The legendary dance duo is back with a new album, The Dance.

Best known for dance thrashers “Insomnia”, “God Is A DJ” and “We Come 1”, Faithless are no stranger to global musical acclaim. With a repertoire of six impressive albums under their belt and sales topping the 12-million mark, Maxi Jazz, Sister Bliss and Rollo have dominated the electronica-dance genre far beyond their native UK. With their new album hot off the decks, let’s find out more about what inspired this album, what’s in Bliss’s bag, Maxi’s shocking secret dream career and more!

Your real name is Ayalah Bentovim. What’s the story behind the name Sister Bliss?
SB: “When I started DJing, there weren’t many female DJs around and they all stuck a prefix to their name, like Princess Julia or Smokin’ Jo. My name isn’t easy to pronounce and I wanted a name that was different, that was also about being a strong woman and that reflects the effect I want my music to have. And Ssssister Blisssss is a nice name to announce in a club!” 

Tell us about this new album?
Maxi: “It’s less of a return to dance-floor roots and more of an acknowledgment that we have easily the best fans a band could ever had. We know that the majority of Faithless fans love the dance tracks and it’s only due to them that we’re still here making records, so why don’t we make the record as a thank-you to them? So instead of the normal two or three dance tracks, there’s six or seven.” 

SB: “It feels like a record that's really connecting with people genuinely, not a pop product. That's how the biggest Faithless tracks have reached out, through the clubs and stuff. By that I mean it's quintessentially Faithless and not like any record out there really - it's a bit gritty as well.”

Your lyrics are very poetic…
Maxi: “It’s so important to me, it’s always been a feature of mine, that if you’re going to write lyrics, make them mean something. If you're not on stage giving out lyrics that mean something to you, you will quickly get bored to the point where you develop a drink-an- drugs habit.”

What’s in your cosmetic bag that you never travel without?
SB: “I have a Clarins Requench thingy, and lip balm, I use Calmex a lot, or Clarins has a great lipbalm, and so does Mac – I’m wearing one right now with a touch of colour and it tastes nice – vanilla. Oh, and I have Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream by my bed, and that is really the best… Okay, this may sound disgusting but it’s probably been there for 10 years! But it hasn’t gone off – it just goes on and on!”

If you weren’t singing, you’d be…
Maxi: “I would’ve loved to have had an alternative career as a porn star, maybe in my next life.” (Laughs). 

What is your favourite DJing outfit?
SB: “At the moment my sparkly silver dress. I sometimes play in very large venues, like a festival in a great big field, and you want to stand out and be visible. I do like to be a bit twinkly!”

And twinkly you are! Making us dance for 15 years, this offbeat trio keeps delivering the tunes and we keep coming back for more. And that’s just the way we like it.

Image: GETTY IMAGES

Sources: Heat Magazine | Thomas Mitchell