illectronic – Victory

By: Jamie Steinberg

Q) How would you describe your sound?

A) Deep and melodic. I am working on a lot of different deep, dark and melodic tech now.

Q) Who are some of your musical influences?

A) Right now Stephan Bodzin, Anyma and any live acts. Solomun and his labels are my favorites as well because his Diynamic label really is “Diynamic” and is constantly evolving with many different genres. He’s also my favorite live act to see. Victory was inspired by Stephan Bodzin’s analog mastery, however.

Q) You have mentioned that all of your tracks have a melancholy or “dark” feel to them. Why is that?

A) I have gone through a lot in my life. Probably more than the average ups and downs for people, so deep and dark tracks are what I make. But I listen to a ton of different music, and my sets don’t usually reflect the darkness as I am really happy on the decks during Vibal Sessions.

Q) Talk about the story behind your new song “Victory.”

A) As a sort of deviation from Stephan Bodzin, I wanted to make something similar. I had just gotten out of the hospital and started playing my Moog sub phatty and got a great sample that I used for the track. I took it from there and cut it up with a deep bassline that, in the end, makes you feel like you just won a war. I was inpatient in the hospital for five weeks, so I had a lot of gratitude to be free finally.

Q) You are a part of social media. What kind of fan response have you
received to the track?

A) Most people I see on SoundCloud are my friends in Brooklyn. Also, a lot of views from Turkey and India. I am grateful to everyone who listens, likes and shares my tracks.  My social media will get some work done soon as I attain a management company. I have gotten the most views when I’m in a crazy mood and just showed people the studio. People seem to like seeing the process so I may make some videos on that when I get some time.

Q) What is your song writing process? Are your melodies/beats inspired by everyday sounds?

A) It’s different every time. For “Victory,” I started with the bassline, which is usually the case. I build the basslines now around the mids, consist of VST’s, some heavily modified and eq’ed samples and, of course, some analog sounds I make from my gear. Right now, I have created a bassline around the melody, so it depends on how I am feeling and a lot of times, I find good sounds by accident and build around that. As far as everyday sounds? That’s an exciting idea. I live by a train and can potentially record some cool audio. Thanks for the idea.

Q) How much of hand do you have in the production of your music?

A) I produce, mix and master everything myself and I love being in full control of everything. Still, I would welcome any collaborations, especially for the production aspect, to get new ideas and perspectives. I am actually better at mixing than producing as I work in a very technical field in my day job and have mastered Ableton.

Q) Will a full album or EP be coming in the near future, or are you more focused on singles for the time being?

A) I am now working on an EP with dark subs and basses. One of the melodies will be in C major and be a happier party beat with some vocals I chopped up, while the other will have a darker melody and be C# that I will probably name after my dad who passed a year ago. I hope to get something out in March 2023.

I also did some remixes that did not get selected on my SoundCloud with Vocals. Vocals is where it’s at now!

Q) Which of your tracks continues to hold a special significance to you and why?

A) In the beginning, I put on SoundCloud a track called “experimental,” which I later renamed to “Ezra mi vida.” Ezra is the name of my son. I really like this track’s mix since it’s my first, and I had no idea what I was doing, yet it sounds so clear and crisp.

Q) Who would you most like to collaborate with on a song in the future?

A) In a dream world, probably Solomun or someone from Diynamic, Matador, Carl Cox or Nicole Moudaber. I have so many people I would like to meet for more than a five minute pic, but of course, I would collab with anyone that has ideas flying around: just hit me up!

Q) What album/band are you currently listening to, and why do you dig them?

A) A great overall album is Disfreq by Diynamic. It has very interesting melodic elements and instruments and great bass lines. “Como” is my favorite track by them. Spanish has a nice vibe; I love listening to and speaking it.

Q) What advice would you offer to those DJs and musicians just starting out in the business?

A) For productions, it takes a lot of time to build up skills. Just don’t give up and watch courses. I never stop learning. Reading a crowd and track selection for DJing is probably even more important than perfectly mixing, but you should learn to beat match first! If you mess up a little at first, don’t worry as most people won’t notice. This is coming from someone who goes out a lot, as well as DJ’s.

Q) What would you like to say to everyone who is a fan and supporter of you and your work?

A) I really appreciate all your support and hope to see you on the dancefloor and, ideally, behind the booth soon!