Pedro Winter: I was into action sports, and so I was listening to the music that goes with it. And of course it was like a nervous, aggressive music... Metallica, Dinosaur Jr., stuff like that.
 

So-Me [from across the room]: That’s not aggressive!
 

PW: Oh yes it is, it’s noisy! That’s what I mean when I say aggressive… And then Pink Floyd, stuff like that – Run DMC, Beastie Boys, of course. Electronic music came a bit later on for me.
 

DR: Have you ever been in a fan club?

PW: I’ve been in the fan club of two things. First, I was in the fan club of a skateboard company called Powell Peralta.  I used to write letters from Paris to the US and receive stickers from them, and when I did it would be the best day of my life! I also used to be in the fan club of the French artists Pierre et Gilles. And I know it’s going to cost me some jokes around here, as they are probably the gayest artists on earth... but when you’re 12 years old, you don’t know [that the content is sexual]. I just loved them and I still love them today. I think they’re brilliant artists. One day when I was 14 or 15 I wrote them and they sent me back a letter with a picture they signed.
 

So-Me: Is it framed?
 

PW: I never framed it! But now that I’m talking to you and I remember, I think I still know where it is. The picture was like a normal picture, but the envelope where they wrote my name, they wrote it in a golden heart. I know I still have it!

DR: On that note, how would you describe the aesthetic that So-Me has created for the label?

PW: I think this would be a question for that man!

So-Me: It’s harder for myself to describe it…I have too many obsessions. I always do something that is very colorful. I don’t think there’s really too much thought. The aesthetics and the way that Pedro makes decisions with the label pretty much run the same way. It’s more about pleasure. We don’t really make big theories. Of course one can look at everything and think that there is some pretty strong direction, which is true, I think, but it is pretty much spontaneous. It doesn’t mean that it’s silly or not thought out, but it’s mostly lead by our will.

PW: And our mood! It’s our mood, too.
 

DR: Your roster here is pretty small, but with no doubt well curated, as everything that you guys do works out pretty well. How do you decide whom to work with?

PW: Well, you’ve spent 15 minutes in our office so far, and I hope you feel the vibe in here… it’s pretty go with the flow. It’s natural. You see the team here. We have no big room to discuss or market or think about big plans. We receive a lot of proposals. Most of the time they are really nice proposals, and they're from people that we are friends with, or people who we grew up with, or just people with whom we have some kind of common point. First, we distract ourselves and have fun with it, in a selfish way. And also, it’s a way to create some stuff. We are music lovers but we also have to find a way to spread our name and music to different media, and doing associations with brands is also a way to express ourselves. And it’s fun.
 

DR: So you’ve traveled a lot, is there anywhere that you have not yet gone that you’d like to go?

PW: I’m a bit bad at visiting Asia. I would love to go to Thailand, Vietnam… I’ve been to Indonesia, Hong Kong, and Tokyo. So, this side of the world I would like to go back to. South America, too. I went there when I was younger. My father used to live in Venezuela and Peru, so I used to go there when I was a kid, before traveling for music. I really like this continent. Argentina’s is the country I would love to go to most.

DR: I was just in Argentina in November, in Buenos Aires – it’s awesome.

PW: I'd love to go. There is a European twist over there. I feel so lucky to be able to travel so much. We go away nearly every weekend and every morning I wake up and say thank you. Like, if it were to stop I think I would be sad. Everyone is often asking, “are you fed up with airports?” I love airports!
 

DR: Where’s the strangest place you’ve fallen asleep or woken up?

PW: You know what, maybe I should say a fake answer! I’m a lightweight so I’ve never been that drunk or that fucked up, but on a personal holiday I fell asleep on a beach in Hawaii – in Maui, exactly. I think it’s the place in the world that I saw the most stars. It was the most beautiful place. I wasn’t lost or anything, I was just sitting down and fell asleep on the beach… Or – no no let’s erase this one! One day I woke up in Las Vegas, I was naked, in a bed with…15 or 20 girls. You can choose the one you want.
 

DR: Haha, well have you ever traveled somewhere to DJ and have been really surprised by the scene?

PW: Yeah, I can say that most of the time I’m impressed by the fact that even with globalization and even though we say everyone is wearing the same thing, listening to the same thing, and following the same trends - which of course, I agree - but luckily, and I can say this because I travel so much: everybody adds their own twist. In Mexico they are not dancing as they do in Sydney or in Tokyo, and this makes me pretty happy every time I’m traveling. So yeah, I’ve been surprised, but in a really good way. The good news is that people are still partying hard, like it’s the end of the world. Everybody’s still getting fucked up.
 

DR: Do you consider Ed Banger to be a French label?

PW: Oh definitely. Even though I’m a kid of the world, I definitely feel that there is a French twist and attitude in our vision of what we’re doing. However, it’s not something that is a 100% French thing. We sell 80% of our music outside of France, so it would be sad to focus on only French things. Of course, we are French and proud of it - and I think this is what makes us a bit special and it’s part of why people are looking at us.

DR: Do you think things would work differently if you weren’t based in Paris?

PW: I’m probably wrong, but I think we are in the center of the world, Paris. However, it depends on where you look at the map from. In the US, the US is in the center, but all the maps I’ve seen in my life – we were in the center. When I say that, I feel we are in the middle of the East and West, and this is useful in terms of a union. We get influences from everywhere, whereas the Asian people are a really [geographically] closed continent, and it’s the same for the US. I think it’s a force to get that much influence from all sides. Also, being able to translate [this influence] our way and with our French vibe helps. This is why when you look at charts in France, it’s really, really open. It can be a French artist on the top, or big American pop.  When you look at the charts in the US, it’s 89% American stuff. Same in Asia. So it’s really like a union point. And when we talk about culture, history and art, we have a really long history.

DR: Is there anyone who you really like from the US right now?

PW: Of course, of course, of course! Two days ago I was at a Grizzly Bear show. So far for me it’s been the best show of the year. It’s only July but I can say that it will be the best show of the year. It was amazing. So yeah, all that gang, like Animal Collective, Grizzly Bear, all those guys. I really like those guys.

DR: It’s cool to think about the fact that electronic music has only been around for as long as it has been. There’s so much connection and admiration for things that have happened in such a short amount of time – it’s considerably self-referential, and artists admire other artists who are still at the peak of their career. Daft Punk [Who Pedro managed from 1996-2008] is often considered to be the start of it in France. Do you ever think about that? Is it cool to think about how you’ve been there from the beginning?

PW: Oh definitely. I joke with my friends about being an “old timer,” and it’s like, I’ve only been in this for 15 years. They look at me like this is crazy. [In other genres] You used to say “I’m in the game for 40 years,” and in this today you say, “5 years!” It’s funny how things happen so fast! I’m not saying that Daft Punk doesn’t deserve cult status because they definitely deserve it, but it’s funny that yes, things are going so fast. We have to accept the time we are living in. 2010, everything is going fast, and I like that.

Stay tuned for Part 2, where Pedro reveals some of his favorite spots in Paris!