Lektrique interview ahead of Grietfest 2016

Lektrique Interview:

Lektrique is the twenty something Belgian DJ/producer set to blow things up at Grietfest this year. His many releases have helped him accumulate fans and supporters all over the world, all of them eager to see what he will put out next.

Another aspect of his output is the Kannibalen Radio Podcast that he hosts every two weeks and he shares with us how he brings together the focus for each show. He also chats to us about playing in South Africa, what it means to have an ear for good music, the Black Tiger Sex Machine collaboration, and the story behind ‘Dark Matter’.

Get ready, it’s gonna get dirty!”

For your bi-weekly Kannibalen Radio Podcast, how do you decide what to focus on for each show and what do you think makes a podcast a successful one?

Lektrique Interview: The focus is always to preview the upcoming Kannibalen Releases and any other fresh tunes I come across, so that would be the main aim every time. Beyond that, I also try to puzzle the songs and releases together in a way that makes sense and feels right by using other recent ones that I like. If possible, I will try to build towards the genre of the episode’s guest or at least to match the energy of his set. I always try to invite upcoming producers that are doing something fresh and have their own distinguished sound / identity.

It is vital for a DJ/music producer to have an ear for good music. Why do you think that you have the particular ability to suss out original and groundbreaking sounds?

Lektrique Interview: I think a big part of it is experience, following the evolution of the bass music producer landscape and recognizing production quality. Other than that it’s just personal taste, finding specific sounds and textures that are appealing to me.

What was the vision behind the collaboration with Black Tiger Sex Machine on ‘Armada’?

Lektrique Interview: It was the result of a mutual appreciation for classical and more cinematic influences in electronic music. The project was created over about 4 months. We started by establishing the theme and the break melodies pretty quickly, but finding the right energy and sounds for the drop was particularly difficult and time consuming. I tried many, many (MANY!) different things before finally arriving at this heavy granular Dubstep synth.

When you sat down to work on ‘Dark Matter’ what sort of story did you see taking shape within the production of the track as you were making it?

Lektrique Interview: Dark Matter was inspired by the movie “Interstellar” and its soundtrack. The song is about a spaceship fleeing from an attack it can’t win, so they decide to fly into a black hole as a last option. They don’t know where they’re going or if the ship can survive it, but they know that if they don’t go there they’ll die.

You will be playing at Grietfest 2016 here in South Africa soon. What can Lektrique fans over here look forward to in your set?

Lektrique Interview: A lot of energy, versatility, lots of cinematic suspense and earth shattering basslines. Get ready, it’s gonna get dirty!

How’s that for a tagline? It rhymes too!

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Lektrique interview ahead of Grietfest 2016