feeder insider w/ And.Id (en)

feeder insider w/ And.Id (en)

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And.ID, or Andreas Dimitriadis, has been exploring music and experimenting with all sorts of different approaches, as he is now famous for his combination of electronica and live acts full of jazzy vibes, the music genre that he grew up with. Nowadays you can find him in Berlin, working on different projects and releasing new tunes under Mobilee Records, as well as touring throughout the world, sharing his unique vibrance, spontaneity and energy with the public. In this week’s feeder insider, we had the chance to talk to Andreas about his life as a Berlin citizen, music and much more.

Keywords: trumpet, live, jazzy, Greece, band

Hello, And.ID!
This is what feeder would like to know about you:
(please, fill in the blanks)

The first time I knew I wanted to make music was… can’t remember 🙂
If the trumpet hadn’t been my instrument of choice, I would’ve played… as many instruments possible.
The music programs I have installed on my PC are… Logic Pro, Ableton Live, bunch of plug ins and a game called Limbo.
Home is where…my family and friends are.
The greatest party I’ve attended so far was… hard to pick one but the first it comes in my mind was with dj Harvey when he played for 8,5 hours non stop in Panorama Bar Berlin 2 years ago.
I’ve always been very passionate about… music & food.
One special place I really want to visit… the moon.
In music, you should always be… honest.
My relationship with art in three words… random, random, random.
3 vinyl releases from my days in Thessaloniki that have influenced me…

Michael Jackson – Thriller

Wu-Tang Clan – Wu-Tang forever

Orbital – The Box

Ana Moca-Grama: Hello, And.ID, and welcome. You were born and raised in Thessaloniki and now you live in Berlin. How do you feel in your new home, did you have any trouble adapting and embracing the city?
And.Id: I am based in Berlin since 2009. Moving was a hard decision to make but in the end it was worth it. I feel great here, having my working space and my friends all around. In the beginning it was difficult but Berlin is multicultural and more releaxed from all other big german cities.It gives you the opportunity to adapt to the way of life you want. You can be an all nighter, going to clubs and parties and at the same time you can be isolated in your space and creating music and arts.

AMG: In former interviews, you talked about your beginnings in music, traceable to the early days in Thessaloniki, when you would listen to your father’s jazz vinyl records. What were your influences then, and what are they now?
A: I used to go with my father every Saturday morning to the local record store to buy his records. Even if I didn’t know anything about records I was going through all these colorful covers and was trying to guess how these records supposed to sound. We also used to attend concerts, watching great artists and listening to weird improvisations. When I was old enough to go out by myself, I continued to buy records, attend concerts and go to clubs, it’s a thing I still do. I carried all these experiences along with me, so I guess every single one of these small memories has influenced me both as a person and producer.

AMG: You’ve travelled a lot and been to a handful of festivals. Did you notice any differences in the public perception and reactions across different countries? Which places bring you the best memories?
A: People are attending clubs and festivals to have a good time no matter where they come from or where they live. Most of the times reactions are good. There are also hard times when the crowd doesn’t respond as you would have expected. This is the challenging part because you need to work hard to make everybody happy.

There are cities that I am visiting on a regular basis, where the crowd knows my music. These are the best places as I have the room to experiment knowing that the audience is open to new things. A special night for me is my residency at club Division in my hometown. Usually I am playing longer sets, holding the people until the early morning dancing and having a good time.

AMG: Speaking of travelling, you’ve visited us a few times in the past. What did you think of Romania, did you enjoy it here? We have quite an emerging electronic music scene here, lots of parties and events, any plans to visit us?
A: I have already been to Bucharest and Mamaia a couple of times and enjoyed it a lot. The first time I was in Mamaia I was impressed with what was going on there. A lot of parties in the same place and full of people having a good time everywhere. Looking forward to come back again soon.

AMG: Your influences are vast and different from each other, a multicultural and multi-genre mix. How do you decide what music fits best in the sets you create? What’s your key to being a dj?
A: Depending on the venue and the audience, the music I play varies. On a rooftop the music differs from what I will play in a dark club. There is no key for being a dj apart from the basic technical skills, I am trying to combine tunes I like, creating a nice atmosphere for people to get together and dance.

AMG: You’ve been working on different projects, apart from your music as And.ID, like Anthropous Anonymous and AND.ID and B.A.N.D. Tell us more about them. Any future projects you’d like to or plan to do?
A: Anthropous Anonymous is a project I have started almost a year ago with a really good friend of mine called Demm. It’s a vinyl only project and we have already finished our first release called “Fazendo Arte” feauturing 3 musicians from different countries of the world. It’s coming out on a new label from Berlin called Phonograph records. The music we do is electronic based, influenced from Africa and the early jazz and soul era of the US.

AND.ID and BAND is a project I created a couple of years ago when Anja Schneider asked me to produce the Back to Back compilation Vol. 4 for Mobilee records. The idea was to select some Mobilee tracks, recompose and perform them with real musicians. I chose six of the most recognizable Mobilee tracks from that time and went into a recording studio with the Band. Going back and forth to Berlin and Thessaloniki and after many hours of experimenting we ended up with the final new versions. It’s a project that I enjoy being part of, as working and playing with different people is very inspiring. The band is active and we are working on some new ideas at the moment. I am preparing a secret concert which will take place some time in the near future in my hometown in Thessaloniki.Would like to see this project growing and maybe being able to perform in different cities around the world.

AMG: Speaking of the future and regarding the fact that you’re very open to collaborations with people all around the world, are there any Romanian artists that you would like to work with?
A: A lot of great producers coming from Romania are doing remarkable work, I haven’t got the luck to meet and collaborate with any of them yet but for sure this is something I will do, if I have the opportunity in the future.

AMG: How do you proceed when producing music? Do you have specific ways you like to do things, any eccentricities when it comes to your creative world?
A: There aren’t any habits or standard patterns that I follow when I produce music. Sometimes I start with a rhythm, laying synths and melodies on top. Other times it could be a sample or a bassline that will inspire me to create a new track. It’s a proccedure that happens naturally. I am trying to capture the moment. Being able to know what you want to do and at the same time feeling completely lost in the studio is the moment when creativity comes.

AMG: Your debut album, Eternal Return, was very well received and much anticipated. Tell me something not many people know about this release, or a nice memory you have regarding it.
A: Thank you for your nice words. With Eternal Return I have created all sort of tracks that could fit in a club, from the beginning to the end of the night… Tracks for warm up, pick time and finally closing tunes. I remember being in the studio with a good friend of mine arguing about the track listing.
There were a couple of tracks that I had to decide if they would fit in the album or not and that was the hardest decision to be made.

AMG: A question to conclude them all: What do you like most about life as a musician?
A: Travelling around the world and being able to do what I love most and share it with people.

AMG: Thank you, it’s been a pleasure!
A: Thank you!

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