Think French house music and DJ/producer Arno Cost immediately comes to mind. After a stellar 2014 where he released a number of hit collaborations (“Strong,” and “Rising Love” with Norman Doray, a remix of Nicky Romero’s “Feet on the Ground”), Cost has put out his latest single, “Coming Home.” The groovy electro-disco track mixes beats, melodies and vocals provided by James Newman (brother of John Newman, who sings on Calvin Harris’s hit “Blame”) and is set to be another summer anthem.

Hometown: A small city called Cogent-sur-Marne, located next to Paris

Homebase: I live in Paris!

Your latest single, “Coming Home” is on Armada; how did that happen?

Armada is a huge and very successful label. They’ve leased great tracks, but till last week no Arno Cost track yet, so I thought it came about time to work together on a project! I discussed who we were going to send “Coming Home” to with my management and we thought; why not Armada! So far they have done a great job for us, and we just started!

How did you end up working with James Newman on the track?

I got the James’ topline via my management, and I immediately fell in love with the emotion of the track and they way he sings it. There is so much power in his voice! This guy has an amazing voice.

Who else would you love to collaborate with?

I would love to collaborate one day with Eric Prydz.

Were you always into EDM? What was your first rave experience like?

I was 15 or 16 years old in Paris, and the first time I went to a club playing dance music (at a place called Club Queen). It was great to see the DJ performing music I liked and music I produced at that time!

Was that when you realized you wanted to DJ?

When I had my first successful release in 2006, “Magenta,” with Arias, we got more and more booking requests. Obviously we couldn’t ignore them, so I started DJing and touring after.

Did you ever play other instruments before you started producing?

I played piano when I was a kid, and I’m very glad I learned playing because this definitely helped me with producing. 

What do you like better, DJing or producing?

I think producing, because I can get more satisfied with my productions than with my DJ sets. With producing at the end you have a concrete product, and creation, which will be listened to for a long time and for many times. In DJing it’s more about the moment itself.

What's your favorite city in the world to play in?

I played a lot in Brazil, Rio de Janeiro, and I always love the vibe in that city. People appreciate music there and they always enjoy every second of my set. I also love Madrid, I played Fabric last year, and the crowd was so energetic!

How does living in France influence your songwriting?

I always try to revert to my French roots while producing. There are some sounds I really dig that are typically used by French artists and producers. The history of French dance music is an interesting topic which I always keep in mind while producing.

What's the EDM scene like in France?

The EDM scene is quite dead at the moment in France, House is bigger at the moment, and that’s also where I want to focus more on in the future; melodic house.

Which musicianas are you listening to for inspiration?

There are some really great French producers that have influenced and inspired me for making the music I make right now. People like Daft Punk, Air, Justice, Phoenix and Alan Braxe always have been a great source of inspiration.

How would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard you before?

I describe myself as a young, talented French producer, who produces fresh, melodic, and anthemic music. I always try something new, thinking out of the box and try to be different. My style is housy, groovy, progressive, French, sometimes disco and poppy!

Do you have a bucketlist of songs you'd like to remix?

Pfff, that’s a tough one. I would love to rework of some good old French house and disco tracks!

What are you most looking forward to this summer?

I have some cool gigs and festivals lined up for this summer but frankly enough I am looking forward to spending time in the studio working on new material, as I’m feeling really inspired and excited and I have so many ideas for new tracks!