STREAMING AUDIO INTERVIEW

How loud were the cries of anguish across the nation when it was announced on the evening of Tuesday December 30th that Swedish house legend Eric Prydz wouldn’t be making it to Australia after all? From where ITM was standing, they were pretty damn deafening. There’d been much talk about over the years about his fear of flying and how it had prevented him from making his virgin voyage to Australia, but over the 08/09 New Year party period it was looking like the dream was finally going to come true – until it was devastatingly snatched away from us at the 11th hour.

In a press release issued by his artist management, we learnt that despite initially getting on the plane, Eric’s phobia ultimately got the better of him and he was taken off the flight. He then made further unsuccessful attempts with other flights, with the same regrettable outcome. “This is a huge disappointment for all concerned, especially Eric and he sincerely apologises to all fans and ticketholders of his scheduled events,” it was said in the statement. “We can only apologise to Future Entertainment who have done everything in their power to make these shows possible and have been nothing less than professional throughout.”

So why all the bother and fuss? Is Eric Prydz really worth all the hype? If you’ve been witness to the hysteria his tracks have created on the dancefloor over the past few years, then you’ll understand where it’s coming from, and the special connection that Prydz has with what works on the dancefloor. “When I make music, most of the time I try and picture myself being in a club on a dancefloor somewhere,” he told ITM. “I know what I want to hear on a dancefloor, and that’s what I’m trying to accomplish when I make my tracks. And a lot of other people agree with me I think.”

Will Eric Prydz ever make it to Australia? Only time will tell. Here Eric Prydz talks to ITM’s Angus Paterson in part 2 of the interview that took place late last year, where he talks about his epic Australian tour that didn’t quite happen in the end, as well as his approach to producing that’s placed him in the very top tier of musicians making music for the clubs, Australian tour or no Australian tour…

Don’t forget to also check out part 1 of the interview. And stay tuned to ITM for developments on whether one day, we’ll finally see Eric Prydz in Australia…