Q&A with Melé: Early Influences, Pivotal Moments, and the Story Behind his "And 1" Belter
We touch base with Liverpool's house music linchpin Melé following the release of his new "And 1" single on Black Book Recordings — a track that Fatboy Slim coined "an Ibiza anthem in the making."
Known for his high-octane, percussive dance tracks, Melé (aka Krissy Peers) is a force to be reckoned with in the world of dance music. Having grown up in England, Krissy began DJing at the ripe age of 13 - and he's been at it ever since. With support and recognition from some of the biggest names across the scene, Melé is gaining worldwide traction on the daily. In an exclusive Q&A, Krissy reflected on his early influences, pivotal moments, and more. Here's what went down:
What's your earliest memory of dance music? What initially drew you to pursue a career in the scene?
It was my uncle showing things like The Prodigy, Acid House, Global Underground compilations etc. He was a raver at the hacienda and quadrant park, so it was him that introduced me to dance music at around age 13. I hated it before that to be honest, but from then on I was obsessed and got my first set of decks at around 14.
Can you share a pivotal moment from your early days that significantly impacted your career trajectory?
I think it was probably doing Boiler Room so early on, in about 2012. That really seemed to kick everything off and take me to so many places. I remember playing Sonar Festival in Barcelona to a room of about 10 thousand people just after The Pet Shop Boys; I think I had only just turned 20.
Could you share the backstory behind the creation of "And 1", including any specific memories or encounters that influenced the track?
I had heard Shade Sheist and Nate Dogg's "Where I Wanna Be" and thought it would be cool to build a track on. I found the original sample which was Toto's "Waiting For Your Love" and decided to just do an edit of it initially just to play in my DJ sets. I made the whole track sitting in front of the TV, which I never really do, but it was just one of those tracks that came out so naturally.
What are you most proud of accomplishing in your career so far?
Just still being here! I've been doing this for 13 years now, and I feel so lucky that I still get to do this as my job. I feel like I still have so much more to do.
