Producer from Karlsruhe, Germany. His music reevolves around analog-synths, passionate melodies, and driving beats. Within a short span of time, Tantum quickly grabbed the attention of some well-renowned labels, namely Einmusika‘s sister imprint ‘EIN2’, Steve Bug’s ‘Poker Flat Recordings’, Superflu’s ‘Monaberry’ as well as the progressive imprints – ‘Mango Alley’ & ‘Lowbit Records’. With no signs of slowing down, Tantum fires up all cylinders and delivers ‘Bismuth’ & ‘Phosphor’ for his much-awaited follow-up EP on Indian-based imprint Juicebox Music.
EG: Hello, Tantum, and thanks for chatting with us. You are having a very busy year with several releases. Has the virus lockdown affected your work in any positive or negative way?
Tantum: Hey, thanks for having me! Hard to tell, my music has only really been kicking off this year with ZHU’s support of one of my tracks. I couldn’t be happier actually, I think is doing great. Now we all hope that we can have proper events again soon, but of course, it’s also important to stay safe, so until then we have to stick to streams.
EG: Tell us a bit about your background with music. How did you got started? What are some of your initial memories with electronic music? And can you name a song that really made an impact on you and why?
Tantum: My musical roots are closer to rock and metal music, as I’ve been trained as a guitarist. But my love for music has no bounds, I can get into almost any kind. A great memory must have been the Nature One Festival in Germany, which was one of my first contacts with a wide variety of electronic music genres. Early Deadmau5 works have been a huge influence, If I were to stick to one track it would probably be ‘I remember’.
EG: Your latest work is the remix of Fehrplay’s ’Fortan’ released on Mood Of Mind. Tells about your approach to this one?
Tantum: I really like Fehrplay’s work and felt super honored to be able to have my twist on it. My idea was to work out a more club-ready version of the original, fitting a bit more into that underground rave sound whilst still keeping the playful elements and break of the original.
EG: What do you think are some oft he key elements to keep in mind when doing a remix?
Tantum: Focus, reduce, and expand. First I try to figure out the key elements that make the track special and should be kept/modified for the remix. Then I take out all the other elements and replace them with my own. Lastly, it’s all about those bells and whistles, usually, I can do this for as long as I want (laughter), once the deadline comes close I’ll try and wrap it up.
EG: Also, you recently released your ‘Bismuth’ EP on Juicebox Music. How has the reception been so far?
Tantum: The impact was great, especially compared to my last few EPs. What shocked me was that the B-Side ‘Phosphor’ was received way better than the title track itself. (I guess ‘Bismuth’ suits the dancefloors better than streaming and listening purposes).
EG: Are you working on any new material? Can you give us a sneak peek?
Tantum: There’s an EP coming out on one of my favorite labels! Super proud of that one. You can find a sneak peek in Guy J’s recent sets, as well as the opening in my EG Spotlight mix!
EG: Moving back to current events, how has it been in your home town?
Tantum: Calm I would say. Event locations and promoters are doing their best to adjust to the situation and design events that comply with the current safety standards. I’m not going out that much these days and rather spend some time with family or friends, which is great too.
EG: We also want to take the opportunity to thank you for the excellent mix you did for our Spotlight series. What was the inspiration behind it?
Tantum: Thanks! It was just a great opportunity for me to showcase myself and my sound. Inspiration could have been (but it’s a far fetch) Eric Prydz 2013 BBC Essential Mix. That one has been accompanying me for a long time!
EG: How would define your sound?
Tantum: People often refer to my signature sound, which I guess consists of polyrhythms, deep bass stabs, and plucky leads with very minimalistic key changes. All the groove consists of push and pulls with the drums and some lead synths.
EG: What do you think takes to make a successful session as opposed to a DJ set in a club?
Tantum: I’m guessing the session means a recorded set for online streaming? If so, I feel that it shouldn’t be seen as a replacement for a clubbing experience, but rather as an extension to the experience that was already there and right now, sadly can’t be experienced in most parts of the world.
EG: It was great chatting with you and stay safe!
Tantum: Thanks for the interview, have a great week!
Follow Tantum: Facebook |Instagram |Soundcloud
