David’s a real go-guetta

Aug 23 2007 by Emma Johnson, Liverpool Daily Post

Emma Johnson meets the DJ who is the toast of Paris

THEY might prefix them with the word superstar, but dance DJs are not always the biggest fans of the limelight.

They are quite at home creating smash hits in the studio or on the decks of the world’s hottest nightclubs but when it comes to being the star of the show, many of them prefer to let the music do the talking.

Not so David Guetta.

Paris’s hottest property is more than happy to put himself out there. In an unprecedented move, he even signed on to be the face of beauty giant L’Oreal in a campaign that saw his face splashed across our TV screens.

“It was a great opportunity for me to get my music played everywhere and I don’t regret it,” he said of the deal, displaying the stunning business acumen that has made him one of house music’s biggest successes.

Such a high profile means that Guetta, who is currently enjoying top 10 success with his latest single Love is Gone, is more likely to be recognised in the street than your average DJ.

Then again, the Frenchman is used to it.

In his homeland, he and his wife of 18 years, Cathy – one of the fashion world’s top PRs – are A-list celebrities – although they play down comparisons with our own David and Victoria Beckham.

Together the pair created, the cheekily titled F--k Me I’m Famous, clubland’s most exclusive brand.

For over seven years, they have thrown parties at Ibiza’s legendary Pacha nightclub, where the likes of P Diddy, James Blunt and Kate Moss can be found shaking their stuff to his high octane beats as well as star-studded bashes everywhere from Miami to Montreal.

“It is crazy this year, it’s bigger than ever . . . the last three weeks we have had to shut the doors because it is too full,” says David of the Ibiza FMIF season so far.

“I do those parties with my wife, she is more the glamorous type so I am bringing all the crazy clubbers and she is bringing the more glamorous people.

“It is a very special mix of people that don’t usually mix and when different people are coming together it’s good.”

It is hard to believe, given his current status, that just five years ago Guetta, who start- ed DJing at the age of 17, was barely known outside his home country. All that changed with the release of the track Just a Little More Love in 2002.

The tune went to number one in France before going on to become the Ibiza summer anthem of 2003 and Guetta’s first UK Top 20 hit.

Last year he consolidated his star status in the UK when he reached number three in the charts with his remix of The Egg, Love Don’t Let Me Go (Walking Away) and on Monday Guetta released his third album Poplife.

“I have been lucky and it has been a little bit difficult at the beginning but I have to say it’s going really good now I don’t have to force it,” says the 39-year-old of his success.

“My songs are being played by the coolest DJs but also on the radio. It’s a tricky thing to do but right now it’s working so I am really happy.

“Right now I am lucky that the music that I like to do people love. Maybe one day it will be different, but this is my time.

“I think this is my best album, it is my third one and I guess I am progressing. It’s a mix be- tween dark and dirty instrum- entals with some proper songs a bit different from the usual electronic music you can get.”

This weekend Guetta, who warmed up for George Michael on the French leg of his recent tour, jets into Liverpool to play a live set at this year’s Creamfields with a little help from Love Don’t Let Me Go vocalist Chris Willis.

“As a DJ that was organised already but I am also going to do a live performance with Chris Willis on the main stage – it is very exciting,” he explains.

“I have played there before in the house tent but to do the main stage and perform Love Is Gone live is exciting. It will be a warm up for a real live show that I would like to do next year.”

Straddling the worlds of DJ, artist and promoter, it is little wonder Guetta is sometimes described as the hardest-working man in dance music. “I love it so much so it’s not hard,” he laughs.

However, the hard work will have to stop soon because David is about to become a father for the second time (he and Cathy already have a three-year-old son called Elvis) and the world of airports and five-star hotels will have to be swapped for one of nurseries and dirty nappies. For a while, at least.

“It’s kind of difficult at the moment. My wife wants me more at home which I can totally un- derstand. The baby didn’t exactly come at the best time . . . in the middle of a tour and the summer.

“(But) it’s always a good time for a baby to come so we are trying to get organised. I cancelled all the gigs in September so I am going to stay with my family for a little bit.”

* DAVID GUETTA will be performing live at Creamfields on Saturday, August 25, Daresbury, Halton, Cheshire, alongside Groove Armada, Kelis, LCD Soundsystem, Mark Ronson, Carl Cox, Erick Morillo and hundreds more acts and DJs. Tickets cost: £54+ booking fee. Tel: 0870 242 7326 / www.ticketline.co.uk / Info: 0151 707 1309 / www.cream.co.uk  – David Guetta’s album, Pop Life, is out now.

emmajohnson@dailypost.co.uk