Noir Interview: I wanna do an album full of songs

Firmly putting Denmark on the electronic music map, Noir has been a fixture on some of the greatest record labels and dancefloors the planet can muster. His signature brand of house music has worked equally well with vocals as the more underground and stripped back tracks, whilst his record label that bears the same name has also become a go to destination for house heads across the globe.

He is set to spend the summer as resident for Defected in Ibiza, with his productions something of a firm favourite on the island, case in point this Soloumun remix of his collaboration with Haze 'Around'. With him due to make his Circus debut at the end of the month, playing at both dates in London and Liverpool, we decided to probe him on his label, his special relationship with Defected and his thoughts on how well sport and music merges.

Hey Noir. At the end of June you are up for a double header of Circus dates both in London and Liverpool. It’s your first time playing for them; are you excited?

Yes, it’s the first time playing for Circus and yes I am excited. Both line ups looks good and I like Circus and all the Yousef stuff a lot, so really looking forward to this double-date.

Like Yousef you have also had your music picked up on by Defected as part of their focus on the more underground strains of dance music. What’s your relationship with the label like?

I have a really good relationship with Defected and enjoy everything I do with them. They are very professional in the way they approach what they do, but at the same time they do things from the heart. And especially the new direction that they've taken the past couple of years suits me well for the relations I have created with them.

It feels natural and good to be part of the Defected family.

You’re playing for them in Ibiza this summer too. How excited are you now the season has started again?

Very excited, it’s the first time I have a ‘residency’ at the white isle. I really enjoy Ibiza and it’s gonna be great to be there a lot this year. I am currently recovering from a gig at Savannah I played for Defected yesterday and can’t wait to hit the Ushuaia Towers for the DFTD opening tomorrow. Also looking forward to the Bomba opening. Good times.

You also run your own imprint. Is this an essential part of being a modern DJ? And what inspired you to start?

I dont know if it’s an essential part of being a modern dj, but for many I guess it comes natural to start up your own imprint and it definitely helps their dj profile. I have always known from the beginning that I wanted my own label and be in 100% control, but the great success is something you can never predict and for that I am grateful.

When I purchased my web domain more than 10 years ago I ordered www.noir-music.com because I knew that eventually I would start my own label and run things my way. Noir Music is now six years old.

What is coming up in the future for the label?

We have got a big compilation release this summer, “Use Your Ears”, which is 15 exclusive new tracks from the likes of Hot Since 82, Gorge, NiCe7, Supernova, Oxia & Nicolass Masseyeff and of course some new Noir productions. By the time you read this my new single with Sandy Rivera will be out and we also have cool Eps from Coyu, NiCe7 and Kevin Over coming as well.

But I actually have three labels: Noir Music, NM2 and the recently re-launched Klimaks Records. So a lot going on and exciting stuff coming.

Can we expect to see any of your productions and remixes coming up on any other labels in the future?

Yeah sure... I actually want to do something for Circus Recordings in the near future and I just had a release on Coyu's Suara label. I did that under the pseudonym Innakat (aka Noir) and I will also be doing more for Suara in the future. There will also be singles and remixes for Defected in the near future.

We’ve clocked on your Facebook a keen interest in football. Who do you follow and do you think there is ever the chance music and sport will mix well? Can you think of any good examples personally?

I am a big FC Barcelona fan and have been since the Danish player Michael Laudrup played there when I was young. Sports and music works well together. Look at the super bowl and their half time shows, that’s a world event. I'd love to do a charity football thing for the label, with producers and artists in general involved.

And finally, what else lies in the future for you?

Lots of great music. I’m working on a couple of full vocal Noir tracks/songs and the trackier productions for Innakat. I've got a full djing schedule till the end of the year, so some great parties and experiences to look forward to. And then there's the three labels of mine to control, so there's plenty of stuff to do for the future.

If we talk way into the future... I wanna do an album full of songs and not necessarily the 4/4 stuff. James Blake is a pretty good indication of what I would like to do for Noir in the future. Let’s see what happens.

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