Umloud are best friends and a dynamic DJ duo, who is benefitting from their differences.
Their music can be described as Deep and yet funky.
Their latest track on Settlement is called Ghost Particles and reach the top 10 of the beatport specialized Raw/Deep trance chart.
We are glad to have an interview with them and here you can read their answers while Ghost Particles is playing at the background.
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.
Umloud: For us, our first important achievement was our first release.
Our second was when we played at the Alchemy stage at Boom festival in Portugal last summer.
And the third is getting booked at Ozora festival, this summer in Hungary.
2-Dimitris: Why and under which circumstances did you took the decision to start DJing or producing electronic dance music?
Umloud: We have been going to underground rave parties since the late 90's. After several years of dancing and collecting music,, we started dj'ing, in the Copenhagen underground scene. The next step for us, was to dive into music production.
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?
Umloud: Phaxe, Flowjob, Bitmonx
4-Dimitris: Can you tell us the top 3 tracks from the past that have influenced your sound the most and why?
Umloud: Township Rebellion - Magna Spe
H.O.S.H. - Jet Stream
Bitmonx - Renoiser
5-Dimitris: It would be fantastic to talk about your latest release Ghost Particles on Settlement. Please tell us how this track came about and what was the idea behind it.
Umloud: We came upon the vocal, sampled it, and went intergalactic :-)
6-Dimitris: How long it took you to produce it and can u describe the production process in simple steps?
Umloud: It took around 5-6 studio sessions, that involved late night hours and a lot of coffee.
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.
Umloud: In the process of making the track, we had to exchange the old computer with our new one. That gave us a minor setback.
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?
Umloud: Actually, we are quite happy with the result. We definetly think that Fuenka could do a massive job remixing this one.
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?
Umloud: We have produced in Presonus studio one, since they launced the first version. We think it has the best workflow.
We are gearsluts, so off course we have a lot of analog gear.
We like the best of the two worlds, and the digital sound is also has a place in our music
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?
Umloud: It depends, sometimes the track speaks for it self, other times it needs a vocal to tell the story.
11-Dimitris: Are there any vocalists/singers on electronic dance music you aspire to work with?
Umloud: Not really, it's a hard pick, with so many talented singers out there.
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?
Umloud: Rui da Silva feat. Cassandra - Touch Me.
We just love the vocal.
13-Dimitris: Do you believe that artwork on your latest track is good and do you believe that artwork can attract listeners or record buyers? Can you mention the best artwork of a track ever released?
Umloud: The artwork on the release, is fire, and we do believe it will attract listeners.
Our personal favourite, is the cover for our track Outpost 9, that we did with Strukture.
Shoutout to Daniel Kose, for the artwork
14-Dimitris: Can you pick your favorite top 3 record labels including the one released the track that we discuss in this interview and give us a short comment about why these labels are important to you and the music scene too?
Umloud: 1. Stil vor Talent, the roster speaks for it self, and we like that they have a versatile sound
2. Settlement Recordings - We think our sound fist this label perfectly, and they are the strongest label for this genre.
3. iboga/ibogatech - This is the label we 'grew up' with
15-Dimitris: Are you planning to complete an album or mix compilation soon? if yes please give us all the details about regarding tracks and how will look and sound like?
Umloud: Not at the moment, for now our focus is one track at the time.
16-Dimitris: Can you pick up your all time favorite album or compilation and tell us why you adore it so much?
Umloud: Frogacult - Something for sundays
17-Dimitris:How much time do you spend promoting yourself in your social media and you see this as essential tool for self promotion and getting bookings too? Which social media is the one that seems to work better for you?
Umloud: Not enough.
Instragram, facebook and souncloud is what we use for promotion.
18-Dimitris: Do you have any gigs/festival performances confirmed so far for 2024 in which ones are you most excited to perform and why?
Umloud: We are playing at Ozora Festival in Hungary this summer, and we are very excited
19-Dimitris: Please share your most funny and most serious incident that happen to you during your DJ or LIVE PA performance?
Umloud: On the serious side: While we were playing, the generator caught fire.
On the funny side: It has happened twice.
20-Dimitris: Are you happy about the quality of the tracks released in your preferred music genres? Please justify your answer with your opinion about it!
Umloud: There is a lot of high quality tunes out there, but we wish for more diversity in the tracks
21-Your current Top 3 tracks with short comment:
Umloud: - Kaskade, deadmau5, kx5 - Alive
Silver Panda - Soul Conection
Y do I - xXx
22-Dimitris: If you expect to have a steady income from your music productions are you satisfied with the way that royalties system works particularly regarding streaming revenue? Do you believe that artists get what they deserve from streaming providers/DJs playing your tracks in gigs/radio and selling music in physical formats like CDs/Vinyl or digitally.
Umloud: We believe it was better for the artist, when people was buying the music.
23-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.
Umloud: Music production is a long and expensive journey. You just have to keep going, and the more effort you put into it, the better results you get in the end.
24-Dimitris: Many producers and DJs offer online masterclasses or teach to music production & DJing courses. Do you believe is essential to take part in any of these courses to develop your skills? Are you are offering any of these services? or other related services like ghost-producing or mastering? please tell us about these activities
Umloud: It is always good idea to improve your skills.
No we are not offering masterclasses or similar right now.
25-Dimitris: Is there a club classic that you would like to remix or rework in 2023? Do you attempt often to do your own bootlegs of classics?
Umloud: Paul van Dyk - Nothing but You
26-Dimitris: Please choose the best and worst remix of club classic and tell us why you like or dislike them.
Umloud: We have two good remixes.
Ian van Dahl - Castles in the sky (Wippenberg Remix),
The energy right from the beginning of the track is insane.
Dj Sammy feat. Yanou - Heaven (Green Court Remix)
The bassline and the synth hook in the buildup is out of this world.
27-Dimitris: How much do you care if your fans or followers like your productions? Do you struggle with the audience reception of your tracks and is this thought adds extra pressure on you and discourage you too?
Umloud: Our aim is to make people dance and put a smile on their faces. So obviously it means a lot if we hit the target.
28-Dimitris: Can you describe your music as certain music genre such as trance, house, techno or your music exempts these categorizations? What is your opinion about hybrid styles and artists who are attempting to mix influences from various genres in their tracks?
Umloud: We would describe our style as melodic techno, with a trancy twist
29-Dimitris: Is your music business your full time occupation and are you able to make a leaving out of your music business (DJ/producer/label owner/teaching or mastering tracks)? If not what other jobs are you doing in order to support your income?
Umloud: It's a part time job for both of us.
30-Dimitris: Do you believe that audience should be banned from constantly taking photos or videos during DJ sets or are you happy with these activities?
Umloud: We don't like the word banned, but we miss the good old days, when people went out to actually dance.
31-Dimitris: Do you prefer small clubs or huge festivals to perform? in which festivals or clubs you aspire to play in the future?
Umloud: It is not about the size, but the vibe.
We would love to play at Fusion festival, and Rainbow Serpant festival
32-Please choose for us your favourite holiday destination and share with us your most unforgettable holiday experience(good/bad)
Umloud: Fusion festival in Germany or any place with palmtrees.
Dimitris: Your message & wishes for Flux Bpm Online readers.
Umloud: If you ar going to visit Denmark, do it in the summertime
Thanks to Umloud for this superb interview
Thanks to Stuart Roberts at FSOE offices for organising this interview.
Stream / Download: https://settlement.lnk.to/ghostparticles
Additional info: