One of the most dedicated, hard-working characters in the music industry, Grammy-nominated DJ, producer, and label head, EDX, has spent almost three decades at the forefront of electronic music. With over 150 million streams and five chart-topping singles clocked in the past twelve months alone, Switzerland’s most-streamed artist now continues one of his most abundant years to date, with the announcement of his next breath-taking original, Indian Summer. Following the landmark 500th episode of his internationally renowned NO XCUSES radio show, we sat down with EDX to find out more…
Hi Maurizio and thanks for taking the time to speak to us here at Out Now!
Thanks guys, great to be here.
First things first, congratulations on the release of your new single ‘Indian Summer’. Can you talk to us about the release?
Well this has been an absolutely crazy year for everybody all over the world. It’s very sad not to be able to share those special moments on the dancefloor, but it’s still my privilege to be able to share new music with my fans. I’ve been spending a lot of time in the studio over the past few months and have been experimenting with some different styles and sounds and Indian summer is my tribute to the summer that never was. Really hope you guys like it!
You’ve also just passed an incredible milestone with your 500th episode of No Xcuses. When you first started the radio show did you ever expect to make it to 500 shows?
It’s been almost 10 years since the launch of No Xcuses and the idea behind it was to do something to say thank you to my fans, many of which were already showing immense support, especially in the US and some other markets. It’s been a great way to connect with the fans and give something back for free every week. The interesting thing was that it also helped me to stay up to date with new music and to be ahead of the game. I’m really looking forward to the next few years and for the 500th episode, I would never have expected when we started it that it would run for 10 years.
The 500th celebration show will be an incredible live stream from Positano. Can you tell us more about that?
I’ve been releasing so many tracks recently that it was so great to just create this 2 hour No Xcuses Episode 500 journey. The first hour is filled with my favourite tracks of the last 3 decades and included some upcoming records, such as my ‘Indian Summer’ track. Some of the tracks were picked by the fans on my socials so I’m definitely looking forward to everyone’s feedback.
The second part is the live mix recorded in Positano. Positano is a beautiful small village in the south of Italy which attracts people from all over the world because of its uniqueness as well as the generosity of the people that live there. The vibe is just incredible. There is so much sightseeing to be done and the sunset, the air, the noise of the water, it’s all so magical and I’m really happy it all worked out as it did so that I could show everyone my roots.
Tell us about your single ‘The Time Is Now’, how was the work on it, who were the people who contributed to the single, and what is the story behind it?
I’ve actually been very lucky to finally release this record. I actually started work on they record in 2015, but at the time Moloko didn’t want anybody to release a new version of their iconic hit. I was devastated at the time, because the feedback I’d been getting from DJs and fans was incredible, and I really wanted to release it officially and share it with the world. My profile has grown a lot since 2015, my records have gotten a lot of international support and and I’ve received a Grammy nomination, so I reached out to them again at the end of last year, and thankfully they came back and said they’d love for me to release a version. I actually made a new fresh version to mark the 20th anniversary of the original, targeted towards the UK market, and it’s been getting some amazing support ever since. My version has also been remixed by the likes of Danny Howard, Wh0 and Robert Burian, so I couldn’t be happier with how the project has turned out.
Now let’s talk about your brand new single ‘Umoja’. How did that come about?
Well, this record is completely different to The Time Is Now. I always do one club track each year for the Ibiza summer season and I guess you could say this is the follow up to ‘Ubuntu’ from last year. Working on this record, I wanted to keep it really tribal, groovy, and fresh for people just to dance to. It’s obviously a very strange time at the moment and we’ve just heard the news that the clubs in Ibiza won’t be opening this year, but hopefully people can still enjoy Umoja over the course of the summer at house parties, beach clubs, and smaller events. I can’t wait for everybody to hear it!
Who is the next artist you would like to collaborate with?
In terms of current artists, there are so many incredible talents making amazing music, that it would be impossible to pick just one. In terms of the greats, since I was very young I’ve always been a huge fan of Barry White — there is so much soul to his voice and his music and I’d love to do something with one of his records one day. He definitely pushed me towards what I do today and was a huge influence on my career.
Who were the people who influenced you the most from whom you were inspired?
In terms of DJs, I would definitely have to say artists like Carl Cox and DJ Hype, who really inspired me back in the early nineties. Such incredible talent behind the decks. Another artist I’m a huge fan of and have been for many decades is Laurent Garnier. Simply magic the way he mixed records and blended music.
What other things do you do besides making music?
Music takes up a huge portion of my life and I’m very lucky that I see it as a hobby, rather than a job. I love music so it never really feels like work which is a huge blessing. I obviously love to spend time with my family and friends from all over the world, eating good food, cooking and relaxing. I also love the management side of things, helping other artists to kickstart and develop their careers.
What excites you most about being a DJ and performing around the world?
I think the most exciting thing about being a DJ is the fact that we get to travel the world, experience some amazing new cultures and meet lots of new people every week. You end up going to places that didn’t know existed and meeting fans from the other side of the world that are so enthusiastic about your music. I’ve been working in music for almost 30 years now and I’m so lucky to have met so many amazing people. It’s such a blessing to me to be able to follow my dream as a musician and I’m so thankful for that.
Do you think the music industry that has suffered tremendous damage by eliminating festivals, closed clubs, and of course the loss of livelihood to musicians will change the face of the music industry we know?
I’ve been spending a lot of time thinking about my friends in the industry and how everybody has been affected by what’s going on in the world right now. It’s a really crazy time now, and COVID has essentially caused the cancellation of 95% of international events in 2020. I think we all have to work together and adapt accordingly so that we come out of this stronger and make 2021 the best year yet.
What are your goals for the future?
My main goal is to be able to do what I love the most, which is to share my music with the world. Thank you so much for having me and please stay tuned to my socials for some exciting new project which I can’t wait to share with you. My new single Umoja is out on June 26 and I can’t wait for you guys to check it out.
