A new generation of young dance producers are at the forefront of all things deep and house in our culture right now, which is definitely both refreshing and exciting. Especially in a time where there are a LOT of wrongs being made in today’s house music, it’s nice to know that a few young men are holding it down for the rest of us. In this case, I’d like to give some praise to a duo called Prince Club (photo above) and a fellow you may know as Poupon (below). Both acts have individually been on the rise the last couple years and their hard work is finally paying off with some well deserved recognition. But when they combine their powers, the result is strong…just take a listen to their brand new collaboration, the “Technique” EP.
Prince Club and Poupon originally collaborated last year with “Platinum,”which still remains a staple in the sets of DJs across the globe. And at the peak of this summer, the team returns to the legendary Snatch! Records label with two groove-infused jams for the peak-hour dancefloor. The infectious title track, “Technique,” features the sharp vocals from ½ of Prince Club, while the b-side “The Block” chugs along with a traditional, yet undeniable House Music beat. While short and sweet, our cravings have been temporarily satisfied as we eagerly await more material from both Prince Club and Poupon.
But my interest doesn’t stop when the songs play out to an end, which is why I hit these guys up for a quick chat about their history as well as the release. Read on to find out what they’re all about. Readers, meet Max and Zach of Prince Club + Poupon.
Hey guys, what’s up? How’s your summer been going?
Max: Hey, Good so far. I’ve been able to play a lot in the last month so I’m super happy about that plus spending solid hours in the studio.
Zach: Great, I’m currently in London, UK. It’s been great so far.
Poupon: Summer’s been going great; weather in Toronto has been fantastic!
So the EP was released a couple of days ago and I think this is the second Prince Club & Poupon collab. How were things the second time around?
Zach: We have a really good working flow when we’re all in the studio together, especially. We probably made about 8 finished tracks together, and we’ve already started on a new one as well. Keep an eye open!
How did you all meet? I know that Prince Club is originally from Montreal and Poupon is from Toronto, which isn’t too far of a distance…
Zach: Yeah it’s a pretty close “scene” so people who make similar music in Toronto or Montreal tend to connect with one another.
Max: I met Poupon when he played a show in Montreal and a bromance began after the show at an after party. That night we met our manager who is also Poupon’s manager. The chemistry was instant after that.
Zach: Yeah, he also sent us his first PetFood release via e-mail and I thought it was pretty good so we began exchanging tracks. He’s a really good producer.
Poupon: We had a crazy night of partying together and were pretty much friends after that. I didn’t meet Zach until a few months later when we were all in France!
At what point did you all decide that it would be cool to get together and make “Technique”? Were you guys planning this for a while, or was it a natural process that happened on its own?
Poupon: I think after our first EP, we new we wanted to make more music together. The guys were in Toronto to DJ, so we all got together in my studio and Technique was born.
Zach: We went down to Toronto one weekend during a MASSIVE snow storm, I mean to this day I’m still amazed we’re alive to be honest, the road was a total mess, 18 wheelers flooding the side of the road and we nearly ran out of gas in the middle of a really dark truck stop and trust me, you don’t want that to happen when it’s that dark, especially in those conditions. Anyway, we went to Toronto to play a gig at Wrongbar with Tanner Ross and while we were there we wanted to make a track since that’s what we do when we go to Toronto and hang out with Ben. So the morning of our show we woke up we just laid down a bassline, I had a vocal line that was stuck in my head for about a month and we made the track in like 6 hours, played it the night at our gig and basically sent it to Snatch. A true fairytale you could say haha.
The title track definitely has the distinct flavor that you guys are known for, but also goes in a slightly groovier direction than some previous work. Were there any concepts or goals in mind while in the studio for this one apart from working the dancefloor? Did you guys make these tracks together in the studio, or was it via online correspondence?
Max: We all agreed that we were all on the same vibe that it would be great to make music together at least once every 6 months. It works well for us because we all work together in the studio so well; we share a vision on how a track is supposed to go, and usually it takes us about a day or two to finish. We try to collaborate when we’re both in the studio as we find it makes the process that much better. We do share ideas digitally but we always try to make them together.
Poupon: I think we definitely wanted to keep it dancefloor friendly but also make a song that people could remember and get hooked to, even to just listen to at home. The vocals are really smooth so it didn’t really lend itself to being a “banger”. We made it all together in one sitting. I actually took a nap in the middle 😉
Collaborating in the studio is always interesting because artists tend to have different workflow habits and strategies when it comes to laying down the foundations. How are Prince Club and Poupon similar and different when it comes to production? Are you both running any outboard analog equipment, or is it mainly all digital?
Max: We use a classic digital set up with Ableton with a mic and a couple of controllers. Sometimes, we like to bring in the electric bass. It’s Bens’ guilty pleasure.
Zach: Ben he has LOADS of plug-ins, loop packs and all that type of sweet stuff. The workflow is impeccable; we work really well together and share the same approach and ideas. It’s always a real pleasure to work with him and by the ends of our sessions we have the same sense of satisfaction with the end product. So yeah, PCP for life yo!!!
Poupon: We are both mainly digital, with Ableton at the core. We all have musical backgrounds including playing in bands and education in music as well, some more than others. I think we all bring different skills to the table that allow us to make really unique music that is different from any of our solo stuff.
The title track also features some vocal work…which half of Prince Club is responsible for that? Is this the first time you sang on a Prince Club track? I read that you guys were in bands before starting this project…
Max: 100%. Zach used to be the lead singer of this band we were in back in high school. He is an amazing singer and topliner. He always has amazing ideas for vocal hooks or samples. He also did the vocals in our track ‘Love Strong’ which we released on Made To Play last winter.
Zach: Yeah it’s me haha, I sang the vocals on “Technique” the A-Side. In our band I was the singer and Max was the drummer. So it was a pretty natural thing that I eventually started doing some vocal work for our tracks. Max as a really strong rhythmic sense, evidently due to his drummer background so we can surely say we were always completely on the same page when it comes to combining our forces together.
Max: He’s also working on a deeper side project called Forest in which he sings on most of the original tracks as well as lending his vocals on some really great collaborations. Look out for Forrest!
How did you guys go about getting on with the legendary House Music label Snatch Records for the release? It must be a great feeling to be alongside some names I’m sure you look up to.
Max: It’s great to be a part of the Snatch! Family! We first had the honor to open for Riva Starr when we were under our old moniker: madkids. When we met him he said that our music didn’t fit our name and that we needed a name that would do justice to the music we play. He basically said in his Italian accent, “What is this name madkids ?!? It sucks! Believe me, you need to change it.” When someone of his experience tells you such a critical thing you shut up and listen. So we did, and then sent him our music, and he liked it and we released Body Holly, Mr. Freeze, Movin’ On.
Zach: The label has been great for us and has given us great exposure to fans/supporters in countries we have yet to visit and our tracks have been played by some of our favorite DJs/Producers. Bless the Snatch! Family!
Poupon: It’s a really great label, and I’m honored to be releasing music alongside some really heavy hitters.
Was there any reason in particular for not including any remixes in the EP? I mean the two tracks are beyond good enough, but can we expect any alternate takes on the songs in the near future?
Max: Maybe! But nothing I can talk about haha. ”The boss” has a couple ideas for that.
So what’s the plan now that the EP is done? You are both very busy acts so I’m assuming some tour dates soon. What else?
Max: Yes actually while responding to this I’m on my way to play in LA tonight for a Scion A/V radio party, and then Zach will play in Zurich, Paris, and then in Brighton, UK. Also trying to hit up Australia for the winter so yeah the calendar is shaping up real nice! Production…we have a few remixes coming out that we did for friends: Junkie XL, Them Jeans, Poupon & D.Fine. Also a lot of great collabs that we can’t wait to share! We’re fortunate to be working with a lot of great artists so look out for lots coming at the end of this year and early next year!
Zach: Yep, we’re looking forward to our shows as we love playing for anyone who is into listening and we’re fortunate that lately the interest continues to grow! We’ll also start working on the next solo EP since we already have a couple of tracks in our back pockets. More, more, more haha.
Poupon: Always hustling! More releases, more shows. I have a collaboration with French DJ/Producer D.Fine coming, and also a solo EP on the way as well. Stay tuned to Facebook or Twitter for details on those!
I’ve been seeing both Prince Club and Poupon on flyers around LA pretty often this year, some of you guys are living here on and off right? How has the city been treating you? Any benefits to spending more time here for you?
Max: Yeah, I live in LA now. I made the decision to move from Montreal 4 months ago. I’ve settled in quite nicely and I’m really fortunate to have a great crew of friends down here like who I’ve been able to collaborate on music with like Stevie B from PIPES, Rick Rude, Louisaaahhh, Urulu, Steve Huerta, Timbre, Craig Williams, it’s been great I’ve never had so many unreleased tracks/collaborations that need to be released!
Well, I’m looking forward to hearing all of the above once the songs finally come out. That wraps things up for us, thanks a lot guys for the answers!
So now you’re familiar Prince Club and Poupon. What to do now? Buy the music, of course! Click here to order from Beatport. Make sure to follow Prince Club on Facebook and Twitter, and do the same for Poupon’s Facebook and Twitter too. Shout out to Jermayne from Faceless Management for the extra help.
