Pig&Dan

"We think that our sound is constantly changing and producing is our passion. We always try to challenge ourselves and push boundaries where possible"

We have the great pleasure of interviewing the duo of djs and producers Pig & Dan, in full creative effervescence. He recently released: "EXISTENCE", for the iconic ELEVATE record label, an album that is difficult to describe in words, except perhaps for how the compositions make you feel. It is an album that will give a lot to talk about. And if not, come in, read and dance.

Where can we find you right now? How do you both generally start off your days?

We are both on the island if Mallorca, where we have our homes. We generally start off our days by going to the gym, meditating and then have a nice healthy breakfast. We are all about looking after the mind and body which sets us up better for a day of creating tunes.

You have a constant stream of releases and projects together, how do you find the time to run a label as well?

Thankfully, our label is successful enough for us to be able to afford a wonderful label manager, Scott organises all things ELEVATE and has done for a while now. We take care of the more creative stuff like record cover art and selecting the music from the demos that we receive.

Do you each contribute to your productions equally, or do you have separate parts you always work on?

Dan is more the music engineer but also a creator and Pig works on the more creative side of things. Sometimes we write together in the same studio and other times we send each other files and work from our own spaces. This enables us to be able to work on projects wherever we are and whatever the circumstances which has been really important during the lockdown on the island due to Corona virus. I guess you can say that Pig creates the chaos and Dan is the musical surgeon, making things clean and refined. The contrast works very well together, and the end result is that Pig&Dan sound.

What can you tell us about your latest release for the 150th EP on the label? (What inspired you, how it was made etc)

We just kind of write what we feel in that moment, we don't really have an idea of what we are going to make until we make it. When we are inspired, it kind of just happens when you least expect it and its quite magical. We do need to sometimes take breaks from producing so that we find time to do things which continue to inspire us. Taking that newfound inspiration back to the studio then beings a very organic kind of flow in the studio.

How much has your sound changed since you started producing?

We think that our sound is constantly changing and producing is our passion. We always try to challenge ourselves and push boundaries where possible. Sometimes it’s more melodic and sometimes it’s more stripped down and raw, but it just happens that way. We make music we like to play, and thankfully we are lucky enough that a lot of other people also like the music we make! You could say that the sound quality of our productions has gotten better thanks to the equipment and maturity which we have acquired over the hours of production time in the studio, making mistakes, learning lessons and working as a team. Practise makes perfect, but perfection is a very hard thing to attain, or to be happy with. It’s always an ongoing process of evolution, just like life itself.

Outside of electronic music, what sounds / genres are you most interested in?

We have love for all kinds of music. There are no genres which make music good or bad, it’s all different and we appreciate it all. If we like it, we like it, and if we don't, then we don't. Simple as that. You can find the both of us listening to downtempo, dub, reggae, funk, soul and even psychedelic rock. Hip hop too and 80s pop to indie. Outside of music we both have a heavy focus on health and well-being. We have been sober for many years now, and it really makes a huge difference to your everyday life. Exercise, meditation, cooking and eating good homemade food, and learning to disconnect and spend time with those that are important to you – that's the key to a happy and healthy life we believe.

What would be your dream setting to record a stream?

On Mars!

Is there a lesson or one thing that you’ll take away from CV19 and being in lockdown?

Taking care of oneself mentally, physically and spiritually is key to lead a good life with its challenges and great moments. Working our gratefulness and acceptance and having a good perspective on life will help you overcome everything. In the end we are in this world to learn evolve and become the best version of ourselves…

When it comes to a set, what do you think is more important; the opening or closing track?

Probably the last track because it’s the one the people are going to remember the most…

What was the latest record you purchased? Do you go to stores and buy vinyl or are you a digital shopper?

I (Igor/ Pig) have more than 5,000 vinyls at home but became a digital shopper when it became increasingly more complicated to travel with vinyls. Also, a lot of clubs were prepared for vinyl sets as the digital era became more popular. Once I arrived at a club and there were no needles on the turntables, so I had to learn how to play on CDJs in 5 minutes. Thankfully, I had a hard drive with music on me so was able to play. Now, our sets are usually 80 percent of our productions old and unreleased material so digital made sense, as it meant that we could play a track we had just finished on the plane.

One record in your collection that is impossible to mix into anything, but love it?

Apex Twin - Windowlicker

What have you guys got coming up in 2021?

Gig wise things don’t look great right now with the whole COVID situation but we are really focusing on producing loads of new music in the studio. We are currently working on a second chill out album to follow up on Destination Unknown which was released on Bedrock 4 years ago. We also have a new melodic project which is more melodic techno and deep house called Power of Perception with a third artist. And finally, we also have a new pop project with a female vocalist which is kind of like Coldplay meets massive attack which we are very excited about….so watch this space!

Pig&Dan’s ‘Existence’ EP marks the 150th release on their label ELEVATE and will be available from the 24th October

Pre-order now:

https://www.facebook.com/piganddan/

https://www.instagram.com/piganddan/?hl=en

https://soundcloud.com/pig-and-dan

https://soundcloud.com/elevate-6