Tchami and Malaa have no doubt been dominating the dance music scene after embarking on their No Redemption Tour last fall. After releasing a few collaborations that combined the duo’s sound, an official No Redemption EP was released in early April showcasing and immortalizing the legendary tour. The tour had an epic performance at this years Ultra Music Festival and they brought all of the originality, darkness, and intensity we have come to love from Tchami and Malaa. Prior to their performance at Ultra, we got to speak with the future house pioneer Tchami about the New EP, his musical style, and even threw in some fun questions for the French legend.
What is it like being in Miami again?
Its great, its great! Miami has been continuously really really good.
How does this Ultra feel compared to last Ultra?
This one feels more personal I would say, because me and Malaa bring our own production on stage. We are closing the live stage tonight. Last year I was playing mainstage, its another level of greatness, but its different.
Since you’re one of the pioneers of Future House music, what direction do you see that genre going?
So on that, I would say Future House…maybe I helped create direction and a new kind of subgenre. But really, all I do is Tchami music. Maybe its considered Future House, maybe not. Sometimes I’ll do some lower BPMs or some higher like 140, 135. Actually, what I consider Future House is house that hasn’t been created yet. Its thinking forward. That’s my way of thinking about Future House, always has been.
Where did your church theme come from?
I’ve always wanted to extend my personality through my art. Its basically who I am, and extended directly you know.
What is your favorite thing artists are doing right now in the music industry?
I see a lot of house producers that are thinking forward in terms of sound design. I hear some great things right now and I think its going toward the right direction.
What inspired the sound and direction of your new No Redemption EP?
Its basically me and Malaa in a studio trying to merge our universes. This whole EP is all about that.
Malaa and your style are so different, how do you blend each other’s style?
We take whats our common ground which is hard beats and bass lines. This is always what we think about. All the other stuff you know, takes discussions. Basically what we have in common is bass lines and hard drops. We try to stick with that.
What was the reason you and Malaa started touring?
The reason is the music first. When we were in studio we started to come up with the idea about making music together. That came up really quick. The first two tracks were written in four hours basically. The rest is the finishings and the mixing. The creative process is really quick.
At Ultra You, DJ Snake, Mercer and Malaa premiered ‘Let’s Get Ill’. What was the collaborative process for that?
‘Lets Get Ill’ is a Snake & Mercer track. The debut was about being with my French crew on stage and sharing a moment together through that new track.
What is your most emotional moment since you’ve started DJing?
There’s a lot of them. I think it was the Olympia in Paris. That was truly an emotional moment for me because I had all my friends and family come to see me. All my fans from across Europe came. That was a great, great moment. It was really special.
Okay, here are some quick fun questions for you:
What is your favorite food on tour?
I would say Italian food. Anywhere in the world, it would have to be Italian food.
If you could have any other job, what would it be?
That would be…I don’t envision myself doing anything else. I do what I love.
What is one place you have not been, but would like to go to?
Definitely Galapagos Island.