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Artist Spotlight: Rezident
In the wake of his brilliant new 'Only For A Moment EP', we sat down with German rising talent Rezident to discuss 'Muse', mates and making music in the Apple Store...
For anyone who’s somehow missed it, can you tell us a little bit about yourself, David? What’s your musical background, and how would you describe your sound?
Hi, I’m David and I'm from Karlsruhe in southern Germany.
My first introduction to music was when my mom taught me some piano when I was 6-8 years old. Both my parents studied classical music but I never was motivated enough to learn to play an instrument myself.
Still, growing up I was fascinated by electronic music when I first found some deadmau5 tracks on the internet. Not too long later I had a copy of FL Studio and started making music!
I have a hard time describing my sound in words - I hope the music speaks for itself.
How did you first get in touch with Anjunadeep?
I think it was like this: I’ve been working on a demo that I really wanted to send to Anjunadeep. I was still in college at the time and that’s where I met Brian aka. Fejká who had already been signed to KI Records. I sent Brian the demo for feedback and he decided to forward it to Ben Böhmer since they had already written previously. Ben loved it and forwarded it to Anjuna and a while later it turned out to be my first release on the label - ‘Pure’. Big thanks to Brian & Ben for sharing the track!
Your first single on Anjunadeep, ‘Pure’, received huge support, especially from radio. How did that feel?
When 'Explorations 13’ came out, I listened to the whole thing like 20 times and was super happy about the release. I remember it was during the Covid lockdown when I was ‘stuck’ in Leeds for an exchange semester. The radio support for 'Pure' came a while later - they kept it in rotation for a while and I’m very thankful for the support!
We've just released your new 'Only For A Moment EP'. How would you describe your EP, in your own words?
I really don’t know! One thing I like about making music is that I don’t have to use words :p
Which is your favourite track from the EP (if you can choose one!)
If I had to pick one, I think it would have to be ‘Only For A Moment’.
As well as making your own tracks, you have done some brilliant and surprising remixes for artists including Ben Böhmer, Eli & Fur and Jan Blomqvist. Where do you begin when transforming a track?
Ideally I already have an idea when listening to the original. Then I look through all the audio files / stems and pick my favourite bits. On some tracks I might just take the vocal and almost nothing else, and on others I’ll use almost all of the sounds.
Then I start adding my own synths, drums, etc and arrange everything to find bits and pieces that work together. I export a couple different versions that are completely different, listen to them, and ask for feedback from my managers Nate and John & the label and finish the best one.
Who are some of your favourite producers (either within or outside of Anjuna) at the moment?
Jasper Tygner, Nox Vahn, Joseph Ray, Monolink. A bit outside of the deep house genre, there’s always something about Skrillex’s and Flume’s productions that inspires me. But there’s a lot more artists I’m a fan of - If you want to check them out, I’m adding all my favourites to the ‘Rezident Selection’ playlist on Spotify.
Do you have any tips for anyone who’s just started in music production/DJing?
You don't have to learn or know everything at once - focus on the one thing that currently excites you the most and have as much fun as you can!
I think it's a good idea to start uploading your music / sets somewhere early on - you don't have to use your real name or even tell anyone.
Save and organize all your files, export audio files of what you're doing, and back it up. Listen back to everything after a couple months and the 'good' ideas will stand out a lot more clearly.
We loved your set at Anjunadeep Explorations last year. What can we expect from you at the festival this summer?
Thank you! Last year's explorations was such a good time again. I've been working on a lot of new music and I can't wait to share it with you this year!
After this EP is out, what’s happening next for you in 2024?
I’m currently working on my first album - the demos are already done, so now it’s time to arrange and mix everything in the studio. And then play it in the upcoming shows this year.
And finally, will we ever hear the tracks you made with Romain Garcia in the Apple Store?
Haha! That was great. We both used Garageband for the first time. So I don't think we'll be hearing these tracks again though besides the snippet I posted on IG.
But we did work on music in the studio recently so I'm excited about these new tracks with Romain!
Click the button below to listen to the 'Only For A Moment EP'.
