Keith Holland: The Ideals Of Evolution

Emerging from the colorful streets of Sao Paulo, ICONYC presents rising DJ and producer Keith Holland and his sensual take on the house-ier side of dance music with his new Idealisimo EP. With an impressive string of releases that have seen him grace some of the hottest labels in the globe, Holland now arrives on the New York/Berlin-based imprint with a stellar two-tracker that bares the signature of an artist constantly on the move.

Join Type < / 01 Magazine as we dive inside the vibrant studio of Keith Holland to learn more about the release of his new Idealismo EP, his inspirations, views on AI, the closure of ASLICE, his hopes for the future, and more.

Hey Keith! How are you doing? How have you been? Thank you for joining us today.

Hey guys! Everything is great here in São Paulo, I was just in my studio working and I took a break to be here with you... very honored to be part of this interview, thank you!

Congratulations on the release of your ICONYC EP, Idealismo. We can imagine the excitement must be high! So, how are you feeling about this one?

Absolutely! Yeah, very excited! I love both tracks on the EP! In addition, the build-up to the release date was killing me, haha!

Speaking about the record, Idealismo features two new original tracks, yet they do feel as if cut from a similar thread. Was that your intention from the offset, to seemingly explore different faces of a similar “headspace”?

Exactly! The idea of ​​the EP was to have a similar sound from one track to the next. Working with a stabed groove and also adding a sequencer, so as not to lose my hypnotic identity.

“Idealismo” as a single has a very retro-laced feel combined with a modern sense of production. Is that what you were going for? Do you tend to find inspiration in the music of the past?

Honestly, this happened naturally. I love the sound repetition that this song delivers on the dance floor. I always listen to music from the past like Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Curtis Mayfield, and many others... no matter how much I do House or Techno I always try to pull references from the past in my productions.

On the flip side, “Classuda” sounds a bit more “aggressive”, but also feels like a homage to the halcyon days of rave music. What was the process for “Classuda” like?

“Classuda” was inspired by House from the 90s. Bass, stabs, and the vocals coming in some parts of the track are the focal points. However, I looked to add something modern by adding a sequencer and a riff in the second drop.

With releases on ICONYC, Innervisions, TAU, Sum Over Histories, and more…are you making the music that you thought you’d be making when you first started? If not, what do you think of the voice you have found as an artist?

I think that the artist has to always be in constant evolution. When I started releasing my first tracks, I gained notoriety for producing a line of sound that automatically began to be labeled for having a unique sound identity. Honestly, I never looked for this, it ended up happening naturally. On the other hand, I don't want to just stick to one sound identity, always looking for something new.

And where do you usually go to for inspiration? Do you have a set of “routines” that you know are bound to get you in the right mind frame?

For me, the best way to find inspiration is to listen to artists you admire from different genres.

By the way, in the past weeks, we’ve seen the closure of ASLICE, which was intended to bring some balance to the DJ/producer dynamic. What do you think of its closure? Should big-name DJs be sharing their fees with the producers who create the tracks they are playing?

This question is excellent, it's really cool that you touched on this point. It was a huge loss for the industry, I was very upset by the news... the idea and objective of the platform were incredible. It was a brilliant incentive for producers who spend hours in their bedrooms or studios producing their tracks to be recognized and paid for their art. Here in Brazil, a lot of people asked me what it was and how it worked... when I explained it, everyone was delighted with the purpose of the platform. And yes, in my opinion, renowned DJs who have a busy schedule should share their fees with the producers making the music that they are playing.

And with AI? What is your relationship with that like? Have you implemented any form of AI in recent releases? Do you think this is one of those things that will drive the scene forward?

I've never implemented anything AI in my tracks. I think this is a path of no return, we will increasingly see the presence of AI not only in the music industry but also in numerous areas. On the other hand, maybe I will end up using it on my next track because as I answered in the other question, the artist always has to be constantly evolving.

Finally, having gone over the recent past and the present, what’s next for Keith Holland? What new milestones are you looking forward to now?

Well, my focus now is to play around the globe and continue producing my tracks. In the near future, I want to create my own label and give space to new talents, especially here in Brazil.

Thank you for your time, Keith! Best of luck with Idealismo. Catch you soon!

Thank you guys, I loved the interview and see you next time!

Keith Holland’s new Idealismo EP is out now via ICONYC. Find your copy here.

John Falke: Through The Prism

Originally hailing from Northern Germany, John Falke has risen through the ranks aided by a colorful menagerie of releases that have earned him coveted spots in the catalog of revered brands, including Innervisions, TAU, and Sum Over Histories to name a few.

Now based in Berlin since 2016, Falke’s ascent continues with superlative aplomb as he joins the revamped ICONYC crew with the release of his wondrous two-tracker, Octi. With some state-of-the-art weaponry, John Falke’s latest outing is an imperial assault on the dancefloors that goes beyond the traditional confines, redesigning and rewiring the way pleasure is perceived for a weirdly exquisite joyride.

Join Type < / 01 Magazine as we dive inside the creative world of John Falke to learn more about the drop of his new Octi EP, his studio process, views on AI, and more.

Hey John! How are you doing? How have you been? Thank you for joining us today.

Hello, all good - I’m happy to be here, thanks for having me.

Congratulations on the release of your ICONYC EP, Octi. We can imagine the excitement must be high! So, how are you feeling about this one?

Thank you very much. Yes, I’m really looking forward and I’m just so happy to release new music again.

Speaking about the record, Octi features two different cuts that explore a similar “headspace”. Was that your idea from the go, to showcase that facet of your sound and explore how deep that emotion can go?

To be honest, I hadn't planned to release the two songs together. It just happened, and I'm very happy about it. However, I believe that there is a certain recognizability in all my tracks, which is also my goal.

“Octi” is quite a unique name for a track. Is there an emotional trigger or story here? How was it that “Octi” came about?

Yeah, I'm a bit picky with names - I like it short and it looks cool too. Regarding “Octi“, it's funny because it's the name of a jewelry brand I admire.

And on the B side, we’ve got “Tuk”, which also feels like a very “guttural” piece. It really feels out there. What’s the angle for “Tuk”?

Yes, “Tuk“ is very special to me. I finished it at the beginning of 2023, and since then, it has been sitting on my hard drive. A few DJs have played it, but regardless, I knew that it had something special. I really trust my gut feeling, and with this song, it was clear to me that it needed to be released. That's why I'm even happier that ICONYC was open to releasing it so that everyone now has the opportunity to listen to it.

With releases on ICONYC, Innervisions, Sum Over Histories, and more…are you making the music that you thought you’d be making when you first started? If not, what do you think of the voice you have found as an artist?

First of all, I feel very lucky to be working with such labels. Regarding my sound, it took some time to find myself, or rather, to find my own sound. When I first started 8 years ago, I had a totally different sound inspiration, and the outcome was definitely different from what it is now. But I think that’s healthy, and I hope to continue evolving in the coming years as well.

We know that every track requires something different, but do you have a “process” that you can rely on by now? Where do you usually go to for inspiration?

Actually, I often stick to a certain mood/vibe that I feel at the start of the process. And then it begins. My inspiration to create music actually comes from everywhere: fashion, movies, art installations, and friends. It can be anything, like go watching a movie at the cinema. It always fascinates me.

By the way, in the past weeks, we’ve seen the closure of ASLICE, which was intended to bring some balance to the DJ/producer dynamic. What do you think of its closure? Should big-name DJs be sharing their fees with the producers who create the tracks they are playing?

The loss of ASLICE was very sad, for all of us producers, who saw their first money ever for their music through the platform. It's just really a shame.

Whether big DJs should share part of their feed, I think so. It would be fair, but nowadays I’m thinking more carefully about whom I send my unreleased music to.

And with AI? What is your relationship with that like? Have you implemented any form of AI in recent releases? Do you think this is one of those things that will drive the scene forward?

In my opinion, AI is extremely fascinating. I don't use it nearly as much as some others do, but sometimes I like using it to create stuff. There are already some really cool plugins with AI features and so on. Yes, I find this whole topic extremely exciting and gives also hope for the scene to continually find new opportunities and ways to develop further.

Finally, having gone over the recent past and the present, what’s next for John Falke? What new milestones are you looking forward to now?

I keep working hard to produce good songs. There’s so much more to discover and learn. Also, I’m looking forward to playing some gigs in the near future.

But the most important thing is to stay healthy and enjoy life.

Thank you for your time, John! Best of luck with Octi. Catch you soon!

Thank you very much! See you around.

John Falke’s new Octi EP is out now via ICONYC. Find your copy here.

Tim Walche: A Bigger Sacrifice

Coming in hot via ICONYC, Tim Walche’s Sacrifice EP promises to be one of the most resounding works from the Kyiv-based producer and mix engineer, who already holds a distinct place in the catalogs of renowned brands, including ATLANT and This Never Happened.

Making the impossible to thrive in Ukraine’s current hostile landscape, the studio savant returns with an unadulterated fix of the finest electronic music, providing a colorful insight into the inner workings of a bold producer on the rise. Uncompromising, Tim Walche’s vision and design go past the traditional confines of the dancefloor in search of lasting thrills, and his sacrifice surely won’t go unnoticed.

Type < / 01 Magazine sat down with Tim Walch to dig deeper into the release of his new EP, his inspirations, workflow, collaborative process, lessons learned, and more.

Hey Tim! How are you doing? How have you been? Thank you for joining us today.

Hello guys! I appreciate being here. Thank you for having me. All good, especially with the drop of my new Sacrifice EP just around the corner.

Speaking about that, congratulations on the release of your ICONYC EP, Sacrifice. We can imagine the excitement must be high! So, how are you feeling about this one?

I have been waiting for this release for about two years, to be honest. I made about two or three versions of this song before it turned into what it is now. So yeah, I'm really excited and happy.

Speaking about the record, Sacrifice features two wildly different cuts. Was that your idea from the go, to showcase a broad palette to your sound?

I love blending different moods and tones, mixing emotions as if I have a palette in my hands, like a painter. This is the general signature of the Tim Walche project, where each of my songs and releases are not similar in style to one another or to other artists.

“Sacrifice”, as the name implies, seems to stem from a highly personal place. Is there an emotional trigger here? What was the creative collaborative process with Safe Travel like?

In a way, this is more of a question for the vocalist, because I gave him the freedom to write about his emotions, what he feels at the moment, and how he perceives this track. We have a very friendly relationship. We've never met in person, but we communicate remotely. I hope one day we'll work together in a studio on a release, but that’s something we’ll plan for later.

And on the flip side, we’ve got “Hidden Palace”, which is a very unique piece. It really feels out there. What’s the angle to “Hidden Palace”? Have you ever done something like this before?

As I mentioned earlier, each of my works must be unique. This is the philosophy of my project. I experimented with techno grooves and house synths, and I accidentally came across a really cool sample on Splice, which completed the whole composition and entered the track almost unchanged.

Since we’re in the studio…You were a mixing and mastering engineer for a really long time before you had your “official” debut, right? Had you made music during that period as well? Was there something preventing you from taking that jump?

Actually, I’ve always made music, but I was heavily involved in ghost production, gaining experience to launch my own project. I wanted to start at a high level, at the level of those tracks I worked on as a mixing engineer for my clients.

And, are you making the music that you thought you’d be making when you first started? If not, what do you think of the voice you have found as an artist?

I started making music more than 10 years ago. It was melodic techno and progressive trance, so I haven't strayed far from the genres I began with. At the same time, I produced tracks in any genre for my clients, from pop music to all kinds of electronic genres.

So, what are some of the most important lessons that you learned from that particular period, having collaborated with notable industry names?

Work every day. Never stop learning.

Finally, having gone over the recent past and the present, what’s next for Tim Walche? What new milestones are you looking forward to?

Probably the biggest achievement I’d like to reach right now is the opportunity to collaborate with one or several artists who have inspired me throughout my life.

Thank you for your time, Tim! Best of luck with Sacrifice. Catch you soon!

See you around, guys. This was a great time. Thank you.

Tim Walche’s new Sacrifice EP is out now via ICONYC. Find your copy here.

Khainz: Finding Infinite Space

Swiss DJ and producer Khainz is a major force in the contemporary techno scene, with releases on leading labels like Spectrum, Tomorrowland Music, Eleatics, Katermukke, and his own imprint Module.

​Khainz's music has been featured at prestigious festivals such as Tomorrowland, Time Warp, Sonar, Exit, and Awakenings amongst many others, and he has collaborated with some of the biggest names in the industry, making him one of the most exciting and innovative artists today.

Type < / 01 Magazine sat down with Khainz to learn more about the drop of two of his latest EPs, including his double-tracker with KhoMha for Joris Voorn’s Spectrum, his own Module Music imprint, his take on the current state of the scene, AI, and more.

Hey Simon! How are you doing? Thank you for joining us today. It’s a pleasure to have you here.

Hello Axel! I'm doing great, although this week has been a little hectic because we had a lot of preparations to make for the Friday release on Spectrum. I appreciate being here.

Sounds like exciting times ahead! First of all, congratulations on the recent release of your electric new single, “Find Me”. So, how are you feeling about this one? What has the initial reception been like?

There's usually a lot of excitement around new releases, especially ones from my own label. We recently entered the Beatport Top 100 in Melodic Techno, which is always a positive indication. The single has been perceived very well from what I’ve seen so far.

“Find Me” seems like a very suggestive name for a track. How did this one come about? There’s a very cool hook to it…What was the creative process to get there like?

I stumbled upon the vocal sample a while ago and felt it was quite catchy, so I imported it into the DAW and built a track around it. As the vocal is quite rhythmic, I decided to go with something that has more of a progressive pattern. The name I actually chose because I feel that with all the music getting released nowadays (on Spotify it surpasses some 60000 releases a day), you gotta dig deep to find the music you like.

And “Find Me” is out via your own Module Music imprint, signaling its 6th release. How would you describe this start for Module Music? What drove you to pursuing your own label?

I started Module almost two years ago (the idea was actually there since 2016) in order to encourage up-and-coming artists and release my own music. However, I might be a little too particular about the music I release…as of late, I've solely released my own songs. When I worked with other labels, I didn’t like the fact of having to wait a long period between finishing a track and its release. Sometimes you want the music to be published as long as it sounds fresh to you.

So, what can we come to expect from Module Music? Where would you like to see Module Music in 5 or 10 years time?

I would like to release songs on a somewhat more regular basis; currently, I release a single every two to three months. So I definitely want to work on that.

At some point, I also want to have a few artists that can call Module their home and also do label showcases. There is still room for improvement but I feel after every release it’s getting better and I learn a lot of things over time.

By the way, as you said, we’re also on top of the drop of your new Spectrum EP, Infinite Space. Congrats, again. What can your fans expect to find on this one?

It’s a 2 track EP in collaboration with my friend KhoMha from Colombia. The lead single has been received great support by many artist and we have quite high expectations for this release. It’s a mixture of progressive house with some elements of techno and trance.

As mentioned this one sees you linking up with KhoMha. What was that process like? What would you say are some keys to a “successful” collaboration?

I received a message from KhoMha on Instagram asking if I would be interested in working with him. It was a really easy procedure because our perspectives on music are similar. We discussed some of the projects that we had each started and decided which ones had potential. So in the end he completed one of my projects and I did one of his, and we both were very satisfied with the outcome.

Khainz & KhoMha - Infinite Space EP

By the way…how do you feel about the use of AI in music? Have you implemented any form of AI in recent productions? If so, how do you feel about the results?

AI is a great tool to help you with things in production, like plugins that use AI to detect things that can help you with mixing records, for example, or even to get inspiration from different chord progressions or vocal ideas.

In a way, it’s a bit scary to see how far it has advanced in the creation of music. With a few simple “prompts” it can write you a full song - mostly something quite generic thought. I think as AI learns from music that has been done by humans, it never will be able to do its own creative process and the “human touch” will be missing, even if its difficult to detect whats done by AI in some generic genres.

Spotify already has taken down tens of thousands AI generated tracks - as they had to pay out royalties for those. There is no tool yet that can detect all of it. So. people are still making millions with AI-generated music on different streaming services.

Since we’re on the production front…where do you usually go to for inspiration? Do you have any routines or activities that help you open up creatively?

Since I work in the studio practically every day, my inspiration primarily comes from my emotions on that particular day. I often have 5 - 10 different tracks with distinct moods I’m working on at the same time. So I always have something to continue producing when I’m in the right mood for a specific project.

Stepping outside of the studio now…How do you feel about the current state of our scene?

I believe the last several years have seen significant growth in the electronic music scene. There was a shift following COVID-19 - larger productions and, in my opinion, an increase in the number of people drawn to electronic music.

Currently, I feel that there's a lack of personality. Everything that is created and gets “big” seems to be replicated repeatedly, in my opinion. Additionally, a track might become outdated in just one month. Some individuals frequently follow trends blindly, moving on to the next “big thing” as soon as the last one fades.

Having gone over the recent past and the present, what’s next for Khainz? What new milestones are you looking forward to? Where can your fans catch you next?

I have a quite packed agenda for the next couple of months, playing at Ushuaia for Tomorrowland, ADE and an upcoming tour in Mexico…definitely shows that I’m really looking forward to. I’m also planning the next release from myself on Module for October.

We’ll keep an eye out then! Thank you for your time, Simon! Catch you soon!

Thank you for having me!

Khainz & KhoMha’s Infinite Space EP is out now via Joris Voorn’s Spectrum. Find your copy here.

You can also check out Khainz’s “Find Me“ here.