Perdita
07-07-2008, 08:14
Swedish DJ Basshunter may not be the most inventive musician in the world, but he's pretty good at scoring hits. His debut single, 'Now You're Gone', spent five weeks at No.1 and now single number two, 'All I Ever Wanted', is heading in the same direction. With his first UK album out later this month, we called Basshunter - also known as Jonas Erik Altberg - for a chinwag.
How are you doing today Jonas?
"Hey man, sorry I'm late! I'm a bit of a slow starter in the morning. I've only had two Red Bulls so far and I need at least four of them."
Is that your regular breakfast?
"Yeah, definitely. I'm terribly sorry though. It's totally my fault because I have so many traditions and rituals in the morning: two cold Red Bulls, some masturbation and some work-out stuff."
Are you excited that your album's finally being released over here?
"I'm definitely, definitely excited by that. I've been working my ass off on this album. They gave me three weeks to do it, so I was really, really working my ass off. I was doing half of the album naked!"
There's a song on the album called 'Angel In The Night' that has more of a rock vibe to it. Is that a direction you'd like to move in?
"I've been kind of stuck in the same style for two years. It's kind of hard when you're having a career - you're scared of changing things within your sound. You don't know what might happen and you might lose your thing. But I want to evolve and in the future the songs will be much rockier and involve live instruments. I'm not just talking about guitars - there will be some wicked drum solos within a trancey beat too. That's what I want to do."
You tend to do your own vocals, but is there anyone you'd like to work with on the second album?
"Everyone wants to do a song with Madonna of course, and I do want to do one with her, but I don't think that will happen. I don't think she would want to do it with such a crazy guy like me."
You're too crazy for Madonna?
"We wouldn't need to be the in the studio together, but if we were that would probably end up in a... She's married though. I can just imagine how the music video would work out and I don't even want to think about that!"
Anyone else?
"Maybe Amy Winehouse. That would be really, really cool. I think that she's the female version of me, but in a more calm way."
So you're wilder than Amy Winehouse?
"I think she's more polite. I mean literally just ten minutes ago I farted in front of a whole load of people including a few girls. I haven't really found out how the English girls work yet, but so far I've realised they don't find farting so funny. If you fart in front of some Swedish girls they would probably laugh their brains out. If you say, 'Oh no, I think I've just s**t myself and left a Schumacher mark in my bloody underpants', they will probably laugh a bit more. I think I need to start behaving myself a little bit."
Have you attracted a lot of female attention since those adult photos of you leaked on the internet?
"I'm not proud of those because I'm much more fit now: I'm more tanned and I look much better. I would prefer to take new pictures and replace the old ones. I don't think that will happen though - controlling the internet is like playing God."
What can people expect when they come and see Basshunter live?
"I don't even know what to expect when I do a show. I try to plan my shows, but after ten seconds of putting my foot on the stage I lose it. Everything is very spontaneous. They can expect everything except I won't be having sex on stage and I won't be doing the helicopter."
What's the helicopter?
"You don't know the helicopter? You know when you swing it around and go "flick, flick, flick" like a helicopter. If I did that it would probably hurt a lot of the audience. It would physically hurt a lot of people."
In Sweden you released a dance cover of 'Jingle Bells'. Will you be releasing a Christmas single in the UK?
"I will do anything for my fans and people who listen to my music. If fans write to me and tell me they want me to do another Christmas track, then we'll see. If I do it again I want to make it more special, not just 'Jingle Bells'."
Basshunter's single, 'All I Ever Wanted', is out on download now. The album Now You're Gone follows on July 14.
How are you doing today Jonas?
"Hey man, sorry I'm late! I'm a bit of a slow starter in the morning. I've only had two Red Bulls so far and I need at least four of them."
Is that your regular breakfast?
"Yeah, definitely. I'm terribly sorry though. It's totally my fault because I have so many traditions and rituals in the morning: two cold Red Bulls, some masturbation and some work-out stuff."
Are you excited that your album's finally being released over here?
"I'm definitely, definitely excited by that. I've been working my ass off on this album. They gave me three weeks to do it, so I was really, really working my ass off. I was doing half of the album naked!"
There's a song on the album called 'Angel In The Night' that has more of a rock vibe to it. Is that a direction you'd like to move in?
"I've been kind of stuck in the same style for two years. It's kind of hard when you're having a career - you're scared of changing things within your sound. You don't know what might happen and you might lose your thing. But I want to evolve and in the future the songs will be much rockier and involve live instruments. I'm not just talking about guitars - there will be some wicked drum solos within a trancey beat too. That's what I want to do."
You tend to do your own vocals, but is there anyone you'd like to work with on the second album?
"Everyone wants to do a song with Madonna of course, and I do want to do one with her, but I don't think that will happen. I don't think she would want to do it with such a crazy guy like me."
You're too crazy for Madonna?
"We wouldn't need to be the in the studio together, but if we were that would probably end up in a... She's married though. I can just imagine how the music video would work out and I don't even want to think about that!"
Anyone else?
"Maybe Amy Winehouse. That would be really, really cool. I think that she's the female version of me, but in a more calm way."
So you're wilder than Amy Winehouse?
"I think she's more polite. I mean literally just ten minutes ago I farted in front of a whole load of people including a few girls. I haven't really found out how the English girls work yet, but so far I've realised they don't find farting so funny. If you fart in front of some Swedish girls they would probably laugh their brains out. If you say, 'Oh no, I think I've just s**t myself and left a Schumacher mark in my bloody underpants', they will probably laugh a bit more. I think I need to start behaving myself a little bit."
Have you attracted a lot of female attention since those adult photos of you leaked on the internet?
"I'm not proud of those because I'm much more fit now: I'm more tanned and I look much better. I would prefer to take new pictures and replace the old ones. I don't think that will happen though - controlling the internet is like playing God."
What can people expect when they come and see Basshunter live?
"I don't even know what to expect when I do a show. I try to plan my shows, but after ten seconds of putting my foot on the stage I lose it. Everything is very spontaneous. They can expect everything except I won't be having sex on stage and I won't be doing the helicopter."
What's the helicopter?
"You don't know the helicopter? You know when you swing it around and go "flick, flick, flick" like a helicopter. If I did that it would probably hurt a lot of the audience. It would physically hurt a lot of people."
In Sweden you released a dance cover of 'Jingle Bells'. Will you be releasing a Christmas single in the UK?
"I will do anything for my fans and people who listen to my music. If fans write to me and tell me they want me to do another Christmas track, then we'll see. If I do it again I want to make it more special, not just 'Jingle Bells'."
Basshunter's single, 'All I Ever Wanted', is out on download now. The album Now You're Gone follows on July 14.