Read an interview with ANDATA

Interview with ANDATA

How has 2020 been for you so far?

ANDATA: Hey guys, the new decade started awesome for us. We’re glad that we started with great music and unbelievable support.

What is the scene in Hamburg like – what sounds are popular?

ANDATA: That’s very easy to describe. 90% per cent of the DJs in the local scene are as far away from having their own productions, as our studio dog (called June) is from her pilot license 😉 There are currently very few young talents coming up.

Nevertheless, the Techno scene in Hamburg has a big influence on the German and the worldwide scene because great labels like Diynamic or Senso are based in Hamburg. There are also some internationally recognized clubs. Especially in the summer, Hamburg has some great open airs with awesome international DJ bookings to offer. So we love to play here and also like to work together with some motivated talents of the Hamburg Techno scene.

What’s inspired and influenced your new Momentum EP?

ANDATA: Many influences came from old Hollywood movies. We tried to use the retro inspiration to make a modern melodic Techno sound. You can catch the vibe in one of the many videos that were made for the EP.

It’s very melodic – are you formally trained at all?

Dennis: I had piano lessons when I was a child but my Russian teacher and I didn’t share the same vibe. So I was kicked out of school very soon. That’s why I am more into the techy stuff.

Max: I also had piano lessons when I was young but switched to saxophone when I became 11. I still play it today and experiment a lot with the combination of saxophone and synthesizers.

Why do you love melodic sounds so much?

ANDATA: On the one side melodic sound is cool and brings a certain vibe to techno tracks. On the other side many melodic techno productions are often very predictable. That’s why we experiment a lot with bassline changes, acid elements and unpredictable breaks. A good example is our track ‚Reach for the Night’.

Where and when was it written? Do you write anywhere or always in your studio?

ANDATA: We get inspirations from our daily influences and personal life situations. We take these inspirations with us and let them out in the studio. To keep a high quality standard we produce in our studio in general.

What are the key bits of the track? Do you always like to get one bit right before the others – the drums, the keys etc?

ANDATA: We always start with 16 bars and arrange kick and Bassline. Then we start adding melodies, effects, drums… Mainly we use the Moog One and the Access Virus for Bass and lead sounds. When we are happy with the 16 bars we arrange the full track and focus on adding some ANDATA spice.

Tell us about Customized Culture – who is it? Why start it?

ANDATA: Our vision with Customized Culture is to create a culture that each person can define for themselves and still become part of a larger movement. We address every Techno lover and focus especially on the young and upcoming generation. We started Customized Culture because we needed our own creative space and want to imprint the new decade with our brand. Every release on Customized Culture has its own musical and visual story. For example the story of the Momentum EP is based on retro Hollywood. You can follow the story of every release on Instagram.

How does it bring fashion, art and music together?

ANDATA: Customized Culture is more than a music Label with just good music. It‘s a movement. A culture. We wanted to combine our interests in music, fashion and art to fulfil this philosophy. Our interests in fashion will be expressed in our first streetwear collection for example. In March the first collection of Customized Couture will drop. You surely need to stay updated and get a voucher on www.customized-culture.com

What’s next for you? What else are you working on?

ANDATA: We can tell you that a new ANDATA EP is on its way and it will hit you with new sounds. Moreover we are working on the CC summer collection and prepare events. After receiving huge support for our Momentum EP there will also be ANDATA releases on famous Techno labels this year. Thanks for having us!