Nhan Solo is an artist that leaves no stone unturned. His knack of attenting to the finest details and a relentless work ethic are is really reaping the rewards at the moment with his label Mother Recordings, a constant source of chart dwellers. He has just release his own production Magic Land, so we dropped in on him to find out what’s what……
Electronic Groove: How are you Nhan? Are you someone who enjoys summer? Does sunshine make you play different music?
Nhan Solo: Thanks, I am fine. I don´t like summer, I LOVE IT. I think sunshine definitely makes me play different music. I just came back from an amazing Mexico Tour, where I was DJing at the first edition of WAAK´ Festival at Holbox under palms and warm sun rays. In this situation I like to play fun and feel good House music to get people smiling and shaking their hips!
Electronic Groove: Tell u about your latest EP for your own label – what inspired or informed it?
Nhan Solo: The idea was to make a club EP that reflects my musical taste and fits to what I’m playing in clubs. It presents a more energetic and clubby side of my sound and savor!
Electronic Groove: Are you inspired by your surroundings? If you didn’t live in Berlin would you make different music, you think?
Nhan Solo: Yes, living in Berlin has helped me to do what I do, without a doubt. I am sure Berlin has influenced me in a lot of ways. But I also take inspiration from everything and everyone around me and all of my experiences. I’m addicted to House music since forever and I believe Berlin was and still is a very inspiring place with all the impulses, trends and the very special energy that this city embodies. No wonder it works like a magnet on so many people. But on the other hand I do believe that success does not automatically come by moving here so or depend on a city, how do they say: use with caution is strongly advised? Here, some doors might open up more easily for you but in the end it’s what you make of it. No pain, no gain! 😉
Electronic Groove: About Mother – what have been the best and worse things about running it? Have you had big challenges or even been close to giving up?
Nhan Solo: Mother Recordings is my baby! It has been amazing seeing the other side of the industry and I have learned a lot. I have been lucky that everything has been super smooth so far. It has been a lot of hard work and dedication but I wouldn’t take any of it back. I’m really thankful that we have an amazing team with reliable artists that help everything run and push forward with the label. I am proud of our collective and independent House label, I have never thought about giving it up.
Electronic Groove: Has the sound of the label changed or evolved, or is the mission still the same as ever?
Nhan Solo: House, electronic music is constantly evolving, developing, recreating and rediscovering itself so as a label we have to keep things fresh too. But in saying that, we still release music that has the same essence as we always have. At the core it is always high quality feel good house music.
Electronic Groove: Do you have a decent studio? And good gear, or are you a software user instead? Is the ‘how’ important to you at all?
Nhan Solo: I consider myself part of the generation of new-school house producers. I use a laptop, a keyboard, a bunch of software and plugins. Actually I got into it from the DJ- mixing side of things, using Ableton. From there I worked my way into the details. Actually, the current setup actually hasn’t changed a lot. As to the “how”, I obviously refined my workflow over time. But I’ve always worked quite focused and efficient, starting off with an idea that is built around a sample or a hookline and from there it’s all about creating a core loop for the main part of the track. Then, I gradually add all the other elements step by step like a cook seasoning his dishes.
Electronic Groove: Do DJing and making music inform one another for you or are the two separate?
Nhan Solo: I love doing both and of course they inspire each other, it goes hand in hand together. When you have this career I don’t think it’s possible to seperate them. They both inspire and inform each other in a continuous loop. It’s the circle of life, baby!
Electronic Groove: What is the sound of the label right now, what are you into, what are you looking for? Who is hot at the moment?
Nhan Solo: We aren’t the kind of label that jumps from one bandwagon to the next. We release the finest quality house music for the club. All of our artists are super hot at the moment, haha…! No, I’m just joking! We are not like that! But, we are super proud to have amazing artists like Mat.Joe, Superlover and David Keno as part of the family. These guys are literally running the charts right now and it is so cool to see them getting the success they deserve.
Electronic Groove: What else you got coming up/are you looking forward to?
Nhan Solo: We have bomb EP’s coming from Martin Waslewski, Simion and Dilby this summer which we are all very excited about! I do have a North America tour coming up in july and that is going to be so dope. San Francisco, Los Angeles, Vancouver, New York, Washington and first time Chicago where Jack built the house! 🙂
Nhan’s ‘Magic Land’ is out now on his imprint Mother Recordings
Grab it here – https://www.beatport.com/release/magic-land/1756382
