Weekly Selections: Time Warp US, Ninja Tune 25 Yrs, Tommy Four Seven

Time Warp returns for the second year to the US and Brooklyn (now same venue as last year) this Friday and Saturday, including a rare US performance by Ricardo Villalobos, as well as other notable acts like Black CoffeeTale Of Us, Recondite, and a b2b by Jamie Jones and Seth Troxler.

Ninja Tune celebrates an impressive 25 years with two parties in Los Angeles this November and December, the first taking place at an underground location in Los Angeles this Saturday with a dj set by Bonobo, plus Jon Hopkins, Leon Vynehall, Sepalcure and Mister Saturday Night’s Eamon Harkin.

We’re also excited about Tommy Four Seven, the Berlin based dj and producer ties up the techno centric Brooklyn week-end as he makes his only US tour stop Sunday night at Output.

To find more events in your city or to submit a new event visit our events pageXLR8R is now offering ticketing for U.S. events, promoters interested in participating during our beta-testing can get in touch here.

Upcoming Ticketed Events:

Friday Nov 20: Rolling Tuff presents Into The Night 003 Animal Picnic | Buy Tickets
Friday Nov 20: Making Shapes – Pachanga Boys | Buy Tickets
Friday Nov 20: Golden Box presents Franksmusik | Buy Tickets
Saturday Nov 21: Lights Down Low SF with Kindess | Buy Tickets
Monday Nov 23: Monday Social with Pleasurekraft | Buy Tickets
Wednesday Dec 2: Touch Of Class records – Art Basel Showcase | Buy Tickets
Sunday Dec 20: Acid Camp Sunday 6: Tin Man | Buy Tickets
Thursday Dec 31: Diversion NYE – Feat. Inland, Long Count Cycle, Raiz | Buy Tickets
Thursday Dec 31: Flying Circus NYE: Playa Del Carmen | Buy Tickets
Wednesday Jan 6: XLR8R Festival 2016: Tulum | Buy Tickets

THURSDAY NOVEMBER 19

Kitsuné LA Showcase

Golden Box – Los Angeles, CA, US

November 19 @ 8:00 pm

FOCUS: Chris Liebing at Flash

Flash – Washington, DC, US

November 19 @ 8:00 pm – November 20 @ 3:00 am

Gesaffelstein

1015 Folsom – San Francisco, CA, US

November 19 @ 10:00 pm – November 20 @ 3:00 am

The Magic Number | Awesome Tapes from Africa/ SK Kakraba in The Panther Room

The Panther Room – Brooklyn, NY, US

November 19 @ 10:00 pm – November 20 @ 4:00 am

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 20

FOCUS: Steve Rachmad at Flash

Flash – Washington, DC, US

November 20 @ 8:00 pm – November 21 @ 4:00 am

Pixel x Studio Barnhus

Studio 80 – Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands

November 20 @ 11:00 pm – November 21 @ 7:00 am

ROLLINGTUFF and Boombox Present: Into The Night 003 with Animal Picnic and Jamie Charles

TBA DTLA – Los Angeles, CA, US

November 20 @ 11:00 pm – November 21 @ 5:00 am

Making Shapes – PACHANGA BOYS (extended set) + SONNS + JENILUV

TBA – Los Angeles – Los Angeles, CA, US

November 20 @ 11:00 pm – November 21 @ 5:00 am

Mute 2nd Birthday (Brighton): Kahn & Neek vs. Pev & Kowton

Patterns – Brighton, United Kingdom

November 20 @ 11:00 pm – November 21 @ 4:00 am

SATURDAY NOVEMBER 21

Microfunk vs Buckwheatfunk

More – Saint-Petersburg, Russian Federation

November 21 @ 11:55 am – November 22 @ 6:00 pm

20/20 x Astral Black :: Clock Strikes 13

Village Underground – Shoreditch London, United Kingdom

November 21 @ 9:00 pm – November 22 @ 4:00 am

TheHundred Presents – Detroit Swindle

The Church – Denver, CO, US

November 21 @ 9:00 pm – November 22 @ 2:00 am

Lights Down Low SF Featuring Kindess (DJ Set)

Monarch – San Francisco, CA, US

November 21 @ 10:00 pm – November 22 @ 3:00 am

A CORNER RECORDS SHOWCASE WITH ANTHONY PARASOLE * PHIL MOFFA [LIVE] * SEVRON

Smartbar – Chicago , IL, US

November 21 @ 10:00 pm – November 22 @ 5:00 am

SUNDAY NOVEMBER 22

WERD. | Nick Monaco

monarch – US

November 22 @ 9:00 pm – November 23 @ 2:00 am

Tommy Four Seven/ Mary Yuzovskaya

Output – Brooklyn, NY, US

November 22 @ 10:00 pm – November 23 @ 4:00 am

Queen! with… MICHAEL SERAFINI * SPECIAL GUESTS DAJAE (LIVE) & BERNARD BADIE + HOSTS LUCY STOOLE * JOJO BABY * SHEA COULEÉ * KIM CHI

Smartbar – Chicago , IL, US

November 22 @ 10:00 pm – November 23 @ 4:00 am

MONDAY NOVEMBER 23

Monday Social feat. Pleasurekraft at Sound

Sound Nightclub – Hollywood, CA, US

November 23 @ 10:00 pm – November 24 @ 3:00 am

KUMA w/ Sensé Unique, Axel vd Lugt and Hylke de Graaf

Sugarfactory – Amsterdam, Netherlands

November 23 @ 11:30 pm – November 24 @ 5:00 am

TUESDAY NOVEMBER 24

A Northside ’82 002 record release party with SAVILE * STEVE MIZEK

Smartbar – Chicago , IL, US

November 24 @ 9:00 pm – November 25 @ 4:00 am

Anti Social Tuesdays at TBA

TBA Brooklyn – Brooklyn, NY, US

November 24 @ 10:00 pm – November 25 @ 4:00 am

SARAH HUGHES / MANFRED WERDER / RYOKO AKAMA

Fuse Art Space – Bradford, West Yorkshire, United Kingdom

November 24 @ 8:00 pm – 11:00 pm

WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 25

Flash and Nü Androids present Gina Turner

Flash – Washington, DC, US

November 25 @ 8:00 pm – November 26 @ 2:00 am

Loco Dice/ Caleb Calloway at Output

Output – Brooklyn, NY, US

November 25 @ 10:00 pm – November 26 @ 4:00 am

CLUB LONELY X HONEY SOUNDSYSTEM: The Night b4 Thanksgiving at MIGHTY

Mighty – San Francisco , CA, US

November 25 @ 10:00 pm – November 26 @ 4:00 am

goodie no.48 : Thanksgiving Eve Bash

714 – Philadelphia, PA, US

November 25 @ 10:00 pm – November 26 @ 4:00 am

XLR8R Podcast Extra: Rachel Torro

San Francisco spinner Rachel Torro says her influences include LCD Soundsystem, Radiohead and Pink Floyd, and as disparate a threesome as those bands are, it kind of makes sense. Her sets tend to have the dancefloor efficacy of the first, the emotionality of the second, and the hazy psychedelia of Dark Side of the Moon–era Floyd—and when you mix all of those elements in the deep/techy house blender it’s magic time, as you’ll hear in the below mix. It’s a beauty, especially from someone who must not get a hell of a lot of sleep: She’s DJs and serves and musical director for the pre-work Morning Gloryville San Francisco gatherings and the first (and only) resident of the city’s Public Works nitery. We caught up with Torro to ask about the set—read it while giving this gem of a mix a listen.

This mix is a stunner, residing in that sweet spot between deep house and techno, and really emotive throughout. Is there a certain vibe that you were going for here? And how does that vibe if this mix compare with one of your club sets, or with your Morning Gloryville sets?
I try to keep things consistent, but also challenge myself to expand my tastes. I’ve been refining my sound to certain standards that I make each track pass. It has to be melodic, but it also has to stay groovy and true to dance music. That being said, Morning Gloryville is another story. It’s where I can be silly and play all my disco edits and high energy house tracks.

Does the fact that you are based in San Francisco have any effect on your sound?
Yeah, sure. I think the West Coast in general has a sound that is setting us apart. We have the largest burner population in the country, and that inspires a certain spirit in the way we congregate and party. Being a part of that community, I constantly find tracks that would be “perfect for the playa,” and play them out often.

Do you put a lot of preparation into your sets, or are you more inclined to just wing it?
It depends on the night, really. Sometimes I’ll pull a hundred tracks for a venue I’ve never played before and end up playing ten of them. But if it’s a residency gig like Public Works, then I can feel out music better beforehand, but still keep it open to gauge the crowd.

What’s your favored mode of DJing?
I used Traktor for a while because of its effects and looping options. Recently though, I’ve switched to mainly USBs for convenience and organization purposes. There’s less lag—and I don’t have to worry about my gear getting stolen.

What’s next in the world of Rachel Torro?
Excited for the future! I have some exciting opportunities brewing for 2016, including Mexico and Europe in the summer. But for now I’m taking less gigs and focusing on production. Been working with some unexpected characters and gaining knowledge from a lot of different directions. Full speed ahead.

01 Leon (Italy) “Bloosh” (Seb Zito remix) (D-FLOOR Music)
02 Von&Zu ‘Fools Life” (Boxer Recordings)
03 Elon “Bare Feet” (Inmotion Music)
04 Matias Valdmont “Egun” (Esperanza)
05 Makcim, Levi Verspeek “Daan De Pup” (Raum…Musik)
06 Ray Saul “Linear Fun” (Deep Site Recordings)
07 Matteo Spedicati “Smoking Mirrors” (Alexi Delano ‘No Fear” remix) (Amam)
08 Sascha Dive “The Get Out of the Ghetto Blues” (Woody remix) (Deep Vibes)
09 Luis Junior “Sesto Senso” (Yoshitoshi Recordings)
10 Reelow “Nobody Knows It” (Manuel De Lorenzi JN remix) (Monday Morning Records)
11 Atavism, Clockwork “Archetype” (Dumb-Unit)
12 S.K.A.M. “Spiritual Heir” (Eklektisch)
13 S.K.A.M. “Tibet” (Eklektisch)
14 El Mundo “Soulshift” (Bondage Music)
15 Melokolektiv “Looking For” (Moodmusic)
16 Barotti “She Once Knew” (Gomma)

www.facebook.com/racheltorrodj

www.soundcloud.com/racheltorro

www.racheltorro.com

Photo: Elena Kulikova

XLR8R Podcast Extra: Rachel Torro

Sigha Announces New Pluralism EP

Berlin-based techno producer, Sigha, has a new EP coming out next month via Blueprint records.

Having previously released on labels like Hotflush Recordings and his own branded Our Circular Sound imprint, Pluralism, will mark the producer’s return to Blueprint since the release of the I Am Apathy, I Am Submission EP in 2011.

Pluralism will land via Blueprint on December 7, 2015.

TRACKLISTING:

A1: Pluralism

B1: Desire

B2: Demonstration

Premiere: Stream Exclusive Track From New Buck EP; Q&A With The Artists Involved

Alessandro Stefanio (a.k.a. Buck) has announced his new EP, Nuove Sessioni, which will be released on Out-er, featuring a remix by Ed Davenport under his Inland alias.

Out Electronic Recordings (Out-er) was established in 2011 by Italian Simone Gatto, and has released records by the likes of Orlando Voorn, The Analogue Cops, Christopher Rau and Santorini. The latest offering, Nuove Sessioni, is a selection of ambient techno tracks by Buck, who has released once before on the imprint in 2012. The EP also contains a remix of the title track by Berlin based Brit Ed Davenport (under his Inland alias), who runs his own label Counterchange Recordings, and co-runs Infrastructure New York with Function.

To celebrate the release of their latest EP, on November 26 there is going to be a release presentation and party at OHM in Berlin (for which more details can be found here). The event will begin with a talk by label boss Simone Gatto, followed by an exclusive live jam by Buck and fellow Italian Limo (a partnership that are set to release the first EP on Buck’s new label, Substrato, early next year). The party itself will then roll from midnight onwards, with Gatto being joined on the decks by Aubrey and Marieu (of The Analogue Cops).

Tracklisting:
1. Nuove Sessioni
2. Nuove Sessioni (Inland Remix)
3. Alba
4. Sunday Off

We spoke to several of the artists involved ahead of the release: Buck, Simone Gatto and Inland (Ed Davenport). First up is our chat with Buck:

Since your first EP on Out-er, under your full name Alessandro Stefanio, you have added more elements to your studio, which you used to produce Nuove Sessioni. What other factors influenced your latest EP?
Since my last EP on Out-er, I’ve changed a lot of things in my studio—I’ve added many analog machines, and it has changed a lot the approach that I have to the machines. All tracks are characterized in the use of analog machines, accompanied by many effects such as delay, reverb and filters. I think that you can feel the difference in the final sound. At the beginning I tried to transform the sounds that I had sampled, now I want to create them directly, following my imagination.

What kind of atmospheres are you trying to replicate with your music? What do you envision whilst producing?
As I mentioned already, I try to follow my imagination, trying to always follow my instincts and my personal taste. I was always fascinated by deep sounds, ambient sounds, and dark atmospheres. I like the sound introspective that can be the result of my real thoughts. This feeling gave me the desire to create a new label, fully oriented to these sounds.

Next up, we spoke with label boss Simone Gatto:

You have spoken about your presence in Europe as the artists that release on Out-er are from various corners of the continent. How do you go about choosing the artists and cities to represent your label?
From the beginning, since I launched Out Electronic Recordings, I’ve always chosen artists based only on the emotions that their music and their performances gave me, establishing a personal relationship with each of them, and paying no attention to where in the world they came from. Gloomy, acid, dub and smooth sounds unite into one record label created to let each artist express their inspirations. I want to ensure that every event in which the label is involved is not confined to a party, but is enriched with cultural insights addressed by artists and experts (such as workshops, seminars or panel). They are designed to provide a better understanding of music nowadays. Recently we decided to do our events in Cities like Amsterdam, Berlin or New York, just because we think that these are cities in which the receptivity to such events is higher than elsewhere.

Finally, we had some questions for Ed Davenport:

Which elements in Buck’s track “Nuove Sessioni” did you find appealing to remix?
All Buck’s tracks on this EP are quite heady and percussive, and his trippy synth lines stood out as rather original and characteristic of him and the label. They are somewhere in between techno and house, which is the zone I really enjoy. The moving string line in “Nuove Sessioni” sounded very workable to me, with room to explore putting it a different context alongside some new elements.

Why have you chosen for your only remix as Inland this year to be on OUT-ER?
I admire what Simone and his crew are doing with the label—releasing music from the heart, and organising events that are not only about partying, but also about exploring the complex behaviours and sciences at play within electronic music culture. I had the time to do the mix, and I felt like it was a label and an EP that fit with my philosophy.

More information on the event can be found here.

You can pre-order the EP at Juno. We have one of the tracks, “Sunday Off,” available to stream exclusively below:

Premiere: Stream the New Volte-Face EP in Full

London-based experimental techno label BleeD enters its stride with label-head Volte-Face‘s All Grown Up EP, following his Charlatan EP back in May, and then his collaboration with Daniel Avery, Rote’s EP1.

Although early days, the BleeD imprint has been heavily championed by key figureheads of the scene, including Svreca, whose Semantica imprint will feature new Volte-Face material on the forthcoming Nonnative compilation.

Representing Volte-Face’s second EP release, All Grown Up is a significant step-up from the first, featuring three club-primed original tracks as well as an ambient excursion, and a killer remix from underground king DJ Spider, best known for running Plan B recordings, collaborating with the likes of Phil Moffa and Marshalito, and for releasing two EPs on Will Bankhead’s The Trilogy Tapes.

Ahead of the its November 27 release, Volte-Face’s All Grown Up EP can be exclusively streamed in full below.

Tracklisting: 

A1. Ill-Fêted
A2. The Power Of Christ Compels You
B1. Chain Of Command
B2. All Grown Up
B3. Chariots Of Ire (DJ Spider Remix)

Luna City Express Smokin’ Bull EP

Ralph Lawson‘s 20/20 Vision, founded in days of yore (i.e., 1994) is sort of the Maytag washing machine of house music—not because the label will clean your dirty socks, but, as Maytag’s motto would have it, its products are “built for dependability.” Lawson’s imprint may not be the flashiest or trendiest around, but whether a 20/20 cut is deep and emotive, or chunky and chugging, or techy and driving, you can be pretty sure it’s going to do the job, dancefloor-wise. In the case of the latest from Norman Weber and Marco Resmann—together known as Luna City Express, here making their 20/20 debut—you can be positive of that, as the EP’s another in a long line of sturdy, timeless and club-worthy releases from the venerable label.

First up on the four-tracker is the title tune, which announces itself with a strutting rhythm and a hefty, funk-fueled bass. Syncopated synth stabs and vocal snippets enter the fray, and then something interesting happens: A jazzy Rhodes piano unexpectedly shows up to weave its way around the rhythm, lending the cut a dimension that you wouldn’t expect in what’s essentially a party tune. “Grand Prix” amps up the energy level, with a cooing voice ingraining it with the feel of a classic mid-’90s DiY tune, albeit a bit more jacked up than most of that much-missed label’s output. “Joe’s Banana,” as you might guess by the name, is sort of the class clown of the bunch, a pure groover defined by a slightly goofy walking bassline, bare-bones (but undeniably effective) rhythm, nicely arranged vocal samples…and not much else, though that’s really all the track needs. Finally, there’s “Morning Song”—with its percolating synths, syncopated hi-hat and deeper vibe (not to mention yet more of those vocal bits), it’s perhaps a bit more mellow than the others, but yet another great bassline keeps the action coming. All in all, Smokin’ Bull serves as another fine release from one of the house world’s most reliable labels.

Aucan “Errors”

Aucan is a three-piece electronic live act out of Brescia, Italy that is made up of core members Jo Ferliga, Dario Dassenno, and Francesco D’Abbraccio. The trio’s live performances and studio productions take cues from post-rock, IDM, electro, and techno, making it difficult to pigeon-hole Aucan into one specific genre. Throughout its formative years, Aucan evolved beyond its particular rock categories, and began touring all over Europe performing over 300 shows and gaining enough recognition to open for electronic innovators like The Chemical Brothers, Matmos, Fuck Buttons, and Ryoji Ikeda. Aucan’s gear and synth collection also expanded over the years enough to inform the band’s current incarnation, which is now well-known for being 100% live hardware-based performances.

For its next album, which is a full‐length LP for Kowloon Records called Stelle Fisse, Aucan present a sprawling electronic LP that lends itself to arresting synth-work, detached samplers, and pitched vocals. The album is said to conceptualize “a symbol of the permanent things in life, points of reference that never move away.” Comprised of 10 original productions and due out on November 20, the album is as equally haunting as it is emotive. For today’s XLR8R download, Aucan is offering up a very exciting single from the new album in the form of the raw and rhythmic track “Errors.” You can also pre-order the new album on vinyl, CD, or various digital formats right now over on the Kowloon Records web store, and with every pre-order comes with a free immediate download of one of the new singles off the album. You can find out more about Aucan by visiting them online, and you can get your hands on a free copy of the track “Errors” by clicking on the media player below.

You can also subscribe to our XLR8R Downloads feed on iTunes by clicking on the feed links below.

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Errors

Stream the Title Track from Doc Daneeka’s Forthcoming EP, Global Luv

Welsh producer and Ten Thousand Yen label boss, Doc Daneeka, is set to drop his latest EP, Global Luv, on December 11.

The four track EP from the king of Wales is a collection of “warm house heaters” that comes shortly after the release of his epic nine-minute techno tune with Benjamin Damage titled “Kansas”—which was released alongside Bicep’s track “Closing Sequence” for the R.I.P 50 Weapons series. Doc Deneeka will be releasing his EP through his own imprint, which has seen an array of outstanding releases from the likes of xxxy, Julio BashmoreMickey Pearce and many more.

You can stream the EP’s title track below and be check out more from Doc Daneeka and his Ten Thousand Yen label by going to the artist’s Soundcloud page here.

Kenneth Scott Announces New EP

Berlin based house producer Kenneth Scott will release Tonight via Legwork Records this month.

Legwork Records is the work of veteran house producer Lance DeSardi, a key part of the San Francisco scene, and his counterpart Leopold. Since its inception in 2014, they have released music from T/O/L (better known as E.R.P. or Convextion), Brett Johnson, Matrixxman and themselves. The fifth installment in the series is by fellow American Kenneth Scott, who takes care of the A-side, which is accompanied by a remix by the Legwork pairing on the flip.

Check out both tracks below, via the label’s Soundcloud.

In the Studio: Recondite

Accounting for the fact that Lorenz Brunner produces using his laptop computer and Ableton only, it’s a bit a stretch to label the feature an “In the Studio.” Nonetheless, since his debut EP in 2011, the revered German live act, who has long since operated under his Recondite moniker, has released a string of well received EPs and LPs on leading imprints including Innervisions, Ghostly International, Hotflush and Dystopian. While the quality of his output is rarely in question, the quantity of it is remarkable: The last four years have each seen a new Recondite LP hit the shelves, the latest of which is Placid, his new album that was released earlier this month on Acid Test/Absurd Recordings. This, he says, is the direct result of “a steady period of creativity” in which he finds himself, supported by the fact that his digital production processes allow him to complete tracks despite a heavy touring schedule.

Placid is intended to be a sequel to On Acid, his debut LP from 2012. The reasons are obvious: Sonically speaking, the release sees Brunner reverting back his beloved 303 to produce something akin to acid techno, a sound that retains the deeply melodic and melancholic Recondite stamp—but quite different from the polished and perfected tones evidenced in Iffy, his 2014 release on Innervisions. As Brunner explains, he divides his production by genre, ranging from acid to techno to hip-hop, and reveals that the basic works of Placid can be traced back to before Iffy was even conceptualized. To learn more about the release and the specific production processes behind it, XLR8R sat down with Brunner on a cold winter’s afternoon in Berlin last week.

How long did it take to produce Placid? Since you use software, did you find yourself producing on the road?
Yeah, a lot of the finalization was done on the road in the last months before the release, but the process started about two years ago.

So you started producing the Placid stuff even before you released Iffy?
Some of it—about two of three tracks.

So it’s almost like you compartmentalize the acid stuff compared to your more techno-orientated material?
Yeah, that’s true. My acid work is almost like a little side project, I would say.

It is not what you started off with originally.
Yeah, the first stuff I released was the Plangent stuff, which was very a melodic and melancholic deep-house kind of thing. Then, I had four EPs on Plangent before I had the acid record.

How did you discover this penchant for acid music?
By listening to a track—a Donato Dozzy remix of a Tin Man track on Acid Test/Absurd Recordings. My former roommate Alex showed it to me and I really liked it. It sounded kind of fresh and different to the acid stuff that I have heard before, which was something that I never really liked to listen to due to the fact that I found it too aggressive—too quirky, loud and noisy. It’s just too hectic. So I listened to that and that was the first time that I thought I could maybe work on a track that only exists off 303 harmonies and melodies.

Do you think you will continue with acid, or do you think you will move away from it and back to the emotional, melancholic music that was symbolic of the Innervisions release?
I will definitely do acid tracks again, but at the moment I am working on different stuff. I’m working on a few hip-hop tracks right now just for fun, and I am doing an Innervisions EP—it’s already planned and finished. Also there will be an album next year with a completely different sound, more like IDM, electronica stuff.

“I like to layout my favorite vibe of emotions in different ways, but also I am not too open for too many experiments.”

There is obviously a Recondite signature, but you also like to experiment in different genres, don’t you?
Yeah, I like to layout my favorite vibe of emotions in different ways, but also I am not too open for too many experiments. I like to keep it in the areas where I feel comfortable. It’s stuff like minimal techno, deep house, hip-hop, and maybe orchestral music. Those are the areas where I feel most comfortable…and a little bit of techno, maybe.

You look at your discography and your output has been notable, with four albums and several EPs. The fact that you can produce on the road is probably is a factor in that, but would you say you are in a really rich vein of creativity at the moment?
Yes, I am. Luckily. At the beginning I was concerned that it would maybe go away, but somehow there is a a constant stream of ideas. Actually, ideas is the wrong words—it’s more about the motivation to keep being creative has just stuck with me. I always thought it might wear off at some point, especially when I started traveling a lot—but it hasn’t, up until now. Maybe it will at some point, but if it does that means I will just have to switch up my plans because that is the reason why I am here—why I am touring, why I am playing, why I am releasing music. This creativity is the whole thing that drives it.

For Placid, did you take time out of your touring in order to produce it, or was it just jamming—and you suddenly had enough material? Yeah, it was a process. Some of the tracks I had already completed two years ago, and I always come back to those projects. At some point I just had enough material, and then I just took some time out of touring to finalize the project by working on the mix-down, talking to the mastering engineer, and seeing if he has any ideas about what frequencies I can work on. That was really the finalizing process, and that took maybe one month—but I still was on tour at that time. During the week when I had no gigs, I had time to take care of that.

You really tour relentlessly and it’s impressive that you can balance the two.
Sometimes it’s not easy—but the last two years and how they have been with that many gigs has been too much. That will not be the routine going forward.

So you are planning on reducing your schedule?
Yes, I will definitely reduce the amount of gigs I play next year. I have to say, the last two years have been extremely exhausting. I tried to adapt my physical maintenance process to the circumstances. I have on tour only a very short amount of time allotted for regeneration, but I managed to adapt and stay reasonably fit—both physically and mentally. But now, after two year,s I feel that I need to change something. That is also why I plan on moving back to to Bavaria, back to where I come from. We will start fresh and build up a little new home there—because Berlin does not really let you, you know.

It can totally impede creativity.
Yeah, you can arrange the life circumstances in Berlin that allow you to have a certain contrast to your life that is all involved with touring, music, releases and business in general—but somehow I feel it is much much harder, for me at least, living an environment where the people really care about this stuff.

So you think having this line between your music and your everyday life is something that can actually increase your creativity?
I wouldn’t say it helps my creativity, necessarily. I actually realized that my creativity is not dependent on where I am and what I do, because there is strong idea inside of my head that drives the form or method of expression that I like. I can do a track in a hotel room in Rio, or in Berlin, or in lower Bavaria, because its not really about what surrounds me—it’s more about what I experience. For me, the biggest thing that has influenced my music is where I grew up—what I saw there, what I lived through. That is the main source of my inspiration because that is what shaped my character. It lives inside of me and that is not going to go away. I will always experience new stuff; I will do other shows and travel, meet new people, and in turn they will give me some inspiration—like the acid thing, for example. I hear an acid track, and then I decided that I wanted to do this. I will then put my favorite mood into this work and into this material. Right now, I don’t know what’s going to happen next. I am now back into a hip-hop phase. I have a lot of beats but I don’t really know what to do with them. Besides that, I am working on this electronica, classical-music project where I also try to use my favorite atmosphere with different instruments and different arrangements. I don’t think the creativity level will change too much because of this move to Bavaria.

When you produce a track, is it a case of jamming—as in, do you mess around with Ableton and just wait until you find a loop that resonates with you? Or are the tracks conceptualized before they are produced?
No, not at all. Each track basically comes from scratch and I’ve never planned what is going to happen. I don’t really know how it goes to be honest—and that’s maybe it. I will sit down, usually make a loop and build from there. Sometimes I will make ten loops a day and not look at them for a month, and then by accident I will go back to one and I will say, “Oh, okay that is actually worth arranging.” Another day I will create a loop and I will immediately feel like I have to arrange it. There is not a lot of jamming involved; it’s more like the beat grows and then I play the melodies above it while it is still a loop. Usually in the arrangement process, the bass at the core of the track is already completely done, so the idea of the track is laid down. The arrangement is just the way of building up things and enhancing certain moments that are consisting in the loop, and the loop usually acts as the fullest moment of the track.

When you were producing Placid, did you produce several tracks at the same time, or did you finish one and then simply move onto the next?
Usually it is several at the same time, and it is not even divided by genre. Normally I will do like a hip-hop track, a techno track and an orchestral track at the same time, and then I go back and forth within the projects.

What plugins do you use for Ableton?
Besides the 303 for my acid stuff, I use ABL. I mostly use the internal plugins from Ableton, and I use some of the Reverb stuff from Tal Audio—it’s like one guy who is making the plugins in Switzerland. He is doing a really nice tape delay, and there isn’t really a good tape delay on Ableton. Other then that I really work on a lot of effect chains within the Ableton effects. Once you start building up chains, there is so much you can do and that gives me more than enough possibilities to create some individuality.

So you don’t use Max for Live?
No, I don’t. I’m not good enough in engineering. I think I am better in using what is there than creating instruments.

How did your collaborative track with Tale Of Us come about? 
Matteo sent me an empty beat—it was just one single track. Then, I just played an acid melody on top and sent it back to him. He said, “Yeah, let’s do that,” and then he sent me the stems of the track and I added a few hi-hats and played the melodies again. Then came the mix-down and it was done. It all happened pretty fast; we basically just sent files back and forward.

Are most of your tracks done in a day, or do you sometimes work on something and polish it for weeks or months?
I normally do take a lot of time to polish stuff up—especially when it comes to releasing and finalizing. I always come back there and fix it up a bit. But it’s really different on each track. Sometimes a track is done in a day, and others take a bit more time. It also depends on me making it and thinking that it is finished—and then I play it out later and I find things that just simply are not good enough. For example if it is a club track, then I have to go back and maybe even change the kick drum or something like that. It is an ongoing process.

Do you play your tracks to people before you release them, or do you feel confident enough in yourself to know when a track is complete?
I do show it to very close people—like private friends, family, and private business partners.

Placid is supposed to be a sequel to the first album you did, On Acid. Why is it a sequel and not just an entity in its own right?
Somehow its picking up on the first acid record. It’s not as dark and moody anymore; it’s a little brighter and more uplifting. It kind of keeps telling the story. Also, the reference to the acid sound is just so obvious in regards to the first album. Immediately after I finished On Acid, I had already started to work on some of the first sketches for some of the first tracks that are on Placid. It is as if you write a book, and then you add a second part—and after the first one was out, you immediately start the second part of the book.

Can you see your maturation as a producer, when looking at Placid and looking at On Acid?
I know what you mean, but I think it a very subjective thing. If I were to tell you now that I had gained skills regarding mix-downs or frequency work, somebody could tell me that his personal taste prefers what is on On Acid. He would say, “Oh, yeah, that’s completely wrong,” while someone else would say, “The stuff on Iffy was much better than your On Acid stuff, so you didn’t really gain any skills,” then the third guy says, “You’ll never sound as good as what’s on Placid.” It’s a really subjective matter. What I can add to this though is that I am always trying to develop. In my mind, there are always steps forward.

“My motivation to make music is definitely internal. It’s a way of self expression—it’s a way of relief or a release for me.”

Is that a key motivation in your progression as an artist—this idea that you want to develop your skills further? Or is it more internal? My motivation to make music is definitely internal. It’s a way of self expression—it’s a way of relief or a release for me. It’s a way of venting my mind, and that is the most important thing about making music, for me.

Iffy was generally very well received, but there were comments that it was a bit too polished. Do those comments affect your production process, or is feedback absent from your mind when you are producing?
While I am producing, all feedback is completely absent. But when I read it, I certainly acknowledge it. Also, with these comments regarding Iffy, it is also very true. It was definitely more polished and clean sounding, but it’s just a way of doing a mix-down differently. I was just trying to create a different type of musical ambiance—it’s just a different approach. So I am actually glad that they realized the difference!

It seems as though you’ve managed to maintain a steady flow of music, even before the debut album. Have there been any periods where you struggle to sit down with Ableton and produce a track?
Somehow, not really. If I have the time to sit down and if I feel like it, something always comes out—although it might be good or bad. I have a lot of unreleased tracks on my hard drive that I don’t find worthy of releasing, although someone else might say, “Of course it is worth releasing them,” and then sometimes I release stuff and then people tell me it is total shit that I should not have released. Usually though, if I have time to sit down, there is some sort of output. I don’t know—maybe that is strange somehow. Maybe when I have kids and don’t have the time anymore, this might change. I just like doing it, and I think that is the main thing about it. I like sitting there and working on beats and as long as I like it, something is always going to happen. When I stop liking it, I’ll have to switch up my plans.

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