Como Las Grecas sat down with some questions for Addi Stefansson & Electroblaze. After their recent release which has been on repeat in our office we thought it was high time to find out a little bit more.
Can you tell us a little about your experience? Where are you from / how did you get into music?
EB: I was born in Wiesbaden, Germany and come from a very musical family. As a rebel, I quickly devoted myself to hip hop and recorded 4 albums as a rapper and a compilation between the ages of 13-22.
Then I was drawn to Spain, Mallorca to the cliffs where my love for electronic music and producing nomadic life really began.
After that I lived myself with audio interface and headphones in many different places and am now settled for 2 years back in my home, Wiesbaden.
Addi: I’m from Reykjavík, Iceland. Got into music in my mid teens playing guitar and singing. I’ve always liked all kinds of different music genres throughout my life, ever since I started listening as a little kid. AAfter I started clubbing and going to music festivals on a regular basis I found my passion for electronic music and started producing and DJing. I moved to Berlin for a few years to study Music Production and audioengineering. Im currently focusing on my career as a producer and audio engineer.
Who have been your main inspirations (both musical and in «life»)? And how have they affected your sound?
Electroblaze: Of course, I found great inspiration in the «Black Music» area. Starting with P-Funk from the 70s to Soul, Jazz Disco and of course the «Golden Hip Hop Era».
You can hear that and the 80’s in almost every track of mine and also in my DJ sets.
Addi: I’ve always been heavily inspired by 90s Hip-Hop. Especially jazz influenced tunes. Being out and absorbing nature has always been an integral part of my life and continues to be an inspiration.
How would you define your sound?
EB: I sometimes refer to my sound as Electro Tech. I draw on a wide variety of genres and sources of inspiration and am relatively playful between minimal and tech house.Addi: For my latest releases. Funky, jazzy House and Deep House.
How has your sound evolved so far? Do you see yourself as part of one style of music?
EB: In terms of style, my sound has hardly evolved since I started actively producing. But qualitatively. If you listen to my first Ableton projects, you can immediately hear the minimal influence and the slightly crazy playfulness that you can still hear today.
Addi: My sound has changed with time. Let’s say that it has evolved in a good way. Especially after starting to use more hardware synths. I wouldn’t consider my sound to necessarily always sit in one genre. I also produce and play more breakbeat oriented tracks in different tempos.
What can you tell us about your last release? What inspired you? What do you want to convey?
EB: We have a really good weekly jam session here in Wiesbaden where I am a frequent guest.
Janet Taylor was on stage asking the audience to tip the Corona-impaired musicians when I happened to have my Tascam recorder handy. That was the birth of «Tip Jar.»
I worked on it for some time and then sent it back and forth with my buddy «Addi». » From him then came more the deep house influences and he rounded out the track very well.
Transport we want a groovy jam session feeling and more respect and appreciation for all the music out there
Addi: The last record is a collaboration project between myself and Electroblaze. But the concept is basically turning a jam session into a full track and combining our different styles. Working with other artists who have a different approach to sound design and choosing instruments was the prime inspiration for me. What we like to convey is that collaboration often leads to results that you don’t end up with while creating something on your own. Also that many artists are still struggling due to the pandemic and need support. The vocals featured on the tracks are about that.
What modern artists are you enjoying? Maybe you can share some lesser known artists we might not know of?EB: I am a big fan of Andreas Henneberg and especially his project «The Glitz» with Daniel Nitsch.
They have been working for 3 years on an album that I am eagerly waiting for.
Addi: I listen to a lot of house music. I’ve really been enjoying listening to Aemone and Uncle Knows lately. Outside of House music I’ve been listening to Jazz lately, to the likes of Miles Davis and John Coltrane.
What projects are you working on right now?
EB: At the moment I’m working on the first 3 tracks of my Minimal Techno EP and on modern electronic dubbing of black and white silent movies I got from a TV archive.
This is very time consuming but also very exciting and a nice challenge for me. With a little luck you will find the films in the future in the media library of a European TV station.
Addi: I’m currently working on two Ep’s which I plan to release in 2023.
