It´s time to get to know another Madonna remixer, his name is Felix Meow.
From Hollywood to you: Felix Meow.
Thanks you for this interview friend.
Where do you live? How old are you? What do you do for life?
I live in Hollywood, Florida...I'm 38..I'm a remixer..been doing it for over 13 years now. I have done altogether about 500 remixes for many different contests.
Who is your “lucky star”?
Madonna, Of course! I've been a fan all the way through her career.
Describe yourself.
Well, where can I start? I am a nice guy, I'm friendly and lovable..I am the kind of friend who will always be there for you if you really need me..I've always been creative, always loved music..I remember being a kid and my aunt and her friends would love watching me dance at her parties..that was fun. I used to jam out to Donna Summer when I was 6 years old. I also used to write alot...sometimes I figured I'd end up writing a book..but I've tried...it's hard..there were times when i was younger, I'd write in notebooks about things I felt, like what I thought about things were going on in my life then..I even wrote my life story a couple of times..and who knows maybe I will when I get older..sometimes it really helped me clear my head..it was self therapeutic.my brain never wants to shut off..which is why I am an insomniac.. It's so hard for me to fall asleep before 5 am...I host a radio show now twice a week for Power FM, based in Spain..I enjoy it and I get to play whatever I like. I get to play my mixes and other songs I like plus random mixes I find or get sent..I post links on my facebook page if you wanna catch it..i was born with epilepsy, so I've never driven a car..that's been hard for me in some ways, but that's part of who I am so I accept it and I hope other people who try to be friends with me can accept it. Not gonna lie, it gets scary sometimes. I have two sisters and am an uncle which I love..i have 2 adorable nephews and a niece that i love with all my heart and am about to get my second niece..She's due any day now. I have a great relationship with my mom. We are super close. And with my dad, it's gotten better, but we still argue sometimes.
Why Madonna?
I love Madonna because she's fearless and endlessly creative. Plus, I think she's one of the smartest and strongest people that ever lived. You can't have a career for 30 years being stupid and wreckless.
Madonna in one word.
Timeless
When did you start listening to Madonna? What is Madonna´s
influence in your life?
The first video I saw of Madonna's was Lucky Star. I was 8 years old and me and my cousin used to stay up late watching MTV and I remember one weekend I was watching MTV and Lucky Star came on and I was just mesmerized by her..I loved how she was dressed and loved the beat..a few weeks later I was trying to do the kicks she'd do in the video..I remember telling my cousin.."She's gonna be around for a long time"..i just knew.. Madonna's been a huge influence on me..Growing up, she was like my second mother, teaching me about things my parents wouldn't talk to me about..my first favorite album was Like A Virgin. But when Like A Prayer came out, the song that spoke to me most was Oh Father, because I felt like it summed up how I felt about my dad at the time..I was 13 and very depressed and suicidal..I was going through alot..I was afraid to come out and I was afraid of being rejected..whenever I was depressed I'd listen to Madonna and she'd cheer me up. Seeing the stories of so many gay kids killing themselves really breaks my heart because that was me at their ages.. When I was in 9th grade I wrote a report about teen suicide and used my recent attempt as the basis for my report..I remember a lot of people admiring my guts to do that. My teacher told me he was proud of me. I remember there was a book years ago which had celebrity's home addresses and I used to write letters to the address that was in the book..I wonder if she ever actually read my letters..I remember in one letter I sent a picture of myself..I was 13..I remember getting letters from the fan club a couple of years later. Dear Jessie was another favorite because of what it means to my sister Jessica and me. It was our special song. And then seeing her live was amazing...being as close as I was for the MDNA tour was a dream come true, because she actually looked at me a few times when she'd walk by .Making it onto the Dvd was cool too. That was a perc.
What Madonna era do you prefer?
I don't really know..I just like that she's always evolving..just like I feel like I evolve every few years.
Tell us what´s the best Madonna:
Album : well Like A Prayer to me was groundbreaking...
Song : That's a hard one because I have alot of favorite songs from each album..different songs mean different things to me.
Video : Bedtime Story (classic), Frozen is a close second
Movie : The Next Best Thing and A League of Their Own
Tour : MDNA and Confessions
Official remix : Sasha's Ultraviolet Mix- Ray of Light (so far ahead of it's time)...i loved dancing to it in clubs.
Tell us the worst things too.
There's been a few songs that ended up on albums I don't think belonged there, I mean having a heard alot of demos, some of those would have worked better than some songs that ended up on albums.
What Madonna song you can say “it´s me”? Explain please.
well the way things ended up with my last relationship, I'd say I Fucked Up..I still love Oh Father too..
What do you expect of the next Madonna album?
I'm sure it will be great....can't wait for the tour!
Besides Madonna, what singers/groups do you listen to?
oh, god I listen to so many things..I love Vanessa Daou..her voice is very dreamy..I like listening to singers and groups most people haven't heard of..my taste in music is really diverse..some of my friends are surprised by some of the things I listen to..also recently became a fan of Lana Del Rey..she has a great voice and I love her song writing style..Born To Die was a great album. Sneaky Sound System is a great dance group..I listen to everything...I like finding new mixes for old songs too..I've got all kinds of things..Songs from the 70's and 80s with brand new mixes..I've even found remix albums for people like Billie Holliday and The Doors and even Marilyn Monroe, plus a big collection of old jazz and Motown songs remixed..I was surprised to find that.
When did you start remixing? Do you remix other singers?
I started remixing when I was 24..my friend had gotten me Acid 2.0 in 2000 for Christmas and I just loved it..I was so happy because I had always wanted to do my own music and getting to do it finally was so thrilling and fun. I went crazy expirementing with all the different sounds I had and have found. I love entering contests. I prefer remixing other artists' tracks to doing my own. I like playing with other people's songs and seeing what I can do with them. Some songs are harder to work with than others. when I was a kid, around 16-17, I used to hook up 2 boom boxes together and tried to learn to mix songs together..I was doing mash ups before it was fashionable. Again I was just expirementing. Some turned out good. Then when I was about 21, I had a keyboard and I used to try and play it. I made tapes of songs I played on it..I was trying to do techno on it..sometimes it worked sometimes it didn't and I can admit that now. It seems like a whole nother lifetime ago for me now. I was offered a contract for an underground Australian record label a couple of years ago, but they only would send me instrumental songs and they never wanted to send me any money or anything for the songs they sent me, so I just gave up on them. 6 months and nothing, I said,"Forget it, I'm done" and stopped emailing them. They never got a hold of me anymore either, so oh well. I like to try different genres with my mixes. I've done downtempo, house, breaks, drum n bass, rock, pop, ambient..I like to try it all.
What was your first remix? How did you feel when you released it?
The first contest I entered was Beastie Boys - Alive on acidplanet a few months after getting Acid..I was pretty proud of it considering I had only been playing with the program for a few months..I also remember entering the Madonna contest back when GHV2 came out..they gave everyone 3 Madonna classics, Deeper and Deeper, Ray of Light and Music..I did a few mixes of each song..My Ray Mix for Ray Of Light got up to over 500 listens and I was so proud, but my computer sucked so bad back then it would take me an hour to upload one Mp3. Ah, the days of dialup..I've come a long way since then. I'll try anything that sounds good to me. Remixing is the first thing I've ever really devoted myself to...as far as things I like to do..because I think I'm good at it and I enjoy it.
What Madonna song you wouldn´t want to remix (in other words, what
song you hate?).
I think the only song I can think of off the top is my head is Jimmy Jimmy..I just never really liked that song..There aren't many, the problem for me is finding acapellas..I like to work with songs that have a good acapella..which is why I haven't remixed as many songs as some of the other remixers. I'm kind of a snob in that respect. If I hear music in the acapella, I won't use it. I've tried and it kinda kills it for me. If you hear some of my other non Madonna mixes I've done over the years like on my soundcloud pages (Felix Meow and DJFelixMeow1) and my page on Indaba Music (FelixMeow1) and my page on acidplanet (DJFelixMeow) which I also have the most on..you'd see how different my styles are..I don't want to get pigeonholed into having one style of remixing, I'd get bored. I also have a page on InternetDj (FelixMeow) which i have 70 tracks on.
There are a lot of famous Madonna remixers, how do you feel
remixing Madonna too?
as far as the fan remixers, I feel left out of what I feel like is a clique sometimes, but like I said I just go with what I feel I like..then again, I always felt like an outcast at school. So I'm fine. I enjoy what I do and I have friends who enjoy what I do too..so that's all that matters to me.
Have you ever thought about producing a remix with another Madonna
remixer?
If I was asked..yeah I'd like to..hasn't happened yet.
What do you have in mind when you choose a song to remix?
I just think of what I can do with it..I never plan a remix, it's all about expirementation for me..trying different beats and sounds. That's the real fun of it, seeing what comes along.
What do you think is the best thing in Madonna´s fans? And what´s
the worst thing?
Some fans are kinda bitchy and very shady..I've met some nice ones at the shows I've been to and some on facebook..I like some of the fans' energy at the shows I've seen...But some of them have no reason to have the attitudes they do. I love seeing fans go all out with Madonna inspired looks at her concerts.
Tell us about your upcoming projects.
honestly. I am very spontaneous..I never know what I'm gonna do next. If I find a contest I want to enter, I just try it and see what I come up with. If I am not sure what to do with it, I either skip it, or come back to it later on when the idea finally comes to me.
What do you do when you´re not making music?
I play video games, I watch movies, I love biographical movies, either about singers or people who did extraordinary things..Everyone's got a story, you know. I do my radio show..I do lots of things. I recently went to the Pridefest in St Petersburg (Florida)...it was fun but very hot..i like going places and doing things..I like going to gay pride events..I've been to all the really big ones here in Florida..I'm a social person..and when i go to the events, I hand out CDs of what I think are my best remixes..
Do you have any tips you’d like to share with young remixers?
keep trying..I have a friend who encourages me when I feel like giving up..I've had days where I felt I was gonna have an anxiety attack, because of frustration. There's been times when I've gotten fed up because I'd like more people to know me, I've had a hard time some days. but I don't give up..it's nice to have a support system. Once,a younger kid asked me to remix his song and I gladly did it because I thought he was good and was being supportive. I feel like I encouraged him. If it's your passion, keep going.
Have you ever been in Brazil?
Never been, but I'd love to if I ever got a chance,
Do you have a message to your fans?
Thanks for listening and keeping me going..I hope I've kept you happy..
I live in Hollywood, Florida...I'm 38..I'm a remixer..been doing it for over 13 years now. I have done altogether about 500 remixes for many different contests.
Who is your “lucky star”?
Madonna, Of course! I've been a fan all the way through her career.
Describe yourself.
Well, where can I start? I am a nice guy, I'm friendly and lovable..I am the kind of friend who will always be there for you if you really need me..I've always been creative, always loved music..I remember being a kid and my aunt and her friends would love watching me dance at her parties..that was fun. I used to jam out to Donna Summer when I was 6 years old. I also used to write alot...sometimes I figured I'd end up writing a book..but I've tried...it's hard..there were times when i was younger, I'd write in notebooks about things I felt, like what I thought about things were going on in my life then..I even wrote my life story a couple of times..and who knows maybe I will when I get older..sometimes it really helped me clear my head..it was self therapeutic.my brain never wants to shut off..which is why I am an insomniac.. It's so hard for me to fall asleep before 5 am...I host a radio show now twice a week for Power FM, based in Spain..I enjoy it and I get to play whatever I like. I get to play my mixes and other songs I like plus random mixes I find or get sent..I post links on my facebook page if you wanna catch it..i was born with epilepsy, so I've never driven a car..that's been hard for me in some ways, but that's part of who I am so I accept it and I hope other people who try to be friends with me can accept it. Not gonna lie, it gets scary sometimes. I have two sisters and am an uncle which I love..i have 2 adorable nephews and a niece that i love with all my heart and am about to get my second niece..She's due any day now. I have a great relationship with my mom. We are super close. And with my dad, it's gotten better, but we still argue sometimes.
Why Madonna?
I love Madonna because she's fearless and endlessly creative. Plus, I think she's one of the smartest and strongest people that ever lived. You can't have a career for 30 years being stupid and wreckless.
Madonna in one word.
Timeless
When did you start listening to Madonna? What is Madonna´s
influence in your life?
The first video I saw of Madonna's was Lucky Star. I was 8 years old and me and my cousin used to stay up late watching MTV and I remember one weekend I was watching MTV and Lucky Star came on and I was just mesmerized by her..I loved how she was dressed and loved the beat..a few weeks later I was trying to do the kicks she'd do in the video..I remember telling my cousin.."She's gonna be around for a long time"..i just knew.. Madonna's been a huge influence on me..Growing up, she was like my second mother, teaching me about things my parents wouldn't talk to me about..my first favorite album was Like A Virgin. But when Like A Prayer came out, the song that spoke to me most was Oh Father, because I felt like it summed up how I felt about my dad at the time..I was 13 and very depressed and suicidal..I was going through alot..I was afraid to come out and I was afraid of being rejected..whenever I was depressed I'd listen to Madonna and she'd cheer me up. Seeing the stories of so many gay kids killing themselves really breaks my heart because that was me at their ages.. When I was in 9th grade I wrote a report about teen suicide and used my recent attempt as the basis for my report..I remember a lot of people admiring my guts to do that. My teacher told me he was proud of me. I remember there was a book years ago which had celebrity's home addresses and I used to write letters to the address that was in the book..I wonder if she ever actually read my letters..I remember in one letter I sent a picture of myself..I was 13..I remember getting letters from the fan club a couple of years later. Dear Jessie was another favorite because of what it means to my sister Jessica and me. It was our special song. And then seeing her live was amazing...being as close as I was for the MDNA tour was a dream come true, because she actually looked at me a few times when she'd walk by .Making it onto the Dvd was cool too. That was a perc.
What Madonna era do you prefer?
I don't really know..I just like that she's always evolving..just like I feel like I evolve every few years.
Tell us what´s the best Madonna:
Album : well Like A Prayer to me was groundbreaking...
Song : That's a hard one because I have alot of favorite songs from each album..different songs mean different things to me.
Video : Bedtime Story (classic), Frozen is a close second
Movie : The Next Best Thing and A League of Their Own
Tour : MDNA and Confessions
Official remix : Sasha's Ultraviolet Mix- Ray of Light (so far ahead of it's time)...i loved dancing to it in clubs.
Tell us the worst things too.
There's been a few songs that ended up on albums I don't think belonged there, I mean having a heard alot of demos, some of those would have worked better than some songs that ended up on albums.
What Madonna song you can say “it´s me”? Explain please.
well the way things ended up with my last relationship, I'd say I Fucked Up..I still love Oh Father too..
What do you expect of the next Madonna album?
I'm sure it will be great....can't wait for the tour!
Besides Madonna, what singers/groups do you listen to?
oh, god I listen to so many things..I love Vanessa Daou..her voice is very dreamy..I like listening to singers and groups most people haven't heard of..my taste in music is really diverse..some of my friends are surprised by some of the things I listen to..also recently became a fan of Lana Del Rey..she has a great voice and I love her song writing style..Born To Die was a great album. Sneaky Sound System is a great dance group..I listen to everything...I like finding new mixes for old songs too..I've got all kinds of things..Songs from the 70's and 80s with brand new mixes..I've even found remix albums for people like Billie Holliday and The Doors and even Marilyn Monroe, plus a big collection of old jazz and Motown songs remixed..I was surprised to find that.
When did you start remixing? Do you remix other singers?
I started remixing when I was 24..my friend had gotten me Acid 2.0 in 2000 for Christmas and I just loved it..I was so happy because I had always wanted to do my own music and getting to do it finally was so thrilling and fun. I went crazy expirementing with all the different sounds I had and have found. I love entering contests. I prefer remixing other artists' tracks to doing my own. I like playing with other people's songs and seeing what I can do with them. Some songs are harder to work with than others. when I was a kid, around 16-17, I used to hook up 2 boom boxes together and tried to learn to mix songs together..I was doing mash ups before it was fashionable. Again I was just expirementing. Some turned out good. Then when I was about 21, I had a keyboard and I used to try and play it. I made tapes of songs I played on it..I was trying to do techno on it..sometimes it worked sometimes it didn't and I can admit that now. It seems like a whole nother lifetime ago for me now. I was offered a contract for an underground Australian record label a couple of years ago, but they only would send me instrumental songs and they never wanted to send me any money or anything for the songs they sent me, so I just gave up on them. 6 months and nothing, I said,"Forget it, I'm done" and stopped emailing them. They never got a hold of me anymore either, so oh well. I like to try different genres with my mixes. I've done downtempo, house, breaks, drum n bass, rock, pop, ambient..I like to try it all.
What was your first remix? How did you feel when you released it?
The first contest I entered was Beastie Boys - Alive on acidplanet a few months after getting Acid..I was pretty proud of it considering I had only been playing with the program for a few months..I also remember entering the Madonna contest back when GHV2 came out..they gave everyone 3 Madonna classics, Deeper and Deeper, Ray of Light and Music..I did a few mixes of each song..My Ray Mix for Ray Of Light got up to over 500 listens and I was so proud, but my computer sucked so bad back then it would take me an hour to upload one Mp3. Ah, the days of dialup..I've come a long way since then. I'll try anything that sounds good to me. Remixing is the first thing I've ever really devoted myself to...as far as things I like to do..because I think I'm good at it and I enjoy it.
What Madonna song you wouldn´t want to remix (in other words, what
song you hate?).
I think the only song I can think of off the top is my head is Jimmy Jimmy..I just never really liked that song..There aren't many, the problem for me is finding acapellas..I like to work with songs that have a good acapella..which is why I haven't remixed as many songs as some of the other remixers. I'm kind of a snob in that respect. If I hear music in the acapella, I won't use it. I've tried and it kinda kills it for me. If you hear some of my other non Madonna mixes I've done over the years like on my soundcloud pages (Felix Meow and DJFelixMeow1) and my page on Indaba Music (FelixMeow1) and my page on acidplanet (DJFelixMeow) which I also have the most on..you'd see how different my styles are..I don't want to get pigeonholed into having one style of remixing, I'd get bored. I also have a page on InternetDj (FelixMeow) which i have 70 tracks on.
There are a lot of famous Madonna remixers, how do you feel
remixing Madonna too?
as far as the fan remixers, I feel left out of what I feel like is a clique sometimes, but like I said I just go with what I feel I like..then again, I always felt like an outcast at school. So I'm fine. I enjoy what I do and I have friends who enjoy what I do too..so that's all that matters to me.
Have you ever thought about producing a remix with another Madonna
remixer?
If I was asked..yeah I'd like to..hasn't happened yet.
What do you have in mind when you choose a song to remix?
I just think of what I can do with it..I never plan a remix, it's all about expirementation for me..trying different beats and sounds. That's the real fun of it, seeing what comes along.
What do you think is the best thing in Madonna´s fans? And what´s
the worst thing?
Some fans are kinda bitchy and very shady..I've met some nice ones at the shows I've been to and some on facebook..I like some of the fans' energy at the shows I've seen...But some of them have no reason to have the attitudes they do. I love seeing fans go all out with Madonna inspired looks at her concerts.
Tell us about your upcoming projects.
honestly. I am very spontaneous..I never know what I'm gonna do next. If I find a contest I want to enter, I just try it and see what I come up with. If I am not sure what to do with it, I either skip it, or come back to it later on when the idea finally comes to me.
What do you do when you´re not making music?
I play video games, I watch movies, I love biographical movies, either about singers or people who did extraordinary things..Everyone's got a story, you know. I do my radio show..I do lots of things. I recently went to the Pridefest in St Petersburg (Florida)...it was fun but very hot..i like going places and doing things..I like going to gay pride events..I've been to all the really big ones here in Florida..I'm a social person..and when i go to the events, I hand out CDs of what I think are my best remixes..
Do you have any tips you’d like to share with young remixers?
keep trying..I have a friend who encourages me when I feel like giving up..I've had days where I felt I was gonna have an anxiety attack, because of frustration. There's been times when I've gotten fed up because I'd like more people to know me, I've had a hard time some days. but I don't give up..it's nice to have a support system. Once,a younger kid asked me to remix his song and I gladly did it because I thought he was good and was being supportive. I feel like I encouraged him. If it's your passion, keep going.
Have you ever been in Brazil?
Never been, but I'd love to if I ever got a chance,
Do you have a message to your fans?
Thanks for listening and keeping me going..I hope I've kept you happy..
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