CALVIN HARRIS [05:12:07] R&B DREAMS Sitting in his Parisian hotel room, Calvin Harris is about to embark on a day of media. Chatting to journalists isn't much of a worry for the Scottish electronic artist. It's more running into dumb questions that can be annoying. “It sorta depends. If you do maybe 20 interviews in a row and you get one bad one in the middle it can set you off for a bit, and you can be like 'oh for God's sake'. But usually if they seem to know anything about you it's good. But if they've been given a set of questions and they don't seem that interested it gets a bit annoying and kinda pointless.” Rising to prominence after his Myspace friend list ballooned out of control, Calvin Harris released his debut LP, 'I Created Disco', earlier this year. Hitting the road with his live band, Harris hasn't had much time since to focus on his second release. “As soon as stuff started coming out I went on the road basically and played lots of gigs. But January, the month prior to when I come to Australia, I'm starting on the second album because I've got a month off. I'm going to chill out and try and write some new tunes.” Helping him craft this latest batch of songs will be Harris' home studio, which Calvin says is a work in progress. “It's getting less sparse. I've been buying a few bits and pieces recently. I've upgraded with things like my microphone and pre-amps and got a bunch of new keyboards. A new Voyager and a lot of analogue synths and stuff like that. I got a drum kit the other day as well, which will be nice. I'm trying to get more of a live element into the tunes rather than everything being totally sequenced.” So with the process of creating the next album soon to start, what can fans of 'I Created Disco' expect from Calvin Harris this time round? “I don't think there was a template for the first album and I think that was a good thing. But the second one is definitely going to be different, more of a rounded piece of work. I absolutely want to do the best I can do because I wasn't sure if I was going to get a chance to do a second album. But now that I have, I'm going to go for it. It'll be kinda the same, but it'll definitely be more dance oriented.” Listening to the last couple of tracks off 'I Created Disco' you can hear traces of R&B elements. But Calvin is quick to snuff out any talk of an R&B album. “I certainly wouldn't go down the R&B route with my own stuff. I listen to loads of it though, so I suppose it would make sense that I would make something that sounds a bit like it. I could never sing on an R&B record. I'd only want to do tunes with Beyonce. That's my ultimate artist in the world to work with. But certainly those R&B influences like the production, the drums, the soul element appeals to me.” So how would a Calvin Harris / Beyonce collaboration sound? “I would probably go for the club tracks to be honest with you, though a ballad would be great fun. I'd do everything. I could do a whole album with Beyonce quite easily and I think it would be amazing. But obviously that is never going to happen. It's a pipe dream, a bit of a fantasy.” The Matchstick 'I Created Disco' is out now through SonyBMG. Calvin Harris plays Good Vibrations at the Brisbane Riverstage Sunday February 10. back to top ^

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