New York based producer Allies For Everyone is no stranger to the label, making his debut in late 2016 with beautiful electronica track “The Slow”. And now he is back with a very special release, raising money for international charity UNICEF. We invited him for a chat and a guest mix on the radio show.
What is your background and how did you get into music?
I played piano as a kid so I think that helped develop my appreciation for melody and I grew up with some uncles that were into new wave & house, so that was my introduction to electronic music. I started messing around with making music in high school and made my first record in 2002.
You are based in New York – what is the scene like there and how has it influenced your music & career?
I’m fortunate enough to know some good folks here in NYC that are also involved in music. As far as scene, I tend to float around the periphery and dip in whenever and wherever the artists I enjoy are playing.
What is the most important thing for people to see when visiting New York?
Try to get outta the city. Take a day and go for a hike. NY is great because you have urban, country and everything in between all within a couple of hours travel.
You made your debut on CC with “The Slow’ last year, but now you are back with a special release raising money for charity. Can you tell us more about this – where did the idea come from? which charity did you choose & why?
The charity will be UNICEF. With all the talented remixers being from different countries, I wanted a global organization that is expansive in its work. I’m completely excited that everyone was onboard with this idea without a second thought, says a lot about those involved with the release. <3
https://constantcircles.bandcamp.com/album/for-rejects-ep-in-aid-of-unicef
How would you describe your sound? Do you think you usually fall into a certain genre?
I think my music style floats in, out and around of multiple genres… a bit deep house, a bit progressive house and a bit electronica I’d say.
What are your key pieces of studio kit?
A coffee pot, a laptop, some midi controllers and some mics. I do all my work in Ableton. All soft synths. The only fully organic sounds I use are my voice, field recordings and some light hand held makeshift percussion I’ll record every now and then. I have some hard synths tucked away in my closet that I hope to bust out soon for some upcoming work.
You have released on some great labels including Einmusika and SOSO, what is your dream label to release on in the future?
Hmm dream label.. It’s hard to say.. Depending on what I create, I look toward different labels that lean toward whatever sound that is. But so far, I’m completely happy with the great labels that I have been releasing with.
You often play live as well as DJing – tell us about your live shows and how they differ from your DJ sets. Which do you prefer?
At the moment I’m enjoying deejaying with live vocals on my own material throughout the set.
What has been the best gig you ever played and why?
Hmmm, I think my favorite gig was a long deejay set I did with 2 friends years ago. We rented a minivan to get to the location in a bordering state. The venue was a maze of rooms in a vacant and raw basement. Crowd was on the small side for most of the evening, but these suburban kids were dancing like mad and enjoying every second of the tunes. I felt like I was in Prodigy’s ‘No Good’ video.
Tell us your deepest darkest secret?
Oh dang. In case my Mom reads this… I’ll give you more of an embarrassing tale. I deejayed a night and mid-set realized that when I threw on my jeans to head out to the party, I failed to take the underwear out from the night before. So while I deejayed, I had to casually pull the extra briefs out of my pants. Luckily the booth served as a nice cover.
What do you have coming up in terms of releases and gigs?
I will be playing at Miyagi’s record release party for his new LP (that I have a feature on) in Hamburg in November. And for other upcoming releases, I have the ‘Rejects EP’ on Constant Circles with Just Her‘s killer remix, Nandu’s remix and my good buddy Sakorka’s remix. I have a 4 track EP on SOSO, an EP on Fat Wax with remixes by Rancido and Theo Kottis, and a collaborative EP with Philipp Kempnich on Ein2 coming out. I also did a remix for Lessovsky on Making You Dance Records, a remix for Sleepy & Boo on Cenote, and I have a collaboration in the works with Stas Drive.
How did you put together your guest mix for the radio show & what have you included – any exclusives or surprises?
After a post party nap on a Sunday.. I just played what felt right at the moment. With half closed eyes I wanted to create something to suit the mood.… bit hazy but inspired, a bit mellow and optimistic. A couple of my own tracks are in there… ‘For Rejects’ and a remix I made for Justin Massei.
You can buy the latest release, with all proceeds to UNICEF on our Bandcamp page HERE, or on Beatport HERE.
