Showing posts with label Flux BPM InDepth Interviews. Show all posts
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03:43:00

Zerothree proudly presents an incredible sound clash from two unique progressive talents. My Friend & Dezza team up on the mesmerising Dream Weaver.

Tipped by BBC Radio 1’s Danny Howard as “Ones to watch” UK producer duo My Friend have been crafting a signature melodic vibe over the past 18 months, releasing on powerhouse labels and remixing for the likes of Icarus and more. Dezza equally has risen to the top of the progressive tree after his incredible In Tents EP owned the charts for months. To follow would be a feature performance at ASOT900, a debut album and a large progressive fan base.

Dream Weaver is something special. It builds, grows and evolves holding firm that REALPROG mantra. Big chuggy bass, hard hitting drums and a breakdown that takes euphoria to the next level (REALPROG style).

This is My Friend & Dezza. This is REALPROG.

We are super glad that the superb artists accepted our challenge to answer our in depth questions. This is a great interview to get to know their present, past and future.

PLEASE NOTE: To read the answers please click the + symbol.




[accordion] [item title="Dimitri: Did you have the opportunity to attend any kind of music production course or are u completely self taught? Do you consider that is essential for any artist to complete any production course?"]Dezza: I am completely self-taught. When I started there was nothing like that available, barely even YouTube tutorials. Looking back, If the opportunity existed perhaps I would have been keen to take some sort of course. At the end of the day you just really have to have the passion for it. James: We are both pretty much self-taught in terms of producing music. Archie used to be in a few bands and did a degree in art history and music, which definitely helps. I haven’t really done anything musical course-wise. I did a little bit of piano lessons when I was younger but that's it! Ha. Luckily it seems that music comes fairly naturally to me somehow. It definitely helps doing a music production course and is probably quicker to get better at the whole production process. However, it’s by no means the only way in to becoming an artist/music producer.Sometimes, ignorance is bliss when it comes to making music as you can come up with some pretty weird and wonderful material. [/item] [item title="Dimitri: In which label was your first ever release and how did you manage to attract the attention of the label?"]Dezza: I won a demo contest that Pete Tong put on called “Bedroom Bedlam”. After that I did a bootleg that made it into the hands of Tiesto and he played it out live many times so those two things caught the attention of some labels. [/item] [item title="Dimitri: Please pick for us your Top 5 tracks that you have produced and you consider them as being highly important for the progress of your career."]Dezza: 
Hefty - this was my first big signing. It was released with Spinnin Records and caught the attention of alot of people. It was made around the big EDM boom of 2010-2011. My sound changed direction a bit with the trends but I thankfully was able to make my way back into what we call RealProg!



  Radiohead - Everything In Its Right Place (Dezza Bootleg) - I don’t often do bootlegs but this one was quite significant. It caught the ear of Above & Beyond and was the start of a great relationship with them and team Anjuna. After that they have supported me alot. Spencer Brown even hit me up to do his own edit of my bootleg and you can still hear it at many of his live shows today!
 
Escapist - I had a goal to get on Zerothree from their very first release. This one caught their ear, and with the help from Z3 A&R Jamie, we had a winner. It was released along with a single from UK duo Kolonie, whom I am great friends with to this day.



  Law Of Attraction - My second outing with Zerothree. It peaked at #3 on the progressive house charts and was the 5th best selling prog record of 2018 on beatport.



  Cosmos Album - after 15 years of making music it was time for an album. Lots of hard work went into it and it has been amazing seeing the great response from everyone. 2 Million streams and counting!

  [/item] [item title="Dimitri: Let's focus on your latest release Dreamweaver with My Friend. Please tell us from where did you got the inspiration for the track and what kind of music influences is including?"]Dezza: Surprisingly, the idea of that track came together in about an hour, I don’t know where it came from but it was weird. Around that time My Friend had played “Law Of Attraction” in their ABGT guest mix so I messaged them and it turned out they like weird and different stuff too, so we collaborated on it and there you have it.

  [/item] [item title="Dimitri: Can you describe to us the steps that you went through the production of this track and of any other track?"Dezza: I always start with some kind of atmospheric pad or arpeggio that establishes a key center for the track. I am not musically trained so I just take it by ear from there. [/item] [item title="Dimitri: Please describe to us the studio that you have produced the track? What is your favourite hardware and software set up? Do you have in mind any new gear that you wish to get in order to raise the quality of your production? "]I think we will always keep the studio fairly basic. We feel it's good to get to know a few synths (whether they are analog or soft) really well rather than having too much gear and not using half of it![/item] [item title="Dimitri: Do you master the track yourself or the mastering is task for the record label? Do you understand mastering as being essential?"]Dezza: The mastering was done by AMPM Audio. In my opinion they are the best in the biz, the best sounding masters I have ever had. They also mastered my album. [/item] [item title="Dimitri: There is a growing trend of vinyl coming back for good. Would you like to see this track released on vinyl or any other of your future tracks? Do you prefer digital files or vinyl?"]Dezza: Lots of people ask if my music will ever be available on vinly. The problem is that it is a big expense for a label to do it based on a relatively small demand. I would love to have some of my stuff on vinyl. I learnt how to mix on vinyl, which I felt was very important back then but today, all digital. [/item] [item title="Dimitri: Do you have any future releases planned and when will be released?"]Dezza: Always. Matt Fax and I are in the planning a huge project at the moment. James: Yes we have a 2 track ep coming out on Fly Boy, Icarus’s label which we are super excited about. We definitely feel that this EP solidifies our sound. We are also in the middle of another really exciting collab that we can’t talk too much about but are looking forward to sharing with everyone! Dezza: Always. Matt Fax and I are in the planning a huge project at the moment. James: Yes we have a 2 track ep coming out on Fly Boy, Icarus’s label which we are super excited about. We definitely feel that this EP solidifies our sound. We are also in the middle of another really exciting collab that we can’t talk too much about but are looking forward to sharing with everyone! [/item] [item title="Dimitri: Do you have any more DJ gigs planned for the next few months? "]Dezza: I am playing at Dreams Festival in Toronto, Canada on June 29th, 2019. There is a high demand for me in the USA, so the visa process is underway. Later in the year I will be going back to Australia as well.[/item] [item title="Dimitri: In 2018 the electronic music talent AVICII died and this has alerted several artists to become more health conscious. Are there any lessons to learn as an artist out from this sad event?"]Dezza: Tim’s tragic passing was a huge shock to the music industry as a whole. Mental Health is extremely important. Most people don’t see or understand the ins and outs of the music business. Some things that go on aren’t brought to light and that can weigh heavy on artists. I feel artists are beginning to talk to each other more, I have noticed it in my circle of friends. If I am stressed out or having a difficult time, I know there are friends in the business that I can reach out to, and that is very important. No matter how big or small an artist is we are all just normal people who want to reach people with our art. [/item] [item title="Dimitri: Best piece of advice you got in relation to your career so far and best tip you learnt recently to make your tracks better...."]James: Best advice would be….. Stay humble no matter what! Always try and think outside the box when making music. It's good to sit back and think to yourself - will this get noticed? Will it cut through the masses of music that gets released every week?[/item] [item title=" Dimitri: Can you give us your best travel tips in order to survive the long travelling hours?"]Never check a suitcase, always fit everything in a carry on, this makes things quicker at the airport. I absolutely love aviation and have worked in the industry for 13 years so I don’t mind travelling at all.[/item] [item title=" Dimitri: Please note down your favourite Top 5 tracks at this moment!?"]
Archie: Nick Lampos - Designed By Beauty
Krystal Clear - Euphoric Dreams
Tiger Stripes - Sneaking Hotdogs Into Peoples Pockets




Joris Voorn - Rio




 Matador - Air  

 [/item] [/accordion]

Many thanks to Dezza and My Friend for this great interview.

Many thanks to Grace Ward at Additive Music PR for organising this interview and with her patience waiting to publish it.

Additional info:
http://bit.ly/ZerothreeFacebook
http://bit.ly/ZerothreeTwitter
http://bit.ly/ZerothreeSoundcloud
Twitter - http://twitter.com/DJDezza
Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/dezzamusic
https://twitter.com/myfrienduk

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23:27:00


LUCIEN is an Epic trance artist and DJ based in Toronto, Canada. With influences mainly Darren Porter and Aly & Fila amongst many others he had released recently on Trancegression Recordings his awesome single The Universe. We invited him to answer our questions and we got back some juicy answers that you can read right here.



PLEASE NOTE: To read the answers please click the +

[accordion] [item title="Dimitris: When did you start your involvement with electronic dance music and which music style you are more affiliated with and why?"]LUCIEN: I have been releasing tracks for the past 3 years after being a fan of the trance genre for many years and having a music background in classical piano[/item] [item title="Dimitris: Did you had the opportunity to attend any kind of music production course or are u completely self taught? Do you consider that is essential for any artist to complete any production course?"]LUCIEN: I did a course on Logic Pro X to supplement my own learnings[/item] [item title="Dimitris: In which label was your first ever release and how did you manage to attract the attention of the label?"]LUCIEN: My first label was Full On 140 Records out of Chicago. They are great guys who appreciate trance with old school feels. [/item] [item title="Dimitris: Please pick for us your Top 5 tracks that you have produced and you consider them as being highly important for the progress of your career."]LUCIEN: I have had four releases so far. My best melody I would consider to be 'The Universe' which I released on April 15 of this year.[/item] [item title="Dimitris: Let's focus on your latest release. Please tell us from where did you got the inspiration for the track and what kind of music influences is including?"]LUCIEN: The Universe is about my belief in the limitless possibilities of the cosmos and its beauty. It is meant to take the listener on an epic journey into the galaxy. [/item] [item title="Dimitris: How long it took you to produce it and was an easy or difficult process?If you have faced any difficulties please tell us about them and how did you resolved them?"]LUCIEN: It's usually a two or three month process. [/item] [item title="Dimitris: Which was the biggest challenge that you faced during the production of this superb track?"]LUCIEN: It can be a challenge to attract labels these days if you are not yet a known name, so that took some time. [/item] [item title="Dimitris: Can you describe to us the steps that you went through the production of this track and of any other track?"]LUCIEN: For me the most important piece is the melody. It's the essence of any good track, and I really focus on making mine memorable and 'humable'. [/item] [item title="Dimitris: When the track finished did the label accepted it as it was produced or did the label recommend you to do some changes or fix certain things?"]LUCIEN: Some fixes were made [/item] [item title="Dimitris: Is this track an original composition or is it based on a template from another track produced from you or another producer?"]LUCIEN: Original [/item] [item title="Dimitris: Is the quality of this track higher than your previous one? If yes in what ways this track sounds better than your previous one?"]LUCIEN: My melodies I believe are getting better and better over time [/item] [item title="Dimitris: Do you have any friends or relatives that you send them the track before sending it to a label or if you are DJ did you test it in your gigs? If yes did you have to do any alterations as a result of the crowd reaction?"]LUCIEN: I usually sent it to a few close friends in the trance community to get their reaction. [/item] [item title="Dimitris: Please describe to us the studio that you have produced the track? What is your favourite hardware and software set up? Do you have in mind any new gear that you wish to get in order to raise the quality of your production?"]LUCIEN: Initial work in Logic Pro X with Omnisphere, Spire and Sylenth as well as a number of native Logic plugins. [/item] [item title="Dimitris: Do you master the track yourself or the mastering is task for the record label? Do you understand mastering as being essential?"]LUCIEN: Mastering is always done by a specialist [/item] [item title="Dimitris: There is a growing trend of vinyl coming back for good. Would you like to see this track released on vinyl or any other of your future tracks? Do you prefer digital files or vinyl?"]LUCIEN: That would be amazing. I have a classic trance vinyl collection and hopefully vinyl will stage a comeback for tracks these days also.[/item] [item title="Dimitris: Do you have any future releases planned and when will be released?"]LUCIEN: Yes, more coming in 2019[/item] [item title="Dimitris: Can you let us know your favourite Top 5 tracks at this moment!"]LUCIEN: 1-Mark Sherry & Christina Novelli - Lighting Fires 2-Emerge & Jennifer Rene - Landslide 3-Talla 2XLC - Till Tomorrow 4-Green Court - Follow Me (DJ JamX & DeLeon Remix) (classic pick)  5-LUCIEN - The Universe ;-)[/item] [item title="Dimitris: Do you have any DJ gigs lately?"]LUCIEN: I have been focused mainly on releases and am now looking to do more shows[/item] [item title="Dimitris: Do you have any more DJ gigs planned for the next few months?"]LUCIEN: I am playing at a trance festival on Toronto Island this summer and am working on further gigs.[/item] [item title="Dimitris: Do you produce a radio show/podcast as well? Please tell us here all the details about it. If you don't have one please tell us why you don't think is important for your career."]LUCIEN: Not yet, but probably in the future[/item] [item title="Dimitris: Best piece of advice you got in relation to your career so far and best tip you learnt recently to make your tracks better."]LUCIEN: Stick to your beliefs[/item] [item title="Dimitris: Please give us here your tips or more elaborated advice for any new artists who may read this interview and wish to get involved with the electronic music industry."]LUCIEN: Learn about harmonics[/item] [item title="Dimitris: In 2018 the electronic music talent AVICII died and this has alerted several artists to become more health conscious. Are there any lessons to learn as an artist out from this sad event? "]LUCIEN: I respected him for his broad spectrum appeal[/item] [item title="Dimitris: There is a big movement for revival of classic tracks and as a result of this retro events have boomed with music policy of solely classic tracks. What is your opinion about events or stages only with classics and can you choose for us your absolute 3 favourite classics? "]LUCIEN: I think its a great idea to have a classic trance room as part of an event.[/item] [item title="Dimitris: Please give us your messages for our readers?"]LUCIEN: I want to send a shout out to all my great fans, the comments I have received on The Universe have been amazing and inspiring.[/item] [/accordion]

Many thanks to LUCIEN for his great answers. We wish him all the best in his future projects. 

Additional info:
http://www.lucienofficial.com
https://www.facebook.com/luciendjofficial/
https://twitter.com/lucien_dj
Instagram: lucien.dj
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01:26:00

ABOUT LUTZENKIRCHEN...

Back to the beginning. Where everything started. Long nights, not much sleep.

Ideas were born from incredible experiences, then musically realized. Unforgettable moments which will stay with you forever and which will be revived after a creative pause.

The musical roots of Tobias Lutzenkirchen go back to the year 1992, where he appeared the first time on a record as a singer. His love for electronic music came to life when he was working for one year as a promoter on Ibiza in 1995.

He came back to Neuss in Germany in 1996, where he continued to work as a Singer and Songwriter in every possible musical realm but also started to learn the art of sound engineering as he was already touched by the late 90’s electronic music scene.

As a result, he evolved his first electronic tracks and experimented under different aliases just a year or two later, which resulted in a couple of chart successes 2001 and 2002.

Many, many aliases and projects later, Lutzenkirchen was born in 2005.

Continually striving to innovate and evolve his sound, you can always count on him to push things forward – rather than copying the latest hotshot or ripping off endless old records. He only began his DJ career in 2006, when the success of his productions began to bring booking requests from around the world and by 2008 he had switched to performing as a live-act for about two years.

These two years have seen him play on every continent at least twice, with 8 tours in Brazil alone. But whether he’s playing to 300 people in a sweaty provincial German nightclub, or to 30,000 on huge festivals, his enthusiasm and passion are still the same. Even after being 'on the road' for or over a decade.

He released on prolific labels like Mark Knights „Toolroom“, UMEKs “1605”, Spartaques “IAMT”, Cristian Varelas "Pornographic", major Labels like "Universal“ and of course "Great Stuff“, as well as on Martin Eyerers "Kling Klong“, Spektres "Respekt Records", Marco Baileys "MB Elektronics", "303 Lovers“ and much more.In fact way too many to list here.

He was also the head of “Platform B”, a musical platform for Munich´s newcomer artists, which still has a huge fan base for superb minimal and techno tracks which might be revived soon.

However: With such a massive output you sometimes need a break; a regenerating phase in which you retract yourself fully into thought. Especially after the huge German super hit

“3 Tage Wach” (Three Days Awake) which was one of the most successful songs in 2008. Getting tired from all the hype he switched from being a LiveAct back to DJing in 2010/2011 and in the middle of 2012, Lutzenkirchen arrived at a point where he nearly stopped his productions almost completely.

In the end, this time did him a power of good. He is back with more motivation and energy than ever before. His musical style is once again one step ahead of the time and massive new output has been collected, which announced a new-old Lutzenkirchen who is once more dedicated to the techno scene. Also, he will soon return to his trademark

“Lutzenkirchen Live” Setup which a lot of people still remember very well and will showcase his unique production skills to the crowds.

It is a return to the beginning; to the roots. Groovy and extreme danceable dirty Techno, with his typically trancy and housy elements in-between to spice things up even more. His music is heavily inspired by his journeys and from his experiences in cities like London, Detroit, Melbourne, Tokyo, Sao Paulo, Bogota, St. Petersburg, Helsinki, Stockholm, Paris, Mexico City, Barcelona, Medellin, New York, Hong Kong, Toronto, and Chicago.

His sound is diverse, energetic, pulsating, thrilling, high-q and unmistakable Lutzenkirchen



ABOUT LUTZENHOUSE....

While Lutzenkirchen has now once again a solid footing in the techno scene Lutzenkirchen felt that he always missed his house-sets and doing housier productions.

This is why he decided to split up himself into two main music categories. Production-wise and also DJing-wise.

 So let us introduce you to Lutzenhouse. The debut EP is released on Yellow Tail (BluFin) and the first full DJ-Set will go online on Soundcloud in a couple of days as well. He'll keep you posted. 

Lutzenhouse focuses on Classic House/Progressive House and Tech House. In the sets as well as in the productions. 

We are delighted that this influential legendary artist Lutzenkirchen replied with so much unique way in our interview questions going deep to his first ever Lutzenhouse release.

Interview is written and conducted by Dimitris Kechagias, music journalist and radio host.



Dimitris: Did you had the opportunity to attend any kind of music production course or are u completely self taught? Do you consider that is essential for any artist to complete any production course?

Lutzenkirchen / Lutzenhouse: I am self taught. However I was taken under the wing of Ramon Zenker who showed me some production specific stuff early on. I think its more important to find someone with actual experience than a theoretical course. 

Dimitris: In which label was your first ever release and how did you manage to attract the attention of the label?

Lutzenkirchen / Lutzenhouse: I just send a demo. My first release was 1999 I think. A vinyl release on Trance-Chip (where also Pulsedriver has started at the same time)

Dimitris: Can you pick for us your Top 5 tracks that you have produced and you consider them as being highly important for the progress of your career.

Lutzenkirchen / Lutzenhouse: 

Daily Disco, Lutzenkirchen 



3 Tage Wach



LXR - Massive Passive



Paffendorf - Be Cool (co-produced and lyrics)



 Lutzenkirchen - All that Jazz



 Dimitris: Let's focus on your latest release Fus Do Rah EP as Lutzenhouse on Yellow Tail. Please tell us from where did you got the inspiration for the track and what kind of music influences is including?

Lutzenkirchen / Lutzenhouse: I always was split up between techno and house. In the DJ sets as well as in production. So this is now my house moniker and Lutzenkirchen will stay exclusively techno. This is more of a "business" decision Gig-wise.  Inspiration comes in all shapes and forms. Can't pin it down to something special. 

Dimitris: How long it took you to produce it and was an easy or difficult process?If you have faced any difficulties please tell us about them and how did you resolved them?

Lutzenkirchen / Lutzenhouse: Can't remember. Usually 

Dimitris: Which was the biggest challenge that you faced during the production of this superb track?

Lutzenkirchen / Lutzenhouse: None. When stuff is challenging I usually drop it. At least for a while then return to it on a later point. If its still challenging, I drop it completely. 

Dimitris: When the track finished did the label accepted it as it was produced or did the label recommend you to do some changes or fix certain things?

Lutzenkirchen / Lutzenhouse: Accepted right away. They usually are.

Dimitris: Is this track an original composition or is it based on a template from another track produced from you or another producer?

Lutzenkirchen / Lutzenhouse: Original tracks. I do original tracks most of the time.

Dimitris: Is the quality of this track higher than your previous one? If yes in what ways this track sounds better than your previous one?

Lutzenkirchen / Lutzenhouse: Can't tell. Its hard to judge by myself as your own opinion often varies wildly from the general.

Dimitris: Do you have any friends or relatives that you send them the track before sending it to a label or if you are DJ did you test it in your gigs? If yes did you have to do any alterations as a result of the crowd reaction?

Lutzenkirchen / Lutzenhouse: No. When I send something to a label I am usually confident enough already. I don't need either supportive voices or people that might reduce my confidence. The answer from the label is all that is of interest to me.  



Dimitris: Please describe to us the studio that you have produced the track? What is your favourite hardware and software set up? Do you have in mind any new gear that you wish to get in order to raise the quality of your production?

Lutzenkirchen / Lutzenhouse: Oh. Yeah, I have some gear/ I work with everything basically. I also switch DAWs/Sequencers all the time to keep my mind busy.

Dimitris: Do you master the track yourself or the mastering is task for the record label? Do you understand mastering as being essential?

Lutzenkirchen / Lutzenhouse: Depends. When a label has the money to spend for a good mastering studio I won't do it myself. Otherwise I will. Result is the same 50% of the time.

Dimitris: There is a growing trend of vinyl coming back for good. Would you like to see this track released on vinyl or any other of your future tracks? Do you prefer digital files or vinyl?

Lutzenkirchen / Lutzenhouse: Don't care. I played vinyl and now all the downsides. Don't think this "trend" will last.

Dimitris: Do you have any future releases as Lutzenhouse planned and when will be released?

Lutzenkirchen / Lutzenhouse: Yes. But this is the debut. I just finished the next EP and sending out Demos right now.



Dimitris: Can you note down your favourite Top 5 tracks at this moment!

Lutzenkirchen / Lutzenhouse: None. I have no real favourites right now. Everything is kinda the same.

Dimitris: Can you tell us here your Top 3 best DJ gigs so far and the reasons that made them so special?

Lutzenkirchen / Lutzenhouse: I played hundreds if not more over all continents. Impossible to say.



Dimitris: Do you have any more DJ gigs planned for the next few months? 

Lutzenkirchen / Lutzenhouse: Sure, I will be off to Berlin (GER) tomorrow, next week Augsburg (GER), then I think Switzerland or Austria and so on. Portugal is coming up as well next month and my schedule is rather busy. 

Dimitris: Do you produce a radio show/podcast as well? 

Lutzenkirchen / Lutzenhouse: No. I do sets for podcast regularly but don't have my own.

Dimitris: Best piece of advice you got in relation to your career so far and best tip you learnt recently to make your tracks better.

Lutzenkirchen / Lutzenhouse: Finish your stuff... Don't have 100 started tracks lying around. FINISH your stuff.

Dimitris: Give us here your tips or more elaborated advice for any new artists who may read this interview and wish to get involved with the electronic music industry.

Lutzenkirchen / Lutzenhouse: Be prepared to get f****d.


Dimitris: If you travel very often to perform  in various countries can you give us your best travel tips in order to survive the long travelling hours?

Lutzenkirchen / Lutzenhouse: These days its easy. Powerplugs and Internet access everywhere. Get a bunch of good movies and time will fly.

Dimitris: What is your opinion about retro events or stages only with classics ?

Lutzenkirchen / Lutzenhouse: Don't care about retro-events. Don't care that much about classics. Real classics to me presonally are found in a different category/style of music. 

Dimitris: Please give us your messages for our readers?

Lutzenkirchen / Lutzenhouse: Stay real.

Thanks so much to Tobias for his answer on this interview.

Thanks so much to Andrea Engels at Yellow Tail & Blu Fin for organising this interview. 

Additional info:
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16:42:00

Barbaros, born & based in a small town near Cologne (Germany), took his first steps in DJing in the late eighties. Initially influenced by hip-hop & breakbeat that surfaced onto the German music scene, he became heavily obsessed by electronic music sounds by acts like Front 242, Depeche Mode, and New Order. In 1993 he started as resident in one of colognes greatest clubs which gave him the possibilities to design his own unmistakable musical styles. 

His unique sound is hard to define but club-goers immediately take root with his progressive and deep sounds in locations throughout Germany and international hot-spots like Argentina, Turkey, Ukraine, Spain and the United States to name a few. From 1996 to 1999 Barbaros has worked at Dierks Studios, one of the better known studio complexes in Germany and has worked closely with Andre Schildt aka Dr. Lunatic and Alex Breuer aka KeeMo (a former part of Perplexer). 

As a member of the project called "FCKW", a hip hop project, the works were honoured with the award for the "Best Newcomer Group" at the German Music TV "VIVA". In 1999 he founded the North Shore Music Constructions which specialized in electronic music productions and has collaborated with Bodo Felusch, Taucher, Claus Pieper aka GENLOG, Ulli Poepellbaum aka Spacekid, Markus Wesen aka ALIEN.

Events such as Nature One, Ruhr in Love, Atmospherica as well as performances in various famous German radio shows. His original work has also been released on compilations Kontor - Top of the Clubs, Cafe del Mar, Good Bye Ibiza - Sound of the Closing Parties, etc. "Secrets of Loneliness", "Captive Child", "Forever", "Green Room", "My Pain", and "Details" have been signed by music labels from Europe to the United States and have been found in DJ sets around the globe. [The bio is taken from his facebook about page]

His remix on Ferry by Matziz is out now on Evosonic Records and we found this opportunity to request an interview and we are glad he replied with so much informative answers. Not to be missed for sure!


Dimitris: When did you start your involvement with electronic dance music and which music style you are more affiliated with and why?

Barbaros: Its started in the mid 90´s. Germany was influenced with Hip Hop from the US, and I was curious of the next step making beats and music with the computer!  It started with some House tunes and move over to Trance. At this time I didn't have a preferred style.

Dimitris: Did you had the opportunity to attend any kind of music production course or are u completely self taught? Do you consider that is essential for any artist to complete any production course?

Barbaros: For me it was all self taught. I am educated as a sound technician for broadcasting, but the producing part is self taught! I think its necessary to learn the basics, but creativity is hard to teach!

Dimitris: In which label was your first ever release and how did you manage to attract the attention of the label?

Barbaros: My first release was at "Clubbgroove Records" which was the label of ATB,Woody van Eyden & Spacekid. At this time I produced a lot of Stuff, and I played a lot of gigs around Germany. At one party I met Woody, and told him maybe I got some productions for him. And he invited me to his office. That's it!! :-)

Dimitris: Please pick for us your Top 5 tracks that you have produced and you consider them as being highly important for the progress of your career.

Barbaros: 1- "Secrets of Loneliness" was my first track and was licensed to some big compilations. That was my first steps in the music business.

2- "Bodo Felusch - Pancake (Barbaros Remix)" is one of my (for me personally) best productions I ever made. I still love to hear & play the track.



3 -  "Cloud City" was played by a lot of DJ´s and Radio Stations.



4 -  "Mirasol" is one of my most successful tracks as it entered the Top 50 i-tunes Dance Charts in Germany



5 - "Lenny Kravitz - Believe in me (Barbaros Bootleg)" made a long journey to Australia. People from down under wrote me mails, and then I realised that my audience is bigger and in far away places that I ever thought.

Dimitris: Let's focus on your remix on Ferry. Please tell us from where did you got the inspiration for this remix and what kind of music influences is including?

Barbaros: The latest release is a remix for Evosonic Records. Mike asked me for a remix, and I said yeah of course I will produce the remix.The original track is an nice downbeat, ambient track. In the break I used  the original in order to include the atmosphere of the track.

Dimitris: How long it took you to produce it and was an easy or difficult process?If you have faced any difficulties please tell us about them and how did you resolved them?

Barbaros: Usually I need 2-3 days to make any remix. If the original gives me a good feeling, most of the time there are no difficulties.

Dimitris: Which was the biggest challenge that you faced during the production of this superb track?

Barbaros: The biggest challenge to remix a downbeat track to a club track is not to loose the feeling of the original downbeat version.

Dimitris: Can you describe to us the steps that you went through for the production of this remix and of any other remixes?

Barbaros: Firstly I listen to all the single tracks that I get. Next I choose the significant sounds from the original, and then I delete all the stems that I don't need. Lastly I add my own sounds and compositions, and at the end I start to arrange the remix.

Dimitris: When the remix finished did the label accepted it as it was produced?

Barbaros: No, there was no complaints from the labelside.

Dimitris: Is the quality of this remix higher than your previous remixes that you did? If yes in what ways this track sounds better than your previous one?

Barbaros: I think not! It's different, but not worse or better.



Dimitris: Do you have any friends or relatives that you send them the track before sending it to the labels?

Barbaros: I always have a couple of producers who they listen first my finished tracks or remixes

Dimitris: Can you describe to us the studio that you have produced this remix? What is your favourite hardware and software set up? 

Barbaros: I am using Logic ProX  DAW, and a lot of Software Plug Ins like Sylenth, ANA2 and some of the Komplete Series from Native Instruments.



Dimitris: Do you master the track yourself or the mastering is task for the record label? Do you understand mastering as being essential?

Barbaros: Most of my tracks are mastered by myself.  In some cases, I leave the decision to the label if they got specific wishes. I think mastering is very important because it can infuse more dynamism into the tracks.

Dimitris: There is a growing trend of vinyl coming back for good. Would you like to see this track released on vinyl or any other of your future tracks? Do you prefer digital files or vinyl?

Barbaros: I got a lot of releases on vinyl, and yes its nice to get some future releases on vinyl. I do not think the vinyl comes back so strong. It seems so, because other genres (Pop, Rock etc) use the Retro Boom. I guess in the club scene it will not rise up.

For travelling I prefer digital mediums. But I am still buying vinyl, because I started my career with this pieces of black gold and I like them.

Dimitris: Do you have any future releases or remixes planned and when will be released?

Barbaros: There are new releases coming constantly. You can follow me in my social media to keep yourself updated :-)

Dimitris: Please note down your favourite Top 5 tracks at this moment!

Barbaros: Double Touch - Cape Cove



Newman - Tears of Rain






Sebastien Leger - Larnaka




Juan Deminicis - Bugs & Blossoms





Danitho & Athina - Spirit (Armen Miran Remix)






Dimitris: Can you recall for us your Top 3 best DJ gigs so far and the reasons that made them so special?


Barbaros: Nature One / Playing on beautiful sunset set for a nice and friendly crowd.
Dido Beach Club was my first Open Air Gig for 2000 People.

Dimitris: Can you tell us more about your radio show on Evosonic? 

Barbaros: I've got my own radioshow on Evosonic.de called "Differences." Every first Tuesday of the month from 20-22h ET.

Dimitris: Best piece of advice you got in relation to your career so far and best tip you learnt recently to make your tracks better.

Barbaros: The best advice was always looking to other genres and learn from them and last but not least and one of the most important: never be overbearing, and always learn.

Dimitris: Please give us here your tips or more elaborated advice for any new artists who may read this interview and wish to get involved with the electronic music industry.

Barbaros: Be always curious, respect work from other artists,support your colleagues and have fun with creativity.

Dimitris: In 2018 the electronic music talent AVICII died and this has alerted several artists to become more health conscious. Are there any lessons to learn as an artist out from this sad event?

Barbaros: Many people around any successful artist want to do a lot of money at artists expenses. Money is not everything. The business must remain human.

Dimitris: If you are DJ or producer who travels very often to perform Live in various countries can you give us your best travel tips in order to survive the long travelling hours?

Barbaros: A lot of music and a lot of  good reading stuff ;-)

Dimitris: There is a big movement for revival of classic tracks and as a result of this retro events have boomed with music policy of solely classic tracks. What is your opinion about events or stages only with classics and can you choose for us your absolute 3 favourite classics?

Barbaros: I play often this kind of events, but I have to say sometimes its too much. Because there are so many current tracks, which can make the party huge. Please  don't live only in the past. Be open minded for new things. On the other hand, its funny to play (not always) some good old tracks in a set.

Marmion - Schöneberg



Twice as Nice - Overture



Sasha - Belfunk



Dimitris: Please give us your messages for our readers?

Barbaros: Be patient with what you do, be always curious and have fun with your creative process and do not try to be someone else. Be yourself!

Thanks so much to Barbaros for this wonderful interview.

Thanks to Chris Maico Schmidt aka Mikerobenics for organising this interview.

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01:05:00

Serge Orvin is trance music composer & DJ from South Korea. Along with Kanallia will release on Big Toys/Freegrant Music the superb End Time. We requested an interview to find out more about this upcoming artist and we are glad he replied and you are able to enjoy his answers! 



Serge Orvin: First of all, I want to thank the label, ‘Freegrant Music’ and ‘Flux bpm online’ & the people in charge here for giving us the opportunity to interview with our latest song. Also, thanks Kanallia for translating this interview from Korean to English. We’re having a very meaningful experience. It’ll be remembered for a long time. 


Dimitris: When did you start your involvement with electronic dance music and which music style you are more affiliated with and why?

Serge Orvin: I’ve started making music on 2005 with Remixing K-Pop. I like dance music, but i have been exposed to Trance since 2006. Trance genre has some fascinating things like, unique euphoric feeling just like tracks from ‘Armin Van Buuren, Ferry Corsten, Above & Beyond, Andy Moor’  Very clearly-settled song form. Our main style is ‘trance 2.0’ though, but I have a plan to do more variety genres. 

Dimitris: Did you had the opportunity to attend any kind of music production course or are u completely self taught? Do you consider that is essential for any artist to complete any production course?

Serge Orvin: I’m using FL Studio, and I’ve been studying completely ‘by myself’. I used FL Studio 5 first, and it was very difficult to access the knowledge of it; also very difficult to get information because of language barriers at that time. However, I’ve studied a lot for a long time so I got used to it, now I sometimes give useful information for my colleagues based on my long experience. I’ve taught ‘Kanallia’ (co-producer of this new track) about basic techniques at the beginning of his music works. There are more users in Korea now than before, so everyone can access various information. I think the ideas of necessity of ‘Music-Production Course’ can be chosen as needed. You can learn how to use the program by yourself through the manual, but you can’t know how to make songs by using it alone because it’s different between Processes of making a tune and Usage of DAW. 

Making a song needs a lot of senses & experiences. If you want to save time, I think it’s a good idea to choose a course that teaches you how to write songs. These days, there are many places that teach good courses like, ‘Youtube’ that you can freely access. If you’re a bit lazy to find, I recommend ‘Sonic Academy’ which has elaborate training course in one place. I think you can get a good education because really talented – famous artists do the tutorial.

Dimitris: In which label was your first ever release and how did you manage to attract the attention of the label?

Serge Orvin: There are two things : Commercial and Non-commercial label, but I’m gonna talk about the case of former one. I’ve made a debut on ‘Purple moon records’s sub label, ‘Garnet Planet’ in 2014 with ‘Big-room House’ style. Thankfully, this song was supported by ‘Rank 1 – Radio Rush 054’. The Big-room genre was the trendy style at that time, so I think it was attractive-point of my works for the label supporters in my opinion.

Dimitris: Please pick for us your Top 5 tracks that you have produced and you consider them as being highly important for the progress of your career.
Serge Orvin:

1. Serge Orvin & Li-Ion - Enthusiastic (Original Mix)



2. Serge Orvin - Get Bass (Original Mix)



3. Alex G. - Won't Leave You Again (Serge Orvin Remix)



4. Kanallia – The Savior



5. Bayaba & Kanallia - Zest (Original Mix)




Dimitris: Let's focus on your latest release. Please tell us from where did you got the inspiration for the track and what kind of music influences is including?

Serge Orvin: I got influences & inspiration from musics on "Anjunabeats", "Elliptical Sun Recordings", "Enhanced Music”, "Emergent Cities” cause their quality of music is so great that I can set tracks from those label as ‘reference’ of my track.

Dimitris: How long it took you to produce it and was an easy or difficult process?If you have faced any difficulties please tell us about them and how did you resolved them?

Serge Orvin: It took about 2 months to finish. I’ve did prototype of it (structure, sound, mix &  master) & my partner, ‘Kanallia’ took it a bit to make this sounds better. However, it wasn’t just easy work. There are lots of conflicts during ‘Collaboration’ than you’re working alone. It’s really hard to proceed when each person has different view of their collaboration track because when it happens, someone should give up their opinion. 

Here’s I want to tell someone who is in similar problem-situation: Calm down & consider the opposite as much as you can. It can hurt your feeling but he / she (the opposite) is your partner working same project with you. If you choose solution that makes co-worker leaves you, then you’ll gonna regret a lot about it. That’s really absurd choice. When the problem situation is done, then your work-efficiency will sky rocket.

Dimitris: Which was the biggest challenge that you faced during the production of this superb track?

Serge Orvin: Everything was challenge, there was nothing easy (laugh), yes, especially about ‘Mixing’. In short, it‘s always ‘Dilema’ because it feels like, all things great but we have to chose one way (one person’s opinion of mixing). However, it doesn’t mean that the other persons opinion is ‘wrong’, just different. When I was thinking about the processes of we’ve been, I was lacking a lot, but I feel sorry and thankful that my partner respected my opinion.


Dimitris: Can you describe to us the steps that you went through the production of this track and of any other track?

Serge Orvin: First, I create (or, created) the ‘Chord’ to build the base structure for the track and make melody, then focus on making ‘Kick’, ‘Bassdrop’, and ‘Breakdown’. For the Bassdrop, I usually make my own preset to make sort of, ‘Signature sounds’. Breakdown is the most important part of the Trance genre, so I focus on Fx & Lead synths to make dramatic sounds.

Dimitris: When the track finished did the label accepted it as it was produced or did the label recommend you to do some changes or fix certain things?

Serge Orvin: Fortunately, easily passed with no changes. I feel really thankful to our label, ‘Freegrant music’

Dimitris: Is this track an original composition or is it based on a template from another track produced from you or another producer?

Serge Orvin: Not at all, it’s all original. The way we reassemble what we’ve already done in the project is not our preference. Actually, I don’t think that’s necessary. When you look at our projects at the beginning, you may see a little settings that settled for mixing but nothing else. If I did in ‘Template’, I wouldn’t have written this song in two months. We’re not a ‘Stamper’.

Dimitris: Is the quality of this track higher than your previous one? If yes in what ways this track sounds better than your previous one?

Serge Orvin: I do all the best for make it better than before, but it’s not always satisfying. Isn’t it what all producers feel?




Dimitris: Do you have any friends or relatives that you send them the track before sending it to a label or if you are DJ did you test it in your gigs? If yes did you have to do any alterations as a result of the crowd reaction?

Serge Orvin: Haven’t used for DJ gigs but only gave feedback each other between me & Kanallia while proceeding the project. Of course I got a feedback when I decide what to use on kickdrum & bass when I made the Prototype version.

Dimitris: Please describe to us the studio that you have produced the track? What is your favourite hardware and software set up? Do you have in mind any new gear that you wish to get in order to raise the quality of your production?

Serge Orvin: I use hardware series from ‘Yamaha’, ‘Presonus’, and ‘Nektar’ in my studio & Software VST series from ‘Lennar Digital’, ‘Native Instrument’, ‘FabFilter’ stuffs. It’s Windows OS based software because I’m not a Mac user. When I talk about what’s in mind, I tell that I wanna get ‘Control Surface Console’ that I don’t have now.

Dimitris: Do you master the track yourself or the mastering is task for the record label? Do you understand mastering as being essential?

Serge Orvin: I do it on my own. I think basic mastering skills are essential for everyone whether it’s not good as professional. However, no matter how good the mastering is, the sound won’t improve much if the mixing-balance is not good. Producers should make almost – perfect balance in the mixing process.

Dimitris: There is a growing trend of vinyl coming back for good. Would you like to see this track released on vinyl or any other of your future tracks? Do you prefer digital files or vinyl?

Serge Orvin: Would be meaningful for my personal collection, but digital files can reduce production costs of the source. I think there are their own advantages & disadvantages.



Dimitris: Do you have any future releases planned and when will be released?

Serge Orvin: I’m preparing album in order, and Kanallia have signed his new tracks on some labels & one of them gonna out in February. So please look forward for it!

Dimitris: Please note down your favourite Top 5 tracks at this moment!

Serge Orvin: Paul Van Dyk & Jordan Suckley - The Code - (Rafael Osmo Remix)



Seven Lions feat Rico & Miella - Without You My Love (Myon Definitive Mix)



Jason Ross - Don't Give Up On Me (feat. Dia Frampton)



Dimitris: Do you produce a radio show/podcast as well? Please tell us here all the details about it. If you don't have one please tell us why you don't think is important for your career.

Serge Orvin: I’ve tried to operate it at first, but unfortunately I’ve stopped in some reason. If I get another chance, I’ll try it again.

Dimitris: Best piece of advice you got in relation to your career so far and best tip you learnt recently to make your tracks better.

Serge Orvin: Always try to learn from everything, cherish your colleagues around you.

Dimitris: Please give us here your tips or more elaborated advice for any new artists who may read this interview and wish to get involved with the electronic music industry.

Serge Orvin: It’s seems look great, but it’s going to take a lot of effort behind the scene. Sometimes it’s hard and frustrating, but keep up to improve your skills. Only the artists who are ready can seize the opportunity.

Dimitris: In 2018 the electronic music talent AVICII died and this has alerted several artists to become more health conscious. Are there any lessons to learn as an artist out from this sad event?

Serge Orvin: It’s a great pity that he left. Artists suffer from the stresses of being chased & trying to live up to expectations of everyone like, listeners & label owners and so on. It can be really harmful for health so every artists need to be more relaxed and take care themselves.

Dimitris: Please give us your messages for our readers?

Serge Orvin: Please pay close attention for our new tune, ‘End time’! Hope you guys like it.

Many thanks to Serge Orvin for his answers and Kanallia for translating the interview! 

Many thanks to Freegrant Music / Big Toys for organising this interview. 

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