Burns interview + exclusive mix! (UPDATED!)

By the end of 2010 Burns is sure to be the name on everybody’s lips. His remixes are brilliant and forthcoming compilation ‘European Sex Music’ has summer soundtrack written all over it. But who is this guy? And what’s with the name – is he a pyromaniac or merely a Simpsons afficiando? Actually, neither.

“Burns is my surname, it was really simple,” he explains. “Everyone, apart from my Mum, just called me that anyway. When I was making music in my bedroom at home and I set up a MySpace, I just called myself Burns, and then it just stuck.”

The Brighton-based producer was born in Scotland but grew up in the midlands. Stafford, he explains, was far from an exciting place to spend his formative years. “ I’ve never been the hardcore clubber type person. And growing up in Stafford, it’s quite a small town, there’s nothing to do there’s no music scene whatsoever.” Whilst this was bad for him, it’s certainly good for us. “When I was a kid there was a huge rave scene because Altern8 were big and they’re from Stafford. But when I got to be old enough to want to go out and go clubbing there was no music scene, so had to make my own fun. And that’s when I got in to making music rather than going out and partying.”

People are going mental about his brand of upbeat, light hearted electro that also manages to pack quite a punch. The compilation he recently curated, ‘European Sex Music’, which is due for release next month, is arguably a perfect homage to his influences, as it merges hard electro aspects with the friendly, get up and dance nature of disco. “I was trying to aim at that summer mixtape kind of feel, you know houseparties and BBQs, something that people could stick on in the background,” he points out.

He continues: “I owe a lot to my Mum for my musical influences. She has a massive vinyl collection which she passed down to me, a lot of 70s and 80s electronic and disco. I’m also influenced by some 90s quite acid house type of stuff.”

Unsurprisingly, another influence is Daft Punk. “If you speak to an electronic artist, there’s going to be a mention of Daft Punk in there. You can’t deny that Homework is a benchmark electronic album, and if you get anywhere close to that you’re on the right track, I think. One of my favourite tracks from the 90s is ‘Superheroes’.”

A prime example of Burns’ brand of feel good electronica is his collaboration with French superstar remixer Fred Falke. ‘You Stopped Loving Me’ samples soul king Luther Vandross, and is setting dancefloors alight all over the country.  “Me and Fred just clicked straight away. We’d spoken to each other a couple of times beforehand on email and he did a remix for me on one of my earlier singles, and I suggested ‘do you want to work on something at some point?’ and I ended up staying with him for three or four days,” Burns says. “We made two songs, one of them was ‘You Stopped Loving Me’, which is coming out as a single in the summer. When  we made it, we instantly thought this is one of those feel good kind of summery things, but didn’t think it would get as much attention as it actually has. It’s already had a lot of radio play and everybody seems to be saying it’s going to be an Ibiza favourite. I didn’t really expect it, but it’s great!”

The chances are he’ll be hearing his track a lot this summer when he returns to Ibiza. “Last year, I played at Amnesia with Annie Mac and played Ibiza Rocks as well, I went out and did a support slot for Calvin Harris.” Are you friends due to the Scottish connection? “Maybe, it’s funny as we’re both the least Scottish Scottish people you’ll ever meet. I was born in Scotland but never lived there, so haven’t really got a Scottish accent, I’ve always lived in England, and he’s got English parents but was born in Scotland so it’s kind of the other way around,” he laughs. “That’s one connection between us, but we’ve been mates for a while now, we just get on really well. When we get the chance to we’ll go to places together as it’s just that kind of camaraderie, it’s good to hang out with a mate as well as be able to do what we do.”

Another star friend of Burns’ is Kelis, who has used one of his tracks on her new album. “She was looking for fresh electronic stuff, she’s moving away from the hip hop and R’n’B thing and wants the new album to be more club based. I sent about 4 or 5 tracks to her and it so happened that there was one she really liked and it made the record.”

As if that wasn’t cool enough, she even flew him to America for dinner at her home. “We’ve met a few times since she got the track. I went round to her place in Miami, she cooked dinner for me and a group of people, which was a bit crazy,” he says, calmly. “She’s a trained chef as well and she made this huge meal for 8 or 9 of us, and it was amazing, top end restaurant stuff.  She’s just a normal person, she’s really down to earth. She’s really nice.”

So are you Burns!

Burns has very kindly made us a mix. We love it, and we’re sure you will too!

Burns – HOUSEMIXX

Kara Simsek

Update from HazMat – He just sent over his tracklist!!

Fantom- Faithfull// Source
Strip Steve- Dancin (Ian Pooley Rmx)// Boys Noize
Voodoo Chilli- Love Song (Club Mix)// NEWS
Surkin- Fan Out// Institubes
BURNS- Hey You!// 2112
Tony Senghore- If You Came Here// Anonym
BURNS- Kiss N Hold// 2112
Green Velvet- Fake and Phoney// Relief Records
Carte Blanche- Gare Du Nord// Ed Banger
BURNS- Show Me The Night// 2112

MORE ON BURNS

MYSPACE :: TWITTER :: BUY TUNES