Solomun

We caught up with Solomun for a quick chat about his summer residencies in Ibiza.

Attack: How’s the Ibiza season going for you this summer? What have been the highlights for you so far?

Solomun: The summer is going really, really well. And it’s really hard to define the highlights, ’cause fortunately there have been quite a few. Of course my two residencies at Pacha and Sankeys are lot of fun but for me it’s always a highlight when the Diynamic family comes together to have a long barbecue, laughing and talking. Those are really precious moments for me.

You have your Solomun +1 residency on Sunday nights at Pacha this year. Pacha Magazine editor Ben Turner said last year that “the island now has a new name who connects to the original spirit of Ibiza” in reference to you. What do you think that spirit represents in 2013?

If Ben Turner says such things I surely feel flattered, and for sure I’m happy to be a part of this kind of new/old spirit. But it’s not so easy to refer to yourself in such big words. As you may know, I’m not so experienced in Ibiza traditions since this is just my second season here, but I have to say that this is a wonderful place to be during the summer, to work, to chill, to have fun.

You also have your Diynamic Neon Nights on Tuesdays at Sankeys. Do you feel there’s a big difference between playing at Sankeys and Pacha? Or do you just play the same regardless of where you are?

The basement at Sankeys has a really strong and bass-oriented sound system, so I can’t help myself than to play strong bass tracks in there. I always differ my sets – it depends on where I play, how the atmosphere is, how my mood is. The biggest difference between both clubs is of course that at Pacha I play with my +1 guests who are not part of Diynamic – at Sankeys I only play with Diynamic artists. And obviously there are big differences between the two clubs, but in both clubs people are coming to party, to dance and to have fun.

You and the rest of the Diynamic crew were instrumental in bringing deep house back into focus over the last few years. Do you think there’s more good, melodic, emotional dance music being made now than there was, say, five years ago? Or do you just think people are paying more attention to it now it’s back in fashion?

I think we all experience a renaissance of melody in house music. And of course way more people dare to produce more melodic tunes. But I won’t say that this is something that Diynamic or me achieved. Like I said before, we are really happy to be a part of this, but it is really important for me to say that we are just one part of the whole story.

‘YesNoMaybe’ represents a bit of a darker, more techy sound from you. Is that a direction you plan to go down more in future?

I always try things out and at that time I wanted it all a little more techy, and also in my DJ sets I rediscovered a bit of my techy side.

Outside of your own friends, are there any producers whose tracks you always look out for at the moment? Who’s impressing you the most?

There are always producers that are fun to me. But most of the time I like one or two tracks of them, so I don’t have to name them I guess. And I am sure that it’s also the other way round: there will be people who maybe like one or two tracks that I did.

Your incredibly prolific approach to releasing music seems to have dropped off slightly since a couple of years ago, for obvious reasons given how busy your touring schedule has been. Is it frustrating not being able to get into the studio as much?

Yeah, it’s a shame that a day doesn’t have 34 hours. I guess at the beginning of the next year, after a long holiday, I’ll get back to the studio.

What are your plans in terms of your own releases?

Actually at the moment I am working on two tracks together with Roisin Murphy. It’s a really exciting collaboration which will appear in November on Diynamic.

What do you think your greatest strength is as a producer and why?

You always have to be very careful what you say about yourself but I think that regarding arrangements I often have my moments and have quite a good instinct for this. I also give my labelmates a few good pieces of advice from time to time.

How about as a DJ?

This one is hard to answer. What I can say is that I have always fun when I DJ. I love to move and dance behind the decks, so maybe some people are feeling this fun.

And what are your weaknesses? Are there any areas in which you’re working to try and improve?

I try to do sports and most of the times it doesn’t work. This is a true weakness ’cause I used to do a lot of sports when I was younger.

How do you relax when you get time off?

One of the most relaxing things for me is to have a late dinner with friends. And I made it a few times to go to the beach, but honestly this could have been more often in my opinion. And like two times I made a tour on bike together with my tour manager, this was not basically relaxing, but afterwards it felt really good.

Other than things relating to music, what are you most looking forward to for the rest of the year?

I hate to disappoint you but in this year there won’t be much more than playing and travelling. I will do two long tours after the summer, to South America, USA, Asia and Australia, then Christmas, New Years Eve and then I will fall asleep for long time. I guess that’s something worth waiting for that I’m really looking forward to.

Solomun’s residency at Pacha continues every Sunday until October 6th.