Major DJ Klingande reveals his biggest music inspiration

If you haven't heard a track from Klingande yet, you will soon.

The French DJ, whose real name is Cedric Steinmyller, has made a name for himself in the world of house music. His unconventional inclusion of piano and saxophone has set him apart from other musicians in the same space.

Klingande started in the music space in 2012 with his single "Punga," but his "Jubel" album release in 2013 skyrocketed him to new heights. Since its release, the song has had more than 100 million views on YouTube and another 17 million plays on SoundCloud.

More recently, Klingande released his single "Somewhere New" featuring M-22, which was the first ever music video to be streamed live via Facebook and has already amassed over a million views on YouTube.

We had the chance to chat with Klingande about his love for music, his inspiration, and more. Check out part one of the feature below!

#YouShouldKnow is a feature that showcases rising talents. To see more past interviews, including more features on Klingande, click here.

How did you first fall in love with music?

I don't remember exactly when I felt into the music. My first emotions with music back in the days in the 90s were with pop rock bands like Oasis with "Wonderwall." That's one of the strongest memories I have, and I still love this song!

What drew you specifically to the world of electronic music?

I started as a DJ, with my friends, in our private parties. It was really fun and I grew to enjoy selecting the music, which made them dance. So of course when I did this I played electronic music, and specifically the good old progressive house, from people like Avicii, Axwell, Eric Prydz, and much more! I was and I am also a big fan of all the french touch scene, from Daft Punk to Breakbot, or people like Kavinsky, Cassius, etc.

Who has been your biggest musical inspiration and why?

I think the biggest one was the Swedish House Mafia. I mean they gave me this envy to produce my own music. Then my music culture reached new horizons and I discovered Klangkarussel, Bakermat, etc. and I really fell into this music vibe.

How did your single "Somewhere New" come about?

I was in the studio looking for new songs and producing music. And my friends from M-22 sent me this song, amongst others, from their crew. I really loved it and heard that we can do something great. So we decided to produce it together, and you know the result.

What was your favorite part of working on the song?

I think it was the collaboration with M-22, sharing ideas, trying instruments and production stuff on the song, we did a few different versions to finally end up on this one. They are talented and funny, which make the production process really cool.

What's your songwriting/creation process like? What goes into creating a track?

I don't have a specific process, but I prefer to start from the song. And produce around a vocal. I'm not really into doing a lot of instrumental demos, I work on piano or guitar songs and then produce it. I need the vibe of the song or the voice of the singer to get inspiration.

What's your dream collaboration?

I think I will say Flume because this guy has so much talent and is so cool. I briefly met him once in Dublin.

What's your favorite song or remix you've ever done?

My favorite remix is the remix for Parov Stelar "The Sun." I really like this one. I think I love all my original songs equally, I put my heart in it and I couldn't choose.

What's somewhere you haven't performed yet that you'd love to perform at? Why?

I would love to perform in some of the big festivals in France like Solidays, Vieilles Charrues, Main Square... I played in a lot of places in the world, the biggest festivals, but strangely I never did it at home in France.

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