Welcome to Techno Mood Solee, thanks for taking the time to join us! How has your day been?
Hi guys, thank you for inviting me to this interview. I just had breakfast with my son and yesterday we went to a cool light show in a former church in Stuttgart, my hometown. I’m doing fantastic, thanks for asking.
To kick things off, let’s chat about your new single ‘Krake’, which just came out on your label Future Romance. Can you run through some of the studio gear that was used to create it?
I have been producing my music with Steinberg Cubase for many years. In „Krake“ I used Pigments from Arturia, my favourite software synth at the moment and the Omnisphere from Spectrasonics. When it comes to hardware, my Moog Sub 37 and the Roland SE-02 also made an appearance. All drums are samples from my huge library, played with the Battery 4 from Native Instruments.
At which venues were you road-testing the track and how was the audience’s feedback?
I’ve been road-testing the track since the summer during all my gigs and the audience´s feedback was pretty good. That finally showed me that it was now time to release it! There are a few videos on my Instagram channel that show some reactions if anyone is interested. 😉
Who are some of the other artists that you’re supporting in your sets right now?
Artists like Several Definitions, Eze Ramirez, Lake Avalon, Hunter/Game & Hollt, Citizen Kain, Paige, Esoteric Circle, Emiliano Demarco & Maxi Vega, Deepart & Ysmael Amasis, just to name a few. For anyone who is interested, I created a Spotify playlist called „Solee : Mixtape“ a while ago, where you can find all the tracks from my DJ sets and podcasts. Several thousands of people have already subscribed to the playlist, which motivates me to keep it updated.
You have a lot of experience running labels, first with Parquet Recordings and now Future Romance. What are some of the challenges you face as a label head?
When I speak to you today as the artist Solee, working on the label has been quite time-consuming in recent years, especially with Parquet Recordings. We sometimes had a new release every two weeks. I have now changed that with Future Romance. I have changed and improved the structures, and there are not that many releases anymore. Now I have more time for my own studio work and I’m very happy about that. This can of course change from time to time, but in my situation, which is quite independent, I am fortunately quite flexible in everything. At the end, the biggest challenge for me is keeping everything in balance.
What do you look for when sifting through demos?
Good and creative music with beautiful melodies, made by artists who write and produce their own music. No more (Tik Tok) DJ´s with ghost producers, please. I’m looking for music that was created out of passion, not to become famous.
Having been active on the circuit for over 15 years, what are the biggest changes you’ve noticed within the industry?
I think the biggest changes in the music industry in recent years have come through social media and the popularity of streaming services. Both changed everything. Social Media connects people on a whole new level and offers incredibly great opportunities for new artists. Streaming services make music available to almost everyone, everywhere, at any time. The reach of artists, especially in the underground, has increased as a result. But in my opinion there are also dark sides here. But they are already being discussed all over the internet, which I think is a good thing, so I won’t go into it here.
Looking back on your extensive discography, do you have a favourite piece of work that you’ve put out?
That’s a really difficult question, it changes constantly depending on the situation or mood. There is a title with which I associate my new start with Future Romance and has therefore been very emotionally connected to me ever since. Its “Reboot“.
If you could have done something differently in 2023 what would it be?
I try not to regret anything. I think everything has a purpose and is good for something. That’s why I would say: Nothing.
Any big goals for next year?
Stay healthy!
