After a 3-year hiatus due to the pandemic, Balance Music’s legendary main compilation series returns for its 31st volume with an absolute stunner courtesy of UK DJ and producer, Tim Green.
Following in the footsteps of epic contributions from the likes of James Holden, Joris Voorn and Agoria, the celebrated artist of labels such as All Day I Dream, TRYBESof, Cocoon, Siamese, and many other acclaimed imprints creates a truly beautiful story on this 2.5-hour mix.
EG caught up with Tim Green to learn more about the release of his new Balance mix, the impact of the mix series on his development, fatherhood, and more.
EG: Hi Tim! Welcome to EG. It’s a pleasure to have you here with us. How have you been? Where are you based right now?
Tim Green: I’ve been great, thanks. Continuously trying to find the balance between fatherhood, touring as a DJ, and working in my studio to create music!
EG: First of all, congratulations on the drop of your new single, ‘Eteri’, which is also the first glimpse into your Balance 031! What has the initial reception been like?
Tim Green: Thank you very much! Yes, there has been an amazing response actually. It’s a song that I always had mixed feelings about when I initially wrote it, which can be quite common I find with myself. In this case, it’s purely because the song ended up different from how I initially intended it to sound. And being such a perfectionist (laughter)… I always feel like I’ve failed if the song doesn’t turn out how I intended. Stupid I know, but a flaw about myself that I’m aware of. That being said, when you start to play the song out in clubs and see the crowd’s reaction – plus see other DJs playing it out, you gain a completely different love for the song. Because I hear it from a different perspective from how I first heard it. Plus, I then start to realize actually what the song now is and how it turned out to be. Then more and more as you play it, you start to form memories of it in different clubs around the world, which then shapes the connection I have with it. Which just gives me great energy.
EG: So, what’s ‘Eteri’ all about? Why did you choose to go with this as the first insight into your incoming Balance 031?
Tim Green: Well following on from my uncertainty about the song initially….I would now describe the song as a chunky, groovy track that works both on the dancefloor, and also listenable in a home environment. This to me is why I wanted this song as the lead track. I think it can tick a lot of boxes musically.
EG: Speaking strictly about the new Balance Mix, you must be very excited about this opportunity! What does it mean to you to join such an illustrious list of curators?
Tim Green: Yes, it’s such an incredible lineage of artists that I’m very honored to be joining. I grew up listening to all of these artists, and their respective Balance mix CDs. I honestly never thought I would be asked to do one myself. It’s such an amazing opportunity to have a platform like this get behind me, and welcome me to their family.
“I always put high expectations on myself when creating anything, but try to ignore them at the same time, haha. Just because these expectations are always coming from myself and not anybody else”
EG: And how did you decide to approach this mix in particular? Did it ever feel like a daunting task to have to live up to certain expectations?
Tim Green: Yes, thankfully I didn’t let expectations get in the way of my process. I always put high expectations on myself when creating anything, but try to ignore them at the same time (laughter). Just because these expectations are always coming from myself and not anybody else. Even if I feel like they are other people’s, or external expectations – I’ve realized they are just ones that I have made up and put upon myself. And regarding the mix, I am somebody who doesn’t like to do busy mixing with loads and loads of songs playing at once for example. Or mixes with lots of special effects and tricks, as another example. Not that I dislike this style of mixing – I am just more of a straightforward mixing type of person, who likes to play one song after the other, let the songs speak for themselves, and play out in their entirety.
EG: What would you say is the perfect setting to listen to the Balance 031? What inspired you during the recording process?
Tim Green: Outside in nature is the perfect setting. It was my thought process and environment for a lot of the time period when I was compiling and mixing the mix.
EG: Can you tell us something about yourself that only a few people know about?
Tim Green: I have been a huge Formula One fan all my life. Grew up watching it with my father since I was 1 year old. I haven’t talked about it much over the years, as I found a lot of people weren’t too passionate about it. Soccer was always most people’s favorite sport. But it’s becoming more and more popular now, so it has been refreshing traveling the world and finding more and more people who are passionate about it.
EG: How do you keep entertained when not in the studio? Have you checked out any good movies, series, books, or albums you’d recommend?
Tim Green: Right now, my life is all about my children – I don’t have much time for anything else alongside my music, unfortunately. But honestly, I really love it, and it’s completely worth the sacrifice of my personal time. Seeing my children grow and change daily is constantly a reward. So I’m not as up to date anymore on movies or TV nowadays, as I used to be. But I would recommend the movies ‘The Last Duel’, ‘Tar’, ‘The Wonder’…. off the top of my head. Also, for TV – ‘Mind Hunter’ is still the best series I’ve seen in a long time. As well as ‘Andor’, I loved it – it’s refreshing to see something part of the Star Wars world that didn’t try too hard to be over the top and Hollywood.
“Right now, my life is all about my children – I don’t have much time for anything else alongside my music, unfortunately. But honestly, I really love it, and it’s completely worth the sacrifice of my personal time”
EG: What’s next for Tim Green? What particular milestones are you looking forward to in 2023? Where can your fans catch you next?
Tim Green: Well, apart from the Balance mix compilation with its original music, which is a huge milestone for me, I also have another release forthcoming on Lee Burridge’s All Day I Dream in July. Plus, another release on Sebastien Leger’s Lost Miracles label coming later in the year. Also, some original music from myself coming on For A Memory, as well as amazing new music from other artists that I’ll be releasing on my label!
EG: Thank you so much for your time, Tim! We wish you all the best for the future.
Tim Green: Thank you so much for chatting with me! 🙂
‘Tim Green – Balance 031’ is out now. Purchase your copy here.
Follow Tim Green: Spotify | Instagram | SoundCloud | Facebook
