Tiga Moves From Remixes To Start From Scratch

After dabbling in multiple dance genres over the years, Montreal DJ Tiga will release his first solo album on April 25.

"I've been DJing for almost 15 years and I've moved in and out of so many different styles," explains Tiga. "I don't really consider myself to be a club DJ or even a techno artist."

Tiga's career has seen him gain notoriety for his remixes, especially his version of Nelly's "Hot in Herre." But the DJ elected to tap more fully into his creative juices and write his own music for Sexor.

"[Making the album] was fun," says Tiga. "For me it was really new territory.

"It was freer. It wasn't really like doing a remix, as there weren't any parameters, so that was different."

Tiga feels that Sexor is the most musical project he's taken on, as he's been more focused on creating tracks that are developed like classic songs, with an emphasis on vocals. The album is a mixture of highly complex technical tracks laden with samples, rich vocals and electronic beats.

Sexor's roots come directly from Tiga's love of electronica. He's never picked up a guitar or played a piano, and instead uses computers and synthesizers to create music that's both beautiful and original.

"The whole process took a bit longer than I wanted," says Tiga. "Next time, I much prefer to say, 'OK, let's go into the studio now, close the door and turn off your phone and just emerge with something two weeks later.'"

The difference between developing his own work and remixing others lies in the starting point of the creative process, according to Tiga. Creating a remix begins with a basic framework and, from that point on, it's up to the artist to dress it up.

"When you do something original, there is the writing process that goes into it," says Tiga. "It can be more personal and a bit more difficult to come up with something on your own.

"Once the ideas are there, the process isn't so different. For me, you decide on a feeling and what you want to do with the song."

Although Tiga feels that remixes are largely a marketing tool, he values them as an art form. But he doesn't believe that everything can be changed, and there have been times when he's refused to redo someone's work.

"I don't think that everything is remixable," says Tiga. "There are songs that work so well by themselves that they shouldn't be touched."