Interviews
Avari Interview 2016
In my personal opinion, “Perfect Imperfection” is one of the best Trance tunes of 2016! Everytime I listen to this track I feel the need to sing it out loud. It’s a very catchy song, which is already played at prestigious international clubs. The existance of this song was possible thanks to Avari, a talented EDM vocalist who kindly granted us some of her time for an interview.
1 – What are the most important things you have learned as a singer?
Breathing for sure. But most importantly, not comparing my voice and tone to other singers. Definitely, always learn and grow, pay attention to pitch and control of other singers. But everyone’s voice is unique. I used to wish I could sound like specific people, or sing a song the same. But that would be no fun! We are all different on purpose. I mean sometimes I catch myself still doing that… But now it’s maybe a split second thought and instead I think. Now you know what I’m glad she exists in this world for me to listen to and enjoy. And I’m glad I sound different.
2 – Omair Mirza’s new single “Perfect Imperfection” is undoubtedly a Trance hit. When you provided vocals to this track, were you conscious it was going to turn into such hit on Beatport charts?
I really had no idea what to expect. My managers at SCHÖN hooked us up to work on “Perfect Imperfection” together and Omair did such a great job producing a track that really complimented my vocals. We were both very excited for this track and music video release. The amount of love and support we have received and continue to receive has been so wonderful! It’s really neat to see and hear how many others DJ’s are playing “Perfect Imperfection” in their sets!
3 – Did you write the lyrics of “Perfect Imperfection”? If so, what inspired you to write this song?
Lyrics and melody for this track were a collaboration. It was one of the first tracks I worked on. I’m very new to the Trance vocal scene. So one of my managers Mick, would send me lyric ideas. So I would use those, incorporate my own ideas, rearrange things. Then take those ideas to my vocal producer David Thulin and we would fine tune lyrics and melody together. I always like to really connect with whatever I’m singing, whether I wrote the lyrics or not. Make it my own and put soul behind it. So I create a story in my head before I record anything, so I get all the feelings across. To me, “Perfect Imperfection” is a reflection of a journey. The connection between the heart and mind. The connection between experiences and action. It’s about experiencing heartbreak, very earth-shattering loss, letting it break you, having something/someone tears up everything you knew and having it thrown in your face. Instead of living in that place of despair, pulling yourself up off the ground, digging your way out of that hole and choosing to learn, grow and conquer even though it’s the hardest thing in the world and seems impossible. Slowly but surely finding who you are, appreciating trials in your life. Because without them, you wouldn’t be who you are. You wouldn’t be you. Never forgetting those painful experiences that shaped you. Learning to love everything about yourself. The good, the bad, the ugly and the beautiful. Believing that all that brokenness, hurt, recovery and rebirth make us all our very own version of perfect. So much imperfection can be perfect. Just depends on how you choose to act in difficult situations. If you have watched the music video, when I shatter the mirror towards the end. To me that symbolizes, seeing yourself with all the labels you’ve given yourself, labels other people have given you. Realizing who you are under all that, disconnecting from negativity. Then shattering all the stereotypes and walking away free!
4 – Have you ever experienced a perfect love?
Yes 🙂 well…… We think we’re perfect for each other and that’s all that matters right? To me, a perfect love is finding someone you know you’d never want to live without. Someone who loves you 24/7, sunshine and butterflies or rain and tornados. no matter what and never having to wonder after a rough patch if you’re still in love.
5 – Have you collaborated previously with other Trance DJs? When did you start your singing career?
Yes, my very first track released was with David Thulin. On September of 2014. This one was Progressive House actually. It was very unexpected, I have always been very uncomfortable singing in front of people. I went to his studio for a voice lesson from his brother Jonathan Thulin and ended up getting to experience a track being built, the writing process of lyrics and melody and recording vocals all I’m a matter of hours. It’s called “A Million Lifetimes”. When I first started I went by my regular name. Amber Adams. My second release was with Roger Shah and Nathia Kate called “Never Forget”. Released December 7th 2015 on Magic Island and Blackhole Recordings. This track won future favorite on A state of trance, played by Armin Van Buuren, it was pretty neat to hear him say my name. I also have an independent release on SoundCloud with Ethillas called “Running To You”. Those are all under the name Amber/Amber Adams. I wanted to come up with an artist right away. My name seemed so regular. But I couldn’t think of a good one. So I waited. I love Avari and am very glad I chose to change my name even though my first releases don’t match now.
6 – What are Avari’s Top 5 songs of the moment?
I might be partial to vocal tracks 🙂 of course “Perfect Imperfection” is my current favorite! Here are some others: 5. Markus Schulz – Destiny feat. Delacey 4. Armin Van Buuren – Beautiful Life feat. Cindy Alma 3. Euphoric Nation – Poseidon 2. Seven Lions feat. Ellie Goulding – Don’t Leave 1. Fabio XB and Liuck feat. Christina Novelli – Back To You
7 – What do you like and dislike about the current Trance scene?
I’d rather talk about what I do like first 🙂 The emotional outpouring of love from Trance fans is incredible! When they write to tell you how much the lyrics meant to them and how they cry when they hear it! That’s so cool. Not many other genres are so emotionally tied to the melodies and lyrics. At least not so outwardly anyway. Lots of love in the Trance scene. And love is my favorite! I guess if I were to dislike something about the Trance scene. It would be when there is an absence of love and people are being judgy instead. For example, I like all genres and I don’t like when people treat other people badly for not being into just one specific genre.
8 – What are your goals for this year?
Hmmmm, my goals for music. … Are to work on lyrics and melody and have ideas ready and waiting for when DJ’s send me tracks, so I have some things to go off of and get demos out quicker. I’d love to work with a producer to create my own tracks too! And learn the art of DJ-ing so I can do live shows. I have lots of ideas that I think would be SO FUN!!
9- If you could collaborate with any artist, living or dead, who would it be?
I’ve been thinking about this one for a while. Because I didn’t want to say Skrillex and sound cliche. But I don’t care. I’m going to. Every remix I hear of his is incredible. I love how hard his beats hit. I love Dubstep a lot, but I like when it’s mixed with other genres. He just seems capable of blending the best of everything! I listen to Korn’s path of totality album at the gym and all of the Skrillex collabs are my favorite.
10 – Thanks for your time Avari. Any last thing you would like to share with our readers at Electro WOW?
Thanks so much for interviewing me, taking the time to think of questions and supporting “Perfect Imperfection”! I really appreciate everyone who has listened to our track and downloaded it and even played it at their own shows. Love you all!
In a candid interview, Notaker talks about the most important details behind his debut independent album, ‘Echoes In Eternity.‘ He offers his fans a glimpse into the inspiration and emotions that fueled its creation. Happy reading!
1 — In your words, how would you describe the sonic atmosphere of this new album, ‘Echoes In Eternity’?
I would describe it as otherworldly, outrun retro, or dimensional. Those are the kinds of ideas I really aimed at for this project.
2 — ‘Echoes In Eternity’ is an interesting album title. Can you share the story or concept behind choosing this name?
I’ve always liked the famous quote from Marcus Aurelius “What we do now echoes in eternity”. It parallels what I wanted to do with this album which was to make something timeless that I could look back on many years from now and feel proud to have created.
3 — How do you think this album engages listeners on an emotional level?
As it hasn’t been released yet I’m not quite sure. It certainly holds a lot of myself in the music and hopefully, those emotions that I felt creating the music will shine through to listeners when they hear the album.
4 — What steps did you take to connect and work with Danyka Nadeau and Eric Lumiere?
I knew Eric from a collaboration we created previously so it was very easy to reach back out to him and work again. Danyka and I met through her manager Daniel who thought we could create something awesome together, and he was very right. It was a true treat to work with both, they are amazing artists.
5 — How does this material differ from your previous work with mau5trap and Anjuna?
It’s much less confined to any parameter a label might impose upon my work. This is truly a raw and unfiltered look at my music. The most “me” thing I feel I’ve ever created.
6 — Is there any particular track in the album that holds a special meaning to you?
In a way they all are, it’s tough to choose. I think the “Illusion of Time” is very special as I got to make that with one of my friends Kyu who played the hand pan which I sampled for that song. Always great to create things with friends.
7 — How would you describe the evolution of your artistic style and sound as reflected in this album?
In a way it’s cyclical. Finding new things that sound nostalgic to me and then creating them in a new and interesting way. Hopefully, people can hear that in my sound, something new but also familiar.
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Closing out the festival season with a bang, Brazilian talents Öwnboss and Selva team up on anthemic dance hit “RIOT” for their debut on the respected label Monstercat. Not only a mainstage monster, “RIOT” gears up to take on the virtual world as the official anthem in the latest Brazilian-themed season of the sports-based video game Rocket League.
We caught up with Öwnboss and Selva to go behind the scenes on the making of “RIOT.”
1 — First of all, how do you maintain a balance between staying true to your own unique style while collaborating and complementing each other’s musical style?
Selva: I think the fun part about collaborating is to mix things up and see what happens. That being said, presenting ideas with context, staying true to yourself, and respecting the collaborator’s input is the formula to create something interesting that you wouldn’t come up with yourself. For example, Öwnboss has his famous lead synth, but we never forced it in. The progression choices and the energy that builds up until the drop made that synth not only essential but also brought the power we needed for the drop!
Öwnboss: I would say that I don’t have much of that balance because I’d say I don’t follow only a single style, you know? My sound is what I like to play, what makes sense at the moment, and what makes me happy. Of course, “Move Your Body” is a track that defines me in a way and I’m very proud of it, but I always try to evolve and improve my productions, as happened here with Selva. “RIOT” had more than 10 versions that went through various musical styles, which speaks a lot to my trajectory as a producer as well. The final version was our favourite, and it brings a lot of who we are as musicians.
2 — “RIOT” is set to debut in Rocket League’s battle arenas. Is this the first time you have produced music for video games?
Öwnboss: That’s a good question because we didn’t really produce the song thinking about having it in a video game, but that’s exactly what happened in the end. I had the pleasure of having “Move Your Body” on the Formula 1 2022 soundtrack, I believe for the size the track has taken by playing on the stages worldwide. With “RIOT,” I think we were able to produce such an exciting, rebellious song…. almost like a generational anthem, that seeing it as a soundtrack for such an important and young game like Rocket League turns out to be a perfect fit. “RIOT” really has a feel of action and adrenaline.
Selva: Yes, for me it’s the first time. I still am getting used to hearing my kids across the house turning on Rocket League and hearing my song!
3 — What qualities do you like the most about the vocals on ‘RIOT’?
Selva: I think the vocals are the soul of this song. We built the song around it, and we worked really hard for the production to play the role of enhancing the power of those lyrics.
Öwnboss: I agree. I really like the contrast between the vocals of the children singing in a very high-pitched tone and Brian’s voice, more serious. I think it’s a very good balance since the sonorities complement each other. Another thing that catches me is this “battle anthem” vibe of hers, it feels half revolutionary, like… Pink Floyd. It had been a while since I’d received a vocal with this strength, and I believe that’s why this track became so important to us.
4 — Imagine you could incite a riot for change. What goal would you inspire people to stand up for?
Öwnboss: That’s a tough question to answer because the world needs a lot of change, so how do you choose the most important one? Or the most urgent. What comes first in my mind is a riot for people to be themselves, without being ashamed and without worrying about what others will think. Be yourself. I think it is a path of no return to freedom and happiness. Probably the world would be better and lighter if everyone could follow that.
Selva: Interesting question! I think once you create a song and put it out into the world, the meaning of it is no longer yours to choose. Everyone has a different life experience and people digest ideas and messages in a very singular way. At first, this song didn’t have a political angle, but it can absolutely have. I’d say: start a riot in your heart, soul, and mind.
5 — Öwnboss, your busy 2023 World Tour is currently underway. How does the release of “RIOT” fit into your tour’s momentum?
Öwnboss: The release of “RIOT” in the middle of my tour was very important because I was able to play the track on various stages around the world without it being released. People don’t know it, but the music captivates almost instantly, which makes it an important reinforcement for my sets. I see the audience eager to learn the lyrics. I can say “RIOT” certainly arrived at a good time.
6 — Selva, as a platinum-certified songwriter and producer, you have worked with prominent names in the EDM scene. What new things did you learn from this collaboration?
Selva: I think of myself as a songwriter above anything, and I’m blessed enough to work with so many different accomplished and talented artists, including Öwnboss whom I have written a number of songs. “RIOT” is a special one for me, and it just felt right to represent this one by his side. I personally learned to trust my gut more than ever.
7 — Can you capture the essence of “RIOT” in just one sentence?
Öwnboss: RIOT is energetic, revolutionary, and catchy.
Selva: All revolutions start in the soul.
8 — Were there any specific elements that made the creation of this track particularly challenging?
Selva: The chorus. We knew the chorus was potent and strong, but it was challenging to “dose” it through the song. We did a bunch of versions in order to land one that we felt delivered the chorus without being repetitive and enhanced it.
Öwnboss: Yeah, the vocals, for sure. And the collaboration with a children’s choir, which is the “extra touch” and makes it different from anything that I’ve ever produced before.
9 — What specific role did you play while working on “RIOT”?
Öwnboss: The lyrics were written by Brian, so my main role was to help set the musicality of the track, creating a climax on the chorus and the revolutionary footprint we wanted for it. Then, another challenge of ours was to integrate the high-pitched voice of the children’s choir with the other elements of the track, so that it would be dense, dynamic and keep the rebellious tone.
Selva: As mentioned I was on the songwriting. I dove in on the production as well later on, but I’d say I mainly focused on melody and lyrics and let my main man Öwnboss do his thing and create the whole context and drop.
10 — If a future collaboration opportunity arises, what new things would you be interested in exploring?
Selva: I’d like to have another go at exploring a RIOT-like anthemic chorus again, maybe in a higher BPM.
Öwnboss: Each collaboration is the reflection of the moment that I’m living. After that everything changes, so I think it’s hard to answer this question. I will always explore what is true and meaningful to me in that moment, so my music can speak to others.
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Paul Mayson‘s first-ever album, ‘One Life,’ is like a special mix of his love for House music, blended with different kinds of sounds and cool collaborations from artists all over the world. You definitely don’t want to miss this interview!
1 — With the release of your debut album ‘One Life,’ what are your expectations for how listeners will connect with the music?
My goal was to showcase my story and my sound. And for it to be an uplifting, positive, and summery album. Hopefully, it feels like that! It’s a collection of songs made at the moment, to make you feel happy and free. It’s about embracing life, the good things and the bad. And about doing what makes you happy.
2 — You’ve teamed up with a diverse range of international artists on this material. Please let us know how these collaborations came to be.
It was really exciting taking elements from different genres, working with a group of great artists who come from very different backgrounds, and bringing all of these sounds and flavors together on one project. A lot of artists I meet myself, reach out to the people I’m interested in. I often travel abroad to work on music together and do sessions in London or LA. Sometimes collabs can also happen through the label or the publisher, but ultimately it’s great to have an artist-to-artist relationship.
3 – What compelled you to emphasize the themes of life, freedom, and diversity in this album?
I’m very passionate about House music culture and the way it started. Which was all about positivity and celebrating life together. I love that message and think the soulful, feel-good element of House music is what always really attracted me to the genre. And to music in general, including other genres like Soul and RnB.
4 – Can you share more details about the process of integrating experimental elements into the music production of your album?
A few of the songs (like “Tell Me How” and “I Want You”) were basically made during one big jam session. It’s me just trying out completely different sounds, textures, and rhythms and experimenting with live drums, guitars, and whatever I feel like. Letting go of any rules connected to dance music allows for a really fresh approach to the album songs.
6 – How does the artwork complement the album’s concept?
It emphasizes the feel-good element and the overall message of the album. Life is in front of you, it’s there for the taking. You’re in the hallway, step into the light and embrace life.
7 – Will there be another amazing music video like “Have It All,” dropping in the near future?
We released a really cool art piece and visualizer for the album which I’m very excited about!
8 – Given your ambition to push boundaries within the Dance genre, do you think the bunch of producers already out there could make it tough for you to really stand out?
I think individuality is key. Doing something you’re passionate about. Telling your own story. If you go into that process, the outcome will be unique. Not following trends and doing my own thing is what helps me stand out and allows me to be ahead and I try to keep pushing myself.
9 – Among your studio essentials, what’s the item that you consider the cornerstone of your setup?
Quite a lot of my work is digital. I carry my laptop around and can produce and write anywhere with it, whether it’s my home studio, the studio in Amsterdam, a hotel, or even an airport. That’s what makes it flexible and international! Just being able to work anywhere and get the creative process going. At home I also love my Adam A77x monitors and I also use a Prophet synth.