Influenced by 80s music and hip hop, the unique and groove based sounds of Aaaron have already been championed by stellar labels including Defected, Objektivty & Connected. His latest track on Re.You’s imprint Younion sits firmly alongside heavyweight artists Dino Lenny, Eins Tiefer and Re.You himself. The future is bright for Aaaron, and we caught up with him to chat about his music, his production process, his cheese addiction and clubbing in Berghain.
> For the people reading this who haven’t heard your music before, how would you describe your style, and the key elements that define it?
Electronic Music with a strong percussive touch. Key Elements I would say are mostly Kickdrums as i use them also in between the regular kickdrums, and Noise Textures or Synths with an old school gritty feel like the Minimoog Sound. The most important thing is that the sound always has to change somehow. Modulation is key.
> Your most recent release was on Re.You’s label Younion. How did that collaboration come about and will you be working more with the label?
Re.you is a good friend of mine since a long time now. We always show each other tracks we work on and share these. To be part of Younion was the logical next step and was already planned since the start of his label.
> Could you talk us through your creative process and list any specific equipment used to bring sounds to life?
I always start every other Studio day with jamming on drum machines and synths just for fun without the pressure that it gets me somewhere. This “playtime“ is really important to me and since I started doing it, I don’t get into creative block anymore. That’s also the time where I discover new sounds for example with the Modular. Mostly by accident. There are a couple of ways to achieve these accidents. Changing the length of an Sequencer, changing the rhythm of it, or an arp. Use something like an Euclidean Sequencer or a Turing Machine (creates random notes & you can loop these sequences based on chance).
To breathe life into sounds, I use saturation, a good reverb or delay and let it change over time.
> You have released on some huge labels like Defected and Objektivity. Do you think there has been a key moment, gig, or release, that has been the turning point in your career so far?
It didnt feel like there was a turning point at all. Everything till today was pretty linear. Hopefully it will keep growing as organically as it has.
> Could you give some advice or words of wisdom to any aspiring producers who would look to your music for inspiration?
Do what you like. Sounds simple and it is. Watch Tutorials, read manuals. Listen to Music. And not just one genre. You can find inspiration everywhere. Sometimes I find inspiration in documentaries, video games or somewhere outside. You need to create. What they say is true: It takes 10,000 hours to get good at something.
> What is in the pipeline for you – do you have any other big projects you are currently working on or big shows on the horizon?
A lot releases are planned for this year. Starting with the next EP on Scatcity around April with Deckert. Then we have another Aaaron / Deckert / Valentine EP coming on our Homebase “Connected“, planned for June. Then we will do an EP for Chapter 24 later this year with a great Feature. And last but not least I will do some solo EPs which I cannot speak about at the moment.
> What can people expect from you when they come to one of your gigs?
Music that I love & Fun.
> Thanks for taking the time to speak with us today, we like to finish our interviews with a couple of questions that are a little bit light hearted… without getting too personal, could you tell us something most people won’t know about you?
I was going to be a professional Tennis player, and I have a cheese addiction.
> You don’t need to mention names, but what’s the most “outrageous” thing you have ever seen in a club… was it something outrageously brilliant, like a blindfolded DJ mixing seamlessly and scratching with their elbows, or something outrageously cringe-worthy, like some embarrassing drunken raver urinating on the dance floor?
Nothing outrageous or cringy but I went once to the Concert of a band I really like to Berghain. “Sleep“ is a Stoner-Doom band and so was the Crowd. You know like really long hair and black army backpacks. After a few songs some people where unpacking & smoking Bongs from their backpacks. Nothing fancy but Somehow it was pretty different to the normal Berghain Club Night.
> You can find Aaaron on Beatport HERE, Soundcloud HERE and Resident Advidor HERE