FEELING GOOD WITH ANDHIM

FEELING GOOD? WANNA FEEL EVEN BETTER? THEN YOU’RE IN LUCK AS GERMANY’S ANSWER TO AUDIO RED BULL IS COMING TO AUSTRALIA. ANDHIM HAS BEEN SETTING THE HOUSE SCENE ALIGHT WITH MULTIPLE DANCEFLOOR BOMBS WHICH HAVE BECOME BONA FIDE CLUB ANTHEMS. IT’S NOT ONLY IN THE STUDIO THOUGH WHERE THE MAGIC HAPPENS AS THEIR DJ SETS HAVE SEEN THEM BECOME HEADLINERS WHEREVER THEY PLAY.

Cologne has birthed a number of great electronic music acts in history such as Michael Mayer, and Wolfgang and Reinhard Voigt, but is generally known for its techno and minimal techno offerings rather than house; when did you discover house music and who were some of your influencers?

Kompakt was actually a big inspiration for us because their definition of electronic music had no borders. Their records of the early 2000s could go in so many musical directions. Techno with German folk music samples, trance-y hymns, collaborations with German Indie bands, and even ambient songs. That was exciting and fun. Each record was a new experience, a new approach to music. They also did their famous “Total Confusion” parties in a very small club in Cologne where Koze started his career as a techno DJ. It was massive to see him playing when we were 17/18. It could happen that he played a hip-hop song after a very hard techno track. And the people loved it. And we loved it.

As a duo, you have been able to travel the world and play in front of thousands of fans. What have been some of your favorite countries to play in and why?

Oh wow. This is so hard to answer. But let us tell you this, Australia is definitely one of our top 3 countries. We have played such amazing parties that we, even after two years away from Australia, still talk about them. In Melbourne, there were people hanging from the ceiling like little rave monkeys. Others were stage-diving during our set. Stage diving! I mean we play house music not Heavy Metal. We had insanely good times here and it’s always exciting to come back.

“Super House” is a term you’ve coined to describe your music. What three elements do you think makes “super house” better than OG house music?

We would never say it’s any better than other styles of electronic music. It’s just the way we interpret and feel the music. It’s not even that we plan to do something different. It’s just what comes out of us when we are in the studio. But let’s try to pick out three elements.

1. It’s organic, crispy, and not taken from any sample kit library at all

2. It allows us to go in every direction

3. It’s original. Even if it’s a drum loop you can hear the Andhim fingerprint.

Your events, Superfriends, have had a number of massive acts like Kölsch, H.O.S.H., Roman Flügel, Henry Saiz, Guy Gerber, and perform alongside yourselves. Is Superfriends really just about getting all the massive acts in the club (who just happen to be your friends) to play together?! What’s the drive behind these events?

Superfriends is mainly about having a good time. We want to create an intimate atmosphere and share the friendship and love with the people. We love to bring together our DJ friends, idols, and people we respect in the industry. It’s not really about big names although we are very lucky to name some of the top DJs as our friends. We always try to add befriended local DJs to each lineup – from club residents we met during our career to friends from home. We are trying to break down the barrier between the artist and the audience like we always do. There’s no such thing as inequality. We are all the same so let’s be friends 🙂

Andhim has really embraced social media and created a fun and lively image for yourselves. How important do you think social media is today for an artist’s success?

It’s definitely an important tool but it has to be authentic. If it’s not or moves away too much from what you actually do, then you’ll fail. I mean there are some artists posting meme after meme after meme. At one point you start asking yourself if they are still doing music. It also really depends on your personality. You can’t force it. As long as it represents you and your work in an authentic way social media can help your career wether you are posting studio tutorials or funny images.

Do you follow any other artists on social media? Who do you think does a great job on social media?

Of course, we do. Our friend Butch does a great job too for instance. And he does so because he is obviously copying us 😉

So, you’re about to make the next video for your latest release – you have full creative control – describe what the video would look like?

We’re constantly thinking about video ideas. It’s so much fun. And btw, we are in full creative control of our videos at any time. Every video idea was written and directed by us. But we need someone paying for the videos; this would be more helpful, haha.

But here’s our next video idea for a track we’ve been working on recently. Exclusively for BBM, we’ll let you know the story (I didn’t even tell Tobias but he has no choice anyway):

Tobias and I work very boring 9-5 office jobs. Grey, monotonously, and depressing. After work, we pull on our bad-ass customized skating dress and our old-school roller skates and cruise through the city. Weird skating skills, cheap tricks but always with style. We are wannabe bullies. We steal the kid’s ice cream; we go through a red traffic light; we ride the one-way street in the other direction. We are the kings of the streets. After this day full of dopeness we pull back on our suits and go home to prepare for another lame day at the office.

How pumped are you to return to Australia?

We’re beyond excited to be back. During these two years, we always wanted to come back but due to our busy tour schedule and the crazy travel it takes to come to your beautiful country, we couldn’t make it earlier. We wanted to come so bad that we said we’re gonna do it even for only one weekend. This means we’re now traveling around 50 hours to spend 72 hours in Australia. This is true love!

How has your set changed since your last visit?

Oh wow…it changes so often. A set is always influenced by your mood, your surroundings, the sound, the people, the vibe and so many other factors. But it’ll definitely be energetic. We really can’t wait to play for you guys!

Credits: Original Interview by Work & Tavel Magazine Australia

INSIDE THE SECRET WORLD OF LUCA BACCHETTI

Luca Bacchetti has soaked up a wild aural palette as a globe-trotting DJ. Still, returning to a bungalow in rural Tuscany allowed him to shape his debut album, Secret World.

"Even when I'm producing in the studio, I feel like a DJ. I love to arrange and mix my musicians and their performances like tracks," says Luca Bacchetti, enthusiastic about his conductor-like approach to making his debut album, Secret World.

"For me, the biggest buzz comes from the encounters between musical worlds that initially seem far apart."

Sonic disparities seem central to Luca's approach, gently ebbing and flowing at the heart of his new record. After over a decade of DJ'ing worldwide, from DC10 to Tokyo's Womb, the infamous Burning Man festival, and beyond, his name is associated with killer club cuts for labels including Crosstown Rebels and Defected. Yet, the Italian opted to take creative refuge in the tranquil beauty of his Tuscan homeland to create the 13 tracks on Secret World, his boldest artistic statement.

Originally conceived as an ambient piece, the scale of Secret World became broader as it was pulled together over several weeks in a bungalow at the Il Ciocco resort. Luca gathered friends, musicians, and fellow travelers to record using a mobile studio in the heart of this rural idyll.

One of the most exciting aspects of the project was placing the musicians in an unusual recording environment, disconnected from the frenzy of everyday life," he explains.

"I felt very strongly that the recordings should occur in a bungalow in a forest. I was convinced it would condition the mood for everyone working on the record."

Luca stitched together recordings of the performances after dark, overdubbing during solitary sessions, using recordings from the woods and snippets of sounds he'd captured while traveling as a DJ. Secret World may have seen him physically return to his roots to work. Still, with the help of live musicians, it also led his music into bold new pastures, some way beyond the global dancefloors where he's made his name.

“Even though you'll find club references across the album, the musical language used differs. I wanted to try and reconnect with our natural surroundings, and the most challenging objective was translating this into music."

Luca began his musical journey as a young DJ and beat-lover in the early nineties. Tuscany is an area of jaw-dropping natural beauty. Still, no record shops or clubs were to satisfy his musical obsessions in Pieve Fosciana, the tiny village he called home. So instead, Luca turned to the radio to get his fix, setting his love for hip hop alight, then embracing the alien house and techno pulses emanating from the cities of Detroit and Chicago.

"Radio saved my life. There was no internet. But radio helped me learn about hip-hop. Then I landed a job at a radio station, started working on shows, and found my way to drum 'n' bass, electronica, and techno," he reveals.

"I grew up listening to everything: electronica, blues, jazz, soul, funk. I am a huge music lover," he says.

Secret World demonstrates the depth and complexity of his taste. While the track ”Black Swan” swirls in a riot of psychedelic guitars, other album tracks dispense different moods, from the reflective state of “After the Silence” to “Fervor De Buenos Aires”, a rhythmically complex moment capturing South America's distinctive musical flavors. Luca is excited by the new sonic territories he's entered.

"I knew I wanted to go in different directions to what I'm known for and say something more than I've ever done before," he states.

"Because of my job as a DJ, I'm very much a traveler. So I wanted to squeeze all the emotion of the places I've seen and visited into the tracks of this album."

BACK TO HIS ROOTS

At the start of 2018, Luca decamped to the Tuscan bungalow to start work on Secret World. Joined by a collection of Italian accomplices, including Stefano Onorati (keyboards), Andrea Guzzoletti (trumpet), and Leo Di Angilla (percussion), he aimed to reconnect with the natural environment around them, then let this influence and inspire the recordings.

"I have lived all around the world, from Barcelona to the US, but Tuscany is where I first started dreaming of music," he explains his decision to return to make the record.

Growing up in a musically remote region made the younger Luca want to leave his hometown. Still, now, in his forties, perspectives have changed.

"When you return to your roots, a place you didn't like when you were younger, you might realize that it's full of treasures, which happened to me. This record was an opportunity to rediscover them, then show them off," Luca explains.

Luca initially started recording over two three-day sessions in the bungalow to capture the various components that made up the sounds of a 'Secret World'. Then, he left for an Asian tour before returning to record once again in the wilderness after his galavanting was completed. Other musical strands and aural knick-knacks complemented the performances captured in the woods he collected on his travels.

"It was a straightforward setup in the studio, and thankfully, the natural acoustics of the bungalow studio at II Ciocco helped us enormously and didn't require too much adjustment," he reveals.

"We recorded everything through a UAD Apollo Twin audio interface with a pair of Adam A5X monitors. The DAW was Ableton Live 9, and we hooked up some additional gear, including a Moog Sub 37, Arturia Minibrute, and a modular system. This comprised Intellijel, Make Noise, Mutable Instruments, Expert Sleepers and Doepfer modules. It was the most essential part of the setup we used during the recordings.”

Luca lists many musical gear that helped him construct the album. During the sessions, he was open to experimenting to let the songs, like the landscape around them, flow as naturally as possible. How did he make the creative process work with his collaborators while making the record?

"I always started songs with my foundations, the groove, and the bass, then I moved onto the recording of several overdubs. When working with musicians, I bring them ideas, often singing them to help them understand the melodies and where I want to go with the music. I use this process until I have all the elements to build a song. Then the arrangement comes later when I work alone at night."

The record's range of styles sprang from a series of recording sessions with the percussive talents of Leo Di Angilla, who helped place the sonics outside the club. His playing reverberates through Secret World, helping create many of the album's best musical scenes. "We recorded his percussion playing in the nearby Ciocco Studios, assisted by producer Gianni Nuzzi. I wanted to do something that would work in different environments. You can play certain tracks in a DJ set, but I needed the music to act as a soundtrack for a greater range of moments, too."

Percussionist Leo is mainly present in choice moments such as “La Ruta Del Sur”, “After The Silence” and “The Bridge”. Other innovative textures included the string sections created by Omisphere 2 on the title track. Weaving these various aspects together helped Luca develop many song structures and arrangements.

"I finished Secret World working in the studio in the box," he says. "This time with Ableton 10 and mainly using Waves and UAD plugins. My faithful Genelec 8030A were the monitors during this phase. Rather than be led by my technology, I aimed to serve the songs as best as possible."

Although Luca has used the more recent 8050s, he's a massive fan of the older studio monitor model.

"I've used the 8050s, but there's always a risk of increasingly turning the volume up, louder and louder. It's a vice of mine, whereas the 8030A is perfect in my studio setting. They have great definition in the low frequencies and always manage to tell me the truth when I'm in the mixing phase."

MUSICAL AMBITIONS FROM A SECRET WORLD

Although many creative ideas for the songs on Secret World had been orbiting Luca for some years, it took his approach as a DJ. Then, it transposed them onto the studio, where they sparked into life. Luca believes this allowed him to break with musical conventions and gave him freedoms never enjoyed by traditionally trained players.

"DJs are allowed to break the rules in the studio and go against the grain. For musicians, playing music or releasing songs that they see as full of mistakes or errors is blasphemy. But as long as the grooves and melodies work, I like the imperfections to be there."

So, how does he communicate his ideas to professional players as a confessed non-musician? Luca uses visual images to show off the directions of his musical thoughts and dreams.

"Images are so important to me. My track “Black Swan” was born at the Burning Man Festival in the US. It's a special, unique festival where I absorbed so much music. So, in the studio, I wanted to create a song to capture this mood and feel the desert's humidity and dust. Music should express this sense of danger and tension. And I tried to get my performers involved in thinking about their music like this."

Essential production advice

Luca's exciting move from behind the decks and into the studio. It should help paint a bigger picture of him, not only as an artist but also as a character. Secret World is a profoundly personal album, demonstrating a more excellent, more sophisticated musicality only hinted at before. Luca believes any other DJs looking to take the plunge and start crafting their beats and grooves must wrestle with their aims to realize their ambitions.

"You need to understand the motivation, why you want to be a producer. If you want to be an artist, this is more than just performing at festivals or making money," he states.

But with technology now being so agile and more readily accessible than ever, Luca states it is easier for DJs to make this transition.

"It's important to try and surround yourself with only what you need for a project: the real studio is inside your head."

"With a laptop, you have a musical bomb in your hands. Thanks to powerful computers, plugins, and drum machines, it's so easy to access amazing sounds now. And there are plenty of great producers to look to. Someone like Four Tet is making incredible music but with a super easy, simple setup. It's inspiring."

However, the Italian is concerned that having a world of sonic tools at your fingertips has drawbacks. "It's amazing what you can access," he says, "but you must impose limitations to get the best out of your music. You're all set if you have a drum machine and something to create beats."

Has he any advice for DJs looking to make a similar creative leap and express themselves as artists outside the club?

We used many machines with this project and spent some time mic-ing up our live instrumentation. You need to think carefully about marrying the two when working on this kind of music where these two separate sounds come together. At the same time, it's essential to try and surround yourself with only what you need for a project: the actual studio is inside your head.

So, with the album now out on the broader World and picking up critical praise, Luca is keeping himself busy working on promotion for the record and daring to dream about a potential live show, something he wants to be more of an event than a traditional gig.

"I want to explore the options of a live show involving different installations and visual artists. With this kind of album, it makes sense to go further with the experience and root it in the environment where it was created. I want to do it so people are bowled over, sit up, and take notice."

Luca also reveals that he was advised not to make the record, to instead concentrate on DJ'ing, but the album was something he needed to let out. It's partly what makes the record so honest, personal, and born out of the landscape that shaped him.

"You have to take a risk – which I did with this album – but the setting was crucial.

This is why I prefer intimate and isolated places; everything becomes clear… even when there are voices around you, nature communicates; that's why I love my homeland and live in Tuscany. But although I'm proud of the results, I'm now thinking about the next steps. I want to do more, learn more, and say even more."

Original interview Credit: https://musictech.com/features/luca-bacchetti-secret-world/

Visit lucabacchetti.com to find out more.

MORE INSPIRED THAN EVER BEFORE: HOW BOOKA SHADE REMAIN AT THE TOP OF THEIR GAME

After 35+ years of writing music and heavy touring together under various guises, aliases, and genres, no one would have blamed Arno Kammermeier and Walter Merziger for taking a break from their Booka Shade project during the last two years of lockdowns and allowing themselves a breather from the relentless on-road grind. But no. Quite the contrary…

2020/2021 were arguably two of the German duo’s most prolific and creative years to date as they wrote their 10th album (‘Both’), a compilation of vocal collaborations (‘Voices Of Hope’) and remastered their iconic ‘Movements’ album into a Dolby Atmos vinyl release. They also sprang into action and toured the moment things opened up again in the middle of 2021. Oh, and they were nominated for a Grammy Award for their previous album ‘Dear Future Self’ which dropped just weeks ahead of the pandemic.

It's an impressive list of achievements, none of which they expected to achieve before things went a little off-track for us all, but most importantly during this time, they feel they’ve truly re-engaged with what Booka Shade means, what Booka Shade sounds like and what it’s capable of in the future. Fully refreshed and vision sharpened, even after all these years of writing and working together, the two friends – who began as electronic pop due Planet Claire back in the late 80s and had a whole illustrious career as popmakers during the 90s – are more inspired and in-tune than they have been in many years. The Standard caught up with them to find out more…

Considering the world is only just getting back to live music in the last half a year, you guys have been so busy. I think perhaps last year was one of your most prolific ever release-wise…

Walter: It’s interesting how much energy you have when you’re not touring! It was a lot of fun listening to things differently because we weren’t in that weekend/touring cycle. So the last few years were us going back to our roots as studio guys. This was like it was in the 90s when we were in the studio and didn’t travel much at all.

I sense a different relationship with the music. Between the two big release last year you have two very different perspectives on the Book Shade sound. Voices Of Hope was far away from the dancefloor while Both highlighted the fresh energy we all had coming out of lockdown. They were written in very different contexts, weren’t they?

Walter: They were. Plus, Voices Of Hope was all collaborations with singers. It’s very vocal-driven while Both is typical Booka Shade. Instrumental and a very pure club sound.

Arno: With Voices Of Hope we realized we could do what we’d wanted to do for some time. We were always going from weekend to weekend and writing music for our sets but with that, we had the time again. And so did everyone we collaborated with. Everyone was interested in collaborating. It was perfect. We had an album finished when the pandemic started too – Dear Future Self.

We had a full tour planned for that, so to cancel that was a bit of a shock. But then we realized it was a bit of a blessing. We could stop and think about everything we’ve done, reflect, and ask ourselves what we would like to do in the future. That’s why we went for things we really liked. We’ve always had our feet in songwriting and music with vocals. We don’t always make it, but we love it when we do.

Plus there was a Grammy nomination in the mix of all of that!

Arno: Yes, it was an exciting surprise. You work all this time and you think you’ve done most things, then all of a sudden something like that happens. You cannot plan for it.

Walter: I thought it was a joke from someone. It came from our German distributors and it felt unreal. I read it and thought, “Ah, that’s a mistake. That’s not meant for us!”

Arno: Just when you think you’ve tried out everything, this comes along.

Deep, deep, deep into a long and illustrious career!

Arno: It shows there’s still a lot to come. And, touching back on Voices Of Hope, what was interesting about it was that we could reach out to people, young talents we’ve been excited by, and see if they’re up for work, and now we’re meeting them in real life. SOHMI, for example, is from the States, and we got to meet him on our last tour. It was very nice to connect in real life.

So much of our life happened online and we all made new internet friends. As frustrating as a lot of it was, technology definitely enabled many things…

Walter: Yes and it wasn’t so much of a problem for sending tracks back and forth. It was the right time to do this collection of songs. That’s what we view that project as. Both, however, was a proper Booka Shade album.

What was it like getting back in the studio for that? I imagine you rolling your sleeves up like, “Right! Let’s get to work!”

Arno: We’ve worked in our own studios for many years. Working together for such a long time, it’s great to be together and the energy is different. But even if we’re not in the same place, we’re sending tunes back and forth and discussing everything on the phone. It’s a very efficient process which we’re very used to.

Walter: We don’t overthink things. In the past, we’ve spent three years on an album, just the two of us talking and talking. Now we see it more as a journey. Not every song has to be this brilliant moment of genius. For us, it’s important that we constantly work and stretch our style and not get stuck in one particular style.

That’s why we’ve explored so many different ideas. But it’s important for us to work constantly as writers and producers to get the shit out of your body. You might write 10 good songs to get one great one. It’s like if you’re a runner, you have to run every day to be trained. It’s the same with music – you work every day every day and sometimes something flies out of the universe and hits you. You have to work for that though. If you miss the moment, it’s gone.

Arno: The longer the time in between releases, the more unsure you become. You worry about expectations and all these things. It’s better for us to have this constant output or otherwise, it gets rusty.

I’ve spoken to some people who have written albums that have taken so long that they’ve dated by the time they’ve come out. Although I guess when you have your own sound you don’t have to worry about it dating so much…

Arno: You’re right. But, in our experience, there was a time when the whole EDM thing blew up and it took a lot of the big riff elements we’d brought into our songs. We suddenly felt like, “Oh this is a sound we can’t do anymore, we don’t want to sound like that.” It was a difficult time.

But after a while, we thought, “No this is our sound, we do it our way”. So not as big or mainstream as the big EDM sound, but rather in our own style. We did what we’ve always done and showed different sides of our sound. And in recent years we’ve come to really understand what Booka Shade is all about. We go on different excursions, but the solid basis of what Booka Shade is has become very apparent and solid to us.

Wow after 35+ years you’re still discovering your sound. That’s amazing. It’s really interesting regarding your take on EDM. That must have been around the time of the Eve album maybe? Or Galvany Street? Or between those two albums? They’re two very different poles of what Booka Shade can be and the years between those were released were very much peak EDM.

Arno: Absolutely correct. So we escaped and wrote something very different. Most artists will have at least one album like that to their name. Where they’ve completely refreshed things. And it was a fulfilling feeling. Like, “Okay that’s out of the system.” And by then EDM had calmed down a bit and we made our peace with everything.

Walter: We couldn’t compete with all the big fireworks and big mainstream sound so we went on tour with a singer and did something very different. It was more like a band and was very different. It was a shock for some fans and critics, but on the other hand, new people discovered us through the album. It was more alternative; it wasn’t club-style music but a lot of electronic fans saw something in it and liked it. In retrospect, it was a good thing but at the time we wondered if it was too much for our fans. Galvany Street was our first Dolby Atmos album and we sold 6000 Blu-Ray copies, which is a lot for a niche medium.

And this is still a niche music in the wider scheme of things. Niche overload!

Arno: We are the masters of niche!

Love that. That’s a testament to the loyalty of your fans, too…

Arno: Yes. And at the end of the day, we’re speaking about art. We started doing this because we love it and we wanted to create art. You have to follow your feelings. I’ve seen this fantastic documentary about the band Sparks. They are so inspiring and every album they do is different. They do what they love and it’s difficult for fans to follow them because they’re a couple of steps ahead, but that’s very inspiring from an artistic perspective and gives me confidence. They’re in their 70s and they’re still creating and releasing incredible, inspiring art. They are always reinventing. You’ll lose fans along the way, but gain new ones too, and you need to be at peace with that.

I think shows faith in fans and not spoon-feeding the machine or resorting to formula…

Walter: After a long career it’s always nice to see when you’ve been influential. We don’t want to bash EDM and some of the biggest guys in that particular world have told us they are fans of our music and how we inspired them with our music. That was nice to hear. They blow it up and make it a lot bigger, but the emotion is the same. It’s nice to hear when people say something is important.

I guess you don’t realize what influence you’re having when you’re putting things out into the universe…

Walter: Totally. And there’s so much out in the universe now. In fact, we realized that there had never been a vinyl edition of our Movements album. So another thing that we did during the time away from the road was to go back over the original tracks remaster it and create a Dolby Atmos mix. It was a lot of work, but it was worth it and the reaction to that was also huge. It sold out in a day!

Vinyl is having such a great resurgence…

Walter: Yes, it’s great to see! It’s great to have a range of outlets full stop. Blu-Ray, vinyl, Dolby Atmos, and of course streaming. I know people have different opinions about that. You can always say people aren’t paid enough, but I believe it saved the music industry. For us, it was an important factor to survive these times. It gave us a form of income when we couldn’t tour. We focused on streaming from 2017, we were creative with playlists and things like that and this all paid off for us during the pandemic as people listened to a lot more music. It pays and that’s very important – there were times when we didn’t get paid, like the times of Napster and torrenting platforms. So the fact we get paid is very important. We set a goal to reach a million monthly listeners. Once we hit that we make new goals.

You hit that recently, what’s the next goal?

Arno: One particular goal is to find new collaborations and singers and artists we want to with so we can keep this balance between the typical Booka Shade club sound, and the sound we have with singers and vocals. We want to do as much as possible before the live playing starts again, but we’ve also become a lot pickier about the selection of gigs. It’s a bit of a turning point. We’ve said, “Do we want to go every weekend? Or do we select where we know it’s going to be fun and the people are nice?”

Walter: The goal is not to do the same thing every day. It’s always important to have new challenges and play places you’ve never played before, or explored a concept you’ve not explored before. That’s always been interesting to us. That’s why we’ve always said we won’t do a new Movements album. The future is important – not the past. We want to write new things and work with people who aren’t from our world. Things that make us go, “Oh, wow! I’ve never thought about that in that way.” We’ve learned a lot from them, and they’ve learned a lot from us. You always learn a lot from collaborations – it’s important to learn and push the boundaries.

Yeah definitely! You guys seem very inspired and engaged right now…

Walter: We feel that too and we’re very proud of what we’ve achieved over the years. And the best thing is, Booka Shade was never created to be huge in any way. Not like when we did our pop productions in the 90s, where everything had to be big or a hit or a number one and things like that. Booka Shade has always been an outlet to create our own little universe. The fun part is to always let it grow, do different things with it, and keep it on a smaller scale. When you want too much, and you push things too much, it destroys things more than helps you. It has to come naturally and when it does it just flows. You don’t overthink, it just happens. This is the best feeling. We love that.

Arno: The small long steps always work best for us. Step by step.

THE TRANSFORMATION OF HITO

We are always learning; about the world, about people, about our interests, and things that inspire us. But most of all, we’re always learning about ourselves. Take Hito, for instance. An established international DJ for 10 years, and a Berlin-based DJ for many years prior to that, the Japanese headliner has come out of the lockdowns enriched with a fresh perspective on many aspects of her life.

From her creative approach to DJ formats to her own relationship with her Japanese roots, Hito describes the effect of the last two years as a profound transformation. It’s one that’s still ongoing and, most importantly, involves her listening to herself and her own wishes much more than before.

Fresh from an extensive world tour and starting to lay the foundations for an exciting new chapter as a producer, we catch up with Hito to discuss this moment in her life and find out what comes next…

Travel has always been such an important part of your lifestyle. So how was that during the lockdowns? Was it challenging?

It was a challenge, but also I was lucky to travel and be able to play a few times. I could enter Japan and do some shows and projects and see my family. During the lockdown time, I actually spent five months in Japan.

Japan had very different lockdown rules, didn’t it?

It was very different. It wasn’t 100% stay-at-home. There were different rules – like you can buy alcohol but only until 8 pm. Or a venue could be open until midnight but not sell alcohol, or clubs could open but with masks and hygiene. We’ve been wearing masks for a long time, so it’s not new for us and we take care of the next person. This has been taught to us for a long, long time. It was a very different situation over there.

It sounds like you made the best of your time and embraced the change that the global situation imposed on us all…

It led to a big change for me.

How so?

Let’s go back; I started Enter Sake with Richie in 2012. We did four seasons, up to 2015. Then I toured with Richie as an Enter Sake pop-up project. We went to so many different places in the world for three years. So I was with Richie for a total of seven years.

Then, after that, I became more independent and could do my own projects, like Hito Presents Oto. It started in Watergate Berlin and the concept is that I invite older professional DJs and younger up-and-coming ones. I am in the middle, like a bridge.

Oto means sound, doesn’t it?

Yes. We present the sound. For me, that is my life. I have come to understand this; that my personal purpose or mission with my work is my life itself. My lifestyle is music. Everything. Staying here in Naples; it is music. I see beautiful scenes, old buildings and architecture, and the people and the history. It’s all sounds to me. All these beautiful things I see. They transform through me, through my music and my perception. This is how I am. So I translate this concept into Hito Present Oto. So, the first seven years. Then three years. That’s nearly 10 years of working internationally.

You go back further than that though, right? You were DJing in Berlin for a long time before. I think DJing was a happy accident for you, wasn’t it?

Yes, that’s true. I never set out to be a DJ for my career. And I also met Richie through a happy accident. We met through sake culture. I was playing more locally then. Correct. I didn’t care where I was or what plans I had for the future. I don’t really make some goals in that way, but I used to study languages. That’s my curiosity – to get to know different cultures, different languages, different ways of doing things. That was my only goal; I always wanted to work globally. But now, after these two years of changes, these last few months I’m completely transforming.

How many languages can you speak?

I can speak four languages.

Five including music…

Haha! That’s very true. I listen. Everything is like sound to me. I hear many things all the time. I don’t concentrate on what’s being said, so I don’t follow up the conversation. But I hear a lot of sounds from morning to bedtime. Some sounds are annoying, or I have to be patient, but every situation is sound. It’s like a smell or a taste. A stimulant. But now I am listening to myself a lot more.

What are you hearing?

Finally, little by little, it comes to me… I ask myself, “What do you want to do now, Hito?” Before, I was paying attention and taking care of other people. It was normal for me to do this. In Japanese culture, we pay attention to others and, through that, we forget ourselves sometimes. So I needed to pay attention to myself and my own expressions. My pure feelings. It’s hard to keep them wrapped up like they do in Japan. That’s why sometimes in Japan you might find interactions artificial.

So it’s taken you all this time to listen to yourself?

Finally! This is the result of the pandemic. As a beautiful consequence, I am surviving. I realized I still have new feelings in me. Feelings I have not thought about. For example, if you focus on my kind of life, for the last 10 years, it has been this… “When is my set time? Where do I have to be, and when do I have to be there?”

Point to point. That was me going through life. Between those two points, it was always a different bed, different temperature, different place. That was my routine, I couldn’t have a pet because I could not take care of one because I was moving around so much. If I stay somewhere as long as a week then I’ll buy a flower – to add a bit of life to my room and give it a bit of my own personality.

I do these things continually and it became my discipline. My Samurai way, if you like. But those two years have given me time with my family and time with friends who I’ve known for 30 years. I explored my roots and reconnected with them. Home! I would meet my parents, which was strange for them. I was seeing them every day for five months. They had to get used to this because I had been away for 20 years! It was all very new and a different way to see where I come from, you know?

Seeing your roots for the first time, as an adult…

Yes. Since 15 I have traveled. A summer in the USA, come back. A season in the UK and come back. My parents are professors in physical education, so they also traveled.

Are your parents proud?

When I left, no. My father, he loves me, but he was disappointed. We didn’t talk for two years. But they realized I was okay when they came to visit me in Ibiza. Space. They came to my console. Then came again to Paris, Barcelona, and the Mexico BPM Festival. Also sometimes while touring in Japan, with Richie, and they’ve met friends like Joseph Capriati and everyone.

What do they make of it? Did they dance?

Oh yes! I have the videos!

Beautiful. Let’s chat about your tunes… Producing is a very recent piece in the Hito puzzle. You started with that collaboration with Background, I think?

To be honest I am more of a DJ than a producer. I remember I asked Richie… I said, “I don’t know how to produce, but do I need it now to represent myself?” He said, “Don’t worry, it will come automatically.” One day I will have the realization, “Okay, now I have to do it.”

He said, “Just go with the flow. Don’t pressure yourself – observe and try and start when you feel the call to.” I started in 2019, just before the covid. I got Ableton lessons with a professional trainer. That was on the internet, but I also wanted to have more real experience, so when I like a producer’s sound, I ask them if I can visit them. I don’t like talking online so much. I want to share the same experience with them. Eat the same food, take walks, discuss things, and share thoughts. So I visited Background. It’s not far from here, he’s in a suburb of Naples.

Excellent. Shared experiences!

I also want to share my culture and elements of my life that they might participate in, so we both learn from each other. For example, I went to Thessaloniki, where George Adi lives. We make tracks… One track is “White Tower”, which is a symbol of Thessaloniki. And the other is “Sonic”, because of the waves of the sea and the music. Through our experiences, we made that release.

And now in Naples, I have a friend who is living in London, but he’s from Ischia Island, which is just near Naples. His name is Blackchild, maybe you know him. We spoke on social media little by little, and he’s sending me his tracks, and he was asking for feedback. I sincerely listened and wrote back to him. I thought he was very mainstream and I didn’t have much of a connection with mainstream. In the underground everything is your creation, your invention and you just experiment. I didn’t know why he sent it to me, but we got to know each other and we realized – “Okay, I have an opportunity to visit you. Why don’t we have a session?”

So before Christmas, I visited Ischia Island. We had a little boot camp, we listened a lot, we shared ideas and we tried to make a track. We had a very nice experience. I met his family and even his grandmother. I like that. I do the same – I’ll introduce my family to friends touring in Japan. Like the music we create, it has to be authentic. We eat the food where the locals eat. I transform something of my culture, and we see the differences and things we have in common. It is something that transcends genres and generations – to make that connection. He said he hadn’t collaborated much before, but it worked with me.

Did you end up making a mainstream record?

Well, it is a little in the middle. I asked him, “Why me? It’s not like I am a big producer.” He said, “That is why.” He told me I represented underground culture and that he wanted to know what underground was. He explained how he wanted to learn about vinyl and how it was new to him. He’s very brave. I call that courage. For me, the same. I started to go to school to study how to use the Rekordbox properly.

Oh, wow! I thought you were vinyl forever!

This is transformation time for me. Why don’t I open up to challenges? No judgment. I don’t need to judge. Everything has good points and bad points. Why limit myself to just vinyl? “So Hito, let’s do it,” I said to myself.

Totally! How do you find Rekordbox?

I prefer vinyl because I have full control over it. I’ve grown up with it and I like how it’s by hand. But I enjoy the loops, the EQ, and FX, I love that. But I realized I play different styles with different technology. I play melodic techno on vinyl and I play more tech house and deep tech on Rekordbox, which is more groovy. I get used to FX the techno way with looping and filters, so whatever genre I play, it sounds like techno. But this is life. I try new things. If I enjoy it, I take it, if I don’t, then it’s not for me.

This is the transformation of Hito!

Yes. Now, after the covid, I feel like my transformation is now. I feel like I’m growing up in a way. I am super happy to be at this stage in life. I know myself more.

EXPLORING THE VAST MUSICAL COSMOS OF BLACK SPACE

Any artist’s creativity journey is an exciting adventure, full of myriad twists and turns. Take the musical mission of Swiss producer Alvin Juvet AKA Black Space. Over the last few years, he’s developed an exciting reputation for himself on the deeper, emotional side of melodic techno on labels such as ICONYC and Hive Audio. Yet, eight years ago, his earliest endeavors were more of a tropical house and dubstep nature.

These twists and turns continue on a more nuanced level as he develops his collection of hardware synths and digs deeper and deeper into his sound and creative process. All the while juggling an intense day job in finance.

Fresh off the back of a series of releases on ICONYC – the single “Dark Har” and both “System Passant” and “Limbo” on the ICONYC 5 album – we called him up to find out more about his ongoing creative journey, his love of space and what twists and turns we can expect to enjoy next.

Ready for take-off?

Black Space: It’s definitely two different worlds. My current job is an internship as I’ve just finished my studies.

Are you on the problem-solving / analytical side of banking?

Black Space: Yes. If I have to describe in a nutshell the role I’m in, then when you see in the news that the central bank has been pumping money into the system, well, I work in the department that makes that happen or not happen.

Then making music in the evenings and DJing on the weekends. A perfect balance…

Black Space: Exactly that. But it requires a lot of organization and compromise. I say no to a lot of after-work events and even to a lot of social invitations from friends because I just want to make music. And if I don’t make music during the week, then during the weekend it’s even more complicated because I’m DJing.

The compromises one has to make to pursue a life as an artist. I was thinking that a lot of production and studio creativity is problem-solving. So, I was wondering, if you applied similar logic or solutions in the studio that you do in your day job?

Black Space: There is a lot of problem-solving, but essentially they are very different processes and ways of using your brain. During the day, being logical and having to use numbers, then coming home and making music. At points, I was finding it very difficult, but then I realized I was using the same processes and solutions, and that wasn’t the best way to do things. I have to be in a very different mindset. So now, I don’t get the bus or tram home, which gives me more time to make my mind clear from the logical reasoning and I can listen to music in the meantime and get into the right frame of mind.

Ah, good idea. What’s the scene like in Geneva?

Black Space: I’m in Zurich now, but only recently. I’d say in Zurich there are more opportunities and the city pushes you more creatively than in Geneva. But Geneva is my home town, so I have a different influence from there.

Tell us about ‘Dark Har’. Yan Menge, the singer, is an old friend of yours isn’t he?

Black Space: Yes, he’s a friend from high school. We’ve been doing music for eight years. It started with tropical house – Kygo style – and before that, it was melodic dubstep, which was quite funny. Both Yann and I have similar minds, so we both enjoy making music together.

Then I took a break for two years doing music on my own. Then I made the track “Vinsobre” on Einmusika with him, which was really nice, so we started making music again. I think “Dark Har” is a very different track for us. It's a lot darker and it was nice to record with him. It’s funny because we heavily processed his voice with lots of FX, which was a lot of fun.

Brilliant. It’s interesting how some of your earliest influences and productions were dubstep. I think it’s cool how Skrillex was a gatekeeper for a lot of artists and how people always find their own sound. You’ve gone from a very extreme sound to something a lot more subtle and emotional.

Black Space: It’s true, but when you look over everything I’ve done over the years, there’s one consistency which is the melodic aspect of each track. For example, Seven Lions was a big influence on me. He makes heavy music but still very melodic, and that was a very big inspiration for me. Also, acts like Camo & Krooked, I’m still a big fan of them now. I don’t produce it anymore, but I still listen and I am always working on my melodies.

Melodies convey emotions!

Black Space: Yes, exactly. It’s the point I try and do with my tracks – convey emotion. Sometimes melancholic, sometimes happy, it depends on the track and context.

It sounds like you’re finding your sound and groove and ability to convey emotions even more so than ever before.

Black Space: It’s funny because all the new tracks I’ve made are done with new synths I’ve just bought recently. They have character and help you create the sound you want.

Has it always been an ambition to develop a hardware collection?

Black Space: I’ve always been a geek and fascinated by technology, so I guess it was only a matter of time. I originally got a Moog Sub 37, but I realized I didn’t have the knowledge of how to use it. It’s much easier to use VSTs, but I really wanted a polyphonic. Not just as a tool for my tracks, but as an instrument to enjoy playing in my home. Then I found the brand Udo, which is based in Bristol. The point was just to have an instrument I could play without any production. Something that’s expressive.

I read in an old interview with you that you wanted to learn piano. Did you do that over lockdown?

Black Space: I play every day on this instrument, and I’m getting better, but still learning. When I was using VSTs, I was drawing notes on the computer. I knew the basic rules, but when you play with your hands, it’s very different. It’s real life. It’s faster to find the melody now. When you physically play, you can feel it and you can also feel when it’s wrong.

Yeah, that’s totally true. Are you finding a lot more happy accidents when you’re improvising?

Black Space: Yes and now I understand the pros when they say a physical instrument is different to a VST when it comes to happy little accidents because you cannot control everything. When it happens, you have to record it – that’s the magic of it.

Do you record a session and make your own samples?

Black Space: It depends. In the beginning, I was using the instrument to receive MIDI from the computer and use the sound from it. But now I record everything I do, improvising and cutting bits of the recording I like for my track. It’s more complicated to use a real instrument in a workflow because you control less, so in a five-minute take, around 90% is trash, 10% is okay, and then around 1% of that is worth using. So it’s a lot of work. But when you use VSTs, you can go, “This isn’t good,” and you can modify the parameters. You can be a lot more precise. You can hear the difference in “Dark Har”. The bass has been recorded live, so it’s a little rougher than the releases I’ve done recently on Einmusika, where the bass is more controlled and very sharp in terms of sound.

As humans we’re not all sharp though, are we? Imperfections are the soul! You’ve got a natural groove…

Black Space: Yeah, sure. I think it’s a natural balance between control and flow, because if you don’t control anything, then it’s chaos. But if you don’t flow enough, then the track hasn’t got a life of its own.

Amen! So tell us about your love for space…

Black Space: I really enjoy creating ambiance in my tracks and having sounds that really make the background of the track. That’s the space I really want to create in my production. It creates the atmosphere, sense of space, and mood in my music. I’m also obsessed with music from sci-fi films – the techniques they use are a lot like ambient music and for me, that’s also essential.

Eliciting an emotion… Like a film without a score wouldn’t have impact.

Black Space: Yes, definitely. It’s as important as the characters.

Finally, if you went to space and could only take three albums to listen to, what would they be?

Kiasmos – Kiasmos. These guys are a duo from Iceland who have had such a strong influence on me. I just love the music they made together and listen to it so much. It’s a big influence on me.

M83 – Hurry Up, We Are Dreaming. This guy makes movie soundtracks, so he understands the importance of ambiance. It’s really melancholic and emotional. This album is perfect for me. Everything I have in my tracks is inspired by this album.

Stephan Bodzin – Powers of 10. Stephan is a master of the ambiance, and I love how he mixes weird sounds with powerful basses. For me, he is the Skrillex of melodic techno. He introduced a new style in the melodic techno scene and around 2017 every tutorial was how to do the Stephan Bodzin bass. He made it famous!!

These albums are based on the experience I’ve had seeing the artists live. I’ve not seen M83, but Kiasmos and Stephan’s live shows are amazing.

GETTING TO KNOW SOUL ALT DELETE

Ctrl Alt Delete: a soft reboot. A way of disrupting functions and changing directions…

Soul Alt Delete: a hard reboot. A rising artist disrupting the status quo and forever exploring new directions…

Aged 27, the UK artist has racked up impressive Discog points with releases on labels such as ICONYC, Senso, Minds Of Sin, and City Wall, picking up the attention of key DJs along the way. Support has ranged from Maxim Lany to Faithless, by way of the inimitable Sasha, who spent last summer closing his set with Soul Alt Delete’s track “Encounter”.

Soul Alt Delete is a palette that ranges from top-gear techno to melodic progressive, and one that keeps on expanding with every release. Refusing to sit still, Soul Alt Delete’s disruptions and explorations continue with creative fervor, passion for the music, and obsession that’s partly driven by his autism. We called him up to find out his journey so far…

Let’s go back. Right back. How did you get into all of this?

Soul Alt Delete: When I was a lot younger, I played guitar. I played from age 7. Very early. I was good. I loved heavy metal and shredding, and I reached an age where I got out of it. Then, one song changed everything… "Strobe”, Deadmau5. I racked up 4000 plays on my iTunes, I loved it so much. I thought, “Wow that’s the sound I want to make.” Gradually, my guitar stayed in the cupboard, and I started exploring DJing. That must have been when I was about 13. But of course, I figured that to get ahead as a DJ, you can’t just be a DJ, you need to make records, too, right?

Getting your music out there!

Soul Alt Delete: Exactly. So I started making music and, to begin with, it was awful. But I stuck with it, and I’ve learned so much along the way. I have to say that I’ve simplified my process and I actually use Splice for all my samples. It’s probably a bit of a PR nightmare to admit that, but I’m happy to tell you.

All chefs can use the same ingredients but can come up with very different dishes!

Soul Alt Delete: That’s right. And I never build a track from a single genre of sounds. Although I usually start off with tech house drums. I remember something Ben Remember taught me at the Toolroom Academy: he said there’s one thing that people always remember in a track, it’s percussion and drums. So I’ll start off finding good samples, and then I get creative.

Do you always start with the drums?

Soul Alt Delete: Always. For me, you can’t get into the groove or get creative until you’ve got that swing. But I’m always thinking of my sound, too. What I’ve found difficult is in this industry you have to have a brand for yourself and a sound that people can identify. I want to enjoy making what I want to make, but I don’t want to confuse fans.

That’s such a fine line, isn’t it?

Soul Alt Delete: It is but I’m inspired by artists like Alan Fitzpatrick. Last year, he did this amazing Anjunadeep release. A whole album. He’s techno to the core, so if he’s got the balls to diversify to that extent, then that’s the benchmark for me. So, for example, my Senso release was very dark techno, but then, right after that, I released my ICONYC release, which is more of a progressive sound. That’s the way to do it. The really good artists are the ones who do all of the styles but have that one identifiable brand.

I guess it depends on mindset, in terms of which style you explore when you’re creating…

Soul Alt Delete: Yes. And there are quite a few brands I want to play as a DJ, and I use them as inspiration. RESISTANCE, Ultra’s more underground brand, would be a dream to play, for example. Anjunadeep’s Explorations event in Albania would be an incredible place to DJ, too. So I think about those types of events and what I would love to play at those events and then create from there. To have a vision before you start making the track is really important for me. It’s helpful to know what boundaries I want the track to exist in before I start, and then I use that as inspiration.

Who inspires you?

Soul Alt Delete: Many people, but I have to say that, without my dad, I definitely wouldn’t be where I am. Having a father figure has been essential to me. Even when it’s down to things like teaching me that the world isn’t a nice place. I can count on one hand how many times he’s told me “Well done,” and that’s taught me I don’t have to work just to get a “well done.” He’s taught me resilience and perseverance.

Yeah, not seeking instant gratification I guess? You’re seeking things for your own benefit and not for “likes,” which are the social media equivalent of “well done,” aren’t they?

Soul Alt Delete: Definitely. For me, I’ve noticed there are three stages to success. The first stage is when you start and people support you because you’re trying something new. Then you get to the next stage where you’re doing well, but people step back because you’re doing alright for yourself. Now, if your dad hasn’t prepared you for that moment when people you expect to support you no longer support everything, then you’re not ready for the final stage of success, which is when you’ve made it and everyone wants to know you again. I feel I’m at that second stage, and I need to reach that next stage. So my dad’s job was not to be my best mate but to teach me to be resilient.

Success can breed contempt in some situations…

Soul Alt Delete: Perhaps. Things change, don’t they? I’d hang out with people and it would be about partying and not being serious, but when you want to do something different or more ambitious, then some people want to keep you at their level. It’s the “crabs in a bucket” mentality. Of course, I do have friends, and I thank them for being very loyal, but certainly, recent successes have led to change in my social circle. But it’s okay. Something the guy who invented Dell Computers said once stuck with me – “Celebrate your successes for a microsecond.” Even though Oliver Huntemann has signed me, ICONYC has signed me, and Sasha’s playing my tunes, I can’t celebrate this. I don’t want to be complacent at all or it’ll pass. I think that’s something my autism has taught me, too.

Can you tell us more about your autism?

Soul Alt Delete: For me, I have the perfect balance – I have the chaos of the autistic mind but enough mental stability to be social and operate in the world.

Autism can be like a superpower or a super skill in a sense, can’t it?

Soul Alt Delete: Yes, but this changes a lot from day to day. You wake up some days and think, “Wow, I’ve got this amazing talent.” But on the same hand, you do feel like your outcast because you can’t relate to people and show emotional empathy or understand what they’re feeling. I was explaining to a girl I’m seeing that I do have trouble understanding when I’ve upset someone.

Does it affect how people have treated you in the industry?

Soul Alt Delete: Sometimes. I go to a lot of conferences, and I’ve met some amazing people, and they understand me and how I behave. But other people treat you like you’re a complete idiot. The same people who often promote peace and love on their platforms. It’s not fair to treat someone badly because they’re not like you, or you have something in your head that makes you think differently.

I find conferences difficult. Lots of disingenuous conversations.

Soul Alt Delete: I’ve slowly learned the art of doing conferences right. The cool people always end up meeting. You have to sift through shysters to meet the real people. At the end of the day, it is business. I’ve paid a lot of money to be there, so why talk to someone who can’t help my career? That might seem cold, but it’s business. There’s a fine line between being rude and being professional. “Great to meet you, have a nice time, enjoy yourself.” Manners go a long way. Be polite, be persistent and you’ll be recognized. My dad taught me that too.

It's true. So on to your music… ‘City Walls’ is where you found your groove and made yourself known to the world, wasn’t it?

Soul Alt Delete: Yeah, Ross Haper has been amazing. We met at Phonox, I wanted to give Len Faki a USB and Ross was there early too. We got talking in the smoking area talking about philosophy, art, religion, and even touched on music. Later on, he gave me his card and told me he ran a label so I gave him some tunes. He came back saying, “These are amazing, I’ll sign these.”

At the time, I wasn’t getting signed, and I thought I sucked, and the releases started to flow from there. The first one was a dark techno Berlin-style warehouse record which wasn’t an immediate success, but my second release, "Encounter,” did really well. Maxim Lany played it on his stream in front of a plane at a massive airport, and it took off. My next release on the label Borneo Function did well too. It got picked up by Faithless, Anthony Pappa, and Maxim again, too, which has been an amazing way to get my music out there. I owe a lot to Ross.

When did Sasha start playing your music?

That was my short album, Arrival. Ross messaged me saying Sasha had played it on one of his Last Night On Earth podcasts, and then he played it as his last track at an event in Liverpool. Getting his approval was insane. You start off in the bedroom and your parents think you’re a loser wasting your time, and then one of the biggest DJs in the world says your music is ready. It’s given me a lot of confidence. To have that type of break has been a blessing.

What a great summer for it because everyone was appreciating the rave so much post lockdown…

Soul Alt Delete: Yeah, that’s right! It’s great to hear a track played in a stream is amazing, but at a live show, it’s a whole other animal. It was a live show with real people and the last track as well, so a bit of a moment. To know he thought it was good enough to finish my set with is a great feeling.

Absolutely. So how about the ‘Network’ release on Oliver Huntemann’s Senso? How did that come about?

Soul Alt Delete: It took them seven months to get back to me, I was thinking, “This is going nowhere.” My parents were suggesting I get a job. Then they got in touch and said “He likes the tracks, he’s going to download them and play them over the weekend. If he likes them he’ll sign them.” There was a tense couple of days, then on Monday, they called me and said he liked them, and I did a backflip. I’ve listened to Senso releases since 2013, I’d say it’s one of my primary inspirations. Hatzler, Andre Winter, Dubfire, Joseph Capriati… They’ve all been on the label. It’s ridiculous. The whole team is super cool and it made the whole experience so easy. It’s a beautiful feeling.

How about your ICONYC release?

They found me through my music, with “City Wall” being on their playlist. I sent music across and they liked the sound. I’d gone for an ARTBAT / Eric Prydz progressive house sound on this one, and it came just in time for the fifth-anniversary album. I followed that with “Words Not Spoken,” it’s a very heartfelt release, I dug deep and really got in touch with my emotions on it.

We’ve come full circle… You’re exploring and developing your sound.

Soul Alt Delete: Yeah, definitely, and I will always be seeing how I can push it and develop it. Right now, I’m really inspired by the ARTBAT sound. Their Circle set really blew me away, it’s a new, fresh sound that I’m enjoying exploring. It’s more musical and that’s inspiring. I think we’re going to enjoy a lot of musical, progressive music now.

Do you think that’s an effect post-lockdown?

I think the whole time in our lives gave producers time to shine. DJing got reduced to a live stream setting, which wasn’t as fun, so it gave listeners more time to listen and producers more time to shine. Guys like Ben Bohmer, who’ve really broken through during that time, pretty much play their own music when they DJ. He’s created his own sound to such a degree that he doesn’t have to play anyone else’s music. Yotto as well on Anjunadeep. Artists like these guys have created their own entity, their own thing. That’s inspiring and that’s where I want to be…