He just came, said hello and the world has fallen in love with this charismatic Frenchman. Martin Solveig was part of a choir when he was a child—a fact that makes it easy to understand why he’s so good at creating tunes that people all over the world sing along to at electronic festivals. And while his discography includes names like Madonna and Bloc Party, it was “Hello”—a hypnotizing collaboration with quirky synthpop band Dragonette—that sent Martin’s name into the EDM stratosphere back in 2010. Five years later and Solveig is still making radio-friendly dance music, tours the world and lights up Instagram with his newly sprouted mustache. Myspace caught up with the electro darling to chat about social media, time travelling and watching movies on planes. Oh yeah, we talked about music, too.

Hello, Martin. How are you and what are you up to? 

I’m great! I’m in a hotel room making music on my laptop.

Well, that’s good. Making some hits, huh? Your big 2015 hit was called “Intoxicated.” Does that mean you still get crazy at parties? 

Obviously.

You once said that these days you only get to watch movies on planes (tough life, I know!). What are the best movies you’ve watched recently? 

Un Illustre Inconnu and La Loi du Marché. I’m also catching up on The Wire series I hadn’t had the chance to watch yet.

How much do you engage on social media? 

A lot when I have ideas, something a bit creative. It’s becoming an extension of my creativity, especially on Instagram, but I’m pretty bad with lifestyle, as I have the random life of a DJ on tour and people have seen this a million times. So sometimes I don’t post anything for three days. 

I was always wondering: have you ever actually started a conversation with “I just came to say hello?”

I used to before the song came out. But now I do it less: it would be awkward.

Yeah, probably. Speaking of “Hello,” you've been collaborating with Dragonette for a long time. How did you meet? 

On an Australian festival tour in 2009. We are friends now but make less music together at the moment. I don’t know why.

What's your dream gig look like? 

A kind of fantasized Studio 54 show with disco, hip hop and house, people dancing for hours, not paying attention to me, just dancing and enjoying the atmosphere.

French DJs have always had a big influence on electronic music. Why do you think that is?

We could say the same for English, Americans, Dutch DJs. There’s a part of your home cultural background that naturally translates in your music.

What do you think about recording your own vocals for a track?  

I do it when the good/real singers turn me down. It gives the track personality, as I’m not a real singer—it can give a certain attitude to the vocals. Actually I think that’s a French thing, [laughs].

It's been four years since you released a proper album. Do you think singles are more effective these days? 

I hate the word “effective” when it relates to music. I think the format is irrelevant these days. I just want to make people dance to a beat. It’s ok to do this one at a time. 

That makes sense. I know you have a lot of musical idols (for example, Bjork). Who would you like to collaborate with that you haven’t yet? 

Azealia Banks, Mura Masa, Shamir, Lenny Kravitz, The Weeknd, Lykke Li, Gwen Stefani, Cashmere Cat, Frank Ocean, Metronomy, Chily Gonzales, among others. 

And finally: If you could time travel, where would you go—the past or the future? And what would your mission be? 

November 5 1955. I’d bring a shot of plutonium along in case it gets boring.