We caught up with the one and only Patrick Hagenaar to discuss his new single on Hed Kandi Records 'L.O.V.E. (You Give The)'...
Who is Patrick Hagenaar, where are you from and what do you do?
I’m a Dutch DJ/Producer based in London –so basically I make music that I play all around the world.
Your record, ‘L.O.V.E. (You Give The)’ has recently been released On Hed Kandi Records. What was the inspiration behind the track?
I like to make different styles of house music and after doing a couple of disco bits (like ‘Double Kross’ on Hed Kandi) I really wanted to make a feel good anthem, influenced by the French sound, so initially I came up with the instrumental and afterwards found the vocal bit, which ended up being a great match together!
Is ‘L.O.V.E. (You Give The)’ your main production sound or do you also produce other genres of this thing we call house music?
It’s a mixture of stuff as I play quite a range of house music as well, so this reflected in my production. I like making big room tracks, but also really enjoy producing tracks with a nice bounce/groove that gets the dancefloor going.
We know you're not just a producer and that you love to spin some records around the world, what’s the best party you’ve ever played at and why?
My recent gig in Seoul, South Korea is definitely up there – I was just so impressed with how knowledgeable the crowd was and how open they were to new sounds – everything I played just really felt right and just ended up playing well over my assigned time!
Apart from ‘L.O.V.E. (You Give The), what essential battle weapons do you have ready to play in your sets?
I’ve recently done some cool mash ups of tracks like Avicii, Clashback etc. plus finished some new tracks (‘Boob control’ & ‘Everytime We Touch’) that generally seem to hit the spot. All these will be released in the next couple of months, so watch this space.
If there was an opportunity for you to work with any artist (dead or alive) in the music industry, who would it be and why?
Oooh, very difficult question, i can't think of anyone...Sorry!
Remixing Vs. original compositions. Which is your favourite?
I’ll have to go with original composition. It’s always fun to completely redo an existing track and give your own spin to it, but there is nothing more fulfilling to compose a track from scratch and see other people enjoying it whilst you play it out.
Who do you think is really producing great music at the moment and who is your tip for stardom in 2012?
Perhaps a bit of an obvious choice. There are two guys that really rock it at the moment –Nicky Romero and Hardwell – they both have a great sound and will shoot up to the premier league in no time.
What was the first record you ever bought?
Probably a Dutch Techno compilation back in 1989 called 'Turn up the Bass 8'.
Have you got any exciting plans for the rest of the year and beyond?
Tour wise – this year I’ll be hitting – South Africa, Holland, Latvia, Australia, Dubai, Oman, Russia and South America.
Production wise – I want to take my production to the next level quantity wise – expect much more to come on labels like Hed Kandi, Stealth, EMI, Big Beat, Nervous and my others.
Quick Fire Questions
What is the top track on your iPod at the moment?
Baskerville – Devil’s Town
Where do you see yourself in 20 years time?
Dj-ing House at weddings!
If you weren’t in the music industry and had to choose one of the following career paths, which would you follow and why? F1 driver, actor or a food taster?
Food taster – preferably ice cream – I can eat ice cream all day – besides I always try to convince people that I’m related to the Haagen-dazs family (used to be my nickname when I used to work in a record shop).
What’s your favourite type of Kandi?
Dutch liquorice
If you could get two people in the ring for a celebrity death match, who would you choose?
Mike Tyson vs Hitler
You can download Patrick's track right here: http://www.beatport.com/release/l-o-v-e-you-give-the/652550