Adryiano talks about his latest release on Heist Recordings

adryano
Heist Recordings
is an adventure started by Detroit Swindle back in 2013 in an effort to have total freedom over their own releases whilst giving that same opportunity to other deserving artists. In the summer of 2013, the label’s first release came in the form of “Break up to make up” EP and ever since, they have gone on to release a wealth of outstanding underground house and electronic music from some massive names such as Fouk, Nachtbraker, Nebraska and now Adryiano (soundcloud).
Release number thirty comes from the main-man himself, Adryiano, in Heist’s first full EP of 2018 “Me and You and Her EP” [HEIST030].

The German smashed 2016 then followed through into 2017 the same way, with 5 solo EP’s on labels like Shall Not Fade and Baka Gaijin. His new 2018 EP on Heist sees him introduce some classic signature house vibes along with that addictive acid 303 sound. 4 sensational tracks is what you’ll receive from this EP, including an original and remix of “Move it, move it” by Jamie 3:26, taking Adryiano’s acid banger to a whole other disco-dimension. The first and perhaps best track on the EP is “Me and You and Her” a perfect example of the deep grooving sound we have come to know and love from Adryiano. The final track “Fashion Country Girl” shows his talent in being able to manipulate a sample to keep it fresh and interesting with the perfect amount of filtering.We caught up with the man himself and chatted a bit about the new EP, his influences and more! Read the full interview below.


INTERVIEW


Germany is well known for boasting a flurry of talent in electronic music, can you tell us more about your introduction into music growing up?
I’m not quite sure what has really been the initial kick-off, but as a kid growing up in Hamburg I’ve been skateboarding most of the time – and all of my friends were either into boom bap stuff or punkrock. We were hanging out in a local skate park which has been playing all this kind of stuff. That was like my sanctuary for a lot of years and probably shaped me most in terms of being curious about different styles of music.

When I moved to Cologne, I was playing in a couple of punk bands. And at some point, through punkrock I totally got into the Jamaican sound of the 60s and 70s as we had these punkrock parties where they played ska and reggae. I started travelling quite often to the UK just in order to buy ska and rocksteady records because they were quite hard to get over here. (Still something I love to do when being on road.)

And well to be honest, electronic music was something I discovered quite late. Like I was still rather on the organic or anti-everything music side of things. But somehow I got in touch with house music and couldn’t resist digging deeper.

I can see influences from a variety of genres in your music, which artists helped play a part in defining your musical taste?
A: Oh, way too many to mention. I really listen to a lot of stuff. There’s a bunch of playlists where you can find Bon Iver next to Slayer next to Slave next to Don Drummond next to Paul Johnson next to Tycho next to Post Malone and so on. When it comes to house music, I’d definitely say that the rough attitude that Chicago (or Dance Mania Records in particular) had back in the days, has had a big influence on what I enjoyed and still enjoy in electronic music. This whole vibe gets me every time. But all in all it’s the mixture of all these musical elements that probably defined my taste (if there even is such a thing).

Let’s talk about your latest release on Heist Recordings, what was the inspiration behind the EP?
It was no conceptual EP which made me say „Yeah, I’m gonna produce a few tracks in that typical Heist style so Detroit Swindle have no other choice than releasing it.“

Actually it’s quite funny, because I find the tracks very different. Like the oldest track on this EP is 5 years old (“Fashion Country Girl”). By coincidence I re-discovered it while checking old floppy disks on my MPC. I was almost sure this one would be way too hard for Heist. Or if you take „Move it, Move it“ – it also kind of has a rough attitude, but again is totally different soundwise. Anyway, Lars and Maarten went all in and I’m totally happy about the result.

“Me and You and Her” is mine and undoubtedly many others favourite record on the EP – when in the studio, is this type of style your preference to make or do you get more enjoyment out of a 303 banger like “Move it, move it”?
To be honest, I enjoy doing the kind of music that I feel at the certain moment. It can be everything. Like acid, sample based house, techno, ambient, whatever. It’s just a matter of the current mood and situation.

Q: Heist Recordings are of course founded by the iconic Detroit Swindle; I can see some similarities in the music you both produce – How excited are you to feature on their label?
Oh, I’m totally excited. I’ve been playing their music for ages and who would have thought I’d release on their label one day? Like I’m not really networking or socializing on the internet or sending out demos in mass mails. So the whole thing is still something special for me and I’m super grateful they picked a few tracks they liked and made this EP happen. We recently met and played together in Amsterdam which was super cool. They are both super nice guys and fun to hang out with (and great djs for sure)!

It must be amazing having a legend such as Jamie 3:26 remix your track for the EP, if you could choose any artist to collaborate with on your next release who would it be?
Yeah, Jamie did a great job. His music is special and when I heard he’s going to be part of the game, I was excited. It’s always a special feeling having your tracks re-worked in a way you probably wouldn’t do. And I’m glad how Jamie made use of the parts he got and took the track into a whole new direction.

Collabowise, man I don’t know. There’s a bunch of talented and interesting people out there. Terekke, Nosaj Thing, Bibio. No idea. Maybe even a collaboration that wouldn’t necessarily involve two producers from the electronic music field. Like I’d love to hang out with Justin Vernon and see how he’d approach producing a house track. However, I’m totally open to which paths are gonna cross some day.

You’ve travelled the world with your DJ gigs, so you must have seen some odd things – what’s the weirdest experience you’ve found yourself in?
The good thing is: There are always weird things happening. The bad thing is: There are always weird things happening. Like, I was once playing in some city and the whole stay was super weird from the time I touched ground. The promoter first wanted to change the hotel last minute into some youth hostel with communal toilets while I was checking in, then he arranged a time to pick me up and didn’t show up (I went directly to the club then) and after the gig (around 8 a.m.) I got a wake up call from the receptionist who asked me whether I’m still in the room because some guy (the promoter) wanted to use my room for rest. That was kinda annoying.

Or I occasionally I tend to do cooking tutorials on instagram (yeah, whatever). And once I was cooking thai food – and there was this one guy who dropped me a message and told me to bring the best coconut milk whenever he meets me in person. And so, months later he showed up at a gig in Amsterdam and gave me this can of coconut milk right after my set. That was pretty cool! (And super delicious)

Any upcoming plans that you’re excited about?
Yes, summer is near and I can’t wait to go swimming. Apart of that I’ll most probably tour through Europe, release some music, produce a bunch of tracks, meet friends, go out, travel and eventually start working on an album. But not quite sure about that. Album’s are always such a serious thing. And I’m not. Whatever. Let’s see.

Outside of music, what do you like to do to relax?
After gigs I mostly run around and explore the city I’m in. That’s always super inspiring and calming. When I’m home I enjoy hanging out in the kitchen and cooking. Whenever the weather’s right (which in Germany unfortunately happens quite rarely) I love to just spend time outside, have a coffee and observe what’s happening around me. Like literally for hours. There’s so much weirdness going on all the time. Amazing. But still, music is always part of it. Couldn’t imagine doing anything without music.

Thanks Adryiano, it’s been a pleasure – any shout outs?
Thank you so much for having me. It was fun! Big love to everyone supporting me, whether since day one or yesterday. Of course big shout outs to the Heist Recordings family for making this whole thing happen: Lars, Maarten, Sonja. Shout outs to my Hamsa Intenational posse: DJ Pegasuz, Pjotr, DJ Donnay. My family, friends and everyone reading this.


Interview by Adam Rees