Ruff & Jam – Remixers with a Grammy Nomination

Ruff & Jam, also known as Jean-Marie Moens and Luke Mourinet, is a Belgian producer/remixer duo. They gained worldwide fame thanks to their Grammy nomination for the remix of Kylie Minogue’s “Love At First Sight.” After that, work started pouring in: they remixed tracks for The Killers, Robbie Williams, Bob Marley, Marianne Faithful, Sugababes, Amy Winehouse, Frou Frou, Scissor Sisters, Placebo, Mary J. Blige, Tiga, and more. Enough said?

At Play & Produce, they are giving a workshop with tips and tricks to upgrade your remix skills!

What was your first musical project?

R&J: “When we started Ruff & Jam, we locked ourselves in the studio for a month to work on an album. To add extra pressure, we had already booked a mastering day before we had even recorded a single track. So we had exactly 30 days to write, record, produce, and mix our album… It was a crazy idea, but we did it.”

How did you come to have such an extensive remix repertoire?

R&J: “We were originally songwriters and accidentally ended up in the remix scene. One day, a friend connected us with a manager in the UK. He asked us to create a remix for Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s ‘Murder On The Dancefloor.’ It was all or nothing right from the start. Our remix was accepted, and many others followed. But we truly believed in our abilities when we were nominated for a Grammy…”

How do you start on a remix?

R&J: “We approach a remix as if the artist is right there in the studio with us. We try to get to know them and see what musically suits them best. We often check more than just the submitted tracks: live shows, remixes, albums, reviews… This helps us understand the artist’s audience better. In the next stage, we work separately and then compare our ideas. We then develop the best elements from both projects together. We are musicians, not politicians: we need to feel things, not prove we are right. If an idea is good, then it is good. Period!”