Mihalis Safras Interview

Ranked no.1 tech-house artist of 2015 by Traxsource, Greek-born Mihalis Safras has earned this reputation by his non-stop studio work and over a decade of similarly prolific international gigs. Head of his own Material imprint, home to the likes of Jordan Peak, Hector Couto and Detlef, he's also one of RA's most charted artists of all time, testament to his universal popularity, encapsulated in his current hashtag: #‎nosafrasnoparty.

Bringing all these party vibes to Egg Presents this Friday 29^th July alongside Raffa Fl and Apollo 84 (full info and tickets here), we spoke to the tech-house titan to find out more...

Hi Mihalis. How does it feel to be the number one tech-house artist in the world?

Am I? Most likely I'm the No.1 ‘fattest, glasses wearing’ tech-house artist as I gained five kilos recently!

Is tech-house the same now as when you started out ten years ago?

Actually, I started in 1998 spinning R&S classics and then in comparison to now is way different. I'm not saying it's worst or better, but different! Technology changed the game and you can't compare these eras. For some reason though, I feel nostalgic when I think about the old days…

How did you remix of 'Play It Loud!' come about? We assume it was a track you must have played a lot when it was first released? At what point did Marco hear it and give it his seal of approval?

Well the remix I did for Marco is like a limited only remix, as we wanted to be something special. Within only few days it was camped in Beatport charts and all parties on this project were sure about it's success. I played around with the bassline of Play It Loud and then all the elements fit, like it was meant to be a remix. I sent it to my mate Yousef, who runs Circus, and then Richie [Hawtin, who originally released it on his Minus label] and Marco approved it. It's good to see that many tech house heads around the globe believe that the remix is equal or even better than the original. Yoohoo!

Green Velvet's Relief Records just put out your collaboration with another Chicago producer, Gene Farris. How did this pairing come about? Do you two go back far?

Gene is a good pal of mine and he told me he was about to put out his solo album on Relief. So we said, let's do it… We produced the track 'Like This' and decided it would be the leading tune on the release. So far it's had a great response and we're both happy about it. We've already started our next collab so stay tuned…

There's a Pioneer video of you mixing on their PLX-1000 turntables. How do they compares to a trusty pair of Technics 1210s?

I might take the opportunity to make a big statement here and say that they might be a bit better! Of course, Technics are the king of turntablism but when I played with the PLX on DJ Sounds (and I've tried them in some other venues, too) I instantly felt that they were solid as a rock with a great touch!

Vinyl is so much fun to play but when it comes to international travel, there's nothing like having all your music on a USB! Are you never tempted?

Huh? USB? You probably forgot you're talking to Safras… I carry my 30-kilo vinyl bag no matter where I travel.

Where are your favourite record shops in the world?

By far, Deejay.de. I love how these guys work!

You're from Athens. What's the atmosphere like in the country at the moment?

The Greek scene is evolving rapidly in terms of new producers etc. Also the clubbers are becoming more and more aware what quality dance music is and what it's not. For many years some jockeys in Greece promoted a really cheesy sound, at least by my tastes. At the moment I love every event I do in my home country despite not travelling that much to Greece.

We read you didn't used to DJ there for personal reasons. Why was that?

Well, I was a regular DJ in some of biggest, most notorious venues in Athens, but after they shut the clubs down in 2004 I decided to focus on my international career. One thing lead to another and I found that for 10 years I was rejecting every offer I had to spin in my home country. Besides that, during that period I was not living in Greece so that was an excuse for me. Now I'm back baby 'cause greek people know how to dance!

What releases do you have coming up on your label Material?

I'm proud for every Material release we've had on the label, from Audiojack to Kevin Knapp and Oxia. All of the releases rocked my sets and I can not wait to release the new ones coming from Josh Butler & Hauswerks, Volkoder and Gene Farris, of course… #WeAreMaterial