Following a path that bridges continents and soundscapes, Stefan Rose has shaped a distinctive voice in electronic music—one where darker tension meets emotional release.
Photo credit: Stefan Rose – Official
Born in the United States, raised in Belgium, and now splitting his time between London and New York, the producer and DJ continues to evolve both on and off the dancefloor. With his latest EP ‘Abyss’, out soon via Dear Deer, Stefan turns personal loss into cathartic energy, delivering a high-intensity two-tracker that captures his new creative chapter.
In this interview, Stefan Rose opens up about his process, the meaning behind the new EP, and what’s next on the horizon—from Southeast Asia to Spain.
EG: Hi, Stefan! Welcome to EG. It’s a pleasure to have you once again here with us. It’s been some time. How have you been? Where are you right now?
Stefan Rose: Thank you for having me, and nice to be with you guys! I’ve been having a great year, working on a lot of new music and touring in some incredible locations. Right now I’m back in London, where I’ve been based for the past few years, mixing a few tracks before I hit the road again.
EG: You’re now on the ramp-up to ‘Abyss’, your new EP on Dear Deer. Congratulations! So, how are you feeling about this one? Does it signal some sort of “fresh start”?
Stefan Rose: I have a lot of feelings about this EP, probably more than I usually would, as it’s been a long but rewarding road to get here. A little while ago, I decided to refine my production abilities and forge a new sound to incorporate into my DJ sets. I built an upgraded studio at home, collaborated with and learned from trusted artists whom I admire, and spent countless hours further honing this craft.
Fast forwarding to today, this EP with Dear Deer, which is a label that I’ve long respected, represents a high-water mark in that journey. This extended effort has now produced a whole new body of original work, including these two distinct yet cohesive tracks on the EP, that perfectly capture the sound I like to create in the studio and the energy I love to convey in my sets. I’m not alone in saying that it’s often the hardest to judge your own productions as an artist, which is why I truly value the reactions I get from others when they hear my music. The feedback that I’ve received on these songs from both established peers and from crowds on dancefloors around the world has been massively encouraging and beyond anything I was expecting.
EG: What will fans of Stefan Rose find on this incoming EP? Are there any details that you can anticipate about the drop with us?
Stefan Rose: Both tracks feature prominent vocals that I recorded with talented singers in London and merge them with aggressive yet uplifting melodic synth leads. I often strive to make music that has some edge and bite on the surface, but a degree of warmth and accessibility underneath.
With ‘Abyss’ for instance, the vocals have this call and response with the bassline that is dark and almost menacing, but the key change during the break gives it a lighter emotion that up until that point had only been hinted at. Similarly with ‘Out Of Time’, the lead melody is assertive and synthetic, yet the warmth of the bass and the softness of the spoken words add contrast and balance to the song. These tracks are both at the higher end intensity-wise of what I’m playing in my sets currently, and I haven’t had many gigs recently where I didn’t drop one or both of them at peak time and/or late-night moments.
EG: Can you tell us a bit about the meaning behind the title track ‘Abyss’ and the B-side ‘Out Of Time’? The names certainly project a bit of a mysterious, melancholic vibe.
Stefan Rose: I produced these two songs during a period of deep personal loss. In a relatively short amount of time, I endured the unexpected and unrelated losses of a few people with whom I was very close. I instinctively turned to music as a source of therapy, using music as medicine so to speak. It was against this backdrop that I made the decision to double down on music production, which I had spoken about earlier. The tracks channel certain emotions that I experienced during this challenging period—a feeling of being distant, as conveyed by the title ‘Abyss’, and a sense of everything being finite, as reflected in the name ‘Out Of Time’. At the end of the day, I was determined to have something positive to take away from what was otherwise a tough chapter in my life, and this EP is exactly that. I am on strong footing today in part because of it.
“I often strive to make music that has some edge and bite on the surface, but a degree of warmth and accessibility underneath”
EG: Thank you for sharing that powerful message with us. On perhaps a lighter note, you have just finished your Asia tour in Thailand and Vietnam. How did that go?
Stefan Rose: I’ve always enjoyed visiting Southeast Asia, and I’ve always loved DJing, so being able to do both at the same time is, in many ways, a dream come true. It’s a fascinating part of the world with diverse people, natural beauty, and deep history. Everything is just so different than what I’ve become accustomed to while living in the West. As someone who was a “third culture” kid, growing up in Belgium, even though I was born in and my family is from the United States, I’ve always had an affinity for foreign countries.
Of course, it also helped that the gigs were great, and I had the privilege of playing a bunch of cool venues ranging from upscale nightclubs in Bangkok to full moon beach parties in Phú Quốc. With incredible personalities, scenery, and food along the way. Not a tour I’ll be forgetting anytime soon!
EG: Getting to know the person behind the artist…are there any hobbies or passion projects other than the music driving you these days?
Stefan Rose: I spent a lot of time when I was younger with my family in Southern France, and once I entered adulthood, I really started to appreciate wine culture. I find wine to be a fascinating beverage, as different varietals, producers, regions, and vintages often have a unique story to tell. There’s an element of expression here that I think can be truly special, and in that sense, there are also some parallels with musical storytelling. I would love to open a wine bar concept at some point down the line and have even been doing some tasting trips to vineyards in France and Italy recently for research. But also for enjoyment, of course!
EG: Now, on to the state of the scene…What do you see as the biggest challenge for the music industry in the next few years, and how do you think artists can adapt?
Stefan Rose: There’s a lot to love about the scene, and I consider myself fortunate to be an active member within it. That said, one major challenge I see facing it—and this goes far beyond music, as you see it in many facets of life now—are attention spans. I think fully appreciating art, whether it’s music or film, for instance, requires a certain level of commitment, be it 5 minutes for a song or 2 hours for a movie. That can be difficult to achieve when many artists feel compelled to chase social media algorithms that reward content which hooks people within the first few seconds and penalize content that doesn’t. I don’t have a perfect roadmap for how artists can adapt to this, as I think we are all adapting in real time, but I do take solace in knowing that there are other voices in the industry who feel similarly.
“I produced these two songs during a period of deep personal loss”
EG: Looking forward, what can we expect from Stefan Rose in the coming months? Where can your fans catch you next?
Stefan Rose: I have some fun shows planned back in my adopted hometown of New York, then a couple of events in Miami, and later some gigs in Spain which I’m really excited about.
EG: Thank you so much for your time, Stefan! We wish you all the best for the future. Take care!
Stefan Rose: Thanks a bunch, guys!
Stefan Rose’s ‘Abyss’ is out now on Dear Deer Dubs. Stream and download here.
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