So tiga is back! He’s definitely hotter than ever and we don’t just mean in the looks department. His new album ‘Ciao!’ is set to knock the socks off the mighty fine album that was ‘Sexor’ – it’s harder, faster, stronger and a dam sight “more ballsy” than his first effort, by his own admission. 
We aren’t going to sit here and bore you with how great the new album is or with tales of our admiration for Tiga, it really is time to just sit back, relax and bask in the words and wisdom of the bronzed Adonis…… 

How do you feel you have grown as an artist on Ciao!?
I have really grown as a person and this can’t help but come out in my music. I’m definitely more confident and in turn this has made me more adventurous. In the break between this album and the first I had a lot of time to occupy, I’ve had my own space and got to spend a lot of time with friends etc. I’m also more developed as an artist and its better.

Getting older isn’t great, but as an artist you begin to relax more and stop caring what people think. You start to realise your music career is on track and by the second album you can let it ‘all hang out’ so to speak.  This album is definitely more ballsy.

What is your favourite track on the album?
It was great to make ‘Luxury’ as I got to work with Gonzales using a more traditional song writing route which was a new experience for me – with a pen and paper. We worked together in Paris and it was a lot of fun.  Working with Dave & Steph [Soulwax] at producing the album was also a highlight.

What was the hardest track to make on the album and why?
Probably ‘Overtime’, we finished the track a long time ago and it was the only song with a question mark hanging over its head. We had problems with this track and it wasn’t even straightforward to fix, which is very unusual. 

What is your favourite collaboration on the album?
That’s a hard question for me as I like them all and it’s really like grading friends! However I really enjoyed working with Gonzales as it was a new friendship, a new way of working and a new relationship was developed from making this album.

How did the massive collaboration with Soulwax happen?
Well it was really as a result of their work on the first album that our friendship really developed naturally to the point where I always play all my music for them now and visa versa to gauge their opinion. We are really involved with each other and we speak every day. They produced half of ‘Sexor’ and I felt that to give this album a more cohesive feel it was perfect for them to be overall producers. 

So, I’ve heard shoes are one of your top three things alongside gloves and hair. So what are your favourite shoes?
Oh, well I like to preserve my shoes; the best ones often end up like antiques in a museum, they are there to be admired. I have some black padded Pierre Hardy ones with this intricate gold ribbing. And I also have to mention the White Pierre Cardin vintage 70’s shoes that Dave [Soulwax] picked  up for me in the South of France, they are amazing. I also really like trainers, I just got some silver Air Jordan’s in Singapore and they are so nice I can’t even imagine wearing them!

So, you really do have a passion for fashion. Who floats your boat in terms of designers?
Lately I’m really into Japanese stuff, particularly Com des Garcons and United Arrows. I really like the Japanese take on traditional pieces, giving them a slightly modern edge. 

I used to wear a lot of Dior and I would love to invest in more Givenchy but it’s just so expensive, I also like Hermes and Louis Vuitton. I wear a lot of APC too. 

Who or What inspires you?
Books I read, most of the time I have ideas they often come from something I have read in a book. But music really can come from everything. 

So what’s the Canadian music scene like at present?
I’ve been so emerged in my own stuff that I don’t know. The normal stuff like Late Of The Pier is great. I would like to recommend Proxy on my label Turbo Recordings; he’s from Russia and his music is full-on hard techno rave. 

How do you find it easiest to write or create a new track?
Generally it has always been loose; I usually come armed with a few samples here and there, a drum loop, sonic pieces and a few key lines, or a stupid phrase and style ideas. Or I will say I want to do a ‘disco track’ and then I piece the framework together. The best songs normally come when I have a rhythm already sorted in my head, these often come from a Hip Hop track, a dance track, anything. Original ideas sometimes get changed and played over.  

Who do you currently admire?
I would have to say MGMT;  they made three of the best tracks of last year. But really I get new heroes all the time. I really admire the Hip Hop producers like Timberland and the Neptunes, sometimes they make tracks and I’m like ‘wow’. I also admire Aphex Twin and Jamie Lidell. 
I really admire LCD Soundsystem; James Murphy is incredibly talented, I often watch their gigs gawping and admiring from afar, as a fan and not just as a fellow artist.

Interesting facts we should know about you?
I was a championship wrestler at school! And I was also the smallest rugby hooker you have ever seen!

What equipment did you use for the album?
That really depends on which studio we were in. With Soulwax it was the full analogue kit; we recoded onto protocols but we also used a number of various synths including an EMS Synth and a Corp MS20. James mainly uses Logic combined with lots of synths, and with Gonzales it was project based using pro-tools, whilst in Sweden we used loads of analogue gear and 301, 909, and 808 synths. 

Will you perform this album live or focus on DJ Sets?
I would really like to get a band together but we haven’t moved onto this project yet. I really need to start this project as it would be great and I would love to be able to perform the tracks with a live band. 

Ciao! is out now
Kimberley Owen