Feature: Petar Dundov [Interview + Premiere] Hello Petar, thanks for joining us today, tell us where you are at the moment and what your plans are today. Today I am rehearsing for live show for tomorrow’s performance in Das Haus in Zagreb. Would that be a typical non touring day for you? Or do you follow any set, regimented schedule while at home? When I am not touring I work in my studio in Zagreb. Usually day starts with short trip to market and then I cook a lunch for my family and afternoon I go to studio. I like to have a steady week rhythm, it helps me calm my mind from weekend craziness. Your music fits the traditional definition of techno quite well but we do see it crossing over into other genres such as progressive house, how do you see the music you make being categorized and what do you how to convey to the listener? My roots come from techno, but as my sound developed further I started to use more elements in song production. As things grew in complexity sooner or later you will deal with relations of ele Read More
Feature: Gabriel Ananda [Interview + Podcast] The idea to do a 9 to 5 job, even going to school gave Gabriel nightmares already when he was a very young boy. His passion was always bigger than his discipline and his dreams were even bigger. He wanted to be really good in something and a little famous which would solve a lot of wishes like Independency, beeing loved by everybody, especially girls and money to have a good live. Thats why his passion for science, philosophy, electronics, sports and music often lead into complete obsession in one of these things. At the age of 15 he wanted to win the tour de france and cycled 60 to 160 km every day after school but ended his racing career after the first race, which ended up being too violent in his opinion. Then he wanted to take Richie Samboras place and ended up playing guitar for 2 years - 5 hours every day - but it didn't do it for him either. Then he finally discovered his passion he would stick to for longer: Electronic music. Hi Gabriel, thanks for joining us Read More
Feature: Pablo Bolivar [Interview + Premiere] Hi Pablo, thanks for joining us, tell us where in the world you are today and what’s on your agenda for the week? Hi guys. Well I am passing these days in Cantabria, my home town, visiting family and friends, and getting some inspiration from the nature. On my return to Barcelona, I will continue the work at the studio and back to normal life. Looking back to your childhood, when did you first discover your passion for music? There was always music in my house, my parents have a great vinyl collection and my sisters were listening to pop and electronica in the 80-90’s and playing piano at home. Before electronica I really liked hard stuff like Sepultura, Rage Against The Machine and Public Enemy, but at some point in the school I discovered Mike Oldfield and Jean Michel Jarre and everything changed. There is often a deep, mystical feeling locked inside your productions. How much has living in Spain influenced your sound, and your approach to producing music? I think i Read More
Feature: D-Nox & Beckers [Interview + Podcast] Born out of a shared vision of musical inspiration, the duo of D-Nox & Beckers has, over the last 10 years, firmly entrenched itself into the landscape of the worldwide electronic community. Working as a perfect fusion of studio expertise and an impeccable dancefloor touch, this creative combination of Christian "D-Nox" Wedekind and Frank Beckers has become a an unfailing source of massive grooves which have successfully infected (infiltrated?) all corners of the globe. With more than a quarter century of combined DJing and producing experience between them, D-Nox & Beckers effectively merge a seasoned musical grounding with a dynamic creative spark that never fails in its ability to adapt to the ever-changing vista of electronic dance music. Hey Guys, thanks for joining us today, Tell us a bit about yourself, how did you discover electronic music and what led you down the path of wanting to be a DJ and producer? What were some of your early inspirations? Beckers: Read More
Feature: D-Formation [Interview + Premiere] Hi Dimas, thanks for joining us today, tell us a bit about yourself, where are you living and how long have you been producing music and DJing? Hi and thanks for having me on your great Progressive Austronaut! I live in Madrid, Spain and since I remember myself I have always been dedicated to the music. As a DJ I started at the age of 15, this means that I have been playing for almost 30 years. As a producer I started not much later, I think about 4 years later I started making my first tracks or at least I tried hahahaha How did you discover electronic music and what led you down the path of wanting to be a DJ and producer? Where do your early influences lie? Actually I have always liked the music but thanks to my brother I become interested in the DJing and the electronic music. He was already a DJ at that moment and I quickly decided what I want to do for the next years, which finally ends up in being my life. My influences when I started were very varied, I loved Funky, Hi Read More
Feature: Victor Ruiz [Interview + Podcast] From the depths of the Brazilian electronic music scene – specifically São Paulo – emerges a frank and authentic artist. The integrity and certainty when throwing down Victor Ruiz beats makes it easy to know that he’s landed in a DJ booth. They say that his techno sound has finally found it’s more seductive side. “From Brazil with love” read the title of that interview where he caught the attention with his qualities always supporting super fresh sounds, with fewer grooves. From then on he has been compared to artists like Maceo Plex. Over time Victor Ruiz has grown, not only his production skills but also in his sets, a breath of fresh air to the listener. Hi Victor, thanks for joining us today, how are you and where in the world are you at the moment? I’m fine thanks! How are you? I’m home, in São Paulo, about to go to my boxing class. We are doing great, thanks for asking! 2017 had to be your busiest and most successful year to date, looking back on it Read More
Feature: Nick Muir [Interview + Podcast] Nick Muir is a producer and DJ of the highest order, he is also a musician and composer, and is widely recognised as one scene’s most respected creative mavericks. To mark the release of his new solo project on Bedrock, John Digweed’s long time studio partner has created this exclusive podcast mix for Progressive Astronaut, and we also caught up with the great man to find out what he’s up to… Hi Nick, its an honour to have you here at Progressive Astronaut. Your podcast mix features a superb selection of exciting new music. How are you feeling about the electronic music scene at the moment? How inspired are you by what you’re hearing? Thanks for having me! I think that in many ways this is a golden era for electronic music. When I first started out in my music career electronic music was kind of on the sidelines, but now it is absolutely front and centre of the musical landscape. The tools we have available are mind-blowing and because these means of production are so ac Read More
Feature: Oliver Schories [Interview + Premiere] Hi Oliver, thanks for joining us, how are you and where in the world are you today? Hey, thanks for having me. It’s Monday and I’m at home today, in Hamburg. Tell us about your record collection, where do some of your early influences lie? My early influences in terms of electronic music lie definitely with The Prodigy in the early 90’s. I remember I didn’t even have a CD-Player at that time and needed to ask a friend of mine to copy the 'Experience' album on tape for me. Must have been 1993 or 94. Your new album 'Blitzbahn' is sceduled to been released on your own SOSO imprint, you must be quite excited. Tell us how it began to take shape? Was there an initial goal of writing an album? I have been releasing only a very small number of EPs and Remixes in the last couple of years so that the album is basically a collection of productions. There was no initial goal of writing this specific album, it’s more that it took shape over the time. How did you end up wi Read More
Feature: Britta Arnold, Unders, Noraj Cue and their brand new label Happy Camper Records [Interview + Podcast] Good morning Campers! How are we all and what’s new? Happy Campers : We’re doing fine thank you! Still buzzed from the first release which also launched the label on Jan 19th! We’re very pleased by all the love and support we received from all directions! Meanwhile were working on the new release which is coming up on March 9th. Which will be featuring an original by ‘Jake The Rapper’ with remixes by ‘dOP’, ‘Iorie’ and ‘Signal Flow & Pattern Drama’ Won’t be spoiling more on this one, as you’ll be able to hear it soon! In daily life, we're touring a lot, getting to meet some amazing humans all over the planet and spending all remaining time in the studio. What’s the story behind the label, how did you get together to start the project? Jaron: I would love to pass on the mic to Duncan and Britta to tell that story. Because I always wanted to have a label at some point but not really thought of really having one, until I got asked by Duncan & Brit Read More
Feature: Jonathan Kaspar [Interview + Premiere] Hi Jonathan, thanks for joining us today, tell us a bit about yourself, where are you living and how long have you been producing music and DJing? Hey, thank you! I’m based in Cologne, Germany, DJing since ten years and producing music since roughly four years. Having followed your music for several years one would note your productions are stylistically diverse and shift narratives with great regularity. It’s a key factor in making them not only a compelling listen but also great for the dance floor. Where do your influences lie? I think the diversity in my music belongs to my way of producing, as most of the time I start with a sample, which then sometimes leads to the direction of the whole track. But in general, I see a certain handwriting in each track I did release so fare, even if there is a wider range. That keeps it exciting for me and that’s exactly the way I like. How much of an influence is music outside the electronic world? A big one! Since I’m also usin Read More