Cliff Hewitt, the drummer from Apollo 440, joined Jean Michel Jarre in his concerts in Paris in 1998: Nuit Electronique and iMac Night. Cliff was so kind to give us this interesting interview where he talk about his work with Jarre. Thank you, Cliff!
1. Please, tell us who is Cliff Hewitt…
Cliff Hewitt is first and foremost, a fan of all things electronica but I am also quite a private person. I have been fascinated by the way electronic drum sounds and rhythms have influenced a wide genre of music over a long period of 40 years or so. I like to think of myself as a pioneering soud designer on E-drums and in some circles I’m known as the Grandfather of E-drums 🙂
2. When you started to play drums?
I started playing drums aged 15 and turned proffesional at 16 when I joined my first band who got signed to the legendary DinDisc label in the UK.
3. We mainly know about you when you were drumming with Apollo 440 but in which bands did you played before?
My first band was called Modern Eon from Liverpool. We released an LP and some singles to critical acclaim in the UK. I then formed my second band Virgin Dance with some minor success in the early 80’s which morfed into Picnic at the Whitehouse and this exploded across Europe. But it was when I hooked up with Tackhead , Adrian Sherwood and the singer from my first band that I knew where my musical direction was going to take me for the next few years. Kieth LeBlanc became my drum hero and set the me on the road to all things E-drums :-). I worked with many artists over the next 10 years, From Michael Rose to Ronny Wood, all within the studio enviroment.
4. We are a web dedicated to Jean Michel Jarre, so let’s talk about JMJ: did you know his music before your collaboration together?
Of course, bieng an electronic music geak, I was a huge fan of the great French man 🙂
5. When was your first meeting with Jarre? What was your first impression about him?
After the 440 remix of Oxygen 10 and Rendez Vous, JMJ made a little appearence at a small show 440 did in Portobello Road in London and he seemed quite shy at the time but it was when we performed at the world Footballer of the year in1998 I really got to know the man. And at Rehearsals for Nuit Electronique we had such a laugh together as we are both genuinely funny men. some great moments indeed and what a guy !! He is actually very funny and very approachable.
6. Apollo 440 made the remix of Oxygene 10 and after, in the Getting High in Your Own Supplly album, the rythm of this remix was used in the song For Forty Days. Did you made this rythm for the remix?
The three main guys from 440 are actually very good drum programmers so it was, and still is, a combination of 4 drum heads with all the drum tracks over the years 🙂
7. Later you played Rendez Vous in Eurodisney, en January 1998, with Apollo 440 and JMJ. This is one of the few performances of JMJ that we can find any footage about it. Please, tell us about this performance.
Bieng complete football fanatics (440 are all Liverpool fans and we still make their football tunes when asked) this has to be one of the highlites in my career. To stand next to Pele, Charlton and so many footballing legends was quite simply overwhelming. Hehe. 🙂
8. The single Rendez Vous 98 was a huge success. Did you played with Apollo 440 and JMJ in the studio?.
Yes, and I sneeked a little bit of acoustic drum in somewhere, I thinnk.
9. In July 14th 1998, you performed with JMJ in Paris, under the Eiffel Tower, on the Electronic Night concert. How were your feelings to play in front of 800.000 strong audience and in that landmark??
At the start of rehearsals JMJ gave me the Musical Directors hat and believe me, we had to kick ass as we knew it was going to be the biggest show on the planet that year. Playing in front of the Eifel Tower on Bastille Day and after france had won the World Cup and infront of all those people and with a hangover from hell ( I’d been celebrating too) was just the best feeling ever. It doesn’t get any better!!!!
10. How were the rehearsals for this concert? Please, tell us your memories about this concert and all surrounding this…
There were two rehearsal stages. The first set of rehearsals took place at JMJ’s studio in his home and this involved me inviting the various artists in so we could meet and do some programming for the songs being performed. As JMJ was with his lighting diriector most of the time, this allowed me to form how the live show was going to be applied. We then moved on to the Stade De France for production rehearsals for a week to make sure what I did in the studio worked to the smallest detail.
11. On september 1998 yo played again with JMJ in Paris in the iMac Night. How and when JMJ contacted with you for this project?
JMJ gave me a call some time before and asked could I come along and MD the show. This again was an amazing show as it was in 3D and the whole audience was wearing 3D glasses which looked pretty surreal from my my point of view. But a great night indeed.
12. Please, tell us about your memories about this concerts, rehearsals, etc…
My main memories were not much sleep, not much sleep and not much sleep!! But the overwhelming feeling was that I was performing with one of my all time heros. Something as a young e-drummer, I could only imagine. Getting on stage at Nuit Electronique and knowing that there was over a Billion people watching world wide was just mind blowing.
13. In the iMac Night concert, you played some of the classics of JMJ such Oxygene 2, Equinoxe 4, Chronologie 6, Revolution, Revolutions… it was hard to you to play this tunes?
No, not at all. When you’re a fan of someones music, it just form naturally in your head and I had the tools of my trade to help me and some fantastic musicians on stage, like Christoph Papindyick and Paul Kodish.
14. How was for you to work with JMJ??
It was a huge honour to work with the most influencial electronic artist in history.
15. Have you got any favorite song of JMJ?? And any particular JMJ album you like?
for me, I ever get tired of playing every track from the first JMJ LP. when you are young, you get inluenced a lot more and this record has so many great memories for me and fills me with emotions I don’t have with other records.
16. Why didn’t you collaborate again with JMJ after iMac Night concert? would you like to collaborate again with him in a future?
I don’t have his mobile number and he probably doesn’t have mine. If you can get us back together again for a collaboration, I’ll buy you a drink or two 🙂
17. Are you still working with Apollo 440?
Yes, the 440 famaily are all still busy working together and the new LP, The Future’s What Used To Be, should be out in a few days (January, 31). Looking forward to that and to the shows next year.
18. Now you are with Schiller. Please tell us a little about this new project.
I was invited to join Schiller live in 2006 and it has been an amazing journey ever since. Christopher Von Deylen is a true visionary and a great person. We are just on the last leg of his hugely successful “Klangwelten” tour in surround sound. And I am honoured to perform with some of the world’s finest electronic musicians. It’s a pure instrumental show and you have to see it to experience this world of sound and light. really amazing!!
19. And, please, tell us about your future musical projects.
I have my fingers in many a pie for next year. I want to release my solo project called Sly Diva, I have the next big Schiller tour, Apollo 440 release their new LP and will tour, Tangerine dream have invited me to perform with them and I need a bloody holiday !! 🙂
20. Have you ever played in Spain??
Yes, I’ve played in Spain quite a few times with 440. It rocks every time !! Looking forward to the next visit.