Q: Introduce yourself then describe yourself in one word.
I am 46 years old and I've been married for a while now. I’m a happy father of 2 lovely girls, living near Lille in France. I fell in love with electronic music when I was still a young boy. At that time it was mostly what we called Sid tune on C64 computer then on Amiga. Step by step I moved into electronic music for clubs but I still love a lot of different music styles. If I would describe myself in a word, I think the best one would be “Genuine”, as for me the most important thing in life is to stay yourself whatever happens.
Q: Club or Festival and why?
Club because I prefer the more intimate side of it.
Q: Analog or Digital and why?
Both with a preference for analog as I love real hardware and my studio is mostly analog, but I still get hardware machines that are digital. But I am not a great VST fan, it’s a good approach to start but I still think hardware is much more fun to use than VST. I grew up using hardware so for me the software approach is not something I really enjoy, and the sound needs a lot of treatment to sound good to my ears. On the other hand, hardware sound inspires me much more.
Q: Favorite Plug in and why does it stand out from the rest?
Well, I am only using UAD plug in for FX for my tracks but I tried a few others VST and I would say Arturia and u-he as they are the best sounding for me. But then again, I have not tried so many as I own a lot of hardware so I do not really need VST's.
Q: What was the driving force that got you into Producing and when?
I've been producing for a few years already but I felt it wasn't for me. I started assisting others’ projects, when finally my friends pushed me to release my own stuff and Clawz SG was born in June 2014. After that it went really fast for me and I got a lot of positive feedback that pushed me to continue.
Q: If you were to have a superpower, what would it be and why?
Cure the pain, I can’t stand to see people suffering.
Q: Favorite day of the week?
Sunday as it’s the day I can enjoy with my family and relax.
Q: Favorite sport and why?
Swimming as it relaxes me a lot.
Q: If you would have been given the chance to do a film score from the past, what movie would you choose and why?
Edward Scissorhands because I love the magical and melancholic atmosphere in it.
Q: Recommend a Hidden Gem in your Home country
It’s not in France but in Belgium where I spent most of my childhood. I have a friend who has a cave under his home where we've hosted many parties. They were the best parties I ever had. It looks like an underground club from the inside, but from the outside you can’t notice anything, it just looks like a normal villa.
Q: 3 tracks that got you into electronic music
Anne Clark – Our DarknessDepeche Mode – Waiting for the night (and mostly the violator album)Zero Gravity - Sensorium
Q: Tell us about your upcoming releases and plans for this year (Exclusive release/announcement)
I have a few releases coming out this month on Steyoyoke and Inner Symphony, my home labels with collabs with Soul Button, Ceas but also Original Titles like Esperanza. I also remixed Allies for Everyone to be released on Miagy label Lost diaries. Another EP is coming out q1 2019 on Proton with remixers as Jonas Saalbach. And I remixed recently Airwave who celebrated his 25 years career with a lot of remixers on board. I still have in mind a project to build a new duo and may start live act, but I really miss time for it so I can’t give any deadline yet.
Q: Tell us a fun fact about yourself that most of your followers don’t know
I am Not a DJ but just a composer
Q: Last but not least, do you have any question for us?
Clawz SG: Yes, can you tell me more about the scene in Lebanon, because it seems to be really active there isn’t it?
Toka: Yes indeed, It's like a festival every week end here, hosting some of the biggest names in the scene in clubs such as B018, The Grand Factory, Uberhaus, HNGR and more. In fact, we heard Soul Button is coming to play here in April and we look forward to his show!
CLAWZ SG Socials
Interviewed by GBS - February 25.2019