New York's CID has been on our radar for some time now as a producer whose promise could lead him to be a leader in the next generation of house music producers and DJs. We've seen a lot from him: his recent remix with Don Diablo that hit the #1 spot on the Beatport Top 100 chart and various edgy big room releases on Ultra, Big Beat, DOORN and Spinnin'. He's worked on some techno collaborations, where the gritty electro infused sound that he is perfecting has lent itself well to the underground.
Today he has returned to the scene of his successful "iLL Behavior," Size Records, with a release that is diverse both for his own repertoire and for Size's as well. Despite its cheeky title, "She Wants the D" is an impressive combination of melody-focused chord progressions, futuristic disco sampling and big room energy.
Just ahead of its release, we got to chat with CID on his work, including "She Wants the D."
EARMILK: How did you get into music? Did you grow up in New York?
CID: Yes, I was born and raised in New York. When I was about 12 years old I was lucky enough to get a used pair of turntables and started DJing in my bedroom. Every Friday after school, I would take the bus to this record shop in Flushing, New York where I would spend hours listening to the latest records.
EM: Did you grow up in a musical family?
CID: Not necessarily, but music was always a hobby in my family and my brothers definitely influenced me. My older brother had a drum set that I would use whenever he wasn't home. I think I was about 5 or 6 when I started playing the drums. Later on, he got into songwriting and I would sneak into his room to use this shitty drum machine and keyboard he had.
EM: Did you always know that you wanted to be in dance music?
CID: Dance music was always a big passion of mine, but it wasn't until I signed my first song that I thought I could actually do this for a living.
EM: Which came first – production or DJing? Do you consider yourself an artist at both?
CID: Even though I didn't have my own equipment, I got behind my first DJ setup when I was about 10 years old. I was hooked ever since. Production was a natural progression from DJing. I have always considered myself both a DJ and a producer. Part of the artist that I have always wanted to become includes keeping a balance of the two. I believe they both go hand in hand.
EM: Who are some artists that inspired you? Continue to inspire you?
CID: I think it's important to look up to artists that are at a level you are trying to reach. Artists like Kaskade and Steve Angello really inspire me because they have been able to build such unique brands while staying relevant in an industry where new trends and genres are always popping up. Also, I have to mention Don Diablo. He has been a huge inspiration for my career. Knowing him personally, I see how hard he works, from producing the music, to developing concepts and videos, to the passion he puts into his DJing.
EM: You've worked a lot with Don Diablo – how did you meet, and how is it working together with another artist?
CID: We were introduced by email about two years ago by an artist manager at Redlight Management. Don had a new single coming out and wanted me to remix it with him. From there we continued to build our friendship and he’s given me some great career advice along the way.
When working with other artists, having someone else to bounce ideas off of makes the decision-making much easier. With Don, all the stuff we've worked on was finished in one or two sessions. We try to go in with a clear direction and if we're both happy with a certain idea, sound or melody, then we move on to the next part.
EM: What was it like hearing that your remix of "Make Me Feel Better" hit #1 on Beatport?
CID: Wow. That was such a surreal feeling. We knew we had a good remix but NEVER did we expect it to go number 1. There is so much competition and new music out there, so watching it go all the way to number one was something special.
EM: How was Miami Music Week for you? Did you get to do anything extra exciting this year?
CID: Miami Music Week was pretty insane this year. It was incredible to see so many DJs supporting my music. The most exciting moment was definitely getting to play at Story with Kaskade.
EM: Tell us a bit about making "She Wants the D.”
CID: Honestly it was a bit of a joke. The track itself came together in one night. I got the basic groove going and chopped up this vocal I had and made a melody out of it. I played it for a few friends and one of them said, "It sounds like she's saying 'She Wants The D'". So we started joking around about it and the name stuck. I sent it to Steve Angello and he played it the following day on his BBC Radio 1 Residency. Thirty minutes after it played on Radio 1, Steve emailed me saying he wanted to sign it to Size.
EM: What else can we expect from you in this coming year?
CID: This year you can definitely expect a constant flow of new music from me. It's easy to get caught up on the business end and lose sight of what's really important… the music. I am just trying to have fun in the studio. Ultimately, I want to continue to release quality music that I will want to play in my sets. As far as songs in the pipeline, I have two collabs with Kryder coming up. One, of which, will be coming out on his Sosumi label. I also have a solo track lined up called "No!" that I have big things planned for.
CID
"She Wants The D"
Size Records
SIZE154
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