60 Seconds with… Lizzie Curious
DJ, vocalist, songwriter, producer and label owner Lizzie Curious continues to make her mark in the music world and is now celebrating the success of her fledgling record label Curiousity Club. Her inimitable, crowd-enthusing DJ performances take her around the globe, with recent tour dates including Ibiza, Houston USA, Bahrain and London, whilst her stunning vocals and unique songwriting talents see her work with some of the world’s biggest producers and DJs, including Robbie Rivera, Cosmic Gate, StoneBridge, Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike and Jonathan Ulysses. Ahead of her Curiousity Club event in London on 20th July, with Federico Scavo headlining, IHOUSEU caught up with the ever-smiling Lizzie Curious for an insight into her world.
Hi Lizzie, great to see you today. First up, tell us a little about yourself and what you do – it certainly sounds as if you like to keep yourself busy…
So, for those of you who are curious…. I am a vocalist, songwriter, DJ and producer and I also manage my Curiousity Club label, which consists of a monthly radio show, the record label itself and special showcase club nights. I actually write all of the lyrics and melodies of all my songs, and I also record and produce them in The Curious Studios too. So every day is jam packed full of music for me, whether I am writing, singing or producing, working on my radio show, or liaising with producers on remixes and collaborations, or preparing for shows and tours – I really do live and breathe music and wouldn’t have it any other way!
We hear you have a big event coming up in London on the 20th July with Federico Scavo headlining – tell us a bit about this.
I’ve been running my Curiousity Club events since 2009 and I really love to put my own creative Curious stamp on each event, with the aim of putting the FUN into funky! On 20th July we hit the newly refurbished Grind in South London, for an all-night summer spectacular of roof-raising house music. I’m very excited to have Italy’s hottest export, producer-in-demand and globe-trotting DJ FEDERICO SCAVO headlining. Federico has a packed worldwide tour schedule, his productions are totally on fire with several Beatport #1’s under his belt…. and he is currently heading for a huge hit with his sunshine-filled single Funky Nassau, a tune that makes you feel instantly happy when you hear it. Alongside Federico, I will be spinning and we have some of the capital’s finest house DJs completing the line-up, including Select FM’s Dolly Rockers, Passion FM’s Max E Groove, the Momentum DJs, Mike Fry and Miss Foster all bringing their energy to the decks. Wrap all of this in an electric atmosphere, thanks to our loyal crowd of hedonistic house music lovers, and add in some special free treats and surprises, and I think you have all the ingredients for a belter of a party! Newcomers to Curiousity Club always comment on how genuinely friendly our party people are and that’s something that makes me really proud and puts an even bigger smile on my face :0)
In December you launched the Curiousity Club record label. How’s everything been going?
I’m delighted that the label is doing so well, with only our second release we made it all the way to a #1 on Beatport New Releases, and Curiousity Club music is getting support from the likes of Robbie Rivera, StoneBridge, Jonathan Ulysses, Oliver Lang, Federico Scavo, Etienne Ozborne and the Futuristic Polar Bears. We’re receiving airplay all over the world and most importantly, we are getting fantastic feedback from our fans! We have just put out our 3rd release ‘DMS12 & Lizzie Curious – Hold On Tight’, with slamming remixes from StoneBridge crew member Matt Joko and Select FM’s Dolly Rockers – and it just hit a #4 on Beatport New Releases. I really love having creative input in every stage of bringing a song to life – from writing and recording those first lyrics in the studio, to commissioning the remixes, seeing it hit the digital shelves and then getting the feedback from fans when you play it at your shows and see the dance floor go nuts – it’s an amazing feeling to see your work come to fruition.
And what new music can we look forward to from you in the coming months?
I am really excited to have a solo single coming out on Robbie Rivera’s Juicy Music label on 29th July. ‘Surrender’ is being billed as my big follow up to Departures, which was a track so many people loved and has been play listed on Sirius XM in USA for the last two years, so I can’t wait for everyone to hear this new single. Alongside the stunning progressive 68 Beats mix, I have turned in a Curious Tech house mix with loads of groove, that has been going down a storm in my sets. I have also just finished a big anthemic track with Space resident Jonathan Ulysses, which is called ‘Feel The Love’ and is forthcoming on Jon’s label Ulybug, plus a new track with Sam Skilz called ‘Movin On’ that has a really groovy, deep techy vibe. My next two singles on Curiousity Club are nearly finished too and I’m also working closely with my buddy StoneBridge on several exciting projects with some of his producers….so please stay tuned and watch this space!
Each month you host your own Curiousity Club radio show too. Tell us about the show – what listeners can expect to hear?
My Curiousity Club radio show features roof-raising house music that’s been tried and tested by me during my gigs. It’s basically all the music I can’t get enough of and I hope my love for the tunes really comes across in the show. I wanted to be able to connect with dance music lovers around the world and felt putting out a radio show would be the perfect way to do this – it also gives me a chance to showcase my own new singles and some exclusive remixes out to my fans. In addition, I also like being able to support work by other producers that I really rate too! The Curiousity Club is now syndicated to HouseFM and The Philly Mix in New Jersey, USA and over the next month I’ll be announcing more stations that the show is being syndicated to. You can subscribe to receive the show directly through ITunes or Podomatic too.
ITunes: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/curiousity-club-lizzie-curious/id521673682
Podomatic: www.lizziecurious.podomatic.com
On the DJ front, for those of you who haven’t see you in action – what can a clubber expect?
My ten years experience as a DJ gives me a really great ability to engage and interact with the crowd – I truly love what I do and I think that definitely comes across when I DJ. Fans always tell me how much they enjoy seeing a DJ with so much energy and passion…. I guess when you are having that good a time behind the decks it’s kind of infectious ;0) If you are coming to see me play a peak time set in a club or a festival, you can expect a hedonistic journey through the full spectrum of house music with a feel-good groove, a combination of hot remixes/mashups/re-edits of house classics and the upfront gems I’ve just discovered. I’m also well known for my ‘sunshine sets’, where I’m privileged to play in stunning settings such as boat parties on the Caribbean Sea and pool parties or beach festivals around the world. One lovely fan said of my music: ‘Your sets are filled with sunshine & rainbows…your music makes me do a happy dance with jazz-hands!’ and that makes me feel like I must be doing my job right!
Where have your DJing gigs taken you recently and what have you got coming up?
This year I’ve had some amazing shows – from playing at the legendary Café Mambo in Ibiza, to a packed Pool Party in Houston, USA alongside my H3LIUM crew and some fantastic gigs in London including several crazy Curiousity Club parties at Gigalum and 2 peak time sets at Ministry of Sound. I also returned for the 3rd year running to the gorgeous island of Grand Cayman, to rock a beach festival and a boat party for the CIWMF. Coming up there’s no rest for the Curious – after Curiousity Club on 20th July I head over to Ibiza to DJ alongside Jonathan Ulysses on the Pukka Up Boat Party in August, followed by a return to Ministry of Sound on Friday 16th August, where I’ll be playing a peak time extended set in room 103! Looking ahead to September, I’ll be flying out to the Kingdom of Bahrain to headline at the Coral Bay Summer Festival, which will be amazing, and we have our Autumn Curiousity Club label party at Gigalum on 15th September.
Well Lizzie, with everything you have got going on, we want to say thanks for taking some time to speak to us today! Before you go is there anything you would like to say – and where can anyone who wants to hear your music head to for all your updates?
As always, I would just like to say a heartfelt thank you to everyone who supports my music, from everyone who buys copies of my singles from Beatport, all those who tune into the Curiousity Club radio show, everyone who gets their groove on to my mixes and all those people who gets in touch to tell me what a particular song has meant to them. Not forgetting all those crazy house heads who make an amazing atmosphere at all my DJ shows! I always try and reply to fan messages personally, so please do come and connect with me on Facebook and Twitter :0) I hope to see you on a dancefloor soon and in the meantime, keep it Curious!
Facebook: www.facebook.com/LizzieCuriousMusic
Twitter: https://twitter.com/lizziecurious
Youtube: www.youtube.com/DJLizzieCurious
Podomatic: www.lizziecurious.podomatic.com
Soundcloud: www.soundcloud.com/lizziecurious
Beatport: www.beatport.com/artist/lizzie-curious/60469
ITunes: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/curiousity-club-lizzie-curious/id521673682
