Born on the fringes of New York City, Obie Fernandez quickly developed a musical palate that spanned latin dance, garage house, hip-hop, and '80s pop/rock. By 14, he'd bought his own turntables, and it wasn't long before he was soaking up the city's rave culture and club scene, drawn especially to the euphoric beats of what would later be dubbed German trance. Relocating to Atlanta, he became a cornerstone of the local underground music scene, hosting legendary house parties that eventually spawned Unity Events, a game-changing promoter that revitalized Atlanta's trance community. Concurrently juggling a successful entrepreneurial career and authorship, Obie never stepped away from the decks or the studio. Under various aliases, he's been producing his own tracks since 2001, remaining steadfast in his dream of becoming a world-class producer and sharing his belief in the transformative power of music.
1-Dimitris: It would be nice to start by telling us your 3 most important achievements or goals fulfilled in your career so far that you very are proud of.
Obie Fernandez: 1. DJing for a huge hometown crowd in a prime timeslot at A State of Trance Festival in Mexico City, probably the biggest gig of my DJ career so far.
2. My close collaboration with trance legend Solarstone. We have quite a few tracks that we've made together under a brand new alias. None of them are released yet, but he's been playing them out as IDs and they get an enthusiastic reception. Earlier this year we did a nearly 4 hour B2B session too, which is super rare for him and a tremendous honor for me.
3. Every big label signing is special, and there are some like Pure Trance, JOOF and Perfecto that were milestones, but this latest for "Balaso" on Fuenka's Settlement is definitely a big achievement, since it's part of the Future Sound of Egypt family.
2-Dimitris: Why and under which circumstances did you took the decision to start DJing or producing electronic dance music?
Obie Fernandez: The decision to start DJing came naturally. One of my cousins (Frank, RIP!) was a big time disco DJ in the NYC area and had a vast record collection; you might say I idolized him a bit. When I was 14 I'd saved up enough to buy my own turntables and he taught me how to beatmatch. A few years later I was already obsessed with the NYC music scene, sneaking into clubs and attending Frankie Bones raves. But it was the German techno sound that really grabbed me—it was like nothing I'd heard before, just completely euphoric. That was the moment I knew I wanted to be more than just a spectator; I wanted to be a part of it, and I started picking up club residencies and doing regular parties around northern NJ where I grew up.
As for producing, that came a bit later, around 2001 after I had moved to Atlanta. After DJing for years, I wanted to take it to the next level. Plus, I had all these sounds and ideas in my head that I couldn't find in existing tracks. I started messing around with Fruity Loops and then Reason production software, and I bought myself a few MIDI synths, including the legendary JP8000, learning as I went. It was just a hobby for a long time, especially with raising a family, my business ventures, and even authoring well-known books. But no matter what else I was doing, making music was always the endgame. It's more than a passion—it's like a calling for me.
3-Dimitris: Can you note down the top 3 producers that have influenced your decision to get involved in the electronic dance music scene and you admire and respect them very much?
Obie Fernandez:
1. Rich Mowatt, better known as Solarstone. Seven Cities is the number one anthem from my heavy rave years! His talent and creative genius is unmatched in my opinion, and he's just such a kind and generous soul. The opportunity to work side-by-side with him and even teach him some tricks of my own has been heavenly.
2. John "OO" Fleming is a legend. I never missed his shows when he came to Atlanta, and I nearly fell out of my chair when he signed my first track to JOOF Recordings. I've since become a regular contributor there, and gotten to know him a bit better on a personal level and he's the real deal. Totally authentic and committed to his craft, plus his life story is inspirational to a superlative degree!
3. Last, but not least, BT was probably the biggest inspiration for me to start producing my own music. I've since asked him and he doesn't remember, but circa 2002 (a long time ago!) he and I talked for a couple hours over drinks at HALO in midtown Atlanta. His studio had just been burglarized, and we commiserated as well as discussing his own unique ideas about music and the DJ scene. This was right during the time he was working on the Somnambulist album, and since I was working as a computer programmer, we discussed some of the amazing software tricks that he was doing to get that massively cut up and glitched out sound that he's now famous for. It made me realize that even a massive nerd could be cool as fuck!
4-Dimitris: Can you tell us the top 3 tracks from the past that have influenced your sound the most and why?
Obie Fernandez: Oh man what a tough question. If you force me I'd have to say:
Inner City's Good Life: I wore out my original 12" copy of this one. An anthem that crosses house and techno boundaries and encapsulates the sheer joy and freedom that electronic music can offer. Absolutely formative.
Paul van Dyk - "For An Angel": Definitely not the first trance track that really captivated me, but the euphoric melody and driving beats defined the blueprint for the kind of trance I produced in that era when I was just starting out. Classic uplifting really showcases how electronic music can be both uplifting and deeply emotional, doesn't it?
Underworld - "Born Slippy (NUXX)": A masterblend of progressive house and almost industrial hard techno (which I'm thrilled to see is back in vogue). I could have picked almost any Underworld track but Slippy is so dark and complex yet accessible. I truly aspire to someday be able to blend genres so seamlessly to create something entirely new.
5-Dimitris: It would be fantastic to talk about your track Balaso under your project KNBI on Settlement. Please tell us how this track came about and what was the idea behind it.
Obie Fernandez: Like a lot of my favorite producers, I sample promiscuously across a wide range of genres. The vocal hook in Balaso is from an Indian pop song that I've since lost track of... it provided the inspiration. From the vocal I grab some of the notes in order to form a scale, and then from there (in this case) I started building out the break, taking cues from what other producers do in the melodic techno realm.
6-Dimitris: How long it took you to produce it and can u describe the production process in simple steps?
Obie Fernandez: For this project, I was challenging myself to let the break go to complete silence, which is something I've struggled with in the past, but I think I nailed it this time. Quite dramatic effect, I must add. The project has a ton of synth layers, mostly Dune for the plucks and Diva for the dramatic leads. It was originally a bit bouncier along the lines of my releases on JOOF, but after playing out a few times including a very big show in Mexico City, I went back into the studio and made it more dark and driving, and at that point I knew I had something special. This is probably one of my more time-consuming and large projects, with well over 50 individual tracks. Hard to tell, but maybe about 20-30 hours total?
7-Dimitris: Did you had any particular difficulties accomplishing that particular track or any specific technical challenges or obstacles that you had to overcome during its production.
Obie Fernandez: As I mentioned, the track was originally a bit bouncier and the mix was also not up to par on the earlier versions that I spun out as an ID. Big complex tracks can be quite hard to mix down properly. Thankfully, my mix and mastering engineer Juan Rendon is uber talented. We're best friends and he comes to my studio on a regular basis to help fix my mistakes. In the case of Balaso, after a lot of rework we were able to get that dark driving sound that I think Fuenka really keyed in on when they accepted it for their label.
8-Dimitris: If you would have the opportunity to change something in your track and maybe to do a new remix what elements are you unhappy with and you are going to change? Is there any artist that you feel would be fantastic to remix this track and why?
Obie Fernandez: Hmm, I guess as an artist that is still on the way up, I dream of collaborating with vocal talent that matches my production level instead of relying on vocal samples. The vocals in this track are no doubt pretty good, but I would love the chance to make music like this in collaboration with a real vocalist. Make it a real song in other words!
9- Dimitris: Which music composition software or hardware you prefer and why? What is your opinion of the latest movement to produce music with more analogue equipment and with less or without any digital software?
Obie Fernandez: I work exclusively in Ableton Live for many years now, although I'm familiar with all the major DAWs. Nothing comes close to Live's flexibility and ease of use (once you scale the sizable learning curve!) I have a few hardware synths that I probably should use more often than I do: Korg minilogue xd, Arturia Microfreak, and Behringer's Neutron and TD-3... As for producing without digital software, you can pry Ableton out of my cold dead hands, forget it!
10-Dimitris: Do you prefer vocal or instrumental tracks? If there are vocals on the track we discuss about tell us about the singer you work with?
Obie Fernandez: Oh man, that's a hard question. Depends on the mood, right? But I am an aspiring songwriter, and have made vocal tracks that I penned. It's much more difficult to do it well than simple instrumentals. In time I'm sure I'll be doing more and more vocal tracks though.
11-Dimitris: Are there any vocalists/singers on electronic dance music you aspire to work with?
Obie Fernandez: Kate Ryan. VNV Nation. Kirsty Hakshaw. Emma Hewitt!
12-Dimitris: Please choose the most powerful lyrics ever included in a dance track and why these lyrics have touched you so deeply and have a special meaning for you?
Obie Fernandez: "Sometimes I feel like throwing my hands up in the air, I know I can count on you" from "You Got The Love" hits different for me. It's not some sappy love song moment it's about the deep connection I've got with underground rave scene, especially if we're talking about trance and techno. When the grind gets tough or the inspiration runs dry, it reminds me that there's this whole community of diehards that get what it's about and appreciate it. So yeah, every time that track plays, it's like a nod to everyone who loves this music as much as I do. It's real, it's raw, and it's why I keep doing what I do.
13-Dimitris: Do you have your own record label? if yes tell us when did you set it up, the reasons behind this decision and your top 3 releases on the label so far plus 2 or 3 releases that we should look after from your label.
Obie Fernandez: I do in fact! It's called Music Over Matter (aka simply "MOM"). My partners and I started promoting big parties under that name in Mexico City about 5 years ago, and eventually decided it would be good to use it as a vehicle for helping some of the brilliant local talent here get wider exposure.
I often use the label to release quirky, conceptual tracks of my own. My favorite is probably "Ella". It's an old track of mine that I made as an homage to one of the main characters from the Philip K. Dick classic novel "Ubik". I'm also very fond of "Here Is Your Home" which is about going to Burning Man, and the so-called "Star Wars EP" that features three uplifting trance tracks heavily inspired by that film franchise. Our latest releases such as "Omen" and "Live As One" are top-notch, and have charted at Beatport on a wide range of genres from progressive to dubstep.
14-Dimitris: Please share your most funny and most serious incident that happen to you during your DJ or LIVE PA performance?
Obie Fernandez: Oh my god, yes I can tell you about my big Mexico City debut in 2018. I had a 2 hour set with packed room, and when I say packed I mean about 700 people in a room that should have maxed out at 500. Totally nuts. This was when I was mostly spinning driving tech trance, so the energy was through the roof. Well, it turns out the venue didn't have enough amperage, and the sound guys didn't bring a generator. So I'm about 10-15 mins into my set just as I'm really getting into a groove, they start turning up the volume, and BOOM the lights go out. Total wtf moment for everyone, especially me. I literally had the thought, thank god I've been DJing for over 20 years at this point, because I've kicked out a power cable or two in my day, so as they cycle the power and the crowd starts chanting, I calmy re-cue to where I was before and am able to pick up again. A little unnerved, but not really showing it. Party is pumping for another 15 mins or so, and then BOOM... silence and darkness once again. Okay, now this is not so cool. The sound guy scrambles up into the booth and tells me to keep the master a bit lower please. Sure thing boss, I recue and get going again. Crowd was so nice about it, and I keep my composure of course, I'm laughing. It was around Christmas time so I had a santa cap on for fun. We go for another 30 mins or so and then the lights go out again! This time me and the crowd just have a good old laugh. I throw my hands up and they start chanting my name, OBIE OBIE OBIE... ok well at least I could hear them clearly, right? The story's not over yet, though. The last pause really rattled me a bit, so the next mix in, I tap the wrong player and stop the music accidentally. Arrrggghhh... funny part is, everyone starts laughing, because they thought the power had gone out once again. But I do the old CUE-BOOM, pause, CUE-BOOM, pause, CUE-BOOM-Play and let the record rip again, and luckily at that point I got to play the remaining hour of the set without interruptions. Despite the drama, or perhaps because of it and how cool the crowd was, have to say it was one of the best sets of my life.
15-Dimitris: Please note for all the new talents that read this interview to get some inspiration from you any technical tips in relation to your DJing or music productions. Also any piece of personal or music business' advice that has helped you to progress even further and is worth telling to the new upcoming talents.
Obie Fernandez: Don't try to do everything alone. Get help from people further along than you. I mean this in both the business and production sense. When I first started out I had no clue about anything really, and my best friend who was a talented DJ and producer also had no industry network, so it was really just a hobby. When I started producing again about 5-6 years ago with the intention of getting signed and playing big gigs, I knew better. At every opportunity I took advantage of networking opportunities and getting bigger more established players to help me or collaborate on projects.
Dimitris: Your message & wishes for Flux Bpm Online readers.
Obie Fernandez: Stay tuned for tons of new music from me and thanks for reading my interview!
Thanks so much to Obie for this nice interview.
Thanks so much to Paul Thomas from FSOE HQ for arranging this interview.
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