You can hear their passion for dance music by just listening to their productions. Then, if you get the chance to see them live or watch some of their videos online, you will see how much fun they are having dropping beats all over the globe. I have no idea how they came across my desk, but I am glad they did. Their music is fun, and I can tell, with every new track they release, they are getting better and are trying to redefine their sound. I got the chance to sit down with Oliver and Alex, and we talked about their including their relationship with Steve Edwards. Oh, and I asked them about Kissy Sell Out. If you like good dance music, you need to check these guys out. It is my pleasure to introduce you to The Sqautters.
You guys work with San City High, Universal, and Champion Records. Do you see value in working with so many different labels?
Yes, most definitely as we tend to create various styles and not all labels want certain sounds. This enables us to reach a wider number of music lovers in different areas.
How did you two meet?
We met on a uniform dating site (not really) – we met though a friend.
I can use my imagination… but where did the name come from?
It came from squatting. In the early days we would stay at friends’ houses for days between events that we were performing at, and they gave us that nickname as we tried to stay as long as we could to reach our next gig.
Did you have fun working with Steve Edwards?
Yeah; amazing! Steve is a top bloke and he is a legend, too. He’s worked with some of the greatest producers like Axwell, Bob Sinclar, Cassius, etc. It was great for him to take time to work with us and together we created our latest single “Back To The Stars”.
It looks like you had fun in South Korea last year. Thanks for documenting that trip for everyone. What was your favorite part of that trip?
Eating such great food and meeting such a great nation of humble people, whilst playing some of the most unforgettable gigs of our careers.
The Squatters in South Korea
Who is Kissy Sell Out?
Kissy is not just one of the most well respected UK born producers, musicians and a previous Radio 1 superstar DJ, he’s also a good friend of ours. Who embraced us to his 2010 tour with releasing our tracks on his San City High label.
Tiesto released your remix of “Kryder – K2” on his label Musical Freedom. Have you ever had the pleasure of working with him?
We met him in Ibiza, but have never played alongside one of the tallest DJs in the world. It was a honor to have a remix out on his Musical Freedom label.
Do you prefer producing a track from scratch, or producing a remix?
If we start from scratch we come up with things we would never have thought of so this is probably what we prefer. If we do remixes we tend to stick to a style and avenue to go down, creating The Squatters remix sound.
Tell me more about What’s Your Status?
What’s Your Status is our hallmark brand which we run events, record label, studio engineering and also our Donk boxer short company from.
You guys have played all over the world. Do you have a favorite club? Better yet, do you have a favorite country to perform in?
This is a tricky question and after a bit of thought, our favorite is definitely South Korea. That place is amazing and the venues rock!
Do you prefer playing festivals, or the smaller club gigs?
Smaller gigs are more intimate and you get a feel of the crowd’s real passion for music. If it’s too big you need to keep them interested with tracks they know or anthems.
Does it ever get crowded in the DJ booth?
Yeah, because we party as hard as the crowd.
Speaking of Steve Edwards, that track appears on your debut album The Squatters Asia Edition. That release is just filled with great tracks including “What Machine”, “Bash The Queen”, and “Signature”. What are your expectations with this new release?
We aim to present our music into the Asian market, so that when we play our Asian gigs the people can get our music before our performances.
Is there a tour in the works to promote the new album?
Yep! We are working on one for 2013.
Your sound is fun. How do you guys stay motivated to keep the energy going night after night?
We seem like crazy energetic party animals but when the weekend is over, we are ready for our own beds and back to the hard work Monday.
What would you be doing if you were not producing beats?
Eating. We love food and every place we go outside of the UK we try and eat the traditional dish.
It seems every DJ has a podcast. Tell me a little bit more about yours.
Our podcast is our way of expressing our new sounds and adventures, with all the gossip and fun explained by us. It’s not just a mix and also we feature artists for guest mixes and Q&As.
Tell me about your relationship with SLK Associates.
Very good! SLK Associates tie all our loose ends together and keep us on track getting the press angles covered for us.
Your “Back To The Stars” track has been featured on a few compilation albums now, with Cream Club Anthems 2013 and Pacha Future Dance 2013 being two, are you pleased with how many people are supporting it?
This is amazing and ever since being rusk eating kids we have wanted this! What a great milestone and good to see the support from so many DJs. We have also had loads of our fans loving the fact we are now on compilations in their local supermarkets!
What is next for The Squatters?
Another interview! We have a collaboration with a few artists at the moment including Judge Jules, Aggie Dukes, Chrome, and Andi Durrant.
In all of the interviews I do, I always give the artist the last word. Go.
Thanks for taking time to check out our music, and thanks for the continued support! Please come along to a gig soon and show us your armpits and we will play our latest music to keep you fit!
Connect with The Squatters:
Website: http://www.the-squatters.com
Facebook: http://facebook.com/thesquatters
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/THE_SQUATTERS
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/SQTRZ
