In Depth With…DJ Sedatophobia
We get a chance to sit down with Dutch producer DJ Sedatophobia following the release of his hit album Nova Maris which has gained the acclaim of some of dance music’s biggest names. We talk to him about his album, his influences and his label Compulsive Movements records…
Hi DJ Sedatophobia, thanks for joining us today, first off how has the start of 2017 treated you?
You are more than welcome and thank you for hosting me. The start of 2017 has treated me well. The release of my debut album “Nova Maris” went quite well and it is available in all major stores and streaming services by now. It even charted for about a week in the Top 100 Releases on Beatport in the week before Christmas.
It’s no secret you’ve been busy in the studio of late, for 7 months in fact working on your recent release. How happy are you with Nova Maris?
Actually, the biggest part of the work with the album took place during the initial months. Further on in the process, it was mainly shaping and honing into the form it got in the end. So, I have heard the tracks quite a few times, to be honest. In the final months, most of the work was focused on the actual releasing and some other tracks included in other releases. Hearing the album again just before the release got me extra thrilled. It took quite some hours to get the album this far and I am extremely happy with the end-result. Also, seeing some good reviews and feedback on the album made it extra special. As you can imagine, it is especially nice to hear when your music jives with other people as well.
We understand you acquired the help of a course to assist you through the album’s creation, can you tell us a bit about that?
I have to say that the course was actually a very good catalyst for the idea of an album I had for a while. The main focus of the course was on the ‘search for flow’, that state of mind you can have when you simply and effortlessly work to create and the products seems just to flow out your hands. The creation of a bundle of tracks felt merely like a side effect of the course. The course is actually named: “Make an Album with Mike: In search of flow” and is given by Mike Monday who is a veteran DJ and producer currently helping aspiring DJs and producers mainly in the creative process.
The course specifically helped me to reach that state of flow, but also to produce a decent number of tracks. The top selection of those was honed, perfected and released on the album “Nova Maris”.
The project is extremely eclectic but does retain a ‘tech’ sound throughout, were there any artists who particularly inspired your sound?
There are artists that really inspire me and keep amazing me, but I cannot say that they were a direct inspiration for the album. I mean, I really like their productions and sets, but in no way, there is a conscious link to those artists when I am in the studio. I really like the productions of Nicholas Jaar, Arjuna Schiks, Einmusik, Reinier Zonneveld, Oliver Schories, Dominik Eulberg. They all have the skill to create tracks with hypnotic and instantly appealing melodies: a skill I am pursuing to get and I do not have the feeling that I am close to having the skill they have as yet. Nevertheless, this is how I approach music and everything else in life: you should never stop learning, make your every experience count and continuously improve. I feel that I am never done learning, in life and music, of course.
How have your tastes and style evolved since you first got into electronic music?
Well, that is a bit of a long journey. The first electronic music parties I attended were a little while ago – in 1995/1996. It mainly started with Hardcore and Gabber music, later on evolving into Trance and from there, towards Techno. It was not until my introduction to Tech House and Deep House, in 2011, that I started to DJ and eventually produce my own tracks. You can say I was a bit of a ‘late bloomer’ in getting to actively play electronic music. It was something that I always kept on my mind but continued to postpone until I finally decided to buy some equipment. It was due to some unfortunate events that I realized that I should just follow my passion and act on it.
Tell us a bit about your label ‘Compulsive Movement Records’, how long have you been running it for?
I have honestly just started it and the main reason was to be able to have a full control over the release of my album. In order to acquire funds to get a decent promotion and solid studio for mastering, I have initiated a crowd funding campaign on Indiegogo. This campaign was quite successful, with a funding of 110%. To be honest, I underestimated the compounded fees involved in the payment of the campaign, so this percentage of funding came out quite handy.
The label has started with the release of my debut album. Some other releases are out already and several others are scheduled. Besides that, we are still open for demos and this year, we will be attending Dancefair (www.dancefair.nl) in Utrecht, the Netherlands, for the demo-drop. Dancefair is a Dutch educational music conference, so we are hopeful to have some more demos from there, amongst others. All in all, the label is also meant to help talented producers to get their music released and presented.
If you had to pick one, what would you prefer to continue evolving – your label or your productions?
I think this is one of the toughest questions you could ask me. The only other thing that would be maybe more difficult is making me choose between DJing and producing. The thing is that I have a broader scope of expressing myself in my productions than in managing the label. On the other hand, the label provides means of helping out other people. I am a firm believer that this part is also very important. I was able to get my first releases out because I had people who were able to help me out. It seems like I can go into politics, since I talk a lot but do not answer the question…. But I truly cannot pick one, I would like to evolve in both managing the label and improving my productions. I believe they are interconnected and should exist in parallel to continue to grow and augment each other.
Originally from Holland, what were the reasons behind you relocating to Lebanon?
There is a very simple and one-word reason for the fact that I ended up in Lebanon and that reason is: Love.
I used to be a military officer in the Dutch Armed Forces and I was out for a deployment assignment in Lebanon. During this time, I met the woman who is now my wife. She is still working in Lebanon. In order to be able to be together, I resigned from the military and focused myself on my musical career while living together in Lebanon.
Is there an electronic music scene out there?
Of course there is an electronic music scene in Lebanon but the quality scene seems to be a very small one. I mean, there are many nightclubs and entertainment locations but there are only a few promoters who are programming local or international quality acts throughout. Due to political sensitivities and well-known upheavals prevailing in the region, it is still developing.
Over the past few years you’ve been busy touring between Lebanon and Holland, but where’s your favourite place to play and why?
That is a tough choice… Both have their charm but to me, being able to play in the Netherlands is more rewarding. The scene is a lot bigger, the quality is enormous and the number of parties, clubs and festivals taking place throughout the year is not comparable with Lebanon. It is a bigger achievement to play there. Also, it is more rewarding to have a more critical audience. Besides the past venues and festivals, I would love to play on some summer festivals throughout Europe like Exit, Melt!, Sonne Mond Sterne, or Extrema Outdoor.
What’s your top 3 favourite tracks currently to play during your sets?
The current top 3 tracks are:
Reinier Zonneveld – Thing We Might Have Said (feat. Cari Golden)
Marc DePulse – By Your Side (feat. Goldsun)
Reinier Zonneveld – Colors (feat Aymar) (Techno Mix)
Last but not least, what’s the goal for the rest of the year? Any release and tour plans?
Well, the funny thing is that I am sitting between boxes and suitcases at the moment. My wife and I are expecting our first son in about two months and we are bound to travel to the Netherland for a delivery and some well deserved vacation. So, these are some major events taking place right now. Currently, I am looking into some possibilities to perform in the Netherlands at a few places and will be looking to acquire some new music to release on the label. There is a major ‘release’ on the way, the co-production of my wife and me and due to this, I could not really develop a tour plan.
This leaves me with some closing remarks. Thank you so much for this opportunity to elaborate on these topics and giving my debut album the attention it deserves.
Nova Maris is out now on Compusive Movement Records. Grab it here: https://www.beatport.com/release/nova-maris/1879596
