Home Interviews INTERVIEW with Cerf, Mitiska & Jaren about their album Give Me A Sound on Armada
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INTERVIEW with Cerf, Mitiska & Jaren about their album Give Me A Sound on Armada

As one of EDM’s most promising and beloved trios, Cerf, Mitiska & Jaren form a more than extraordinary league of musicians. Joined forces since 2006, producers Matt Cerf and Shawn Mitiska and singer/songwriter Jaren Cerf, have been making waves since bursting onto the dance scene with their first hit ‘Light The Skies’. The mix of emotional prog-trance, strong vocals, striking lyrics and powerful beats, turned out to be the formula for worldwide success. This resulted in worldwide club hits such as ‘Saved Again’, ‘You Never Said’, ‘Man On The Run’, ‘Beggin’ You’ and more. 
  
After more than 6 years of collaborating, the debut album of the remarkable trio will finally land. ‘Give Me A Sound’ is everything and more, with the significant sound that so many have grown to love. Featuring high class collaborations with the likes of Dash Berlin, Pulser, Rank 1, Audien, Chris Jones, Fine Taste and many more, the thirteen tracks of the CM&J album each shine their own light. From guitar-driven pieces like ‘Our Neighborhood’, to the heartfelt beat-ballad ‘Part of Me’ and contagious, housey ‘Ready For Go’. ‘Give Me A Sound’ will bring out all colours of electronic dance music.

I always wanted to conduct an interview with them, and I’m glad that they replied positively to my request so you can enjoy their wonderful answers to my questions, along with the fantastic anthems included on ‘Give Me A Sound’.

Interview was written and conducted by Dimitri Kechagias, Radio/Club DJ & Music Journalist



Dimitri: First of all it would be great for each one of you to let us know if you came from parents who have any connection with music or the arts, and if your parents have been supportive in your decision to get involved with music.

Matt: Both my parents were somehow musicians, but not professionally, and they put me in music classes as early as the age of 8 – Violin, Piano, Saxophone, guitar – so they always have been supportive. My mum also paints.

Shawn: I think my family’s always been into the arts, my grandfather was a painter and he also built violins. My Dad is actually an amazing singer and guitar player as well! In the beginning I don’t think my parents really took what I did very seriously, but as the success started coming they realised I could make a career out of it, and since then have been VERY supportive over the years.

Jaren:  My dad is a singer/songwriter/musician and my mum sings as well.  I remember going to church as a little girl, and listening to my grandmother and my aunts sing together so beautifully.  It’s in our blood. 

Dimitri: When and why did you take the decision to get involved with the Electronic Dance Music scene?

Shawn: For me it started with DJ’ing, I’ve always been interested in music and through my DJ’ing it was just a natural progression to production. Through listening and learning it truly helped my production skills.

Jaren:  I fell in love with Matt in 2005 and he introduced me to the genre.  I wanted to like everything he did so I listened, but I wasn’t sold at first.  It took being away from him one summer and missin’ him like crazy to really listen and understand what it was that made him so passionate about it.  Then it sorta ‘clicked’.

Dimitri: Matt you were part of the Paul van Dyk supported group ‘Second Sun’. Would you like to recall for us how you felt when Paul discovered you and you got so much attention and recognition in the EDM scene?

Matt: In 2000, I formed the band ‘Second Sun’ with the other members, and in 2001, I went to Ibiza Spain, and Creamfields Liverpool on vacation. When I came back we created a song that would get signed to Paul Van Dyk’s label, and I thought this is it! I then quit school to pursue this avenue.  I remember when we first heard our song in the club, in 2001; it was the best feeling in the world… After that I really believed I had it in me.

Dimitri: Shawn would be great to let us know how your career was moving before you met up and formed your production trio/group. Did you have any notable success in the EDM scene before you established this project?

Shawn: Honestly no, I had a couple of productions out before Matt and I teamed up, but most of them were smaller underground tracks that never got released. My first major release was with ‘Lost Language’ with a guy named Nick Thompson… Matt actually ended up remixing this track and it was the first project we collaborated on.

Dimitri: When and under what circumstances did you meet, and did you have a belief from the early days that this collaboration was going to last for more than 6 years resulting in your album ‘Give Me Your Sound’?

Matt: Shawn and I met online in 2003 after he asked me to remix one of his songs, and Jaren and I met in 2005 - I asked her to sing on one of my songs… Music was the connection!

Shawn: I don’t think at the beginning we thought it would take this long, but life happens! All three of us are normal people, just like anyone else, and go through hardships and life changing circumstances!

Jaren:  Yep.  I agree.

Dimitri: From the years that you have spent together, can you recall the best and the worst moments where maybe you were on the verge of breakdown with this collaboration, and maybe considered continuing as solos?

 
Matt: Wow…this is a very personal question! But definitely we’ve had these moments – a few times we thought about giving up, but in the end we worked hard to achieve our goal.

Shawn: I think all of us fought at some point, but we realised that this was something we had to do, not only for our listeners but ourselves!

Jaren:  I ‘quit’ the business about three times in the matter of five years.  Hahaha.  I keep coming back because I love to write and sing.  Of course there were those times where we were completely frustrated, but we managed to work through them and come out on top in the end.

Dimitri: Can you please explain the various stages of producing a track as a trio? Which task does every member have to accomplish? Do you first record the vocal and then the music, or first the music and then the vocal?

Shawn: It’s always different, sometimes Matt comes up with a melody then I build some percussion and other elements around what he does, then Jaren records over that. On the other hand, sometimes Jaren has a top line that she’s written alone, and we take that and structure an idea around what she’s done. There are no set rules to what we do… We go with the flow.

Dimitri: Jaren you have an amazing voice that is really deep and emotional. Would you like to pinpoint for us the artists that have influenced the way that you perform or inspire the lyrics? Do you have a certain singer in mind while you sing?

Jaren: Good question!  I listened to a wide variety of music growing up.  Irish country (my mum loves traditional Irish music), bluegrass, country, blues, rock, you name it.  I remember I was very touched by Tori Amos’s first album and about wore out my cassette tape listening to it on repeat.  Later I listened to artists like Juice Newton, and country artist Martina McBride.  I think I ruined a few of her CD’s listening on repeat as well.  When I was in high school, about ready to graduate, my attention turned more to the pop world, until I was introduced by my high school boyfriend to ‘A Perfect Circle’.  Maynard James Keenan is such a fascinating person to listen to.  His voice moves me in a way I can’t describe.

Dimitri: Was it you or Armada that had the idea to record a complete album, and how do you feel when Armada asked you to go ahead with it?

Shawn: I think we originally came up with the idea after the success of ‘Light The Skies’, it actually took us a couple years to negotiate the deal with Armada but once we did it felt great!

Dimitri: How long did it take you to record this album and was it done under certain time restrictions and tight schedule or were you free to work on a track whenever you had an inspiration to do it?

Matt: We didn’t have a time restriction at first, but eventually Armada started asking about the album, and we accelerated the process. Eventually nothing was really set, so we gave ourselves deadlines, and made one last effort to finish.

Dimitri: Can you tell us the kind of studio setup that you used to record the album, and do you have any favorite software or hardware that you like to use in order to have a certain sound identity?

Shawn: Matt and I both have our own studios, Matt lives in Montreal, Canada, and I live in Denver, Colorado. We bounce ideas back and forth over the internet, and we both work in Logic. Some of my favorite VST’s include Massive, ES2 and Sylenth.


Matt: Basement Studio! Jaren and I built a sound booth ourselves (actually 2, one in LA, one in Montreal) and the voice was recorded there, in our own apartment. The rest of the studio is pretty low budget, a lot of virtual synths, with Logic. Once a lot of the production was finished, most of the mixdown, and the mastering was done by us and the mastering engineer in a professional studio called The Orange Door. This really cleaned up our sound to give the album the warmness we wanted.

                       
Dimitri: Please take us on a tour of this album and give us a short comment about each track. This can be about an incident that happened while you were recording and the collaboration with other artists Etc.

01. Cerf, Mitiska & Jaren - Give Me A Sound

Matt: Influenced by BT, and other artists, this was a great challenge to make. Took a long time, and many different forms.

Shawn: The title track ‘Give Me A Sound’, definitely took the longest of any track on the album. We felt like not only it being the title track of the album, but as the first track it set the tone for everything forward, and needed to be as well polished as anything on the album.



02. Cerf, Mitiska & Jaren - Circles

Shawn: We originally started this track as collaboration with Retrobyte which you may remember from his remix of ‘Light The Skies’. The idea was to keep it very poppy, but in the end we decided to go for a more Nu-Disco 80’s feel, and I think it worked out really well!

Jaren: This is one I kinda reworked a few times, too.  In the end I always came back to the original lyrics and melody and I’m glad I did.  It’s personal for me.  It got me through some tough times.

03. Cerf, Mitiska & Jaren with Fine Taste - Ready For Go

Shawn: I’ve always been such a huge fan of Fine Taste (Johan Vermeulen & Freek Geuze) once they agreed to do a collab with us we worked on multiple versions of this track, and finally came to the outcome you hear now!

Matt: Also a big fan of Fine Taste, really happy about the result!

Jaren:  I love this one.  So different!

04. Cerf, Mitiska & Jaren & Chris Jones - Starting Right Now

Matt: Originally supposed to be collab with another singer, we thought it could be interesting to have Chris on it, not only because we are fans and friends, but also because we thought it would be good to have a male singer on the album to change things up.

Shawn: Working with Chris was awesome, after hearing ‘Going Wrong’, with Armin and Roger Shah, I was very excited to sit down and work with his vocals. We felt like an uplifting vocal duet in EDM was something never done before, and wanted to break ground in our scene.

05. Cerf, Mitiska & Jaren - Our Neighborhood

Matt: This was an idea based on one of Jaren’s topline. We didn’t plan it this way, but we all agreed it would be nice not to have any electronic elements in it.  Hopefully our fans appreciate it for what it is, but we are also expecting some dance remixes of it, so the ones who don’t like it might, eventually!

06. Cerf, Mitiska & Jaren with Audien - Play Our Lives

Shawn: This was actually the last track we finished for the album. Nate (Audien) is a really good friend of mine, and it felt like it was a natural progression to work on a collab for the album. He comes up with some of the coolest melodies and ideas I’ve ever heard… Audien is truly one to watch out for!

                   

07. Cerf, Mitiska & Jaren feat. Josie - Let's Run Away

Matt: This is a beautiful duet between Jaren and her sister Josie, a type of song to be listened to in headphones, at home, while relaxing.

Shawn: I think having a duet between sisters is something you truly cannot duplicate. You really can hear the connection between Jaren and Josie with the way both their vocal performances come together so harmoniously.

Jaren: Awwweee.  Thanks Matt & Shawn.  ?  Yeah, this one is really relaxed and calming – a reminder to keep moving forward in life.

08. Cerf, Mitiska & Jaren - Part Of Me



Matt: We revisited this song many times, got stuck, and Shawn really got it sounding awesome in the end! A Club Banger!

                                          

09. Cerf, Mitiska & Jaren – Beggin’ You

Shawn: Beggin’ You truly took quite a while to complete. Finding the direction and overall style was definitely tough. At the time we most certainly took influence from the Nic Chagall and Cosmic Gate’s work.

Matt: Beggin’ You indeed took a while to finish, I personally think it took influence from ‘A&B – No One On Earth (G&D Remix)’. We wanted it to be raw power, all about the lyrics, and I think we did!

10. Cerf, Mitiska & Jaren with Dash Berlin - Man On The Run

Jaren: We created the idea and first version of this track and sent it to Dash Berlin, had them add their famous elements, later reworked a few vocals and then voila!  It is what it is now.

11. Cerf, Mitiska & Jaren with Rank 1 - Witness

Shawn: Working with Rank 1 and especially Benno de Goeij, was truly a dream come true. Collaborating with a legend like Benno doesn’t happen often, and just learning through his work really opened my eyes to how truly special his productions and skills are.

Matt: I came up with the concept of the video, and the producers took it to another level.. Check it out!

12. Cerf, Mitiska & Jaren - Another World

Shawn: ‘Another World’, was one of our Trancier productions on the album. We were almost going for a ‘typical’ kind of trance sound on this one. Jaren actually came up with three top-lines for this track and in the end the ‘Another World’ idea really worked out!

Jaren:  Oh yeah.  I forgot about that.  Jeez - this was kind of a hard one for me at first, but then we really found our stride I think.

13. Cerf, Mitiska & Jaren with Pulser - Our Little Secret

Matt: The last track on the album had been cooking for a while, we knew we needed to finish it in style and strength, but keep it slow and chill. Pulser really found this cool direction and we re-worked it a little.

Shawn: Working with Pulser was another dream come true, I’ve been listening to and playing his records for quite a while now. He really brought a unique vibe and sound to the track!

Jaren:  I also looooove Pulser’s stuff.  He produces really songwriter-friendly music.  It’s a gift.


Dimitri: Your tracks were remixed by some of the most important EDM artists such as Armin van Buuren and Dash Berlin. What is your opinion about Armin and his contribution to the EDM world through his label, DJ sets, and of course his ASOT radio show?

Matt: We are grateful to Armin for supporting us so much, having him remix our song is an honor, and we are happy every time he plays them on his radio show.

Shawn: I can only thank and praise Armin for what he’s not only done in EDM but how he’s helped our career. He’s been one of our biggest pushes, and we could have never accomplished what we’ve done without him.

Jaren:  Agreed.  Amen.  Armin has the ability to make artists, so the fact that he’s supported us as much as he has over the years has really helped us out.  He’s a great guy!

Dimitri: You did remixes for many great artists. Would you like to choose for us your absolute favorite remix that you have produced.

Matt: One of the remixes I love the most is the one we did of Armin feat Jaren – ‘Unforgivable’. We worked very hard on it.

Shawn: I think my favorite remix that I’ve done was my mix for Andy Moor’s ‘So Much More’. Matt actually helped me a bit on this one and it came together very easily.


Dimitri: Are you going to follow up the release of this album with a world tour and are all three of you performing together? If someone comes to a gig that you are playing what can they expect to see and experience?

Matt: We are planning on it! Already have a few gigs lined up. We will try our best to take people to another level to make their experience unforgettable.

Shawn: We most definitely hope to be setting up a world tour soon. Our next upcoming gig is June 23rd in Vancouver @ BLVD22. When you come to a CMJ show you can expect to hear a live PA performance from Jaren along with the hottest banging beats from Matt and myself.

Jaren:  Yeehaw!  Yes, I’ll be singing my little heart out.

Dimitri: From your DJ performances so far, which one do you rate as you’re most unforgettable and why?

Matt: I played in Vietnam for NYE in front of 300,000 people, it was an experience of a lifetime!

Shawn: Either my show with Tiesto in Edmonton, AB where I played in front of 10,000 people, or Matt and I’s gig in NYC at Roseland Ballroom, for ASOT 450.

Jaren:  I’d have to say New Year’s Eve Armin Only in Los Angeles - 2009.  There were fifty thousand people and I remember being a little nervous about hitting a certain note in the bridge of ‘You Never Said’, but then the adrenaline hit me and made it totally effortless - so much so that it sort of took me by surprise, and I almost lost my place in the song.  But I didn’t, thankfully.



Dimitri: Do you believe that is very important for your career to have a strong presence within the internet world with a nice website/Facebook /Twitter presence with frequent tweets? Do you interact with your fans through the internet and social media?

Matt: Absolutely! Nowadays, without the internet and the social media, you can make the best music out there, and never be heard. We try to keep our fans updated as much as possible!!

Shawn: Most certainly, nowadays it’s about being as savvy as you can be with social media. I always try to take the time and respond to everyone who comments or sends me a message. I’m just a normal guy, and the incredible feedback really lights up my day!

Jaren:  Yes.  I have a hard time with this to be honest.  There are weeks where I don’t want to be anywhere near the internet - like I want an escape so I can be in my own world.  Then there are times, like now, where I’m on it constantly, and I wanna know exactly what’s going on all the time, hahaha.


Dimitri: Do you like to help for common causes with charity work? Do you feel obliged to support other people in need who may want some help, for instance; upcoming artists who strive to get some attention?

Matt: That is another goal of mine. Through my success, I am planning on helping the world as much as possible. We actually already have projects in mind.

Shawn: Most definitely, I’m all about pushing the artists I work with and respect. Up & comers like Audien, Tomas Heredia and Ost & Meyer are definitely on the verge of blowing up, and I couldn’t be more happy for them… They deserve it!

Jaren:  Absolutely - 100%!  I think Matt, Shawn and I realise how fortunate we are to be healthy and relatively happy people.  We want to help, and the advantage we have is that it wasn’t long ago we were in the same place a lot of up and coming producers stand now.  So we know the struggle.  We know the frustration, excitement and hope behind all of it. I love to discover new vocalists and producers.  Masoud, a buddy of mine, was sort of my first attempt at A&R'ing.  He’s a great producer and I fell in love with his stuff.  We’ve been working together for a couple years now (I write toplines for him) and I’m so pleased to see how successful he’s become.  I feel like a proud momma.

Dimitri: What is your opinion about the danceable pop or what we term as pop dance that has taken over the charts at the moment? Do you like that kind of pop dance music?

Shawn: Honestly I don’t, I like commercial music just like anyone else, but Dance Pop is a fad that won’t last… I think it’s going to fade away with time and hopefully soon!

Matt: I actually like it, and like disco music, I think it’s taking over. The problem is that there is so much of it, and it all sounds the same, but sometimes some tracks stand out, and this is an avenue I want to take.

Jaren:  I love to write it!  I think as long as people want to dance and have a good time in clubs, the music will stay alive.


Dimitri:  Do you believe that is very important for EDM artists to support their tracks with fantastic music videos like the ones you produced for your tracks? Which music video is your favorite of your own or from other artists?

Matt: Definitely helps! The best videos will become viral and help the artists forever. I love the ‘Beggin’ You’ and ‘Witness’ videos of us, and we are planning another one for our next single – expect it to be mind blowing! There are two videos that I love: ‘Bjork – All is full of Love’ and’ Prodigy – Smack My Bitch up’.

                                
Shawn: Honestly, I think they help a TON, but most dance music artists don’t have the budget or means to produce music videos. I think the music can speak for itself in some cases, but it’s always nice to have a visual to go along with your track.

Jaren:  I agree.  I am an extremely visual person, so I love a good music video.  They’re little moments in time, mini movies.  Who doesn’t love to escape for three or four minutes?  There are so many good ones out there, in other genres, that it’s hard to pick.

Dimitri: Please give us your message for the people who will read this interview. Do you have a piece of advice for the young artists that try to reach your high level of success?

Matt: Thanks for supporting us! Young artists, keep working hard, keep an open mind, believe in yourself, never give up, and be objective with your art.

 Shawn: I’d just like to thank all our listeners for their support, without them we’d be nothing! As for upcoming producers… Keep your head up and take your time, music isn’t a race, and most of the time patience will always pay off!

Jaren:  Yeah.  Thanks for supporting us!  It takes a village to raise an artist, I tell ya.  To the up and comers: think of this business as long term.  The more patience you have, the better you’ll do.

Many thanks to Matt, Shawn and Jaren for their patience and dedication in answering this long interview with such interesting and absorbing answers.

Many thanks to Marije de Konink at Armada Music offices for her fantastic support in helping to organise this interview.

Many thanks to Paul Aldridge at  www.1mix.co.uk  radio for proofing the final version.


Give Me A Sound Track list:
01. Cerf, Mitiska & Jaren - Give Me A Sound
02. Cerf, Mitiska & Jaren - Circles
03. Cerf, Mitiska & Jaren with Fine Taste - Ready For Go
04. Cerf, Mitiska & Jaren & Chris Jones - Starting Right Now
05. Cerf, Mitiska & Jaren - Our Neighborhood
06. Cerf, Mitiska & Jaren with Audien - Play Our Lives
07. Cerf, Mitiska & Jaren feat. Josie - Let's Run Away
08. Cerf, Mitiska & Jaren - Part Of Me
09. Cerf, Mitiska & Jaren – Beggin’ You
10. Cerf, Mitiska & Jaren with Dash Berlin - Man On The Run
11. Cerf, Mitiska & Jaren with Rank 1 - Witness
12. Cerf, Mitiska & Jaren - Another World
13. Cerf, Mitiska & Jaren with Pulser - Our Little Secret