STREAMING AUDIO INTERVIEW

Based in Manhattan, New York, Armand Van Helden has a cultural heritage that would make Pauline Hanson’s eyes-water. Born to a Dutch-Indonesian father and French-Lebanese mother, he spent time as a child in Turkey, Italy and the Netherlands, and as an adult he’s travelled the globe extensively, DJing Boston to Berlin and just about every city of note in between. The term ‘global citizen’ was undoubtedly coined for chaps like him.

With a devastating list of dancefloor destroying singles to his credit – including seminal house tracks ‘U Don’t Know Me’ and ‘The Funk Phenomenon’ and more recently crossover hits like ‘My My My’ and ‘Hear My Name’ – he’s also amassed a staggering body of remix work, adding his Midas touch to artists as diverse as Daft Punk, Britney Spears and the Rolling Stones.

In April he’ll descend on Australian shores for one very special performance, headlining the first ever Smirnoff Experience event at an undisclosed location. The party is so secret, in fact, that Van Helden himself doesn’t even know where he’s playing, and the only way to score yourself an invite is by winning a ticket in the competition.

Talking with ITM’s National Editor Tim Hardaker from his Manhattan apartment, in part 1 of our exclusive Armand Van Helden interview we get the lowdown on his forthcoming album, hear his thoughts on electro house, and learn how he’s walked the line between commercial and cool for over a decade.

Armand Van Helden headlines the first ever Smirnoff Experience event in Australia on April 28th. Also appearing will be the Cuban Brothers, Sneaky Sound System, TV Rock and Ajax. For more info check out www.smirnoffexperience.com.au. Be sure to also check out Armand’s new single, ‘Touch Your Toes’ featuring Fat Joe, which drops soon on Liberator Music.

STAY TUNED FOR PART 2 OF OUR ARMAND VAN HELDEN INTERVIEW, COMING IN A FEW WEEKS TIME.