As we end another year filled with new music and memories, we took some time to look back and read one more time the many interviews we made during the year. Some artists gave a real insight into their lives, music production, touring, social issues, political views, and the state of our beloved music scene.
Here we selected 22 relevant quotes (in alphabetical order) that made us think, reflect and inspire.
“I would like to see more people who create music but not for the sake of success and profit. I would like to see more of those who carry sincerity and purity in their work. Be unique, don’t try to imitate, open your inner world, be yourself, and create something that will inspire and stimulate people to go to the light.”
“NFTs will stay here because they can also be smart contracts that help to organize stuff better than before. But no, it won’t change the music industry. It won’t change the music. It makes things easier. Like technology always does, and safer. It’s just another act”
“22 years is a long time to spend with someone by all means, but when those years have been spent traveling around the world, before any of the technological advances we see today, before even the inception of social media in all its forms, it really makes you think doesn’t it? I think the secret lies in always respecting each other’s vision and making sure to keep communication alive, but after so many years together I think it becomes kinda inevitable to have diverging opinions.
That’s when the going gets really tough. If I had to reflect on those years, I feel pride in the fact we survived so many different micro scenes and managed to stay relevant all this time. That in itself is a huge achievement.”
“Thanks to the ever-evolving nature of technology, it is becoming more popular and there is less of that underground feeling in most of the events/clubs around the world. I personally would love to experience more of those intimate nights, where all that’s being exchanged is music and special connections.”
“The scene is very confusing for me at the moment, to be honest. It’s diving more and more into pop music with all the attitudes. It’s ok, times are changing and the values we had many years ago when we started this movement are long gone. but now the scene needs its stars and, unfortunately, it’s not so much about music at the moment. Just my humble opinion. But it seems like it’s more about status, etc. Hope we can grow a strong music community with the new generation again.”
“Go with the flow. Like any production, you’ve got to be open and adapt to whatever direction things may take. I don’t think it’s ever good to have a rigid idea of what the outcome should be and that’s even more so the case when collaborating.”
“We are used to consuming music like it has no value and it’s very important to slow it down and to reflect on what we work on more, especially as producers. I think there is so much music out there that hasn’t received the attention it deserves because everyone releases so much and our system is based more on quantity than on quality”
“I would like to see less formulaic sets and more authentic music vibes being platformed. The art of DJing needs to come back. Artists that thoughtfully curate music and masterfully piece it together to create a proper journey. I would like to see promoters/venues booking more fresh talent and not all the same names at every festival and club.”
“I’d like to see more diversity. While older white CIS straight men have a place in dance music, it’s bizarre to see them in the majority of lineups. Oftentimes, the token femme that is offered an opening slot isn’t even a producer, which makes it look like there aren’t femme producers who DJ available in the scene, which is so far from the truth. Often, the femme folks have much more innovative sounds, since it takes so much more for them to stand out.”
“If there has ever been a time when the world needed artists, that time is now. Society needs their radical ideas, their visions, and their perspectives.”
“In general, there is an upcoming generation of interested young enthusiastic people who are rediscovering things. In our eyes, this generation also has enough power to speak out against discrimination, racism, war, and violence. And not to be forgotten is the gradual destruction of our planet, “Mother Earth”.”
“It would be better to listen for musical quality and find to be curious about the story of an artist, instead of glorifying people who have made it in the club culture (and not only), just with clicks and likes. We need more substance and less superficiality.”
“Art and music should, in my view, always be a meritocracy, where the best artists, regardless of gender or ethnicity, get awarded the responsibility to perform in front of people. The goal is to have our minds blown, not to pass out participation medals in equal proportion to existing demographics”
“The coverage we are seeing, particularly in the UK music media, is purely advertising although nobody is talking about this, at all, in fact. If a company that owns a large independent record company constantly puts their own artists on the cover, even if they only put 1 record out a year, that is dramatically distorting things”
“I personally would love to see more promoters and festivals take more risks in discovering new DJs and producers on the electronic scene. There is a multitude of talented artists who do not have the chance to be heard because they are not or they don’t want to be active on social networks. I would also love to see a less formatted scene, where everyone plays the same thing over and over again, and don’t take any more risks to be creative and innovate.”
“Art is the tool to recognize and perceive oneself. Be it a picture or a piece of music. That’s why art is interpreted so differently because people are configured in such detail. In addition, the cancellation of art is always an expression of a rich society.”
“I would be very happy to see more small open-air daytime events rather than warehouse cold-dark events. I think the combo of open skies and greens brings joy to life. I’m aware that it’s not possible everywhere and every time, but there is always a solution!”
“I would recommend that before starting your own label make sure you look yourself in the mirror and ask yourself if this is a commitment you are willing to make and if the answer is yes start assembling a team around you of resourceful individuals who share your vision.”
“It’s nothing new if I tell you that the social networks did not help to bring the quality up front. We’re are the end of a cycle, of an era of many genres, techno all sounds the same, Melodic Techno all sounds the same, Organic House all sounds the same, Afro House all sounds the same… I’m trying to stay away as much as I can from the trends, as once the trend is over, you’re dead with it. Apart from that, more risks and surprises from music producers and less copy/paste, like I have seen the past 2/3 years.”
“There are certain facets we can improve on, and the first one that comes to mind is surrounding the topic of equal opportunities for all genders. While we’re seeing more and more women & LGBTQ+ DJs on the scene, I still notice an underlying layer of misogyny. I could give many examples but to give you a very simple one, I invite you to sift through social media groups and pages and notice the number of memes, jokes, and comments, that are probably intended to be harmless but don’t help the cause of equality. It is evident that the transition will take time, but I’m hopeful that as more influential platforms bring awareness to this, we will be able to truly embody the values of positivity and acceptance that the electronic music community lives by.”
“There is a huge amount of artists out there, and many festivals would sell out without even announcing the line-up, so they could experiment with bringing different talents than everybody else”
“We think it is a great time for music. Since everybody has been locked down during the pandemic, it is great to have the connection on again between the artist and the live audience. Humans need humans. It’s so fundamental. I don’t need to see more live living room streamings.”
