No doubt you’ve heard their song ‘Yeah Yeah’. Come on, admit it… even if you’ve been living under a rock the size of Uluru the electro-house bomb would be instantly recognisable to your ears. Having brought the Bodyrox DJ experience down under a number of times in the past, this August clubbers will have their first chance to see Luciana front and centre performing live. ITM caught up with Nick Bridges of Bodyrox and Luciana for a chat.
While Bodyrox are no strangers to Australia, Luciana this will be your first time. Do you guys have any plans for between gigs?
Luciana: I have been to Australia a couple of times before, in fact Sydney is my favourite cities apart from home. I have family in Miranda and I will definitely be spending some time with them. Haven’t been to Melbourne yet, which so many people tell me is beautiful, and I am planning to take a car and make the drive down along the coast from Sydney. The dance scene in Australia is so exciting, I get so many messages of support from fans, radio stations and DJs, and it has its own definite energy. This will be my first time performing in Australia which is so overdue, so in that regard I am really excited.
Bodyrox (Nick): We have a new single which we will be testing in this tour. [As mentioned], this is the first time Luciana has been on tour with us too, so she’ll be performing a number of our singles live.
Luciana, you made your acting debut in 1994 on the British TV series ‘Anna Lee’. From your point of view, is there where your career began?
Luciana: I guess so, but that person seems a million miles away from me now… It’s been a fun and eventful journey, but I love the edge and excitement of the dance scene. Things change so quickly and you really need to keep your finger on the pulse of what’s happening. Music for me is a three dimensional mix of sound, art and fashion. I love any form of creativity.
Nick, before Bodyrox you and Jon were successful producers on various other projects. What are some of the tunes you worked on?
Bodyrox (Nick): I was relatively new to production before I stared working with Jon. Before Bodyrox we produced a number of tracks under the names Pearn & Bridges, R.A.W and Another Chance. Pervious to that, Jon was half of classic house duo Full Intention.
How was Bodyrox formed, and how did you guys come across Luciana?
Bodyrox (Nick): We knew Luciana through Michael Gray who was producing her Portobella material at the time. When ‘Yeah Yeah’ blew up we asked her to write and perform on it.
Asides from Bodyrox, Luciana’s had success on other projects as well, in particular Portobella. With would you say were the most successful songs for the band?
Luciana: It depends what you mean by ‘success’. Everyone knows ‘Covered In Punk’ because it did so well, but our first double A side release was ‘Freakin In Stereo’ and ‘London Punk’. That was the start of life for Portobella and we hit #1 straight away in the UK dance charts. I think it was then that I felt we were really connecting, and for me that was a success in itself.
‘Yeah Yeah’ was obviously such a massive breakthrough’ track for all of you. I’m sure it’s opened many doors, but have you ever felt like it’s limited you in any way?
Bodyrox (Nick): I have always been an underground DJ – a resident at Ministry of Sound and Fabric for DTPM. Having chart success is not always beneficial to that, so whilst it’s given me the opportunity to play at some great clubs, it has also put some underground clubs off. They regard you as a pop act.
Aside from being an in demand vocalist, Luciana you also have a passion for art. What artists have you designed record sleeves and cover artwork for?
Luciana: Most of my art nowadays is in the form of photography. I have taken publicity shots for Michael Gray, Shena, Bodyrox and Abigail Bailey, and I did some artwork for George Michael which was fun. I did some designs for Universal (record label) which were used for compilations.
Bodyrox have toured extensively over the past few years, what would you say has been your favourite place to party? Any funny stories from your travels that you would like to share with us?
Bodyrox (Nick): Ibiza is always amazing. I played Tiesto’s opening party last week at Privilege which was pretty special. It was one of the biggest parties in Ibiza’s history, with nearly 10,000 clubbers.
Do you have a message you’d like us to pass on for all your Aussie fans?
Luciana: I’m coming! Put on your glamour heels and get kicking coz’ I’ve been looking forward to this for a long time!
Bodyrox (Nick): Yeah, if you haven’t seen us live yet, don’t miss out this time around!
Bodyrox and Luciana tour the country this August, together down under for the first time. You can check them out here (and keep an eye on local guides for further shows!):
Aug 22 – Academy, Canberra
Aug 23 – Freedom Festival, Sydney
Aug 24 – Bedroom, Gold Coast
Aug 28 – Cabana, Sydney
Aug 29 – The Met, Brisbane
Aug 30 – UN, Sydney
