[INTERVIEW] Solardo Discuss New Single, "Big Talk"

Sitting on the throne of UK's house scene, powerhouse duo Solardo has already left a massive mark on the music industry since the emergence of their project. Solardo stems from the minds of Mark Richards and James Eliot, two Manchester-natives who hit their inaugural Beatport #1 with their Hot Creations single, "Tribesman". From that point on, Solardo has been tearing up dance floors all over the world, hitting iconic festivals and venues like Tomorrowland, Creamfields, EDC Las Vegas, Hï Ibiza, and many more.

Idolized for earlier hit singles like "XTC" with Eli Brown and their groovy rendition of Marshall Jefferson's "Move Your Body", Solardo continues to evolve their sound. This has led to support from Carl Cox, MK, and EDM figureheads, in addition to featured EPs on Repopulate Mars, Toolroom Records, and Relief Records. As a result of their successes, Solardo went on to launch their own highly renowned label, Sola, which has delivered tracks from CamelPhat, Wade, Secondcity, and Biscuits, to name a few. Building on the momentum of their 2022 heater, "Angel Dust", Solardo has joined forces with A-list DJ and actor Idris Elba on their new single, "Big Talk".

Check out iEDM's exclusive interview with Solardo below.

iEDM: Mark, how did growing up in Manchester influence your taste in music and lead to you pursuing a career as a DJ and producer?

Mark: Manchester has always been a breeding ground for new music and talent. Going out to clubs and being in touch with the rave scene there from a young age has deeply influenced me and encouraged me to pursue a career in music. Still to this day, I find Manchester to be a really inspiring and influential place.

iEDM: James, which artists and people in your life did you look to as role models throughout your childhood? How have they impacted Solardo’s identity and your passion for house music?

James: We weren’t always into electronic music, I’d say that for us both it was drum ‘n bass that opened horizons for us in that sense. After that, I remember encountering house music in 2006 and falling in love with it. Growing up, Michael Jackson was a huge idol to me. I think his music is timeless and he was a multi-talented artist that is still influential to this day.

iEDM: What sparked your new collab with Idris Elba, “Big Talk”? What were your favorite parts about working with him on the single?

Solardo: We met Idris in Las Vegas back in 2017 when we played with him back to back at EDC. From that moment on, we knew we wanted to work together with him, as we got along right off the bat and were big fans. After going back and forth with ideas for a track that would combine both of our styles, the whole concept for “Big Talk” came about. It took about a year to get it off the ground and we couldn’t be happier with the results! I think a big highlight was shooting the music video together with Idris, we had a lot of fun on set doing it!

iEDM: What does the phrase “Big Talk” mean to you and how does the song's energy align with its lyrics? What things do you look for in a vocal for it to be a solid addition or centerpiece of a house song?

Solardo: To us, “Big Talk” is when you’re really trying to get people hyped up by exaggerating something. This is why we thought it would be fun to have the video around an old-school tv infomercial, as these were all about the ‘big talk’. It’s a tongue-in-cheek track with the lyrics and we think it suits the beat and the video pretty nicely. Vocals in a track should keep listeners interested and wanting more. They are often what make a song memorable, so that’s something we look to achieve when we add vocals to a track. The second buildup in “Big Talk” uses loops, snare rolls, and effects to grow anticipation and intensity prior to the drop.

iEDM: How does each of these components contribute to this buildup's overall impact on its audience? What advice would you give upcoming house producers who want to implement these in their buildups without them sounding too chaotic or overlapping?

Solardo: Building that momentum before the drop is what creates the “wow” factor when you’re playing to a crowd. It’s also an interesting part of a track to play around with when you’re mixing, as you can then layer it up with yet another surprise element if you’re playing a well-known track. Our advice to new producers would be to not be scared to experiment and that it’s ok to break the rules. Finding your own style is ultimately what will make you stand out as a producer.

iEDM: What is the most important thing, whether in DJing, production, or life, that each of you learned from one another while working together?

Solardo: To never give up and make music that we enjoy playing and that represents who we are.

iEDM: “I Can’t Wait”, your recent collab with Tiësto and Poppy Baskcomb, is an energetic and uplifting house heater. From your perspective, which elements and soundscapes reflect your signature production style, and which ones lean more toward Tiësto? How were you able to fuse each other’s sound designs together to create something new and exciting?

Solardo: On this track, you can really hear Tiësto’s more progressive and trance signature sounds, whereas the Solardo touch can be heard in the more housey, groovy parts of the track, especially with the vocals, as they are a nod to classic house bangers. Bringing what we do best to the table and seeing how we can align our styles to create something our fans would recognize as ours but still have something unexpected and fresh was the key to a successful collab like “I Can’t Wait”. We’re really happy with how it turned out and working together with Tiësto was a dream come true!

iEDM: What was the process behind making the bassline for “I Can’t Wait”? In what ways did this process and the entire collab push you both out of your comfort zones as artists?

Solardo: We went strong on the synths to create some texture and give an uplifting, sunny mood to the track. As Solardo, we brought in some darker, deeper sounds to the production, while Tiësto came in with some more commercial elements to the production, elevating it to a banger that gets you going if you’re listening to it at home on the radio or out at a festival.

iEDM: What stands out to you in a track or what expectations does it need to meet for you to include it in your Solardo Selects playlist on Spotify? Why do you think it’s significant for an artist to have a public playlist for fans to listen to?

Solardo: To us, a good track needs to be distinctive, explosive, and engaging. Curating a playlist is, in a nutshell, a big part of a DJ’s job. Making a public playlist for fans is our way of putting what we’ve been into out there, as we think our fans might dig these tracks as much as we do. It’s always nice to hear people’s feedback and to share music with people, it’s a never-ending process.

iEDM: What were a few of the highlights and songs that received the best crowd reactions from your set in January at The Warehouse Project? How does it make you feel to be able to sell out this venue in front of your home crowd?

Solardo: Playing Warehouse Project was mental, the energy of the crowd was just incredible! Our fans always go nuts when we drop “XTC”. We played a lot of new IDs too, like “Big Talk” that just got released and some of our personal favorites from DJs we really admire, like Joshwa’s “Bass Go Boom”. It’s always so much fun to play back home and spot familiar faces in the crowd. We love Mancunians and the energy they bring, it’s always a never-ending party. It’s no surprise that there were many times in which we just invited whoever was left at the club for an epic after party at our Manchester studio.

iEDM: What are a couple of go-to mixing techniques and transitions when playing an extended set? What song selection tips come to mind when making sure to keep the crowd engaged throughout the whole set?

Solardo: A good mix should be consistent, as in, there’s a common theme amongst the tracks you’ve picked. That can be an overall mood, a style, you name it. For longer sets, it’s always nice to take the crowd with you on a journey, keeping them hooked from the very beginning and keeping them with you. Ending on a high note with a feel-good, uplifting, even silly track is always a good trick, as you want people to go home or to the next party with a positive feeling.

A good tip too is to not deliver all the high-energy, peak time tracks on the very first beginning of your set, as you want to build excitement up and allow people to get into it and embark on the journey you’re taking them. As a DJ, it’s important to pick tracks you can see yourself going crazy over if you’d be on the dancefloor yourself. It’s all about a balance between reading the crowd and improvising to what’s the energy you’re getting from them. It’s also about having fun as you play, as the crowd can feel if you’re enjoying yourself or not.

iEDM: Whether you were attending or performing, what are each of your #1 festival memories? What makes this specific experience so special?

Solardo: We’ve had so many amazing gigs, but probably our Paradise debut at elrow Barcelona takes the cake. The energy there was something we had never experienced before and we really felt the love from our Spanish fans. At first, we weren’t really sure if people in Spain knew our sound that well, but as soon as we spotted a huge queue to get into the room we were playing in, our doubts were gone. It was overwhelming to get that much love from the crowd, we will never forget that!

iEDM: Looking back and listening to your classic hits like “Move Your Body” and “XTC”, how have your sound and musical skill sets evolved since then?

Solardo: We like to experiment with different sounds, from techno to melodic to house to minimal to classics. Our sets and our music have always been known as eclectic and that is something that got us here, but also that kept evolving as we ourselves encountered new music and collaborated with different artists in the industry. In some ways, we’ve stayed true to our roots in house and garage, while in others, we’ve experimented with way more adventurous and unexpected sounds.

iEDM: You have a bunch of shows booked for spring and summer already. What are you most thrilled about for your upcoming tour dates?

Solardo: We’re stoked to have released “Big Talk” with our legendary friend Idris Elba - if you haven’t checked it out already, you’re missing out haha. Also, we’re thrilled to have lots of fun shows around the world and a big festival season ahead this summer.

Photos Courtesy of Solardo