Andre Moret [Interview]

As one of Brazil's most highly regarded progressive house artists, Andre Moret has achieved many successes across his six year career. World class DJs Hernan Cattaneo and Nick Warren have been regular supporters, while his inimitable productions have found a home on Clubsonica, Mango Alley, Plattenbank and The Soundgarden, amongst others. Musique de Lune has also been a landing spot for Andre, with his label debut coming in 2022 with a contribution to the 'Rayons De Lune' collection, a release which served as the imprint's inaugural offering. Now returning for his first single, Andre unveils his latest studio creation 'Endless Line', alongside remixes from Andres Moris and Foletto & Victor Arruda.

Progressive Astronaut caught up with Andre to learn more about the release of 'Endless Line', his background, nightlife in Brazil, DJing and much more. Enjoy.

Hi Andre, thanks for talking to us today. How has your start to the year been so far and please tell us something interesting about your day today?

Hello friends! Thanks for the chat. At the beginning of the year there has been an intense focus on improvements within the studio so far. Today I signed with a big recording company and finished a great song.

 Let’s look back on the first half of the year, what gig of yours has stood out the most and why?

Certainly the gig when I warmed up for Hernan Cattaneo and Ezequiel Arias was the highlight. The complete set is available on YouTube, I was able to play according to my musical essence.

 Now let’s look at tracks (not your own), what is a track which has come out this year that has impressed you the most and why?

If we're going to talk about just one track, 'Silver Fade' released by Tim Green, Dulus, is a gem! The perfect mix between groove, festive atmosphere and melodies.

But I would like to comment on the album 'Enter' by the great producer Durante, which I heard from Anjunadeep, here we are in front of a master pice.

What was the music genre you discovered first before you turned to electronic music, and what made you continue with the latter? Tell us about your first contact with progressive house and why that was a genre you felt very connected to.

When I was young I enjoyed listening to songs by artists like Tiesto, Avicii, Calvin Harris and the group Swedish House Mafia. Since then I've been delving deeper into trance and house sounds, until I turned 18 and started going to clubs and festivals and came across other artists like Frankey & Sandrino, Lee Burridge and Hernan Cattaneo. All these names formed my base of sounds because I found a way to tell stories for a dance floor and I also feel that Progressive House allows us to embrace many sounds, from organic to technological and spatial.

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 when I was 18 years old with internet content and talking to Brazilian producers that I met in the clubs I frequented. But at 19 I had the opportunity to study at a large production school called AIMEC and shortly after I graduated in electronic engineering, which helped me specialize in audio engineering.

I believe that today there are many ways to get into music production, but the quickest way is to have the opportunity to share moments in the studio with producers who already have experience. This was something important for me, 5 years after I started my music studies, I met Kamilo Sanclemente, and I was able to make some songs with him, I am certainly extremely grateful for the opportunity.

How did growing up in Brazil influence your music taste and direction? Or did it all?

To be honest, my eyes were never focused on Brazilian musical culture. Only after I became an adult did I begin to appreciate some national works of a genre called MPB, but I believe that it is not something that includes my productions.

What are some of your best memories from first going to clubs? Were there specific nights or sets that really made you feel you wanted to pursue electronic music?

There are so many good stories. I'll comment on some around 2014 and 2016, like my first time listening to Frankey and Sandrino at Club 88, Guy J with a tremendous eight-hour set at D.EDGE, Hernan Cattaneo at Warung Tour São Paulo. It was a very good time for music, the hype of big screens, cell phone cameras and the fight to go viral on social media had not taken over the electronic scene.

Now that you are DJing quite regularly in Brazil, what have been some of your favourite venues to perform at or attend events there, and why?

Lately, Brazilian clubs and parties haven't embraced Progressive House as much, so I try to make my presentations more flexible to maintain good contacts. Where I feel most comfortable playing in Brazil is at the club D.EDGE, Vozz and some independent parties, because they are places that allow me to follow my musical essence.

I’ve read that you like to tell stories in your tracks, tell us about that vision and how you incorporate it into the final product.

Almost all of my songs are born from an internal feeling, feelings that are caused by events in my personal life. A new passion, showing love for my dogs, a happy day with my friends, reimagining a scene of solitude in the middle of nature or even the end of a relationship. Whenever I try to make music just for the sake of it, to achieve a good position on beatport or to reach a record label, I don't have good results, so I understood that my creative path is something internal and more artistic.

You have a new single ‘Endless Line’ which is available now via Musique de Lune. Tell us a bit about the track and what sort of vibe you were going for on it. And how much play has it gotten in your sets and to what reaction?

‘Endless Line’ reflects an internal moment of mine, when I was tired of some repetitive events in my life. The song was intended to mark the end of this negative looping.

The acid sequencers represent this negative repetition that can happen in our lives, the melody in the break shows our moment of clarity when we look at the facts and the striking percussions are the determination we need so that we have a new stance in the face of the negative patterns that affect us. we come across.

Let our readers inside your studio for a moment, what is your current setup and what studio tools are featured heavily in your recent productions and more specifically on your ‘Endless Line’?

For this track I use two VSTs: Diva and Zebra. For the bass line, Roland's JX-03 made it possible to create the ideal groove. But the magic happened when I applied GFI's analog reverb to the sytnhs.

There are also great remixes from Andres Moris and Foletto & Victor Arruda, how involved were you in the selection process and why were these artists a good fit for this track?

The selection of producers for the remixes was made by the record company itself. But I was very happy when I found out that there would be a track coming from Andres Moris, one of the names that has stood out most in progressive house productions and another version by two great Brazilian friends, Foletto & Victor Arruda, they are groove and house geniuses.

You’ve released on Musique de Lune once before with your ‘Warung’ a track which was co-produced with NAHS, you’ve obviously built a good bond with the label in making your solo return, so i’m curious, what is it about Musique de Lune which makes it such a good spot to release your music?

The work that Musique de Lune has been doing is extremely professional and they are super attentive to details. What catches my fancy is that they really release different music where the artist feels free to show their work. For me, this is very valuable.

Now let’s talk about DJing for a moment. You have been a regular in Brazil’s nightlife for some time now, performing at D.EDGE, Club 88, Clash Club, amongst others. How would you describe your approach to DJing?

My approach as a DJ is not that far from how I see production. I like to tell stories in the sets and I try to create feelings on the dance floor, all this without forgetting the necessary groove for us to have a good time dancing!

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

When he started as a DJ, he played for few people and did a lot of warm ups. But recently, with my Latin American tour and headlining performances in bigger clubs, I realized the importance of more extravagant music to create epic moments. Until then I wasn't used to bringing this to my productions, but since then I started working with more expansive music proposals, ideal for large audiences and peak time.

How much prep do you put into the sets you play, or are they spontaneous for the most part?

My pendrive is separated by musical energies, with calm, intense, sentimental, happy, dark songs, among others. In addition, I add comments about the aesthetics of each one, whether they are organic, with groove, good for open air or clubs, among other topics. My presentations are 100% Spanish, I just have the habit of selecting 3 initial songs in advance to avoid discomfort until I feel more comfortable with the booth and the dance floor, they are generally very safe songs.

Current Top five tracks in your sets?

Frankey & Sandrino - Lambda (Original Mix)
Newman (I Love) - Leave In Silence (Original Mix)
Sasha - Fleuron Drift (Original Mix)
André Moret - Generator (Original Mix)
Durante - Portal Six (Extended Mix)

If you are not DJing, producing or socializing at clubs, where do we find you? And doing what?

I would continue working with my mix and master studio and teaching production classes.

I have a solid exercise routine, I really enjoy bodybuilding lifestyle! So you could see myself in some training gym.

In my free time, if i want to stay alone I enjoy play videogames or go meditate. But when I want to be with friends I like to visit new bars and restaurants around the city, to talk and have a good drink and food.

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?

It would be a daytime event, outdoors and surrounded by nature. I would work to have a friendly and family atmosphere.
14:00 - André Moret
16:00 - Stimming (Live Set)
18:00 - Frankey & Sandrino
20:00 - Hernan Cattaneo
00:00 - Nicolas Jaar

Looking back on your career thus far, what advice would you offer to your younger self?

I would focus on and trust my own internal art, without seeking approval from big labels and big artists. I say this because it took me a while to learn that things flow better when we are connected with our truth and with what we want to express, regardless of what happens in the outside.

If you were not a DJ/Producer what do you think you’d be doing with your life? (Something not music related)

If I didn't work with anything related to music, I would definitely study psychology.

What’s something people do not know about you?

That I have a collection of magic cubes and perfumes. These are two hobbies of mine.

What can we look forward to from you for the rest of 2024? Any releases or gigs you are looking forward to?

Unfortunately, Brazil is presenting itself as a country with bookers and clubs resistant to progressive house, regardless of the public that asks for events with this sound. So I'm looking at international gigs. 2023 was a year in which I produced fewer originals, I was trying to organize my ideas and see which paths I wanted to follow as a producer. So, in the second half of 2024 I will have releases that I'm looking forward to showing, I see that my production is increasingly aligned with my perspective and feelings about music.

'Endless Line' is available now via Musique de Lune: https://tinyurl.com/256k58r7