FADER Mix: Hercules & Love Affair

Hercules & Love Affair's Andy Butler has spent the last seven years excavating classic dance sounds and giving them a fresh update, from the nü-disco of 2008's immortal self-titled debut to the steely Midwestern techno of 2011's Blue Songs, to the robust, rippling, and absolutely romantic vocal house of last year's solid The Feast of the Broken Heart. So Butler's FADER mix is a rich hour of classic-sounding house and techno, naturally—the type of stuff that melts the snow right off the ground, or, if you're in a more tropical mindset, gets you ready to go out for the night.

Where are you right now? Describe your surroundings. I am in Santiago Chile. There is a view of the statue of Mary on San Cristobal, I just drank an energy drink after walking around a bit digging through some antique shops.

What's the funniest thing that's happened to you during a DJ set? Surprisingly, I had a pretty wild one last night, with a topless girl dancing in front of me at an outdoor venue who in the first ten minutes got into a catfight right in front of me that turned into a make out session. Wow.

What's the last book you read that had a big impact on you? [David Quammen's Spillover which was about diseases born in one species that spillover into another- cue Ebola.

What did you open and close this FADER mix with, and why? I opened with a track from an Icelandic act called Si Si Ey act that I have the honor of releasing later in the year on Mr.Intl and the song that ends the mix is a track evocative of the best in trance-y new beat by Reinhard Voigt. Both speak to the classic dirty proto-techno sounds I am really digging right now but are paired with a healthy dose of pop, the combo of which I find really exciting.

If you could have anyone spin your next birthday party, past or present, DJ or not, who would it be? It would be Harvey or Alex Gloor from In Flagranti. My manager has crazy good taste in music—I might try to get him on the decks.

What's your favorite dish to cook and how do you make it? Since its still winter time, here's something I did a couple times this season= openfaced raclette sandwiches and a nice homemade root vegetable soup. Not giving recipes away though, it will take a bit too much space up here.

What do you hope for regarding the state of dance music in 2015 and beyond? More personality surfacing. Bring me more Cajmeres who bring a sense of humor AND darkness to the table, or Jeff Mills, with intense dreams of outer space. I'd also like more big vocal performances, more risk taking. Less concerns with "style" and more concerns with true artistry.

Who's the one artist, living or dead, that you'd love to collaborate with? I would love to collaborate with a billion different people. I have some "top of the list" folks. i am quite engaged in the belgian music scene at the moment, looking at their contributions to pop/art/dance music in the past 20 years. too hard to say- and i don't wanna jinx anything.

How do you feel about 2014's disco revival? Was there a disco revival in 2014? It's been happening for a while i guess—I think that it's cool to see it wholly incorporated into pop music now, and a go-to sound that can really work. it seems it's just part of pop music's language now, no longer off limits because it's "out of fashion".

Tracklist:

1. Do It Good - SiSiEy
2. Wind - Innerspace Halflife
3. 100% of Disin You (Rubbsound Remix) - Armando
4. Freakin - Marc Romboy vs. Blake Baxter
5. Committed - ZDS
6. No Matter (Serge and Tyrell Remix) - Iron Galaxy
7. Jiggerwatts - Phortune
8. You Can Shine - Andrew Butler and Richard Kennedy
9. Nina At the Boiler Room (Tuff City Kids Remix) - Inner Shades
10. Personality Track - Andrew Butler
11. Just Let Go - Petra and Co.
12. Clear - The Hacker
13. Energy - Robot and the DJs
14. Rachanee - Reinhard Voigt

Hercules & Love Affair tour dates:

January 29 - New York - Verboten
January 30 - Miami - Basement at Edition Hotel
January 31 - Ferndale - Grasshopper
February 5 - Guadalajara - TBD
February 6 - Mexico City - Mono
February 7 - San Francisco - Mezzanine
February 13 - Los Angeles - Rhonda
February 14 - El Paso - The Warehouse