Digital Farm Animals may sound like a new hipster game on iTunes, but on the contrary he’s actually the coolest new kid on the dance music block. We had a chat with Digital Farm Animals aka Nick Gale about his new single ‘Millionaire’ , what it was like working with Will.i.am and his musical inspiration. It’s quite the read, so grab a cup of tea and enjoy!
So tell us about your new single ‘Millionaire’, what is it about?
I worked with Cash Cash an American EDM dance group and the legend that is Nelly, which was a really fun process. It’s just about having a good time and things that make you feel happy even if they’re not actually money. It’s a play on the word, but it’s been really exciting so far and glad it’s out there.
What was it like to work with Nelly?
It was really, really amazing. He’s like you imagine these guys to be incredible at what they do. When you see it in practice, it all makes sense on why their famous and so successful. In the studio they get it together very quick. He’s a great performer and a lovely guy as well – we’ve hung out a few times now and he’s just a really down to earth guy. He’s been around the block a lot and obviously got a lot of stories and experiences.
What was the inspiration for the music video?
The music video is basically showing people that we’re having a really good time and we wanted to dip into the old school 90s R&B music video kinda thing – especially since it’s got Nelly in it. And it was just an innocent video of people having a sneaky house party in a very extravagant style, then the parents coming home at the end and finding them out. Its just meant to be feel good, the song is all about just having fun and being young.
Who are your favourite music artists to look up to and get inspiration from?
Coldplay! I’m a massive fan and really admire what they do, I find them quite inspirational as an artist in terms of how they’ve gone from album to album always keeping it fresh and exciting. I’m just a massive Coldplay fan basically. And currently along with the rest of the world I’m a big admirer of Drake, I think he’s amazing. But there’s also some kinda less known indie bands that I like as well. I’ve been a big follower of some guys recently called Nothing But Thieves, I think they’re gonna be really big. I like to listen to a lot of different styles of music so I can take bits of inspiration from here and there.
How did you come up with your stage name?
Haha, so basically I was at university and I used to have a bedroom that overlooked a farm. My desk was right below the window looking at all these pigs and cows, trotting around and I think one day I just came up with a name like pig farm or something for a song. And I was like ‘ah that could be a good stage name’. Not sure yet whether it will be or not but we’ve gone with it anyway.
How did you get started in music?
When I was about 13 years old my best mate handed me a free software called Fruity Loops. It was a demo version of it and I just became pretty much obsessed with it. Ever since I don’t think there’s ever been a night where I haven’t made some sort of music, it’s just become my passion and now I’m lucky enough to say it’s my job as well.
Was music always something you wanted to do?
Yeah 100%, although I didn’t go and do it straight away. I went into Law and became a trainee solicitor and I hated it. I wasn’t very good at it and the family always wanted me to go and get some solid qualifications first. I’m really happy I did it and then once I decided I hated it enough I was like right it’s time to get myself in gear. I went and worked in a pub for a while and then managed to meet a manager and we started the Digital Farm Animals project.
What advice would you give to others wanting to get into the same career?
I would say just to keep experimenting, keep making music and watch tutorials – take inspiration in anyway you can. I was a producer when I started out, but these days I write a lot of songs which are more concerned with vocals. Just try it, write songs, write lyrics as well. There should be no boundaries, don’t try and put anything in a box. If you wanna write a ballad one day and a dance track the next then do it, just enjoy it.
We’re a site based in the UK and the US, have you got any plans to go over to America?
I’d love to DJ there at some point, at the moment we’re only playing the UK. I’ve visited LA quite a bit, and I’ve written a lot of songs with US artists. I’ve actually just done quite a bit with Will.i.am. I’ve also been writing for a girl named Noah Cyrus, Miley’s sister and that’s been really cool. So yeah I mean naturally I will continue going there and writing and stuff, my publishing labels are American guys, and yeah I love LA and America so I 100% plan to go over there.
Which artist has been your favourite to work with?
Oh that’s a hard one haha, I love working with different artists, maybe the wackiest and the most exciting is Will.i.am. But the recent Galantis track ‘No Money’ was great because I got to work with a really good friend of mine a guy called Bully and it’s actually his son Reece who sings on it. We’ve been doing some really good stuff together and that was great because it’s been the start of a really good writing relationship. I would probably say that actually that’s probably been my biggest success as a writer.
What is the highlight of your career so far?
The highlight of my career is, oh there’s a few, working with Nelly has to be one and also I just got my first top 10 recently.
Congratulations!
Thankyou very much.
You can buy ‘Millionaire’ here.
