Interview with Sinden: Guest DJ at Heineken Green Room

Tell me about your new album with Hervé – The Count and Sinden.

It's in the final stages of completion. I know we promised it to the world last year but we didn't want to rush things and it's changed direction a few times since we started making it. We've decided on the direction we want to go in this time, and we're really happy with it now. This year we've really just been working, sweating hard and doing final vocal collabs and stuff.

Can you tell us who else is going to be on it, or is that a secret?

It's kind of a little secret still. But lots of people know that obviously Rye Rye and Kid Sister will be on it. There are some surprises.

How did you end up working with [US-based artists] Rye Rye and Kid Sister anyway – over the internet, or did you actually fly to the States?

The Kid Sister song was done over the internet. That was through A-Trak really. We had the 'Beeper' track and that was really blowing up for us and we really wanted to get a vocal on it, so A-Trak suggested Kid Sister as an up-and-coming new artist. So that happened like that, and with the Rye Rye thing, I was the tour DJ for M.I.A. at the time and Rye Rye was on the tour doing some things with us so we got her one afternoon and put that track down.

She's really young, like 16, right?

Yeah! Yeah, she's 18 now I think, or something. She's growing up really fast though, every time I see her…in this game you kind of grow up really quickly.

It must be a little weird hanging around people who are 15 one day and 21 the next.

It's mad, yeah. But we're working with a lot of young artists now and it's really fresh.

'I like to have one idea or concept and follow it rather than not knowing what to do. It's often very influenced by the original song too, the style and tempo of it.'

How do you go about doing remixes? Apparently the Cansei de Ser Sexy crew or Adriano, really – have a time limit on doing remixes, so if he can't do it within a certain time period, he won't do it.

Really? Wow. That's quite a challenge. 

Do you have any rules like that?

I definitely like to work quickly on it. I like to have one idea or concept and follow it rather than not knowing what to do. It's often very influenced by the original song too, the style and tempo of it.

Is it true you're also keen on writing?

I did a guest column for XLR8R once but I used to write for a UK magazine called FACT. I used to write record reviews and stuff like that. I really enjoyed it.

Would you go back to writing as a backup career?

If I had more time I would, yeah. I really enjoyed it, yeah. Creative writing is something I really liked but it just took up a lot of my time.

You couldn't do a blog maybe?

I could do, yeah. I think I need to get into that again, really. The record label is always going, 'do more blogs, do more blogs'.

Are you active online with MySpace and Twitter and all that?

Yeah I've got Twitter. I've got my Twitter game on and my MySpace and Facebook, I try to update all of them at the same time. I enjoy it though, especially Twitter when I get into it. [See Time Out Singapore's own Twitter page.]

'My friend did an experiment where she was doing a piece for a magazine and she updated her Twitter feed over 1,000 times in two days to see how many people she could get to follow her.' 

Do you follow Snoop Dogg's twitter? He's got a live videocast of himself hooked up to his account now, doing stuff at the computer – smoking and hanging out.

Really? 

Yeah. My friend got him to give a shout out to Singapore and he did.

Really? That's amazing. Is that all he does, just gets high and twitters?

Yeah.

I heard Diddy's is pretty amazing.

I did subscribe to Diddy's but it got kinda crazy so I stopped.

I don't like those twitters, tweeters? Twitterers?

Twats?

Twats, yeah, who update too much. My friend did an experiment where she was doing a piece for a magazine and she updated her Twitter feed over 1,000 times in two days to see how many people she could get to follow her.

Did it work?

Yeah, she just kept doing it. If you do loads of tweets and you bombard people they basically just sort of follow you.

There are some really boring politicians who have huge followings, God knows why.

Yeah, why is that?

I don't know. Diplo's got a good one.

Oh, he's hilarious.

'It was pretty much the worst experience I've had.'

What's been your worst street-food experience whilst on tour?

My worst street-food experience was actually at home in London, not on tour. I bought a pie from this market we have, Spitalfields, and I bought a pie from a certain vendor. 

A meat pie?

Oh, I don't eat meat, I'm a vegetarian, so it was probably like a potato and mushroom pie, and I found a rusty nail inside. It was pretty much the worst experience I've had.

Gross. Did you go for a tetanus shot? Did you swallow part of it?

No I just saw it in there and fished it out, and took it back. I don't usually get p**sed off too much, but I was like, 'What the f**k? What's going on?' and they were like, 'We'll give you another pie, and a refund.' And I was like, well, that defeats the purpose – I'm already really grossed out by this pie, I probably won't want another one.

What can we expect from your show on Friday?

Madness and chaos and anarchy.

In this city?

Yeah, I'm going to break the mould and get everybody loose. Just play loads of party music that I'm into, and maybe some unfamiliar stuff.

Good luck.

THE DJ

Graeme Sinden (MySpace | Twitter) is a resident DJ at trendy London club Fabric. Sinden's known for bringing his varied musical tastes to his sets, as he spins the latest in baile funk, hip hop, R&B/soul, dancehall, electro, and miami bass. Catch him at Heineken Green Room (17 Apr, F1 Pit Building)