends party in Denver at Vinyl.

You’ve just finished another US Tour. What were the highlights for you?

That was only the first leg…but highlights so far would have to be Whisky Bar in Portland and Prime in Boston where it was me and Wax Motif playing.

What should we expect from Vanilla Ace for the rest of the year?

I have a lot of music coming out this summer so keep your eyes and ears open for that, and hopefully a lot more shows around the globe!

Urban House Music would like to thank Vanilla Ace & Listen Up we’re sure the rest of this year will be an unbelievable success for this immensely talented producer. Watch This Space for more from Vanilla Ace here’s his recent remix of the classic Let Me Be Your Fantasy Enjoy!!

https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/214514277