Saintbull [Interview]

Presenting their first ever collaboration, Saintbull and Guuse debut on Musique de Lune's Noire division with 'Looking For The Rain'. Based in Spain and Argentina respectively, both Saintbull and Guuse have made their mark on the electronic underground. Although early in their careers the duo's combined discography is already highlighted by releases via Almar, Freegrant Music, Polyptych, trndmsk and WAYU Records. With a sound that incorporates elements of organic and melodic house, Saintbull and Guuse continue on that explorative path with their Musique de Lune Noire debut 'Looking For The Rain', alongside a remix from Sanio & Zarth.

Progressive Astronaut caught up with Saintbull to learn more about the release of ‘Looking For The Rain’, his studio process, inspirations, future plans, and more. Enjoy.

Hi Bett, thanks for joining us. What is your current mood and what was the last piece of music you listened to?

Hi guys, nice to talk to you. I am really happy, here we are enjoying the endless summer of the Canary Islands and we are having such a beautiful time. Ok, going to the first question, the last thing I heard was the lastest VA of Awen records, the Va of Simulate too and the new EP by Stil vor talent (Djolee, Gespona and Abuk). And it was a Very inspiring music.

Take us through a day in your life, from a possible morning routine through to your production work and otherwise, please.

I always get up at 07.30am to have my gym training out and around 09.30am I sit down to start producing in my studio. 01.00pm I cook something delicious and  very nutritious, and then I return to my studio for keeping producing.  Around  06:00 pm I turn off all my producing equipment and i get disconnected from my work till next day. I have my extract habits, and i think that undoubtedly little Little by little that's what makes the difference and leads you to success.

You were born in Argentina but currently reside in Spain, first off tell us about growing up in Argentina and how did you discover electronic music there?

Growing up in Argentina was great, people are very passionate and euphoric in all environments. I got into electronic music in 2005 thanks to my life partner; It's funny because we were on a date and she puts the headphones on, and I was feeling nervous because of the Situation, so I take hers headphones and put them on. It turns out that she was listening to a record by ¨Tiesto¨, that record contained the songs Just Be, Traffic, Love comes again, among other classics... I remember in that moment I got goosebumps

Who from Argentina was inspirational for you when you first discovered electronic music?

Once I get inside the electronic music scene, (Around 2005-2009) I was listening to many local artists such as Heatbeat, Marcelo Fratini (with whom I have the pleasure of collaborate in some of my latest productions) and some more artists...They inspired me with their unique style in progressive tech trance.

What was it that prompted you to relocate to Spain and how would you say the scenes differ between the two countries?

As I have commented before, the Argentinian people is very passionate and you see it reflected when you have a presentation there, however my career In Europe it is just beginning, I have been living here for 5 years ( including pandemic times) and in mid of 2021i began a tour in Barcelona, Girona and some more places. Where I live, I am working with the agency and event planne ¨Losqualo¨ and I play music in  ¨Underworld Techno Party" , a brand new event in which I also participate in artistic direction. And I really love the reaction of the people on the dance floor.

When you were first getting started in production did you have someone help you or are you completely self-taught? And what would you recommend new producers do to help with the learning curve of production?

I started my producing career in 2008 and the producer who helped me most at that time was "Muter", he gave me the knowledge that I needed to create my music. After a couple years I started producing alone. I recommend to new producers to take time to watch YouTube videos, there are some very good producers/teachers on that platform, also to take some production courses, create strong habits, have at least 2 hours of production per day, then be patient and learn from everything what happens in the music scene.

You have a single EP ‘Looking For The Rain’ which you co-produced alongside Guuse out now via Musique de Lune Noire, tell us about the release and what sort of sound you guys were after on this project.

A Few months ago I made a remix to a Guuse's singles, then I realized that I loved his voice. I talked about the desire to make a collaboration and we decided to create a new track progressive, melodic and modern. we had no doubts we could achieve a great result. In fact, the track has already been supported by great artists like Maxim Lany and more...

This is your first collaboration with Guuse, so how did you guys meet and then eventually decide to work on music together?

Well, during the tour I had in Argentina, on January 2023, I finally met Guuse personally after talking so much on social networks. I'm really grateful to have worked with him in this great release. I must give thanks to a great common friend¨Penumbra¨ that introduced us.

Collaborating with another artist is always interesting, how would you say this production differs from something you would have produced in solo capacity?

Collaborating with others artists is very interesting like in this case. Guuse has something particular, his voice fits very well in electronic music, which is kinda hard to find, in addition to his progressive  and hypnotic melodies that makes you fly and his great talent as a music producer.

Let our readers inside your studio, what is your current setup, and what tools are featured heavily in the writing of ’Looking For The Rain’?

 My set up in the studio is:  A sound card that makes my work flow at high speeds (AudientId44),  also Yamaha studio monitors. Universal audio plugins sound on this track,  but also Diva, Moog Mini moog, Opal Morphing, Poly Max  and more... Synth analogues Novation bass Station II,  Elektron Digitakt, Digitone and more… But the most important element of the track recipe is the creativity we put in it to achieve those sounds. Is the part of the process that attract me the most.

Let’s look a bit more at production, once a piece is finished, how important is it for you to let it lie and evaluate it later on? How much improvement and refinement do you personally allow until you’re satisfied with a piece? What does this process look like in practice?

My method in production is peculiar: most of the times I start a project I must finish it before starting a new one. This way I can focus myself 100% on each single. In the rare case I realize the track is not going to be good enough, I prefer put it apart and take some time before I retake it.

What is the task you enjoy the most when producing and what would you prefer someone else to do?

To be honest I like to do the whole track by myself, not because I don't want to do collaborations at all, but once I start I flow with the track and when I  realize of it, I have a strong base armed.  if I decide to send this project to any artist to collaborate, he will find  a super solid base  to work on it; In any case, the artist is free to modify the track at his will.

Now let’s talk about DJing for a moment, it’s a unique discipline at the border between presenting great music and creating something new with it, between composition and improvisation to an extent. How would you describe your approach to it?

I believe djing is a great art, because it's not only about playing songs that you like, but also knowing how to interpret what the public wants to hear, without losing your style. It's not a easy job for … while playing you can feel the crowd, connect and enjoy with the public, but you always have to be focused on the session because if not you could easly lose that connection with people. But the hardest work is spending hours listening and selecting music. sometimes even editing it to make it sound better on the dancefloor.

How much prep do you put into the tracks you choose to play?

I put a lot of preparation into each track since in each presentation I do I give my 100%. In my sessions there always has to be at least 4 tracks that have given me goosebumps before playing them live.

Can you tell me a bit about how your work as a DJ has influenced your view of music, your way of listening to tracks, and also, your work as a producer?

Great question, the good thing about being a producer  and DJ is that you have the opportunity to test your tracks in the club. This way you will know if you did a good job in studio And most important, you can see people's  reaction in real time. live performances influenced my  way of producing, but didn't changed my essence. I simply give my songs a more "Rave" touch. the public reaction make me fall in love with my tracks.

If you could set up an event with a line-up of five artists of your choice, who would you book, and what set times would you ascribe to the artists?

Well, this one is hard, but let's do it.  I would go with a huge b2b with some of my favorite artists at the moment:

 Arude, 8Kays, Stephan Bodzin, Massano, Cosmic Gate.

 What’s a book you’ve read or film you watched that has left an impact on you, and why?

These are the 3 books that have impacted me the most ¨Secrets of a millionaire mind¨ T. Harv Eker, ¨Vivir Con Abundancia¨ Sergio Fernandez and ¨Las Casualidades No Existen¨ Borja Vilaseca. Among others, these books have made me understand that I don't only have to think about my professional life.

Reading helps us to understand all aspects of life. and to not suffer from anxiety and other fears that often haunt artists. Today, as an artist and as a human being, I have a more conscious approach towards my goals.

Apart from music, what makes you happiest?

I really enjoy to go for a walk, read, work out, watch talks by great speakers, meditation, personal growth and spend time with my family. Among other things…

What does the remainder of 2023 hold for you? Anything you can share with us?

The release of my record label ¨Perfect Blance¨ I created this label together with 2 great friends and artists, Mark Lemos and Marcelo Fratini.  The label will have a progressive Melodic Techno approach, the idea is not to pigeonhole us in a genre but we will have our hallmark when choosing the demos. I have severals finished songs, some of them in collaboration with great artists, and I really wish I could release them all in the next months.

'Looking for the Rain' is available now via Musique de Lune Noire: https://bit.ly/3OUOBQs