Legendary South Australian DJ-producer, Cam Bianchetti is all about great songwriting and great production.
Under the moniker of Late Nite Tuff Guy (as well as his other moniker DJ HMC – known as the Godfather of Australian techno), Bianchetti's disco-electro remixes for artists such as New Order, Herb Alpert and Jamiroquai are testimony to this.So it's certainly expected he'd focus on the music of Prince, the iconic musician, songwriter and musical innovator who drove a fusion of jazz, funk, rock, Latin, synth-pop and hip hop across 40 years.
So much so, Late Nite Tuff Guy launched 'Prince A Tribute' as a show in 2017. The show has since featured at Adelaide Fringe as well as stages in Perth, Melbourne and Sydney, all the way to Glastonbury.
Now the show returns to Perth and Sydney as well as The Fortitude Music Hall in Brisbane. "With Prince," Cam notes, "the one thing that I want to get across is the music.
"Whether it's his own productions or music that he wrote for other people, his music will be presented in the way he wanted or as he recorded it, and the way he would want people to hear it and dance to it.
"The only Prince track I've remixed is 'Controversy' – that's a big part of the show. But the rest is his music and how he produced and recorded it. I think he would definitely appreciate people hearing and dancing to his music the way he recorded it."
The hitmaker was renowned for legendary tracks '1999', 'Purple Rain', 'Cream', 'Raspberry Beret', 'Controversy' – and so many more – and while his songwriting abilities were outstanding, Prince's protectiveness over his music – no doubt a result of the back catalogue stoush between him and Warner Bros – also meant his perfectionism was notorious and unrelenting.
But what does Prince mean to Late Nite Tuff Guy? "He's such a unique artist," Cam states.
"He's not like every other black artist. When he recorded 'Dirty Mind' – a crazy punk-funk record - other black artists were recording like - say Michael Jackson's 'Off The Wall' – which was disco – not that I would compare their music. They're both great records, but Prince was so different from everyone else.
"I like the way he writes lyrics," Cam adds. "They're really different and I relate to his approach to writing music. He's an incredible songwriter. A good song is a good song. A well-written song is always going to stand the test of time."
While Cam bore witness to the last three Prince tours that landed in Melbourne, it was Prince's last show as part of his 2016 Piano & Microphone Tour that especially resonates. "That show was incredible," Cam recalls.
"Because it was such an intimate show and I was lucky enough to get tickets in the second row, I could see him. I could see his facial expressions really clearly.
"Earlier on in the day, he'd found out his friend Vanity had passed away, so you could clearly see he was emotional throughout the show. It was really raw. It was one of the most incredible experiences ever – and I'm blessed I got to witness that."
So what can punters expect when Late Nite Tuff Guy's Tribute To Prince lands? "I want to please the diehard fans who know all those records," Cam notes.
"All those tracks that are tucked away on the last track on the B-side of the LP. Plus, I have to please the people who don't really know his catalogue as well – I've got to play the hits.
"So it'll be a delicate balance of both sides of that. And because it's a three-and-a-half-hour show, it'll be a fantastic representation of his catalogue.
"Expect a lot of dancing – that's what he would want. And a lot of singing. When I did the Glastonbury show, there was so much singing going on that it was just an incredible feeling. So I expect to hear a lot of singing.
"I'm looking forward to being in Brisbane and doing the show there," Cam declares. "It's a complete joy for me – and it comes across. I can't wait to be there."
Prince A Tribute By Late Nite Tuff Guy takes place at Astor Theatre (Perth) 1 April, The Fortitude Music Hall (Brisbane) 23 April and Oxford Art Factory (Sydney) 3 July.
