Todays CLG QA is with Redge, we sat down to find out a little more about him, his life, his music and what matters.
Can you tell us a little about your experience? Where are you from / how did you get into music?
I have been a DJ since I was 17, so 17 years now! However, I started producing quite a few years later, and had my first release with Roll-In Groove Records in 2016 on a compilation album from the label artists. There was alway a very lively underground rave scene in the UK, with multiple parties to choose from every weekend throughout most of my years spent there. As such, this was a huge influence for my love of electronic music, and ultimately made me listen to such a broad range of genres that it must have had an influence on my sound. Although, the techno I now produce wouldn’t fit with that scene, and so I am having fun finding new sources for inspiration in festivals and club events.
Who have been your main inspirations (both musical and in «life»)? And how have they affected your sound?
Always a really tough question to answer, as I have always had such a big love for music and explored so many genres over the years depending on what I was vibing on at the time! However, hearing the live performances and super clean productions from artists such as Neelix, Fabio Fusco and Phaxe, in the Progressive Psytrance scene, were a benchmark for always trying to learn more about refining the quality of productions. Now, with my sole focus on producing Techno, artists like Lampé, Maksim Dark inspire me with what can be done with a techno «groove», and Layton Giordani and Tale of Us on what can be done on the big stage.
How would you define your sound?
Following on from the previous question, I try to pull elements from both the more deep/minimal groovy techno sound from labels like Senso Sounds and Alula Tunes, with the big synth elements and infinite energy from labels like Drumcode and Afterlife. However, this is more where my aspirations lie than my definition of my sound, as I think it will develop and refine with every new production and can only hope to push out productions like those one day!
How has your sound evolved so far? Do you see yourself as part of one style of music?
The biggest evolution so far has been the change from producing Progressive Psytrance to focus on making Techno. This has been the sole focus over the last year and while I am still refining my style in this new genre, I am really excited to share my work so far. For a long time I associated myself within the Progressive Psytrance style, but I have found a whole new motivation and creativity in making Techno. However, I do think that there are elements in my productions which have carried through from one to the other, for example, in my new production «Smoke», I reworked some great samples from a previous release but with a whole new spin and style to the overall track.
What can you tell us about your last release? What inspired you? What do you want to convey?
As alluded to above, I was finding more inspiration and love for some of the new music being released by labels like Senso Sounds and Alula Tunes, and after some trips to Berlin and London for Techno events found that I had huge energy and motivation for producing in another genre. Over the last 10 months I dove back into the studio to produce 14 new techno tracks, of which 11 new and unheard tracks are featured in my new mix «Take Ten», which is showcasing my step into this new style.
What modern artists are you enjoying? Maybe you can share some lesser known artists we might not know of?
I am really digging the style coming from labels like Subios Records, Alula Tunes, Alpaka Muzik and Phobos Records right now. Definitely take some time to have a listen to some of the artists releasing on these labels!
What projects are you working on right now?
My big focus right now is trying to get the «Take Ten» live set out to some new listeners of my music. It has been the culmination of a lot of hard work and time and I am super excited to share the results of all the time and effort!
Artist Social Links:
http://www.soundcloud.com/
http://www.facebook.com/
http://www.instagram.com/
https://open.spotify.com/
https://www.beatport.com/
https://linktr.ee/RedgeUK
