T.H.E Interview – GILES & DIEGO
GILES & DIEGO discuss how “Lea” came about, their debut EP and more.
Aditya – Hello, we’re glad to have you for this interview. How was the last quarter for you?
GILES & DIEGO – We are making rapid progress: after completing our “House Family” EP, we’ve already spent a considerable amount of time in the studio this year to prepare for what’s coming next. Additionally, we organised some fantastic parties in Toulouse for our loyal supporters, where we shared our musical innovations.
Aditya – ‘Lea’ sounds really ethereal, what’s the creative process behind this tune?
GILES & DIEGO – The genesis of “Lea” can be traced back to a low-quality smartphone video discovered on YouTube, which featured Seth Troxler playing at an afterparty. Despite the poor audio quality, the simple saturated house drum loop caught our attention, and we set out to recreate the vibe with our own sounds. We then added various vocal phrases to the tech house groove, resulting in the birth of “Lea”.
This shows well that everything begins with a vibe.
Aditya – ‘House Family’ your debut EP is available to stream now, could you share more info on that?
GILES & DIEGO – We are proud to present our debut EP, “House Family.” The EP comprises four tracks, each named after a different person – Lola, Pablo, Julia, and Lea. We explore the different aspects of house music: from the catchy classic beat of ‘Lola’ to the seductive organic groove of ‘Pablo.’ ‘Julia’ has a mesmerising rhythm, while ‘Lea’ is an electrifying anthem that will undoubtedly fill the dance floor.
Aditya – What’s the correlation behind the titles of the track – Lola, Pablo, Julia & Lea?
GILES & DIEGO – They all share the same love for House music. We had fun playing with these imaginary characters: Lola is clubbing in Toulouse, Pablo is playing the guitar in Burning Man, Julia is having an underground party in Berlin, while Lea is on a sunset beach dreaming in Ibiza!
We formed G&D on a simple motto: “A kick and a groove.”
Aditya – How do you balance your individual styles and talents when creating music together as a duo? Are there any challenges that you face when working as a team?
GILES – In the pursuit of house music, Diego is the DJ who is always on the hunt for new sounds, while I am the tech-savvy producer who creates the tracks that Diego can’t wait to play. We collaborate to explore various aspects of House music.
DIEGO – Giles refers to himself as the “geek”. We share new sounds and productions to one another via audio messages every day. Our partnership is characterised by the combination of a Geek and a DJ – this is also reflected in our collective identity: G&D 🙂
Aditya – How would you describe your style of music to someone who has never heard it before? What makes your sound unique?
GILES & DIEGO – If someone has never heard our music before, we would describe our style as House music, with every track covering one or two different sub genres. As for what makes our sound unique, I believe it’s because it reflects our genuine experience and influence in music.
Aditya – You both have extensive experience in electronic music. How has your sound evolved over the years, and what do you see for the future of your music?
GILES & DIEGO – We were both teenagers in the 90’s and we believe House music is now part of our global culture. Giles et Diego sound is based on modern tracks we love to hear from various artists as well as on our root common musical influences. Our palette and sonic signature is getting closer and closer to where we want it to be.
Aditya – What has been your most memorable performance to date, and why? Are there any particular venues or events that you dream of playing at in the future?
GILES & DIEGO – The most memorable performance date was our first two parties with our core fan base in Toulouse, our local town in the south of France. We like to share and get instant feedback from our close community.
We believe the most important thing is not the place, but the audience. But we have to admit that it would be a huge accomplishment for us to play at Circoloco. The venue is a benchmark and the opportunity to perform there would be an incomparable achievement for us.
Aditya – Any tips for the DJs & Producer who’ve just started out?
GILES & DIEGO – I think collaboration is key. You do not have to be a duo like we are, but you need to share the passion on a daily basis to get external appreciation. Music is a vehicle of emotions. You need to be always ready to share them and watch for reactions.
Aditya – Lastly, What can we expect from Giles & Diego in the coming months and years?
GILES & DIEGO – Exciting news:
We have a new original track that will be dropping this summer.
We’re also putting the finishing touches on a brand new edit. As artists, we have a passion for revisiting iconic songs, and our recent edit of “From: Disco To: Disco” by Whirlpool Productions from 1996 is a testament to that. It’s a banger to play and we couldn’t be more thrilled with the final result.
As a thank you to our DJ fanbase, we’re offering our edits as free downloads on SoundCloud, and we’ve been receiving rave reviews.
Stay tuned!