December 18, 2012 | salvo@duranasty.com | Can you tell us about the collaboration with John Taylor, how it started? Were you introduced to him by mutual friends in the music business or you just got in touch and offered him to take part in the project?

Koishii & Hush: For our album, we had a wish list of people that we wanted to collaborate with and John was one of them. We approached him with our idea and luckily he was interested.

Was Duran Duran’s music an influence in your early steps into music? Were you fans of any of their albums before you got the chance to work with JT? If so what's you favourite song/album?

Alex: I have been a fan of the band since the very beginning. ‘Rio’ is still my favourite album, with ‘Hungry Like The Wolf’ and ‘Hold Back The Rain’ probably being my top songs, but they have done so many it really is hard to choose.

Simon: I started out playing bass and have always been impressed with John’s playing style, especially on the Notorious album.

And, is John a fan of your previous work?

Excellent question! You would have to ask John?

I will do for sure! You are a quite unique duo as you rarely work together in the same studio, you actually collaborate online, Simon is in the UK and Alex in Canada.
Have you operated in this way also for 'C’est Tout est Noir', I mean, did you actually meet John in a regular studio to record the track or it was all done virtually?

Partly. We did some of the music together at Simon’s studio in London and some virtually. John’s vocals were recorded in LA by Matthew Hager, who has worked with him before. Once we had the vocals, everything was completed virtually.

Was it difficult to complete the work with John who has always a very busy schedule?

It did take some planning but once everything started it came together fairly quickly.

Can you please shed some light about the timing for this project? When it was recorded and in which side of the world?

We initially approached John with our idea in 2010. At that point, although he was interested, they were working on the AYNIN album and all his time was devoted to that. I [Alex] met with John when Duran Duran were in Toronto in April 2011, and we discussed what direction the song would take, possible themes etc. We then started work on the music while Duran continued the tour. When Simon LeBon unfortunately lost his voice during the European tour, John returned home to LA and was able to write the lyrics and record his vocals for us.

Who came up with the title C’est Tout est Noir’ (Everything Is Black), was your or John's idea?

That was John’s. We discussed the vibe of what we were going for, and we created the backing track, leaving him to go off and write the lyrics.

Are you happy with the vocals provided by John and the main final mix of the song?

Absolutely. We are delighted with how the finished track ended up.

Since an international rockstar is involved in the project, do you think the music will be promoted in a more traditional way this time round [involving TV and Radio airplay] rather than then just the indie way trough the web and social networks?

Hard to say. As we are doing it on our own without the backing of a major label, we know it will not be easy getting mainstream radio play. We are reaching out to as many people as we can and are hoping with the great support from Duran Duran fans we can get the song heard everywhere.

Are you going to shoot a video for the song [or will you be doing any photo-shooting for the press] that involves John?

We have had some discussions about doing a video but currently with John’s schedule with his book promotion and having a well-deserved break, it is unlikely that he would be in the video but you never know ;)

The single will be out on January 8, the release comes with three mixes: Original Mix, Vettenetter Remix and Nat Monday Vocal Remix. In which formats will the single be released apart from the digital download? Are vinyl and cd an option for this particular project?

As it stands now, we are only doing a digital release. That just seems to be the way everything is going, which in many ways is a shame. Though having said that, if there was enough fan interest for a cd or vinyl release, we would consider doing it via a crowdfunding platform such as Kickstarter or Pledge Music.

What do you think guys about file sharing and illegal downloading? Don't you think it kills the hard work of talented musicians like you?

File sharing/illegal downloading is the single worst thing ever to happen to the music industry. We understand that if you can get something for free, most people will choose that option because it is as easy as the click of a button. The reality is by not purchasing the music you like, you are hurting the musicians involved [...]

[...] There is such a small amount of money to be made, is $0.99 really too much to ask for a song that you enjoy? The same people would not go into a store and steal something and this is really no different. Please support the artists who work so hard to make the music.

People will spend $3 on a cup of coffee that lasts a few minutes but won’t spend 99 cents on a song that could last a lifetime?

The track is the first single from your forthcoming album ‘Odyssey’? Can you tell us something more about the album, any other major collaborations besides the Taylor one?

It is a concept album that deals with a whole range of emotions. We have several well-known artists involved ranging from singers to actors but at this time we are keeping everything top secret? We can say that it will have a variety of styles but always remain an electronic album at heart.

We love the geometric illustration on the cover of the upcoming single, who is the graphic designer or artist who draw it? Was John involved in the visual aspect of the project?

This was a photo taken by German photographer and art director Nick Frank. We loved the image and he was kind enough to let us use it. We wanted to find something that would reflect the tone of the song and think this gets it perfectly. We had a few different cover ideas and as we were deciding which to use, we were always in touch with John.

If Duran Duran would ask you to remix one of their songs, which one would you choose?

That is a tough question. It would be hard to pick as they have so many great ones and it would be a somewhat scary proposition. If we had to pick though, ‘Hold Back The Rain’ and ‘The Chauffeur’ from the earlier stuff and from AYNIN ‘ Blame the Machines’.

What’s in the future for you guys?

At the moment, just putting the finishing touches on the album and planning which tracks will be singles and getting remixes sorted. After that, probably a nap?

They say that c’est tout est noir
I’m with my hand on my heart
I live with things as they are
So much for c’est tout est noir

And with my hand on my heart
I live with things as they are
So much c’est tout est noir

Koishii & Hush have been making their mark in the world of electronic music since 2004. As individuals, Simon has had his own chart success as half of the trance duo Dreamcatcher, churning out hits like ‘I Don’t Wanna Lose My Way’ and ‘Twisted’, both making the UK Top 20, as well as being part of SoulSeekerz, with their UK Top 20 hit with Dannii Minogue ‘Perfection’. Alex has worked with several labels and artists including Hi-Bias, Hiver &Hammer, M.I.K.E. (Push) and Hemstock &Jennings to name a few, as well as being the driving force behind Hush Music. It all started in 2004 with their major label debut single ‘The Promise’ (featuring When In Rome), then in 2005 with ‘Flow Through Me’ [featuring actress Meredith Salenger] the first step towards producing their own tracks had begun. Nowadays, one cannot imagine the electronic elite without Koishii &Hush.

Three of their singles made it into the Billboard Top 20, and their mix CD ‘A Trip In Trance: Classics – Mixed by Koishii & Hush’ remains a consistent top seller both on CD and digitally. Koishii & Hush have teamed up with a number of top artists in their career to date including Suzanne Shaw [ex HearSay], Amy Jo Johnson, When In Rome, INXS and others, giving them an audience and credibility beyond the boundaries of traditional dance music.

Further evidence of their versatility can be heard in the various mixes they do under their other guises. As StarChamber, they produce tracks that have a more down-tempo, chilled out feel. Producing as V-Groove, a housey vibe comes to the forefront as a sound that bridges the gap between the nightclubs of the world and commercial radio. In addition to their own productions, Koishii & Hush are in demand for their remix skills and have completed mixes for Mick Jagger, INXS, Erasure, Cassie, Dannii Minogue, Danny Elfman, Darren Tate, LoverushUK, and many others.