Las Vegas Weekly

Getting to know: DJ/producer Max Vangeli

DJ/producer Max Vangeli

2010 was a very good year—for Max Vangeli. The Eastern European-born DJ/producer created remixes for Gorillaz, The Prodigy and Switchfoot; worked on original productions; and partnered with Steve Angello’s little bro, AN21. Vangeli’s career should only get bigger in the New Year, which begins with him teaming with Tiësto on January 1 at the Joint ($100 and up).

Most Americans probably can’t find your native Moldova on a map. When did you first come to the U.S., and how do both countries influence your music?

I lived in Moldova until I was 12 … It’s a really, really small country and I’m fortunate that my parents decided to move to the U.S. My roots are definitely from Europe, and I kept [going] back over there every single summer to visit my family. That’s when I started getting into clubs, because over there you can go when you’re underage. That definitely helped me shape my interests in electronic music, because over there it’s been big for many years. I carried it over here, started DJing in San Francisco and combined the two influences when I started making music.

When you’re not working on EDM, what do you listen to for inspiration?

I used to be in a rock band, actually. I used to play guitar … The problem with rock music is that you need to get a band together, and it always has to be organized, which is a huge pain in the butt. So I decided to become a one-man band and do everything myself.

So you listen to a lot of rock?

I listen to everything, but yeah, I love rock. I’m a huge Queen fan. Rock is still awesome. I think it’s going to hopefully come back a bit more because it was so big in the ’90s and right now it just completely went to shit. I’m hoping that it’s going to make its return back with some good tunes. I have a few records—Switchfoot for example—where I want to associate rock vocals into house for something fresh, something new.

Your gig here is New Year’s Day—right after people party their asses off the night before. Got any hangover cure recommendations, so people can make it out to see you and Tiësto?

I’m probably going to have the biggest hangover in my life at that gig because I’m doing five shows in a row … The only cure for a hangover when you’re drinking every day for a few days is to just kind of keep partying. So my best solution for a hangover is to have a few more beers and relax and continue drinking until you’re done partying. Then you can go through that hell day, when you’re not drinking anymore. It’s kind of like the punishment from all the partying that you do.

Download the full interview with Max Vangeli in the free Nocturnal Admissions podcast here.

Music featured in this podcast: Prodigy, "Smack My Bitch Up (Max Vangeli and AN21 Bootleg)"