Mira Falkenstein is a techno DJ and producer from Cologne, Germany. Her musical journey began in 2015, when she learned DJing and musicproduction on a professional level. Over the years, her musical preference transformed more and more towards techno, which is now characterized by a rich peaktime sound with driving, melodic and acid elements. With authentic positive energy, she takes the crowd into a set on fire, played like a story with dynamic parts of melodic breaks, exciting build ups and powerful drops. Not only does she like to express herself as an artist visually, she also creates her own music productions with a motivating background story for each song. Mira Falkenstein is gaining more and more attention in the german techno scene with her impulsive techno sound. She really spreads her inner fire through the music to the outside world. Her sets are full of energy, played in a charming and straight forward way.
Mira's latest track on BluFin Records from Cologne/Germany is called Deeper and we invited her to answer some questions about Deeper and her career so far. We are glad that she has found the time to reply to them in such a wonderful way.
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.
Mira Falkenstein: The first goal for me was playing at the famous Bootshaus Club in Cologne. My second achievement was the first song I released and the third one when I started wearing the feather art while djing, for the first time in Tulum, Mexico.
2-Dimitris: Why and under which circumstances did you took the decision to start DJing or producing electronic dance music?
Mira Falkenstein: The interest of DJing started in school years, often being responsible for the tracks that are being played at party’s. 2015 I visited a music school to learn the basic skills, then I put all the effort in learning and experiencing, focusing on my goals as I wanted to get better with this passion found again.
The reason I play and produce music, is to bring all my individual expression from inner creativity to the outside world. Having the possibility to distribute this through music is real freedom for me, which is breaking through mental boundaries, creating an incredible musical connection with everyone listening, feeling the same.
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?
Mira Falkenstein: Artbat is the first one, I love the driving style of their music. They inspired me when I moved from house to melodic techno. Then when I switched more towards techno, Boris Brejcha really touched me with his music and performance. When I compare the style I play nowadays, I would say Deborah de Luca has a great range of songs I love to play in my sets.
4-Dimitris: Can you tell us the top 3 tracks from the past that have influenced your sound the most and why?
Mira Falkenstein: Artbat - Return to Oz / with this song I started to switch from house towards melodic techno and techno. I love the driving elements in this production.
Boris Brejcha - Darkest Nights / I like the voices and the motivating message in the song, as this is a style that also inspired me for my songs.
Layton Giordani, HI-LO, Oliver Heldens - Rabbit Hole / the melody in this song is pure positivity, which gives out hope and a good feeling. Something I want to spread with my music as well.
5-Dimitris: It would be fantastic to talk about your latest release. Please tell us how this(these in case of EP) track(s) came about and what was the idea behind it(them).
Mira Falkenstein: Deeper is a track that intends to give you a motivating energy with the words: "Open your mind and go deeper" - embrace the driving elements in this track, taking you away from the superficial towards your true self. Like a dance with your soul, ready to transform all the energy, which gives you the power to live the full potential of your higher self.
6-Dimitris: How long it took you to produce it and can u describe the production process in simple steps?
Mira Falkenstein: The production itself takes a few weeks. The creative part is the one that I like the most, everything just flows and I combine all the ideas together. The next step is organizing them and technically finalizing every single sound, so it fits good with all the other. The last step is the mixdown and mastering session.
7- 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?
Mira Falkenstein: I prefer to work with Ableton. I learned producing with it, so now I understand this software the best and I like how it's build with a good overview.
I think everyone should produce music in the way they enjoy it the most, doesn't matter if that's digital or analog.
8-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?
Mira Falkenstein: I like both. Vocals are a nice tool to transport a message more clearly. I often use my own voice in that case.
9-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?
Mira Falkenstein: "Even the darkest nights will end and the sun will rise" - Boris Brejcha - Darkest Nights
I love the meaning, that there will always be light after the dark, happiness after the pain is over, one leads to the other, giving us hope to have the power while going through the storm. It is such a motivating sentence, spreading out an energy in a way that inspires me for my own music productions.
10-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?
Mira Falkenstein: This depends on the occasion. If I have an event where I play or a song release, there is a lot of content before and after and social media takes a few hours daily. If there is no certain occasion around, I can use the days more for set preparation and music production. Instagram is the one which generates most of the bookings and interactions.
11-Do you post videos on tiktok? If yes please reference for us your favourite? What is your opinion about the power of tiktok to promote music releases?Is there any tiktok video created by fans of you with your music worth mentioning?
Mira Falkenstein: Yes sometimes. The best one is the one where I walk on a big stage, performing for Affenkäfig in Germany. The light flows with the shadows of the feather art I'm wearing.
TikTok is a good tool for promoting music, if you know how to make it interesting to watch.
Yes I have a fan video by Michel 2.0 using my realease "Let's Go" for it. Very nice made!
12-Dimitris: Do you have any gigs/festival performances confirmed so far for 2024 in which ones are you most excited to perform and why?
Mira Falkenstein: Speaking for 2024 - One of the most enjoyable performances this year was playing at Ruhr in Love. It was my first festival and the stage was huge. I loved the energy outside and it was completely full with all the ravers in the front.
13-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!
Mira Falkenstein: The quality is good. In some songs there is just a little power or vibe missing that catches me.
14-Your current Top 3 tracks with short comment:
Mira Falkenstein: Anna Reusch - Nasty / I really like the bouncy vibe of this song
Purpose of Life - IOA / the break of the song is full of hope and positivity, great energy
Aliz - Andrea Signore / the ethno spiritual sound is something I love in techno productions
15-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.
Mira Falkenstein: If you are a famous artist with a lot of listeners, you might get a nice reward for your work, but as a small artist, you don't earn a steady income with your music. You rather have to invest in advertisement to get heard. But on the other side, I think if you continue and grow, if you are eager and motivated because you love what you do, everything will be paid back to you at a certain level.
16-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.
Mira Falkenstein: To get the technical understanding it's good to sit next to a producer or watch a DJ playing. If possible, ask them directly, while observing or later. But the more you see their workflow, the better you can learn what suits with you and how you can use it. Then practicing of course, making mistakes is important to learn in the process. Try not to do everything by rules, especially the creative part, rather listen how it feels for you, you'll know what's right.
Spend more time with the music you really love and be open to learn from others. Surround yourself with people, who are better than you at things you want to archive. Nothing is impossible, it’s all a mindset and I think if we are really good at something, it will naturally work out for us, if we just continue. In the beginning, you will get a lot of disappointing reactions, so many different opinions and you will be rejected most of the time. But that’s the point where you are tested, if you have the drive to continue to stand up again, to believe in yourself, ready to grow further. When the power within you is stronger, you will shine your light.
17-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?
Mira Falkenstein: Of course I care a lot about that. But I don't have doubts about the quality of the songs, because they represent everything what I want to share as an artist with the outside world. If people reject them, it's totally fine, because we all have different music tastes. I know they will be heard by the right audience. If they don't have much listeners, it's because the right listens don't know about the existence of the song. So marketing and everything around needs more work.
18-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?
Mira Falkenstein: Yes my music genre is techno, but I love to mix styles of other genres into it. That's very refreshing, also when I listen to other artists.
19-Dimitris: Do you prefer small clubs or huge festivals to perform? in which festivals or clubs you aspire to play in the future?
Mira Falkenstein: Festivals have another spirit, playing during the day, mostly in the sun is something I would prefer, as it suits the kind of music I play and the energy that is transformed with the crowd.
I would love to play at Tomorrowland one day and at the Ushuaia Ibiza Beach Club.
20-Please choose for us your favourite holiday destination and share with us your most unforgettable holiday experience(good/bad)
Mira Falkenstein: The maldives are unforgettable and my favorite destination so far. I've never been to such a calm and peaceful place, the beach and the water are just like paradise.
The experiences I made there, helped me to be more in tune with myself. There was so much space for self reflection and inspiration, I loved being outside all the time and more connected with nature. No rush to go anywhere or see anything, just be.
Dimitris: Your message & wishes for Flux Bpm Online readers.
Mira Falkenstein: Ask yourself how much time you spend with something you really love doing for yourself. We live in a society where the people are too exhausted from work to put time into their passion or even living their passion, making it to their job. Noting is impossible, it’s all a mindset and I think if we are really good at something, we should spend more time doing it. You never know what can emerge from that and what positive change you can bring into the world with your talent. I wish you all the best, believe in yourself and you will find your way.
Thanks so Mira for her wonderful answers.
Thanks so much to Andrea for arranging this interview.