Nevins: That really caught my ear and that’s what probably gave me that bug to mix the two together. In the United States, rap and rock rule radio and dance music is such a small genre of music. It’s getting bigger and I think it’s expanding and it’s accepted a lot more widely than it was before. But still, I think that rock and rap are obviously the biggest forms of music and I would like to be able to get my stuff to the most people that I can, and the way to do that would be sliding in rock and sliding in rap. It’s not the main reason I do it, and I have the love for all styles of music, but that’s also a motive behind it because when you make music, you want to make if for the widest possible audience. So, that’s what I try to do and I ride the fine line between underground and pop. The funny thing about myself is I don’t really think I’m that underground and I really don’t think I’m that pop, I’m kind of in between. This has worked in my favor sometimes, and in other times it hasn’t, because sometimes I’ll do a record and it's really not underground enough for the underground guys to play and it’s still not poppy enough for the pop audience to catch on. So, it works to my favor and it’s a little bit of a hindrance at others.
RS: I notice that rock influence with the Madonna remix which was just released, there’s definitely a rock feel to it.
Nevins: Oh yes, without a doubt. That actually worked out in my favor because I did not know that they were working on this Madonna remixed album at first, I was just interested in doing this Madonna remix in general. Then all the remixes for this EP are rock vein or leaning towards rock and I see that coming up in the field of dance. So when it worked out that that’s what they were looking for, I happened to have done it.
RS: There’s a lot of records right now with a rock influence, the Kristine W record, THEM’s new single and even Ferry Corsten’s new one. I see it as a way to get more people into dance music, so you’re right in the perfect place for the next wave.
Nevins: Right. Now, I’m crossing my fingers that I am considered one of the pioneers of the sound rather than the guy that got on it last because I’ve been doing it and honing my skills on it for over a year. I’ve had stuff that’s been out that’s kind of flew under the radar, but now some stuff is getting recognition like the Madonna remix.
RS: When you’re commissioned for remixes are you usually sent just an a cappella or do you have a chance to work with the artists on the remix?
Nevins: Ninety percent of the time, I’m sent just the parts, and work from it at that level. Once in a blue moon I’ll get to meet somebody, but most of the time I’ll meet an artist it’s after I’ve worked on a remix and they know about it. It’s unbelievable how these people know of me and give me kudos for remixing their records and they liked it and this, that and the other thing. I mean I could list major names, it’s totally unbelievable.
RS: I’ve got to ask you, did you ever hear from Courtney Love about your Malibu remix?
Nevins: Courtney Love I never heard from. That was one of those records that I did which was avant garde at the time, because when I did that record labels weren’t doing any sort of rock/dance, and I had done a couple of mixes on that.
That was through Geffen, and they absolutely were floored and loved the mix, but Geffen was consolidating into A&M/Interscope at the time. There was a whole screw-up with that whole thing, and I think they only came out as like twelve inch promos or something very limited. But I know for a fact that she approved it because that’s the way we got it to even go further, but I didn’t really hear from her and I would have liked to because it was really cool to work on a Hole record.
RS: I remember getting that remix on a Promo Only CD and I would play it on the radio and at the club and people were like, is that Hole?
Nevins: See, that’s the style I like to do, records that aren’t typical. You’re not going to see me doing a Deborah Cox remix because there are so many guys who are so much better at that than I am. My forte, where I shine, is the more off-kilter records that you wouldn't necessarily assume to be a dance record. That’s helped me and hurt me because some of these bands don’t want to have their records remixed. There have been tons of big rock artists and artists that aren’t necessarily dance-oriented that I’ve contacted to try and do stuff, and sometimes you get resistance.
