Love is Bigger: Interview with Daybreakers

Original Story by Aaron J. Sams (2018-05-11)

Last week a three-song EP of remixes of U2’s new single was released, “Love is Bigger Than Anything in its Way.” Daybreakers, The Funk Hunters, and Will Clarke each contributed a remix of the track to the release. It has been our pleasure to speak to Daybreakers about their contribution to the remix EP.

Daybreakers is a duo with one half from the UK (Ric Scott) and the other half from Canada (Alex Hush). Their first big remix together was for Erasure, and the project went so well they continued to work together.

So you’re a duo that hails from the UK and Canada? How did you get together and start working on music together?

Ric: Alex approached me to work on a remix for him back in 2013, we gelled well and worked on various other projects together, the rest is history.

How did you get your start DJ’ing?

Ric: Hard work and determination, getting my name known which led to guest appearances and on from there. It took a few years to get my name about which involved spending a year plying my trade in Corfu (in 1996). Spending time with other DJs from around the world and learning little tricks off them, we all shared tips and tricks as we all had slightly differing styles of DJing. I started a Podcast in 2010 called Skycasting which was an hour long Trance podcast which also featured other DJs from all over the world from time to time.

Your first big remix together was for Erasure. How did that come about? Have you worked on other remixes before that outside of Daybreakers? How did you get started doing remixes?

Alex: Koishii & Hush (myself and Simon Langford) had done several remixes for Mute in the past so we already had a relationship and they liked what we did. [Mute is Erasure’s long-time record label.]

What other artists have you remixed?

Alex: Between the two of us we have been involved with remixing Joshua Ryan, Warp Brothers, Ian Van Dahl, Paul Van Dyk, Neo & Ferina, Moogwai, Lady Gaga, Lionel Richie, Paul Hardcastle, Hemstock & Jennings, Pet Shop Boys, Mick Jagger, INXS, Dannii Minogue, Yazoo, and more.

Are you both U2 fans? If so, can you tell us a bit about what you like about U2 and maybe what your favorite songs are?

Ric: I wouldn’t call myself a ‘super’ fan but I’ve always had an interest in their work. “Elevation” is one of my favourites along with the Perfecto mix of “Even Better than the Real Thing.”

Alex: Loved The Joshua Tree album and saw them in concert during the Zoo TV Tour when they were in Toronto. Always been a fan. Fave songs would be hard to pick but “Bad” and “One” are up there.

How did you receive the stems?

Alex: We received the vocal stems as a digital file transfer.

What was the process for the band approving the remix?

Alex: Once the mix was done, we sent it over and it had to be approved by the band and their management. You will notice that in our mix Bono added some additional vocal effects, which was a big thrill for us. He really liked the vibe and suggested an idea which worked out great.

Was it a challenging project?

Ric: When you are approached to do a remix, you listen to the original track and, ideas of what you can do and use come through as you listen.

Every track you do as a remixer/producer has its own challenges. The biggest challenge is getting the ideas out of your head and turned into music.

Did what U2 gave you to start with work right out of the box? Or did you have to put a lot of elbow grease into putting the mix together?

Ric: All we had to work with were the vocal stems, so once they were compressed to our working time signature, it was a case of working a track around which of the vocals we wanted to use.

Did you do several versions of the remix? What made the mix that ended up on the EP stand out? If you did other versions what can you tell us about them?

Ric: The feel and the sounds of the track make it stand out.

We also did a more commercial/crossover club mix using the full vocal as well as the mix that ended up on the EP.

Most releases are digital-only these days. U2 fans are always complaining about the death of the commercial single. Do you think we’ll ever see these remixes physically released?

Alex: Not sure but that would be great! Would love to have more mixes on vinyl and cd. I also miss those days but I suppose it is just a sign of the times. Always liked that the “Lemon” 12” was yellow.

Do you treat your remixes differently if you are remixing for a physical format like vinyl?

Ric: I have always approached a remix in the same way whether it’s for vinyl, cd, or digital only.

Alex: Same.

Have you seen the video for the song you’ve remixed? What do you think?

Ric: I have seen the original video. It’s very poignant to the music. It shows that love conquers all, no matter what boundaries are in the way.

If you had an opportunity to go back to U2’s entire catalog and remix any track which would you pick?

Ric: I would like to remix “Elevation.” I think the track has a really good feel about it.

Alex: “With Our Without You” would work really well as a progressive house or trance mix.

What other projects do you have coming up?

Alex: We have a few of our own projects on the go as well as some remixes we are discussing. Too soon to mention at this point though.

Where can people find out more information about Daybreakers?

Alex: We just launched any social media as this is our first remix project together, but we can be found on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

This is our first interview with the DJs involved with remixing “Love is Bigger Than Anything in its Way.” For the other interviews please see the links below:

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