Berlin-based electronic artist Jonas Saalbach stuns yet again with an immersive 6-track mini album. Propelled by the notion of how we live our modern-day, digital lives submerged in an eco-system of high consumption and not always finding moments of quiet to alleviate from the overwhelm.
‘Acceleration’ puts this realm of feelings, thoughts and emotions into sonic format, and is out now on Saalbach’s own imprint, Radikon. Following the release, we caught up with Jonas for a moment of reflection and introspection.
Hi Jonas, thank you for chatting with us. Let’s take it back to the start. What’s your earliest memory of music?
“I used to play drums on my parents’ cooking pot when I was a little kid, and later rocked out on my Mickey Mouse drum set. Unfortunately, I didn’t continue playing drums, but I’m quite good with drum machines.”
On your new album Acceleration, how would you describe the collection to those who haven’t yet heard it?
“Acceleration’ is a collection of six very melodic songs. A mix between sweet groovy vocal songs and peak time club music. The album title is inspired by the frenetic pace of the digital age. I feel that it is more important than ever to create moments of escape from the constant stream of information. For me, these moments happen mostly when I am sitting in my studio or making music on the road.”
In particular, album track ‘Pretending’ seems to transfer huge energy onto the dancefloor from clips on your social media. Do you produce with a live crowd in mind?
“It’s more in my nature as a house and techno producer to make the songs energetic rather than imagining the crowd. I personally like the way ‘Pretending’ is produced and arranged. If it works in the club, even better. But what I can imagine is how the song would sound on a louder system. Usually, a track needs fewer elements than you might expect on headphones or in the studio.”
You recorded an epic performance of ‘Acceleration’ in Portugal where you create the tracks in real-time. What has the fan response been like? And why this location?
I think the feedback on the mini-album has been good, and especially when I’m on stage and people recognize the songs, I’m really happy. I recorded the live Set in Sesimbra, which is an hour from Lisbon. I produced a lot of the music for ‘Acceleration’ in this little fisher village and I thought it was fitting to record a set there as well. Producing in different places is really fun and inspiring.
As well as your own stunning productions, you’ve created various remixes for other artists over the years. How does your creative approach change on remixes? Is there a dream track you’d love to remix in the future?
“I used to do a lot of remixes in the same genre. Nowadays, I don’t find that so exciting from an artistic point of view and I prefer to accept or organize cross-genre remix requests. For example, I’m currently doing a remix for a French duo who do a mix of new wave, rock and techno. A song I would like to remix is the new super hit ‘I Like The Way You Kiss Me’ by Artemas. Especially exciting because the song is much faster than my music, so it would be a real challenge to find a way to remix it in a way that is still fitting with my sound.
You’ve been on the road performing at some crazy locations from New York to Buenos Aires in the last couple of months, are there any venues still on your bucket list that you’d love to perform at one day? And why?
“Yes, there are venues that are considered by DJs to be some of the best clubs in the world, and that’s why they’re on my bucket list: Grand Factory, Beirut – Womb, Tokyo – DMT Club, Guadalajara.”
What are your thoughts on the current electronic scene in Berlin? Where do you see it headed next?
“For me, the Berlin scene is a parallel world with which I am no longer connected. I don’t really feel the sound that’s trendy at the moment, and there are only a few clubs left where I can play my sound. But that’s fine with me. Musical trends come and go and come back again.”
Can you tell us the best artist show or DJ set you’ve seen and what made it stand out?
“I think one of my favourite live shows was Nils Frahm at Funkhaus Berlin. I was sitting only three metres away from him, but he works so fast that it was hard to follow what he was doing. A super musical and hypnotic set. Wow!”
What are the pieces of studio gear you couldn’t live without?
My headphone: Hifiman Sundara
My synthesizer: Vermona Perfourmer
It’s crazy to say but I have reduced my studio gear a lot and am working more digitally now. I wanted to be able to produce more on the road and now, after a while, I really enjoy the digital synth world.
Finally, what’s one track from any artist that always puts you in the “Techno Mood” ?
It’s got to be Cirez D – On Off.
