Classixx

Australia becomes a pretty attractive place to Northern Hemisphere DJs when winter starts crashing the party in their home country. The sun, the sand, the surf – all tempting alternatives to a cold studio. However, LA-based duo Classixx are more looking forward to the social aspect of touring, according to member Tyler Blake.

“We’ve got a lot of friends [in Australia] from the last times we’ve visited," says Blake. "We’ve become good friends with the Bag Raiders, who are also doing the Parklife tour, so we’re looking forward to hanging out with them.”

Few dance fans are unaware of the rise of Classixx. In a reaction to the abrasive electro music that has flooded from the City of Angels over the last few years, the pair began releasing scintillating disco remixes that quickly became staple tracks for DJs around the world. In addition to working with established producers like Drop the Lime and Beni, Classixx have married the club and indie worlds, turning popular tracks like ‘Psychic City’ by Yacht and ‘Listzomania’ by Phoenix into dancefloor-filling summery jams. “That particular remix was kind of scary," says Blake, "because we’re huge fans of Phoenix and it’s such a great song, and it’s hard to remix a song that’s pretty much perfect already."

Recently the pair have taken to the studio to work on their first full-length album, following on from their hit single ‘I’ll Get You’ released last year. Judging from their influences, the pair are set to make audio gold once more. “We’re huge fans of Quincy Jones’ production, like the stuff he did with Michael Jackson, and Nile Rogers' work with Chic and Madonna. That’s just the producers. Musical influences, I could talk about them for hours. There’s a lot of old-school funk and singer-songwriter stuff. Most of the remixes we’ve done recently have been trades for vocals, but I’m keeping them under wraps for the moment. We’ll probably have a couple of songs ready [for Parklife]. We don’t like to play tracks out until they're finished. It’s always weird playing songs that nobody knows.”

Even if they don’t have anything new ready, Classixx are still set to be a must-see act at this year’s Parklife. But who are they looking forward to? “Missy Elliott is headlining, which is going to be pretty crazy. The Bag Raiders, of course, because last time we we’re here we only got to hear teasers of their new material. And our boys from New York, Holy Ghost, are playing live, and it’s going to be great to see them get the spotlight." Jonathon Valenzuela

Classixx play Parklife, Kippax Lake, Moore Park, Sun 3 Oct