Can you tell us about your background and how you first got started in music? How did you first become interested in electronic music and what drew you to it as a medium for self-expression?
I started out collecting the records that were sampled in hiphop. I had a bunch of friends who were hiphop DJ’s. I wanted to DJ as well, but wanted to do something different. So I started playing funk/disco/rare grooves etc. To support my hobby I thought it would be a good idea to go around to pubs and ask if I could play my records there. I got like 50E for a whole night which I then spend on new vinyl. After a while I started DJing at party’s and me and my DJ friends started to throw our own party’s, which got populair really fast in our hometown. Then we started doing more shows and after a while it got so successful it was my main thing. Then I noticed my friends started pursuing different careers and I started to work more on a solo thing. I didnt have any experience producing but I gave it a go. The second or third track I made, which I released on my label (which I started around promoting parties) got picked up by Spinnin and Ministry Of Sound and after that it really started to get serious.
Who are some of your biggest musical influences, both within electronic music and outside of it? How have these influences shaped your sound and approach to creating music?
My musical influences are so spread out and diverse I honestly wouldnt know where to start. Most of the time I get randomly inspired by music coming from all over. Indie songs, guitar picking, children songs, jazz it could be anything. I never looked at another artist and went, I want to be like that. Because I find the output of most of the successful artist pretty boring and build up of previous success. I just want to create a lot of music and try stuff out. Obviously there are artist who I like, like for example Four Tet. But if I would listen too much to his music I’d just be copy-ing that, which I dont want.
Can you tell us about your recently released debut album? How did the project come about and what inspired you to create it? What was your approach to making it and what do you think sets the tracks apart from your previous work?
I started in the pandemic. I had a great urge to keep on working with people. Obviously not in real life, but I reached out to loads of people and worked via Zoom. I noticed I really liked the fact that its super effective. Normally in a studio you cant really work on separate things without hearing what the others are doing. Via zoom I could work separate from the singer/writer and then come back to surprise him/her or to be surprised. So all the tracks that have vocalists on them came straight out of does zoom sessions. I wanted to create something more left of center then my previous work, but still with strong songs. And I also wanted to let the listener know my musical path since that is more than house based.
What has been the highlight of your career so far? Can you talk about a specific moment or accomplishment that stands out as particularly meaningful to you?
The success around the release of the single Outlines with Dragonette was a big highlight. After that I did so many shows and tours and really enjoyed flying all over the world to play for people.
Can you tell us about any upcoming music or collaborations you have in the works? Are there any new directions or sounds you’re exploring in your music right now?
I’m talking with Dragonette to do something new, which I’m excited about. The rest I cant really tell as there are different projects and team involved that and its not fully in place yet.
Can you tell us about any challenges you have faced in your career and how you overcame them? Have there been any specific obstacles or difficulties you’ve had to navigate as an electronic musician?
My biggest challenge was realizing how tough working in music can be AFTER I had succes. My breakthrough moment was after the single Outlines with Dragonette. But that breakthrough came pretty early and all though I worked on it hard, I only realised how hard it is when the successes after Outlines werent as big. There’s so much involved for a project to be successful, everything has to fall into place. A lot of those things you dont have control over. My frustration because of the lack succes afte Outlines got in the way of my creative process, which is killing. I really had to focus on what I love doing, creating music, without thinking about the outcome. It took me a couple of years to really realize that. Now I’m super productive and have loads of music ready to be released.
How do you see the music industry evolving in the next 5 years? What changes do you think we’ll see in terms of technology, distribution, and audience engagement?
AI is gonna take over. No matter what people are telling you.
What advice would you give to aspiring musicians trying to make it in the industry? Are there any particular tips or strategies you’ve found to be particularly effective in building a career as an electronic musician?
If you want to be an artist you gotta create. A LOT. There are so many people out there trying to make it and you just have to grind constantly and have a bit of luck. You cant control the market and you cant really control your ideas, but you can control just chipping away at it as much as you can. You only really know if you like it if you really want to work on it always.
