Take us all the way back to the start of your career. What made you want to pursue a career in dance music, and what was it like getting started?
My goal has always been to connect with people through music like Swedish House Mafia & Armin van Buuren do. I fell in love with the dance music when I heard “One More Time” by Daft Punk, “Tuvan” by Gaia (Armin van Buuren’s side project), and Axwell & Dirty South’s remix for “Sweet Disposition” – those tracks gave me goosebumps, and made me jump in my bedroom. At that time (2009), I was using MySpace to find new music. I saw some videos of Armin, Axwell, Steve, and Ingrosso playing, and I decided to follow their steps; I was amazed by their energy. I told my parents that I wanted to be a DJ, and they didn’t hesitate to reject my dreams. They told me that I had to study something else, so I graduated with a degree in advertising with the only purpose of making money and paying for my music career.
I kept listening to all of the sets from Armin and SHM at Ultra, EDC, Sensation, and Tomorrowland. I began to recreate (only by hearing) what they were doing: transitions, tracks selection, fx, and mashups (especially those who had tracks from Michael Jackson, Daft Punk, and Nirvana in their sets; it was mind-blowing). Then, I realized that they produced their songs. I got Logic and learned how to use it, but my first tracks were awful because of my lack of knowledge in mixing and music composition. My progress took off once I studied music production. All I wanted at that time was to create tracks like SHM, Armin, Dirty South, Dimitri Vangelis & Wyman, No_ID, Hard Rock Sofa, Tom Staar, Kryder, Marcus Schossow, Sebjak, Thomas Gold, Dash Berlin, and many more.
I must confess that it has somehow been difficult because I spent too much time working on advertising rather than music, but nowadays, I’m able to combine these two worlds and work more on my tracks. My music is getting supported by the DJs I admire the most, and with one step at a time, I’m building everything with no rush and no pressure.
What has your evolution as an artist been like from the start until where you are today? What have been some of your major milestones along the way?
It has been quite a journey. I had the fortune of meeting Axwell 11 years ago, and I thought it was enough to sign records on Axtone, but I was completely wrong! In the beginning, I was trying to sound like my favorite producers, to fit into one label, and to have the best of everything (plugins, computers, etc.). But in the process, I learned that less is more, and it’s not about the equipment but the consistency, that hard work can beat talent, and even when you know the right people, they are there to help you improve your sound or skills, but the person who has to work and develop everything is me! I can’t do and control everything, but I can ask for help when I don’t know something. The devil is in the details, and the more time you spend creating new things, the better it is.
My major milestones are:
– Building relationships with the DJs and labels I admire the most and getting support from Axwell, Ralph Felix, Eddie Thonieck, Kryder, Dimitri Vangelis & Wyman, Corey James, Marcus Santoro, Max Vangeli, Feenixpawl, Amy Wiles, KhoMha, Radion6, Austin Kramer, and many more.
– Being the warm up DJ for Axwell.
– Getting three of my tracks on the top three trance tracks on Apple Music.
I’m excited for this year, for the upcoming releases, shows, and what the future brings…
Let’s dive right into your brand new release, “Saturn” together with LeDrips and Joe Jury. How did the three of you come together to work on this one?
I met Adrian (LeDrips) three years ago on Instagram because he wrote to me that he loved my track “
Made,” released on NoFace Records, Max Vangeli’s label. He told me that he wanted to collab one day and create a chord progression like “Made”. So one day, I created a similar progression, sent him the idea, and he loved it! We started producing the track together, building everything. We finished the song in one month, but I knew that something was missing.
In the course of two or three weeks, Roman Messer sent me a promo email with his new song, “The River” with Joe Jury, and I loved it! I love his voice; I decided to follow him on Instagram and ask him if there was a chance to work with him one day, and he told me yes, so I sent him a few ideas, and he loved our track with Adrian. Then he began to work on the lyrics and sent me the demo the next month, and as soon as I heard it, I started feeling goosebumps. I sent the new version to Adrian, and he loved it too, so we decided to change the name of the demo, and that’s how “Saturn” was born.
Take us through the track – how did you go from the first idea to the final version that we hear today?
We started with the chord progression; we wanted to capture the essence of Ibiza and create something like the old classic trance records made by Chicane, York, Armin van Buuren, and Three Drives On A Vinyl, but with a groovy bassline like Kryder and Tom Staar are known for. The first version was instrumental – it was good because we recorded live instruments (acoustic guitars and drum patterns with shakers, congas, bongos, and many more) to make it feel alive, but as soon as Joe worked with us, the track improved by 1000%.
In terms of productions, we cleaned everything better, deleted some guitars and drums, layered the bassline with another one to give it more body, added a new sub pad in the breakdown, and used percussions in the second drop to create more tension. As soon as we made all of these small adjustments, the track was done for us. I played live at my
Dreamstate Artist Series for Insomniac on Halloween 2021. And, the remix EP is coming soon.
What makes the track stand out? Do you have any favorite elements in the production?
Yes, I have a few. First, the chord progression with the groovy bassline transports you to an adventure in Ibiza. Second, the vocal from Joe is the main element because he reminds us of when we are having fun with our friends, falling in love, and looking at the sky at night around the fire. And finally, the live guitars because we wanted to capture the enjoyment on the beach.
Do you have any new tracks in the pipeline that you can tell us about?
Yes, I will release music on FU7ION Music, Radion’s label. The first one is titled “Asteroid 96,” a retro and progressive track, then “Glow,” a progressive trance record, and then another progressive house ID. A new collab with Norii (that one is sick), a couple of remixes, and more singles are on the way.
What goals do you have for 2023, and is there anything that you’re particularly excited about in the year ahead?
My goals for 2023 are:
– Connect with my fans through my music, socials (IG, TikTok, Discord), and during live and digital events. I will record every set and upload it to SoundCloud, YouTube, and Twitch.
– Get support from Armin, Axwell, Above & Beyond, Austin Kramer, Ralph Felix, Eddie Thonieck, Corey James, Feenixpawl, and many, many more.
– Nurture my website and socials with valued content (blogs) for upcoming producers and DJs.
I’m excited about the upcoming releases and to hear what you think.
