Hi guys, and a very warm welcome to Techno Mood. Great to have you with us for the first time!
Thanks for having us, glad to talk today!
Please can you introduce yourselves to our Techno Mood readers?
We are Distinct Minds, a duo based in Germany. We started our journey for this project in April of this year, and it’s been a really cool experience getting to introduce people to our sound. Musically Distinct Minds catches the nostalgia of the 80s, but still writes the future.
We want our music to connect with listeners personally, and identify with how it mirrors our development on a musical and personal level.
How long have you known each other for and how did you originally meet?
We met each other quite a long time ago when we were in school and have worked on music together since then. It’s given us the unique opportunity to develop our musical vision together, rather than try and fit two different visions in one project.
Despite everything that’s going on in the world right now, how has this year been for you both?
The year has been exciting for us, despite everything. As we mentioned, we launched Distinct Minds in April, and it’s something we’ve been working on for several years now. Seeing our first singles Wanderer and Mirrors finally hit streaming was a surreal experience for us and the feedback has been amazing. This has really made us excited for what’s to come. The year also offered us the opportunity to work on our live performance concept and spend a lot of time in the studio to finalize our debut album.
Congratulations on the upcoming release of your new single ‘Breakout’. Can you talk to us about the record and what our readers can expect from the release?
Breakout combines complex synth lines with hitting beats and groovy baselines, creating a mood that we hope resonates with listeners. We feel that it’s unique because it translates into a bunch of different environments – from clubs to festivals, and listening on the go. The song’s message is something that people can universally connect to – the feeling of breaking out of a rut, something holding us back, and moving forward into the unknown.
We’re loving the artwork and creative direction from Indig0 — can you tell us how that intro came about and what it was like working together?
Thanks for the kind words! In the conception of the project, we were looking for a visual artist that catches the color scheme of the 80s while still bringing it into a modern perspective. Indig0 is someone who we followed on Instagram, and we really felt her artistry was something that connected with our music. We reached out to her when we were in the early planning phases for the project, and we’ve been working with her since then. Working with Indig0 has really inspiring. We gave her some ideas and sketches on what we wanted the artworks etc. to look like and she did a perfect job bringing those to reality. We’re really happy to work with her, and hope anyone who isn’t familiar with her works checks her out!
What are your hopes and dreams for DISTINCT MINDS over the next 5 years?
We believe that we are creating timeless music with Distinct Minds and want to develop that style further. In the next 5 years we definitely want our live tour/experience to happen. That’s something we are already working on and we want it to give the listeners the opportunity to dive even deeper into the world of Distinct Minds, visually and musically. We really want to establish that distinct style into the music world while constantly pushing the boundaries.
And more short term – what’s next for you guys in 2020? Any more releases between now and the end of the year you can tell us about?
Between “Breakout” and the end of the year we will release the first half of our debut album “Duality” followed by the other half beginning of next year. We decided to break it in half into more digestible mini-journeys to give people the chance to discover our work as we release it. We’re excited to open the gates to the world of Distinct Minds!
Do you have any plans to hit the road and tour together once the situation with COVID has settled down a bit?
As previously mentioned we are already working on the live concept, it’s something we want to be an immersive experience both musically and visually, and it should offer people an even deeper experience of what see as Distinct Minds.
If so, what would your live set up look like?
Our set up consists of several interesting pieces of gear. We use a mixing desk as the heart of our set up, we all signals are bundled and tweaked. Key to our music are the drums and synth lines and that is reflected in the set up. We are going to perform all drums live with rhythm machines and drum pads while also playing key melodies on synths. We will be releasing live videos of some of our tracks as a sneak peak into this.
Finally, do you have any parting words of wisdom for our Techno Mood readers?
In our opinion the personal and musical development is the key in production. Really take your time to find your identity in the world of music. It’s a process that takes place over years and needs a lot of work and dedication but once you find something that is you, it gives you a perfect place to start your own journey.
