ROMAN KYN: EXPLORING SUNSETS OVER TOKYO

A citizen of the world, Roman Kyn is a music composer, vocalist, and electronic producer whose music is grounded by an underlying ethos to combine sonic realms with meticulous care. Roman’s sound marries a steady rhythmic ritual with a rich melodic journey. A strong aesthetic is injected into his live performances, combining live instrumental improvisation and the manipulation of modern machines.

Fresh from an inspiring vacation in the vibrant and buoyant city that is Tokyo, reserved French storyteller Roman Kyn links up with Type < / 01 to talk in-depth about the solar movements that inspired his new EP on ICONYC, his intricate workflow, his ability to translate complex experiences into music, and more.

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

Hey! Thank you! All good over here in Paris, enjoying some nice weather and really excited about the release of my new EP for ICONYC.

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

Great actually, because this is a very important EP for me. Both tracks in the EP share a rather similar creative process in terms of sound, but they are directed to different audiences. The first cut is clearly more club-oriented, while the second provides more of a listening experience, which is something I have been wanting to do for a while now.

Digging into the record, there seems to be a sense of hope in the lyrics for “Exploding Sunsets”. What’s the emotional trigger here? How did this one come about?

I believe it’s a very simple feeling, but yet very powerful. It’s about when you’re facing something very beautiful but melancholic in a way, and still finding the “good” in it. It’s the same motif that is used in “Tell Me Why” as well. See, I record a lot of videos, and recently I recorded a sunset while in Tokyo, very high up, and I was inspired by that. For the lyrics, I was imagining something very apocalyptic. I believe there’s some beauty in that. But, like with most music, maybe it’ll mean something else to someone else, and I’m cool with that.

And on the flip side, “Tell Me Why” almost resembles a sort of “built-for-radio” kind of tune. Where did you learn to manage and understand the sensitivity required to pull this one off? I mean, it’s a bit of a different ball game when compared to “conventional” electronic dance music.

Well, when I was younger, I used to write a lot with the guitar and piano. Also, I had bands, and another project with my brother, so that helped to understand music from a different standpoint.

Of course, the music is very personal, but when thinking about club music, I always picture myself playing it live, and imagining the reaction of the crowd and the moment. So that’s kind of how I know that whatever I’m doing will work, or not. But for “Tell Me Why”, it was totally intentional. It’s something that I'm starting to implement more and more on new tracks, and in the end, it leads to more powerful and personal songs for me.

We know that you kinda grew up all over the globe, including Chile, Mexico, Belgium, and Spain. How did this shape your musical taste? Do you still keep up with the music that’s coming out of those scenes?

To be honest, I don’t think it had an impact in a regular way, like getting into this or that sound or vibe. It's more about adapting to different cultures and constant changes, which in turn translates into consuming a broad palette of sounds. So I draw inspiration from many places, but I can’t really say that I have been inspired by the scenes themselves.

And in terms of music production, you’re self-thought, right? Do you remember the moment when you decided you’d take a swing at music production?

Well, discovering that I could do it all myself was very liberating. Obviously, having been in bands, I know that sharing ideas is great, and good things can come out of that interaction. I was a massive fan of The xx, and seeing how this band used electronic elements to do the work of more people was amazing. I guess that was the moment, and it’s been more than 10 years since then.

So, 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'd say there has been a philosophy that I have pursued throughout the years, which is bringing a band sound to the club. So I have always evolved around this concept. But getting to a place where I’m happy was a very exponential process, and I have a feeling that these past two years have been very important in terms of sounding how I want and the development of that. In that sense, “Tell Me Why” is very personal, and represents me very much. It's a tough process. You share your music and everyone will have a different opinion, but I have become very stubborn in the past years in terms of fighting for what I believe, so I know how to shut the noise out when it’s needed.

In terms of the sound itself, everything goes in cycles, and indie dance has that sort of 80s feel. Bringing in stuff from the past to the future and finding a new purpose for it…that is something that excites me.

From what I understand, you usually finish your tracks within a certain window of time. Why is that? Is it because of how hard it might be to replicate the feeling that motivated you to sit down in the first place?

Yeah. I tend to work really fast, but I think all the main creative stuff has to hold up. I work like that because, if I don’t, I’m probably going to overthink, and then doubt sets in, and I just sort of derail from there.

I know others like to take their time, but it doesn’t really work for me. I have a few folders with projects in different stages, so every now and then, I have listening sessions to determine which ideas I’m going to work with, which helps me keep the process interesting.

Since you tend to play “live”, is this something that you have to take into consideration when producing music? Do you ever go like “Nah, this is too convoluted for me to play it live on my own”?

Honestly, no, never…Maybe on the vocals, that’s the only place where I feel like it might become a limitation. The thing is…I’ll always have to pick parts, I can’t do it all on my own. But I’m OK with that. Sometimes, I’ll even end up with different versions of the same track because of things I had to adjust. But the trick is that everything that I write is always played out, so the origins of the idea are very hands-on, very organic. So they come from a “real” place.

As you mentioned before, you have just spent almost a month in Japan. Was this your first time in the country? I always thought that it would be a sort of alienating experience. Have you ever felt like that before anywhere around the world?

It was my second time, actually. I visited last year. I have friends with an amazing music studio. It’s super inspiring, and a perfect place to have a break.

And yeah, it’s completely like that. Everything is amazing, and people don't speak much English, so navigating this is so much fun. The first time, I did a tour of 2 or 3 weeks, and I was very lost. But I still managed to do the trip, met some lovely people, and had a blast. There’s a “zen-state” in being lonely. A lot of people go out and eat alone. Some restaurants even have seating for one. And there’s this thing about taking your time for quality, which is something that doesn’t happen around the world. Maybe a cookie bakery will only do 5 cookies a day, but they might be the best in town. And there’s pride in that. Some don’t need more than that.

Speaking about traveling…I know it might be hard to put into words, but how does all this traveling translate into the music that you make? I mean, it’s something that is rarely channeled through a local instrument, right?

For me, it’s an emotional trigger. Different places trigger different emotions, like the inspiration for “Exploding Sunsets”, which has a great juxtaposition of in terms of emotions. It's like taking a photo of a particular moment and translating it into music. It can be something simple, like watching from the window plane as it takes off after a great gig. It's about embracing moments. Personally, I like to take tons of videos and pictures, which I might then upload to Ableton and that serves me as a guide.

Having gone over the recent past and the present, what’s next for Roman Kyn? What new milestones are you looking forward to?

Releasing more music, definitively. My last release was almost a year ago, and that’s just too much time. So I'm going to amp the frequency in terms of that. Also, I’d like to play some bigger shows, so we are preparing for that. A major milestone would be to be able to keep on releasing more of this music that is not really “club-oriented” while still adapting it for the club-oriented live set.

Thank you for your time Roman! Best of luck with Exploding Sunsets. Catch you soon!

Thank you guys for sharing your time with me and for this wonderful interview. Much appreciated. See you around!

Roman Kyn’s Exploding Sunsets EP is out now via ICONYC. Purchase your copy here.

PIETRO CASELLA: SHAPING AN ICONYC FUTURE

Exuding that classical Italian-made confidence, Pietro Casella has abruptly risen through the ranks in the electronic dance music industry. Despite being just 27, Casella is smart beyond his years and has already spearheaded brands such as Adriatique’s Siamese to the upper echelons of the circuit. Now, back in Milan following a formative stint in the cold nights of London, Pietro is a precocious visionnaire called to imagine an exciting tomorrow for John Johnson’s ICONYC as its new A&R in this new phase for the imprint.

Join Type < / 01 Magazine for a distended conversation with the reserved, yet poignant Pietro Casella as we link up to discuss the future of ICONYC, his understanding of electronic dance music, views on the current state of the industry, limiting inspiration, and more.

Thank you for being with us Pietro. Are you ready? Let’s take this one all the way back to its origins…How and when did you first come in contact with electronic dance music? What was it about it that caught your attention?

There wasn't really a specific moment or situation that I am able to recollect now, yet what I have always been able to track was indeed a method, a personal approach, my way to engage with music in general from the very beginning till now. Furthermore, I must say the emotive exchange with the subject has also remained intact and intense through time. I guess, the focus on electronic music and its multiple shades eventually just settled and narrowed definitely after quite some different musical phases I went through, which were very far from one another and totally disconnected, but in some way turned out to result complementary and precious for my actual knowledge, which continuously shapes.

Through the years, surely something came from a more direct and physical approach, such as clubbing or personal sensorial experiences, but I'd say that most of the feelings, both positive and negative, the passion, the curiosity, and a sort of necessity I feel towards music still just develops within myself, in a very introversive way. I just never really feel satiated, neither in control nor dominant about it, as in a continuous yet beautiful sort of submission to this art, specifically.

Are those feelings still there? Or have your views on electronic dance music changed over the years as you dove deeper into the industry?

Tough one. As said before, feelings are somehow just untouched and undamaged and still a valid reason for me to pursue this in whatever possible way, including the professional one. Honestly, what's been changing for me are just the sources or specific scenarios that allow me to consume my emotions, whatever they are in the moment.

Regarding the actual scene, I am totally aware that things are and must be happening on a larger scale than ever before or that I was used to. However, it often does occur to me to remember the recent past with a sort of melancholy and I still tend to enjoy the more intimate sides of it. I would say that work, thinking through the creative process, and all that happens behind the curtains are surely included there.

We do seem to cling to the past more often than not…Are you aware when this happens to you? Do you automatically tend to discard the past when trying to look forward?

Well, the comparison is always there. I mean, if you’re not doing well at the moment, but you look back to “happier” days, then, yeah, that’s probably going to affect you. In a way, I’m always tied up to the past. I do try to move forward, but, eventually, I’ll return to that which was good for me. Like music. I always listen to the new stuff but might find myself stuck to an old record. I think it's about how we can tie and connect things from the past back to the future.

Everything moves so fast these days that I don’t think that we have time to appreciate or understand the present, and it kind of slips from our hands. I tend to suffer from this, so things like retrospect are good tools that add value to what we do.

Speaking about understanding the present…You have already managed some top-tier brands. So, what was it that drew you to ICONYC?

Embracing the ICONYC project felt quite natural and smooth to me. Circumstances might change around us, but I think in this field, keeping intrigued and stimulated is the key. As renovation is one of the label's focal points for the future, that's basically where my needs and wants match with the other part. I am very grateful and pleased to take up this opportunity.

And now you’re poised to usher in a new era for ICONYC. What’s your vision for the future of the label?

In the very end, it is all about making records and music. From my side, it's about stating my vision through something that does not belong to me directly and at the same time giving back a suitable and dedicated space for talented artists to express their vision. I really hope that anyone who interacts or works with ICONYC will be able to feel that.

So, how would you like people to perceive ICONYC in the coming months?

In a way, this ties back to the approach I take. For now, I can tell you that every release will be different from the last. However, there is a phantom thread connecting what we have planned. The main idea is to push music that is both functional to the dancefloor, and something that could be understood and appreciated by merely listening in a more intimate and chilled situation. It’s more about a “feeling” than anything else. I’m not really trying to force anything in particular. You’ll find quite a broad range of sounds in the coming months, and not everyone will like what we do, but we know that’s part of the game as well.

As an A&R, would you say “genres” limit labels and stifle innovation? Or is it all about having people know what to expect?

From my personal experience…I grew up as a big fan of labels like Ninja Tune, Innervisions, City Slang, Warp Records, XL, and Music From Memory, to name a few. In a way, I was dragged around by the music. Without much expectation, other than finding quality music, these labels pushed me to new things.

The fact is that I have grown since my early days as an A&R. A while back, I might have heard something, and if I didn’t “get it” right away, I would have dismissed it. Now, I understand that context is not EVERYTHING, but a quite important and sensible key factor. Call it personal growth and evolution, I guess. I feel like I used to be really selective of what I was hearing at that particular moment. Today, I understand that what I might not like is probably down to the context it was presented. So now I try to listen beyond that, imagining how things might work given different scenarios.

So, is it all about the music these days? Or do you also take into account the artist and how the artist is portrayed?

Honestly, I listen to every demo sent to me. Every day, every week. I really have no personal preference. You know, if the music is a 10, then it’s a 10. But that is a truly rare occurrence. And, at the end of the day, this is also a business, so when it comes down to the wire, we do look at everything. But I will never seek to change someone’s nature. If I know someone is not the most active on social media, I can’t really expect much from that artist on that particular front, can I?

Taking this into consideration, what are some of the most important things you’ve learned so far as an A&R? Have you ever passed on a song that went on to become a hit?

Yeah. I have. At most labels, decisions are taken in groups, so most of them are rarely unilateral. One has to also keep in mind that, a lot of times, running a label goes beyond just selecting the right music, so there’s a certain “flow” to consider. However, I’d say that this is an extremely intuitive area. When I see that everything is there, then I don’t question it too much, I just go with it.

Where do you go for inspiration? Are there other brands that have had some sort of success that you seek to replicate?

I mainly love these simple drawn-out ambient sounds and industrial sonorities that seem to set a story to music and leave me enough space to fill the whole with my imagination, simultaneously and accordingly. About it, at the minute I am digging Mica Levi, Oliver Coates, and Clint Mansell.

What’s your take on the current landscape? Can you visualize any coming changes in the coming months or years?

Honestly, I listen to a rather copious amount of records. There’s still music that I like….but I would say that most of it is out of the spotlight, in the shadows. But that’s because I listen to a lot of music, so it’s easier to feel “disenchanted” by certain things. I don’t really like much of the industry nowadays, but there are gems around, that’s for sure. It’s a matter of perception, but there’s always value to it.

Unfortunately, most of it has become super commercial or trend-driven. It’s hard to find the good stuff. The music isn’t front and center anymore. Today, at least at festivals, it all relies on big LED screens. I’m not saying that the music is not enough anymore, but I’d say that the answer lies somewhere in the middle. I’m certain that if you take the screens away, people would still dance. The music is good, we’re just overloading our senses, and that is what takes away some of the inherent magic that the music has to offer. It’s just harder to connect in that way these days. Like Icarus, we’re flying very close to the sun, and we will eventually burn up. But that’s a good thing. The big names will evolve, and move on to bigger things. And, in turn, there will be space for more creative-minded individuals and forward-thinking labels. I’m certain some fads will come to an end in the near future.

A last one then before we let you go…As an A&R, what’s your take on AI? Are things gonna change for the worse?

This is something I haven’t really concerned myself with. There’s a natural selection with my process, so I just happen to find most things organically. I tend to work with certain names and people who absolutely love the craft, so I know where things and ideas are sourced from. So it’s not something that I have had to work around or with. But if I do find out, I might be put off. I’m more of a traditional guy…

WHOMADEWHO SHARE THEIR CREATIVE PROCESS

Name: WhoMadeWho
Members: Jeppe Kjellberg (guitar), Tomas Barfod (drums), Tomas Høffding (vocals, bass)
Occupation: Songwriters, performers, producers Nationality: Danish

Where does the impulse to create something come from for you? What role do often-quoted sources of inspiration like dreams, other forms of art, personal relationships, politics, etc play?

In terms of making a track, we often try to start with an architectural approach. Try to make a specific type of beat, with very concrete references that we listen to. Then we basically try to imitate elements of the reference track and fail. End up making something completely different. But that’s the key! To get the creative process started and to dive into our personal WhoMadeWho area.

Afterward, when composing a vocal, I personally love diving into the subconscious. It’s very interesting to just put on the track while the microphone is turned on and start singing. Singing whatever comes to mind. Fragments of words, and melodies. From 2 or 3 of those openminded sessions, I can normally dig out a nice melody and also some words that sound good have an emotional impact, and connect to the track. Thereafter we have a fundament and start creating the narrative from that. Unless, of course, Tomas Høffding made something even better, or we decide to keep it instrumental. (laughs)

"Oblivion" –  a track that went through a process from me testing new plug-ins on my computer, creating some nice chords and a mumbling melody, then forwarding it to Tomas Barfod, who made it more structured and finished. The lyrics were very unfinished but with the phrase “I can remember” in there as a a key part, it was easy to create the lyrics combining personal memories from love life and childhood, with my own fear of ending up like my grand-dad with dementia, not able to remember anything. Easy. Afterwards, Mano Le Tough managed to lift the production and lyrics to another level.

For you to get started, do there need to be concrete ideas – or what some have called a 'visualization' of the finished work? What does the balance between planning and chance look like for you?

We like to be very focused about being playful and we like taking chances in the creative phase. Over the years, we have learned to be serious about not being too serious. It’s a paradox, but it has helped us a lot during the years.

We started out the first years of the band by being extremely laissez-faire about everything, and we had a lot of fun. Got to travel the world and experienced a lot of success from that, being one of the first “live bands” to start playing in the clubs. We were at that time missing out on a lot of things because we just wanted to travel, play, and party.

Then, at some point, we decided to become more professional and focused. That was an interesting experiment. We focused more on deeper songwriting with more developed lyrics. Making the production cleaner and more tight and thought through. Getting a bigger crew and tour busses, etc, while musically crossing over to the indie scene. Playing more regular pop/rock shows, with a very structured set, etc ... It was fun for a while, but I guess we felt too much responsibility and pressure being in that position somehow. Also, it ended up being too stiff for us in a way, and we got a little stressed about it all. Therefore we decided to change our ways again.

Especially, after playing a specific US tour in 2017, we followed up our live set with some freer and more open-minded DJ sets. The crowd really enjoyed us jamming on the DJ set, and we felt a strong internal excitement about this more fresh and open-minded concept. Playing Burning Man on The Mayan Warrior ArtCar in 2018, was the epiphany. Being more experimental and trippy, while at the same time keeping the dance elements underneath.

That show at Burning Man was not in any way planned, it just happened along the way. Like many good creative things.

Is there a preparation phase for your process? Do you require your tools to be laid out in a particular way, for example, do you need to do 'research' or create 'early versions'?

We try to make as many songs as possible at the beginning of the recording process. No filter, just composing tracks and top lines all the time. Then, after some months we stop and do status. Discussing what to trash and what to keep. Then we open up for the next round of songwriting. We're repeating this process many times during the making of an album. In round two, we might also want to work further on the “keepers”. It’s a Darwinistic race somehow. Survival of the strongest songs.

"Tell Me Are We" – This track was a nice instrumental that we made, but couldn’t find a melody for. Then we sent it to Rampa, along with top lines for a lot of different other songs, and he magically finished the track with a vocal from a different instrumental. Classic WhoMadeWho, random magic.

Do you have certain rituals to get you into the right mindset for creating? What role do certain foods or stimulants like coffee, lighting, scents, exercise, or reading poetry play?

We all like to start early in the studio with a coffee for starting up the energy. We all do 16-hour fasting and work out 4-5 times a week with different intensity. I personally like reading Danish poetry at the moment for my own inspiration. Almost every morning, my father will also send me a quote from either poetry, hymns, or cartoons. I love the words.

What do you start with? How difficult is that first line of text, the first note?

We often start up discussing what we want to do that day. Like, what type of track we want to do. A classic start is us beginning with a beat from Tomas B, then we add the chords, synth basses, and guitars, ending up with an instrumental that we can do vocals for in each of our studios. Tomas H sometimes also brings a composition to the “bunker”, and then TB will deconstruct it.

Once you've started, how does the work gradually emerge?

It’s an ongoing process. Some songs are done in 20 minutes others can take years to finish.

"Closer" – This is a co-op with Artbat. They asked us for an intimate emotional vocal for their instrumental. Once the melody was made, the song was done intuitively without hesitation. I love it when music evolves effortlessly like that.

Many writers have claimed that as soon as they enter into the process, certain aspects of the narrative are out of their hands. Do you like to keep strict control over the process or is there a sense of following things where they lead you?

The songs often have their own life. If you have a present experience in mind or something concrete to write about (without making it too obvious), that vision/thought can somehow also lead you through the songwriting and drive the narrative.

The process is different for every track. Sometimes the narrative takes control randomly, other times it’s the opposite. We push through with a clear vision/idea.

Often, while writing, new ideas and alternative roads will open themselves up, pulling and pushing the creator in a different direction. Does this happen to you, too, and how do you deal with it? What do you do with these ideas?

It happens all the time that alternative roads occur. Since we are a trio with 3 strong personalities, we push each other on a daily basis. It's very normal. Sometimes, for instance, a person can bring a song to the table, feeling really good about it, while the two other bandmates might just accept a small element and turn it into a completely different track. These changes of direction are the beauty and sometimes also the curse of playing in a three-piece band with a flat hierarchy.

There are many descriptions of the creative state. How would you describe it for you personally? Is there an element of spirituality to what you do?

I do have a humble awareness of our connections to the universe. Call it superstition, or what you like. I just really like if the numbers are right … I also want to believe that all the random things we experience have a deeper meaning and that we all need to open ourselves to the gifts we are given.

Especially in the digital age, the writing and production process tends toward the infinite. What marks the end of the process? How do you finish a work?

Deadlines!

"Abu Simbel" – This track we were very happy about but didn’t really feel the vocals on it. One day before the deadline, Rampa kept pushing us to the very last second to make it stronger. Then out of nowhere, Tomas Høffding came up with this amazing melody. If we hadn’t had that deadline, I'm not sure that it would have happened.

I think a deadline is essential. Like that, the music becomes a sign of the moment when it is done. We all change all the time, and so do our ideals, and aesthetics also change with time. So if we didn’t have deadlines, I'm afraid that our songs would just pile up and never be finished properly.

Once a piece is finished, how important is it for you to let it lie and evaluate it later on? What's your take on the role and importance of production, including mixing and mastering for you personally? How involved do you get in this?

It is a very important matter, I know. But I am not really getting into it. I am deeply involved in the construction of the music. The notes, the rhythms, the lyrics, etc. I am so privileged that our drummer Tomas Barfod is an amazing producer/mixer and in conjunction with external Mix/Master colleagues, I feel that I am in the best hands. On this album, we are working closely with Rampa from Germany, and he is also very inspirational to work with in this matter.

After finishing a piece or album and releasing something into the world, there can be a sense of emptiness. Can you relate to this – and how do you return to the state of creativity after experiencing it?

After the deadline, there are definitely mixed feelings. A sense of relief on the one hand, and on the other hand, that deep sense of emptiness. I think it's very normal for songwriters to feel that post-deadline blues, still it gets me down every time …

I guess we need to do something else after such a deadline. Normally this will be touring the world and meeting new people. That helps a lot and sparks the creativity back in the body. Time off is definitely needed after such a musical marathon.

Creativity can reach many different corners of our lives. Do you personally feel as though writing a piece of music is inherently different from something like making a great cup of coffee? What do you express through music that you couldn't or wouldn't do in more “mundane” tasks?

I don't think writing music is different from any other job. I deeply respect people who put effort and focus into their job. Any job. Being a barista takes super skills. Awesome. Someone taking out all of our garbage with a smile on their face. Super awesome. Teachers taking care of all the misbehaving children for a lousy paycheck. And so on.

I think we are all obligated to put ourselves to optimum use. We need to feel a fundamental sense of happiness and purpose in life. And like that, we are all connected. Unfortunately, I don't have so many skills in life apart from music, which is my element. I like to express emotions through the music. Big beautiful emotions. In my daily life at home or in the studio, I am more in contact with the raw versions.

It's way easier in poetry than in real life.

CREDITS: Original Interview courtesy of 15 Questions

IN CONVERSATION: MONIKA KRUSE

Revered techno figurehead Monika Kruse's talent and dedication made her one of the world's most highly-respected DJs and producers, who has inspired many in her 25-year-long career. She started the Terminal M label in 2000, and it remains one of the most consistently outstanding techno labels. Monika Kruse joined us for Familia's 5th Birthday celebrations with her label showcase. We briefly chatted with Techno's First Lady… 

You've played the piano since an early age, subsequently training your ear and leading to where you are now in your career. Is current or previous experience with a musical instrument essential learning for a budding producer? 

It's not essential, but it definitely helps. I was learning classical piano when I first started my training and later Jazz; my knowledge of harmonizing and how it affects the way music sticks in your head has given me more space to improvise on my productions and also how I put my feelings into a track. Many artists fall into the trap of perfectionism in their work, from the tracks they produce to the selection and mixing techniques throughout their DJ sets. 

Do you ever fall into this 'perfectionist' category with music production and DJing? How do you overcome something that's arguably a slightly negative way of working? 

Oh, ha, that's an excellent question! I am 100% a perfectionist; I'm rarely satisfied with my sets, and sometimes, I go home and think, "Ah, I could have done this better". This way of thinking is helpful to me; if every time I played, I was satisfied, it would mean I hadn't given myself room for improvement. The pressure now is higher these days than ever due to social media. Everyone is recording you with their phones, or you're being live-streamed, and once it's out there, it's out there. Producing it is hard, as I always feel the track needs to be finished. Still, it is essential to let go of the feeling of perfectionism and, at one point, to release the track.

With news of political upheaval in the daily headlines, tell us about your charity 'No Historical Backspin', and how this combats racism and violence.

I founded this organization in the year 2000 when there was lots of violence against refugees, but also against gay people. Some of my gay friends were getting attacked on the streets after parties, and when DJ Rush was assaulted because he was black, I strongly felt I had to speak out and do something about this. If I went to the club with a message or threw a party with this in mind, people might start to think and dance. I remember a few occasions where we met some really right-wing people at the party (which was good) because we were able to have a discussion and say, "Hey if we can all show love on the dancefloor, why can't we show love off it?" and that's really what the mission is. At a Backspin party, all the DJs play for free, and all the money raised goes to victims of these attacks, usually paying for lawyers or medical bills. We've now raised over € 100,000, so I'm thrilled.

Tell us about living in Berlin, the best place for crate digging, the most outrageous club space, your favorite bar, and the best place for a meal after a night DJing or just enjoying the city's nightlife. 

Hard Wax is definitely top for records; they have a lot of Detroit stuff you can't get in many other shops; it's extraordinary. Unfortunately, many good stores have closed because of the record crisis, which is a real pity. The best place to get a late dinner or an early breakfast is at home. I like to cook; I can make some noodles and then get straight into bed! 

You're no stranger to playing at Familia parties here in Egg; this is your third booking with the Familia clan. What's so special about this party makes you want to return each time?

The thing about Familia and Egg is that we are good friends. I've known Gabby since I DJed at Trade, and now I'm here for Familia. This party, this club, is really about family. If I play abroad, you guys will always come along to my show; you stay in contact even if I'm not playing here; that means a lot to me. This industry is now just about business, but you guys make it more than that. I'm grateful you allowed me to showcase my label here and invite artists who have never played in London, like tonight with Skober. You trust and support me, my artists, and my belief in them.

Credit:

Orginal Intwerview by Egg London:

https://www.egglondon.co.uk/news/interview-monika-kruse

BUTCH: THE MAN AMONG STUDIOS, FESTIVALS, GIGS AND CARRIER PIGEONS

Bülent Gürler has been living and breathing music for a few decades now and through the years, his impeccable and sophisticated production style, world-class and highly potent DJ skills, and a striking signature charm have not lost their luster. Though it took him some time to come into his Butch moniker, the Mainz-based DJ/producer has owned his name, its meaning, and the versatile, ever-relevant, genre-bending music attached to it.

Well-loved by house and techno music lovers alike, for his music, charming aura, and convincing sense of humor, not everyone, or anyone for that matter, has what it takes to be the Butch of today’s music scene. Constantly in between studios, festivals, gigs, and carrier pigeons, it’s hard to pin Butch down, but luckily, shortly after the release of his and C.Vogt’s heavy-hitting tune “Desire” on Gerd Janson’s Running Back, Torture the Artist was able to get a few words, a little secret, and surely a bunch of jokes, from a man 1.240 kilometers away from his home.

Hello Bülent. What is sitting (or standing) in front of you right now? How far away are you from home?

Butch: In front of me is the wall of a hotel room. In front of that is my laptop on which I am typing right now. I’m in Barcelona tonight, roughly 257 hours by walk- simply 1.240 kilometers – away from my home.

Thanks for that utmost precision! Which track of yours best describes your mood now? We can’t ask most artists this question but as you have been a track-spewing machine over the years, you can’t skip it.

Butch: “Amnesia Haze”, because I have just woken up from a lovely nap and am super relaxed, looking forward to my gig later!

The summer just wrapped up, how did the season go for you? What did you spend the most time doing? Any special trips or experiences that stand out?

Butch: I was on tour most of the time. What stood out were my own parties, ‘OTHERSIDE’, at the underground club Grießmühle in Berlin and my gigs at CircoLoco Ibiza in DC10.

Before we dig into the music, we’re curious about the story behind Butch. First of all, why the Butch moniker?

Butch: For nearly 10 years I had been making music and slowly, finally, things were starting to click. I had a release coming up, signed by Riley for Trapez and I was excited! But I had a problem. I wasn’t using my old DJ name anymore and I needed a new name fast. Riley kept on getting on my nerves and I kept avoiding his calls. One evening he said: You have until tomorrow, otherwise we can’t put the record out anymore! That evening I watched Pulp Fiction and Bruce Willis’ character is asked what his name – Butch – means. He answers: “I’m American honey, our names don’t mean shit!” I loved that. A name that doesn’t mean anything, I just wanted my music to speak. So I called Riley and told him: “I have a name!”

Where did you grow up and how did you get into music? Did a musical career court you for a while or did you fall in love at first sight? When did this love affair all begin?

Butch: I grew up watching HipHop movies, fell in love with the DJ culture and graffiti and all that. My brother listened to Techno, so I got into that as well. And in the ‘90s, I got started, first DJing and then making beats on the computer. And by then I was obsessed, I just did what I did because I loved it.

It seems like parties come naturally to you. Do you go out often? Can you name some of your favorite venues?

Butch: I don’t really go out anymore, because I have such a full tour schedule. I love going to the location before my gig if I get the chance and checking out my colleagues, though.

Techno heads love your music, house lovers and most others do too, being able to create such versatile and relevant music must start from your foundations. Who were your musical inspirations growing up? Whether or not you agree with genres, what influences would you say, most drive your direction and style?

Butch: The only reason I am so versatile in my productions is because I am even more versatile as a music fan and listener. I genuinely listen to many, many different types of music and don’t really know what influences me consciously.

Rumor has it you are a visual artist type as well, Grafitti ring a bell? What are some of your hidden talents?

Butch: Rumors have it that I am an excellent DJ.

The rumors have it all, supposedly. Can you imagine yourself doing anything else besides music? What was your fallback career?

Butch: I’d write children’s books.

Well, certainly you don’t need that, or any, fallback now! Besides having hundreds (how many exactly?) of productions, whether edits, originals, or collaborations, you’re a well traveled and highly requested DJ as well. How do you find enough time in the studio to keep your productivity rate incredibly high?

Butch: I treat it like a job, even though I love it like a hobby. The job part means: I am in my studio every day that I am not on tour. I stay in the studio for at least 8 hours on a normal day. That’s also my tip to aspiring producers: Inspiration comes through putting in a lot of work and time. Don’t just do it when you feel inspired. Do it to become inspired! You can quote me on your Instagram if you want to sound #deep.

Does this mean you never sleep? At some point in your long and eventful career, did you find the need to take a longer break than you had planned? Tell us the secret behind your extraordinary focus, drive, and creativity!

Butch: I’m going on my first vacation in 15 years, taking off January and February. I’m f*cking exhausted!

Speaking of DJing, you’ve played in some of the biggest festivals and venues in the world, with some of the biggest names in electronic music. How do you maintain that signature Butch charisma? Do you ever feel stage fright?

Bucth: I only started experiencing stage fright when I became more well-known. I think the rising expectations do that to me. But I guess I just need to remind myself that I’ve been DJing for more than 20 years now and that I’m as ready as I’ll ever be and then simply go out and have a fun time!

Throughout your long career as a DJ, can you think of your favorite moment/s at the DJ booth? Which cities did you enjoy playing in most?

Butch: Man, there are too many moments. I loved those milestones: Playing in the Cocoon Club for the first time back in the day or the first time I had a gig overseas. It was an amazing experience flying somewhere and getting to play in a foreign country. Those memories will last me a lifetime.

You’ve collaborated, including remixing or being remixed, with some of the biggest names in both techno, house, and even tech house – Kölsch, Waff, Booka Shade, and even Ricardo Villalobos. How do those projects come about Do you find that working with other artists change you as well?

Butch: Basically those are all personal friendships, which made those collaborations come about naturally.

A few years ago, you formed ButRic with Ricardo Villalobos and released some tracks, will we see more projects in the future? Any interest in playing DJ sets with Ricardo on this moniker?

Butch: There are more ButRic tunes. We’ll see when we plan on releasing them. Everything has its time. We haven’t played a set together yet, but who knows what the future holds?

You and C. Vogt seem to have great chemistry, having worked on many tracks through the years. This year, you are releasing your EP, Desire on Gerd Janson’s Running Back records, which is already gaining a lot of traction within the dance music community. Desire seems to be made from the dance floor, by the dance floor, for the dance floor. Can you share how the idea for the project came about and how it materialized?

Butch: I came across the sample while I was going through Chris’ music collection. We were really lucky no one else had used that sample. The track basically made itself once we had the sample. The only thing that took ages was clearing the sample, I think all in all it took more than a year.

How did the track find its way onto Gerd Janson’s Running Back label?

Butch: Gerd has been a friend of mine for years now and lives roughly 30 kilometers away from me, so it was easy to send him the track, I burnt a CD and sent him my carrier pigeon. He has been playing this tune for ages now and it’s a hit at Panorama Bar.

Now that the project is over, are you giving yourself a little break or do you already have others in the pipeline? What else do you have in store for the rest of the year?

Butch: I have new EPs coming up on Running Back, Freerange, and my own label OTHERSIDE, as well as some more remixes.

The teaser video for “Desire” is quite something, will there ever be a full video for the track?

Butch: Aw, man, I was only bullsh*tting with this. There is no video coming, I was just playing with you.

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.