Justin Faust and The Phantom’s Revenge. Two DJ/producers whom have played significant roles in resurgence of the disco house sound that made it’s mark in the mid to late 90′s. Faust (Germany), The Phantom (France) and I were chatting (via Twitter of course…) a couple of weeks ago about doing separate interviews for the site. Then I had a moment of clarity….why not have these two jokers interview each other? They were both immediately up for it. Not only because of their mutual admiration for each other’s work but (probably more importantly) the result would be quite hilarious which is indeed the case. I’ve had the pleasure of getting to hang out with Faust when he made a stop here in San Diego recently, and The Phantom’s Revenge will be making his presence known here very soon. More details to come on that front! Do yourself a favor and follow these guys on Twitter. Faust’s 140 character movie reviews are worth it alone.
Part One – Justin Faust interviewed by The Phantom’s Revenge
The Phantom: I don’t really know when you started to make music, is there a defining moment in your music story, something that pushed you into this Justin Faust thing?
Faust: I always made music, played in bands a lot, but also produced stuff. In mid 2008 I changed a lot of things in my life and my head was clear then to start with something completely new. That’s how Justin Faust was born.
The Phantom: When asked about the first record they’ve bought, most people usually give a fake cool answer when it probably really was Corona “Rhythm of the Night” or something like that. Can you remember the first songs you really liked as young dude?
Faust: First vinyl seven inch was actually quite cool….The Cure “Lullaby.” Still a good song! As a really young kid I was into Abba, Michael Jackson, Huey Lewis & the News, ZZ Top .. is that uncool enough for you?
The Phantom: How cool was Myspace?
Faust: Man, pretty damn cool. I remember discovering all those great acts through Myspace and setting up my own account was fun for a while. It definitely helped. Now it feels like the empty halls of an abandoned psychiatric asylum. I don’t really miss it. Think about how crappy the music player was and how difficult it was to customize your profile…
The Phantom: I think I can recognize your sound within the first seconds of every track you make. Is it something you try to achieve or is it because I have super ears?
Faust: You have super ears. Also, I use the same sounds over and over again, haha. But seriously, it’s not something I’m trying to achieve on purpose. I guess it just happens because I’m not trying to sound like someone else.
The Phantom: The people of Earth and I would love to hear more Justin Faust tracks featuring singers like you did with Electric Youth. Is it something we can expect or do we have to make or own mash-ups?
Faust: To the people of earth….I will definitely work with singers more in the near future.
The Phantom: What are the places where you would love to play before the apocalypse (which will be a Thursday by the way)?
Faust: Thursday is bad, I have a dentist appointment. There’s one place on my list that would be the coolest and after which I could die happily and that’s Tokyo, Japan.
The Phantom: Your Twitter 140 character movie reviews are a reference now in the movie world. What are some of your favorite films?
Faust: Thank you, I put a lot of thought in those reviews. Favorite movies is not an easy question, but here are a few (in no particular order): The Godfather, No Country For Old Men, Inception, Shining, Black Hawk Down, Lord Of The Rings, Donnie Brasco, and The Wrestler.
The Phantom: You were in the US recently. What is it that makes America so appealing to us European dudes?
Faust: Burgers. That, and there’s something really interesting about the US when you’re from Europe. I think it has to do with the cultural impact America had on western Europe ever since the second World War. I’ve always been a fan of American culture. Be it sports or music or film, so I might be biased. But to me the US is a very exciting and at times disturbing country full of paradoxes (like, you see people get shot in the head on prime time television but god forbid they show some tits) and possibilities. I could never actually live in the US, there’s too much stuff that is way too strange for me to comprehend, but to visit it’s still one of the most exciting places.
The Phantom: Have you chosen a date yet when you will start to sell out and work with Rihanna?
Faust: Seriously, I would work with Rihanna any day. I hate this notion of ”selling out.” What does it even mean? If it means I could work on something that gets played all over the world, that gets recognition, and that pays some cash for my rent, so be it. Of course, I wouldn’t be able to change my style and pull off some Black Eyed Peas shit just for the sake of it. Instead I would try to impose my own style on that kind of pop music and make it work for a broader audience.
The Phantom: Can you tell something good about David Guetta?
Faust: Just because I make fun of him and his hair on Twitter doesn’t mean I hate the guy. In fact, I kinda respect him for what he does and although his style of music is not my thing. He’s still a top notch producer. There’s a whole bunch of people I despise more than that dude. I won’t say any names, because in the end I might end up working with them and then the joke’s on me.
Part Two – The Phantom’s Revenge interviewed by Justin Faust
Faust: Why the mask thing?
The Phantom: There’s this strange thing about people assuming I play with a mask, but i don’t. I want everyone to see how handsome and confident I look behind the decks (this would be the place to put a winking emoticon but I hate those). I also still see from time to time people refering to me as “you guys” which might come from the usually forgotten apostrophe in “The Phantom’s Revenge.” I don’t really care, I mean you can call me whatever you want.
Faust: When looking for samples, how do you go about it? YouTube crate digging or what?
The Phantom: Usually I look into the disco folder on my computer that contains a gazillion tracks. I also listen to a lot of old disco mixes, go on Juno Download and sometimes on YouTube. The ratio of time spent crate digging versus sample discovery is quite low though.
Faust: Biggest influences in dance music?
The Phantom: In order of appearance in my brain it would be like this: Daft Punk, Paul Johnson, Armand Van Helden, Stacy Kidd, DJ Nekbath, Mr Oizo, Justice, Breakbot. But the most important is Paul Johnson of course.
Faust: What’s more fun, DJing or listening to the same loop for 14 hours in your studio forever alone?
The Phantom: DJing is the best part. There’s almost nothing funny about being on the same loop for hours, but it becomes super awesome when you find the right loop! Like a sample “boner” or something like that. I know some dudes don’t like to DJ even though they have to, but I love it. The way I see it, the hours I spend on loops are worth it the moment I’m DJing.
Faust: Studio setup?
The Phantom: I think it would be an insult to real studios to call what I have a studio. Even though I have a few controllers, most everything is in my computer. I use Fruity Loops for the most part. Then a few filters, VST, nothing too fancy. I’ve never really been in good position to even begin to build a proper studio, but that might change soon.
Faust: Best and worst gigs so far?
The Phantom: I’ve had really amazing gigs in the past 3 years. If I had to choose one it would be New York at Studio B in 2009, because playing in New York was a dream, and the party was awesome. Also I’ve been in Brazil twice and both times were beyond amazing. To be honest I’ve never really had bad gigs. I had some strange ones, but the worst one would just be the less good one. In the spirit of focusing mostly on the good things, I won’t say which one was the less good.
Faust: Will dubstep still be around in 2012?
The Phantom: Unless some biblical apocalypse shit happens by this time, I don’t see how it could not still be around in 2012. I don’t really mind dubstep as long as nobody forces me to listen to it.
Faust: Why you no live in Paris?
The Phantom: I would love to give a romantic explanation about how I love to live south, where we have sun 80% of the time, but no, really it’s just because I can’t really afford it, sadly.
