Hervé – You Give Me Something + Hervé Interview

There is simply no stopping the music machine that is, Joshua Harvey aka Hervé. With many years of producing, djing and remixing under his belt it’s a consistent onwards and upwards trend for this talented artist. Working under many different guises such as The Count ( with Sinden ), Speaker Junk and the collective, Machines Don’t Care, Hervé can draw on a vast amount of knowledge from many different areas of the musical spectrum.

We caught up with Hervé and asked him a few questions about his latest release ‘ You Give Me Something ‘ with remixes from Jay Robinson and one from Hervé himself, plus future projects, music tech and his favourite ever festival.

LSM : Thanks for taking time to speak to us Joshua. Could you tell us a bit about your new release ‘ You Give Me Something ‘ and where the inspiration came from to make it?

Joshua : It came from a writing session with Anita Blay and the singer Daisy. We were working on a few different bits but we got on a roll with this track and it came together very quickly. We wrote and recorded the vocal in the next two hours, Daisy did the lead and Anita did some great backing and ad libs. I worked on various versions over the next few weeks. Love and Other were the first to hear it and picked it up straight away. I’d just finished my collab with Armand Van Helden and was on a bit of a late eighties early nineties house tip and the music came from that little spell of writing.

Buy ‘ You Give Me Something ‘ here.

LSM : Jay Robinson has provided a tasty remix of your new track and we see you’ve reworked it with a Fidget House twist. How did the decision to do that come about?

Joshua : I’ve been in contact with Jay for years, every since his early Dub Frequency stuff on Cheap Thrills. He’s a talented guy and I just wanted to keep supporting him so I asked him to put his spin on it. With my Future Fidget remix (I was just having a bit of fun with that remix title) I wanted rep more of my sound as the original is pretty straight house, not something I do too much as Hervé.

Buy Jay Robinson’s remix here.

Download Hervé’s remix premiered by DJ Mag here.

LSM : You’ve released your new material on Love & Other. Are there any plans for future releases with them?

Joshua : Yeah I can see that for sure in the future, either as Hervé or under another name. If they will have me! I’ve really enjoyed working with Ricky . I’ve just signed to Skint so I have a commitment to them right now.

LSM : What equipment are you using to make music these days in the ever changing world of gadgets and gadgetry?

Joshua : Bootcamped iMac with Cubase and a few bits of hardware. I have an SSL Nucleus which has given me a bit of agro recently but has the best sound I’ve ever heard for recording vocals and instruments.

LSM :  Is there anyone out there that you have drawn influences from to help hone your sound?

Joshua : Nothing specific. I always draw from a wide range of influences from a wide range of genres to find new ways to do something interesting.

LSM : There’s quite a few major names you’ve remixed. Anymore in the pipeline?

Joshua : Not sure if I can say, but I think it’s ok. I’m remixing a Fatboy Slim classic for Skint which I’m pretty impatient to get cracking on and a new KC Lights track on Cheap Thrills. I do enjoy remixing, for a while I got a bit burned out remixing as Hervé, Speaker Junk and The Count and Sinden, I must’ve done 40/50/60 remixes I can’t remember!

LSM : Having unearthed  and signed some very talented artists to your label ‘ Cheap Thrills ‘, is there any up and coming stars you can tell us about?

Joshua : KC Lights is a new addition to the label. Incredibly talented writer and producer who has a massive future. He’s got some big releases and collabs coming.

LSM : Having played all around the world, could you give us a venue or festival that holds special memories for you?

Joshua : I love playing Secret Garden Party. Such a great atmosphere and great crowd, played three times and always ready to return. Any festival in Belgium is great, awesome crowd and they treat you very nicely.

LSM : Everyone has a turn to track when the chips are down, what’s one of yours that you use for maximum inspiration in the same situation?

Joshua : I don’t think I have one track. New tracks come along all the time that have something about them and spark an idea, it’s a continuous process.

LSM : And finally, what does the future have in store for, Herve?

Joshua : Working on my album right now. New EP coming very soon on Skint. A real spread of what I’m up to on it with a couple of great features.

Once again, thanks for your time Joshua.