Feature: Denes Toth [Interview + Premiere]

Denes Toth is an ambassador of the Slovak independent electronic dance music scene. He is a DJ, producer and founder of the successful Moody electronic music event series. As a producer, he is noted for his releases on Copenhagen’s Blindfold Recordings, Berlin’s New Tab Music and his own Moodyverse imprint. His tracks are being played by the likes of Tale of Us, Innellea, Adriatique, Glowal and many more. He regularly performs alongside world-renowned artists in Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Hungary – well demonstrated by line-up records from festivals such as B my Lake, Sziget, Balaton Sound, Grape, Beats for Love, having shared stages with names like Kevin de Vries, Konstantin Sibold, Fideles, Maceo Plex or Mathame. Denes also runs his ‘Moodyverse’ label with support from many industry tastemakers and he’s a resident at Bratislava’s Aldea Club.

Hi Denes, thanks for catching up with us today. How has the start of 2025 been for you so far?

Hi there and thanks a lot for having me! The first few months have felt like a blink of an eye, apart from January, which felt like a whole year. Either way 2025 has been quite intense already, we’ve released our first ever VA on Moodyverse with great international support and I also played a few very cool gigs.

We’re now four months into 2025, what tracks which have come out so far this year have impressed you the most?

There’s been a lot of amazing tracks released already this year. I really liked Tharat’s ‘Napalm’ on Habitat, ‘Electrolyze’ by Eze Ramirez on Running Clouds and of course our releases on Moodyverse: ‘Humanity’ by Arude & Sincz with remixes / edits by Losless and Baime and our first ever VA called ‘Cyklus 01’ with amazing tracks by Justrice, Mario Eighta and Deciduous.

What's been a standout gig for you so far this year and why?

It has to be my closing set after Argy & Omiki in Budapest… the energy was crazy and almost everyone stayed until the end. I also really loved our Moodyverse label showcase in Module Copenhagen the day before, making that weekend very intense but also a lot of fun.

Is there a song or songs that you’ve never stopped listening to since childhood? And why has it stayed with you for so long?

Growing up in the 90s I had the chance to be influenced by a lot of amazing music and from time to time I like to come back to relive those times via music. If I had to pick songs from my childhood, the first that come to my mind are ‘Ride in the Night’ by Jam & Spoon and Freddy Mercury’s ‘Living on my Own’. Both have a very strong atmosphere which just pulls a string in me every time. A bit later came ‘Freestyler’ from Bomfunk MC’s and a track which I love to re-visit ever so often is ‘You Can’t Stop Us’ by Love Committee – the anthem of Love Parade 2001. I listen to this one every time I want to get hyped and it just works every time.

What was it like growing up in Slovakia and how did you discover electronic music there?

I had a super cool childhood, growing up in a small city with a lot of friends and actually a very vivid nightlife, especially during summers. Discovering electronic music was harder, as internet was in quite baby steps, my first influences came from ‘Club Rotation’ on Viva TV and a few friends from Hungary. I still remember the moment when a friend of mine gave me a DVD with a video recording of Carl Cox’s Love Parade set in 2000. I was so blown away and knew this is the energy I was seeking. I think I watched it thousands of times.

Were there artists, DJs or club nights in your country which inspired you early on?

I grew up in the southern part of Slovakia, where people mostly spoke Hungarian, so naturally I gravitated towards their scene as already there had been so many things happening. I was mostly attending techno events and I was a regular at clubs like Akropolis, Highlander and the legendary M47, where I later became a resident. I also loved going to Hyperspace and Bonusz Festival to Budapest every year.

You first appeared in 2017 as the winner of the Yousef 'Pleasure Defined' Remix competition, but you did not release any music following that until 2021, was it just a matter of furthering your production skill before you were comfortable putting more music out there? Or something else?

Generally I have always been very shy with my own production as for me it’s something very personal and I was probably also afraid of putting my tracks out there. I also didn’t want my tracks just to be one of many so I was trying to progress and get to a point where I was more comfortable with I what I wanted to be: I wanted the tracks to be a 100% fit to my sets, and that didn’t really happen for quite a few years. I also didn’t have the discipline necessary to work on music often enough, but when Covid struck I told myself: it’s now or never. So I started to focus more on making music and I’m happy I did.

You’ve been releasing music as Denes Toth since 2021 essentially and have achieved measurable success across that time. When you look back on your releases up to now, what would be some pivotal ones to the success you’ve achieved today?

For me every release is very personal and I have a special connection with every track I made. If I need to pick a few, probably my ‘Automagic EP’ on New Tab was essential, as it included tracks that were played by names like Tale of Us, Adriatique, Innellea and many more. Another one is my ‘Endeavour’, which received an amazing remix by Yubik and this was the first release of Moodyverse.

You’re returned to your own Moodyverse imprint last week with the ‘Dreamland’ EP, tell us a bit about the project and what sort of vibe were going for on the tracks?

To me both tracks have quite a different vibe. ‘Dreamland’ is actually one of my favorite own tracks, I really like how it turned out. It’s constantly building up with an uplifting theme ever evolving, spiced with a few dark, acid and some vocal elements. This track came together very quickly and naturally, which is always a nice feeling. ‘Again’ took a little more time, especially because I was a bit in trouble with the vocal samples. After finishing the track, I showed it to my buddy Konik with great enthusiasm and he told me right away that he has heard the vocal samples before. After that I didn’t like the track and took me some weeks to come back to it, but I had an idea on a family vacation to write my own lyrics and let AI do the vocal part and that’s exactly what made into the track in the end. Generally, the idea with this track was to create a more ‘warm up’ vibe which I like to think that I achieved.

How much play have the tracks gotten in your sets and where do you generally program them?

Both tracks have been an integral part of my sets in the past year or so, but I must admit that I had played ‘Dreamland’ much more… in almost all of my sets actually. I usually played it in a moment when I wanted to deepen the vibe on the dancefloor a bit, as the drops are darker, even though the track has this ever-evolving uplifting element to it. ‘Again’ is more of a warm-up track for me, I mostly played it in opening sets, and I think 19:26 agrees with me as he also played it in his opening set at Afterlife Barcelona.

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 ‘Dreamland’ EP?

My studio setup is rather minimalistic. I used to buy a lot of external gear, but over the years I’ve sold most of them. What I still like to use a lot, especially for idea making is my Ableton Push 2, combined with Maschine Mk3. For ‘Dreamland’ I also used my Novation Circuit Tracks, as I totally love it for its portability and I carry it around whenever I leave the town for more than a few days. Other than that, I do everything in the box using mostly Arturia’s V Collection, selected Waves plugins, Serum and of course Diva.

Being a label owner, how do you decide which of your new tracks to shop around to other labels and which ones to release on Moodyverse? Is there something specific in terms of sound you want to present with your own productions through Moodyverse?

In the beginning it was a very similar approach than with my production: to select tracks that fit the sound of my DJ sets. Fortunately, we had 2 strong releases to start with, afterwards it was mostly about following what we started. It’s not easy as we’ve set our own bar very high, but I think that’s the only way. We definitely prefer tracks that have the potential to be played for dancefloors around the world, as we’re mostly a dance music label in the end. What we also prefer are stand-out tracks that do not necessarily follow the current trends, but try to be somewhat ‘underground’, if such term still exists.

What goals do you have going forward? Or a better question might be do you think about the future?

The goal is simple: to create a brand known for constantly releasing exciting and fresh music. We know how much effort goes into each track and we definitely want to make sure that they all receive the treatment they deserve. I think it’s necessary to think about the future, especially because we plan our releases well ahead. My personal goal is to do more international label showcases, as those are the events where we can really connect with our audience. We already did a few in Copenhagen, Budapest and of course, Bratislava, but with the amazing artists joining us, we definitely feel the need for more.

You’re also a well-travelled DJ, having performed with a variety of top international talents, so please tell us how your work as a DJ has influenced your view of music, your way of listening to tracks and perhaps also, your work as a producer?

Thinking about it this way, my view of music has been influenced by the fact of me being a DJ for over two decades. I mostly search for new music to be played in my sets, but often times I also stumble upon some really cool tunes for my listening only. I guess it’s similar with other DJs as well, but when checking new tracks, I already have a few upcoming gigs in mind and immediately I’m thinking where, if at all, the given tracks would fit. My time for producing music is limited, so most of the times my focus is on making tracks that would have an impact on the dance-floor.

How important is it for you to have gigs to be able to test your own unreleased music?

I’m not saying it’s essential, but if definitely helps a lot to play my new tracks amongst other music I really like. For me it’s very important to get the feel of the track in between other very well produced ones, for that a quick DJ mix on my laptop can sometimes help, but obviously nothing can beat big sound-systems.

Current Top five tracks in your sets?

Tharat – Napalm [Habitat]
Pablo Goyesi – Noise House [Moodyverse]
Eze Ramirez – Electrolyze [Running Clouds]
Deciduous, Atom (IE) – Let it Out [W]
Christian Nielsen, Fred Lenix – Heartbreaker [Moodyverse]

How important would say networking is in making it as an artist in 2025? And what role (if any) has it played in your own success?

I’ve seen this too many times: networking is all, there’s not really a way around that, unless you’re some kind of wonderkid with the 20 next hits in your pocket. But this applies to any other field as well, people like to be in touch with the ones they support. I’m no exception to this, and now as I think of it, I get most of the possibilities from people I already know.

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? (Do not include yourself)

That’s a tough one as there’s so many amazing DJs and it would depend on the venue setting etc., but let’s say it’s a festival setting with the sun rising behind the stage at 5AM:

22:00 – 23:30 Losless
23:30 – 01:00 Fred Lenix
1:00 – 2:30 Innellea
2:30 – 4:00 Mind Against
4:00 – end Konstantin Sibold

If you weren’t a DJ/producer, what do you think you’d be doing with your life?

I think I would still be around events, my current daily job actually is a project manager dealing with high-profile electronic music events, so it all connects nicely. What I can imagine though is that I would probably invest in gaming gear and would spend more time on car-racing simulators.

What’s something people don’t know about you?

I’m obsessed with poppy seeds and coconut, although the close ones do know this.

What TV series have you been enjoying recently, and what are some of your all-time favorites?

As probably many people recently, I was totally hooked on White Lotus Season 3 – all scenes are just pure art, Mike White is a genius! I also really liked Shogun, and to mention a documentary as well: Cosmos. Now I’m watching Severance, which also has a cool vibe to it. My all-time favorites also include Fargo (from Season 2 onwards) and What We Do In The Shadows – I just love mockumentaries.

What can we look forward to from you across the rest of 2025? Any releases or gigs you are looking forward to?

Definitely, I have quite a lot of things coming up! Labels I can’t reveal just yet, but I have 2 collab tracks in the works with Baime and also one with Mario Eighta. I have also just been asked to make a remix for a cool project, and I’m quite excited to jump into it. Gig wise, I’m playing with Vomee in Vienna in a few days, then I’m going to play with Arude in Bratislava and with Kevin de Vries in Buda Castle in Budapest. I also can’t wait for the festival season, as I’m going to play at B my Lake (Hungary), Sziget (Hungary), Grape (Slovakia), Machac (Czech Republic) and Untold (Romania). Also my monthly residency at Bratislava’s Aldea Club continues, so I’ll hopefully see you all around!

'Dreamland' is available now via Moodyverse: https://ffm.to/mv011