Old school New England 92 - Scanorama

SCANPIX,COURTESY OF LE ZOUK
Monster hitmaker
messages or e-mails. I was up in the air
when I heard On the Floor and realized
it would be a No.1 if I gave it to Jennifer
Lopez.”
You’re more of a producer than songwriter
now. What’s the trick to making
singers sound their best?
“I listen and listen and try to work
out what is special about their voice,
the tone: which register suits them
best, where they dazzle. Many times,
whether a song is a hit or not, it’s about
writing the tune in the right key for the
performer so that it shines. I put just as
much energy into that as which chords
and key changes a song should have.”
REDONE’S FAVORITE RESTAURANTS
Does it get to you that people expect
everything you touch to turn to gold?
“No, I don’t think like that. I’m creative
almost every day, and rarely get concerned.
I try to surround myself with
good people who are as positive about
life as I am. I never get stressed, and if
things start getting to me, I think, ‘It’s not
that serious.’ That’s why I’ve been successful:
I dare to have fun.”
Is that the secret, daring to have fun?
“Yes, but not only that. Mostly I’m just
lucky in that I come from a big musical
family. There are nine siblings; I’m the
youngest. Growing up in Morocco, I got
to listen to all sorts of music, from tradi-
Not standing-room only: O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire
tional Arabian music to fl amenco to Bob
Dylan. That made me what I am. One of
the songs that infl uenced me most was
Europe’s The Final Countdown.”
What did you see in it?
“Everything. It’s the perfect song. My hits
are the same: there’s a break just before
the chorus and then, ‘Boom, baby, I like
it.’ These big choruses, you know, they
all come from Europe and Abba. That
was what got me to move from Morocco
to Sweden when I was 19. And The Final
Countdown also proves my theory that
all hits, no matter what sort of music,
should sound just as good if you play
them on acoustic guitar.”
BEIRUT CAFÉ, STOCKHOLM
“I always bring Lady Gaga, Enrique Iglesias,
Shakira and Britney Spears here. It’s
their favorite. It’s so good. Sergio and I
have talked about opening up a Beirut
Café in Madrid.”
Engelbrektsgatan 37. Tel: +46 8 212 025.
www.beirutcafe.se
NOBU, LOS ANGELES
“I love the yellowfi n tuna with jalapeño.
It’s served with a magical sour plum
sauce. You can get it in London, too.”
903 North La Cienega Boulevard.
Tel: +1 310 657 5711.
www.noburestaurants.com
LE ZOUK, NEW YORK
“Great Moroccan cuisine. There’s a real
vibe here, with Arabic music and dancing
– if, unlike me, you have the time.”
47 Avenue B (East Fourth Street).
Tel: +1 212 777 5454.
www.lesoukny.com
LE MAROCAIN, MARRAKECH
“The La Mamounia hotel has more
than one restaurant. This is my favorite.
Typical Moroccan. I’m getting hungry
even though I’m sitting here eating this
chicken salad.”
La Mamounia. Avenue Bab Jdid.
Tel: +212 524 388 600.
www.mamounia.com
SCANORAMA DECEMBER 2011/JANUARY 2012 39
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