Sven Sossong Bio & interview
Working his way up since the age of 17 as he got bitten by techno due to influences of Sven Väth and Adam Beyer. Sven Sossong really got the hang of when he became resident of his former favourite club “Unsichtbar” (later “Uschi & Bärbel”) back in 2011. There he got to play alongside acts like Cari Lekebusch, Joel Mull, Shifted or Skober just to mention a few.
Just a little later Sven Sossong started producing his own tracks. Berlin-based Delude Recordings released “No Colors”, one of his first tracks. This label was also responsible for his first release on wax: “Tanzdrang EP“.
Throughout the years, many things happened. A collaboration with his best friend Daniel Cuminale, with whom he determined to find their own style which resulted in a few releases on DSR & AnalyticTrail. First own work appeared on Analogue Audio & Ragnarök. 2017 Started just right with a new project and his “Highland EP” on a small label in his own hometown, called “Pickig”. The EP was remixed by many artists. More music followed that year and in the meantime, Sven Sossong started working on his album “We Are All One” and EP “Eleven & Ten”.
So here we are with our interview with the master himself. A chat about his latest album for which we were mistakinly thinking it was his fourth. Enjoy the read.
Hey Sven,
Hope you are doing well.
Yes, thank you, I’m fine so far.
You’ve released your fourth album. The sound covers a wide spectrum, which goes from ambient to deep techno. How did you come to this decision?
Well then there are only three albums … so far ;), so it’s the third album!
Since I am very versatile in my productions, it was not difficult to present this variety of tracks on the album.
I’ve been thinking this time about how to best express what I mean by WE ARE ALL ONE. Since I am very versatile in my productions, it was not difficult to present this variety of tracks on the album. It was really important to me that it would be an album like an album should be. One presents on an album his musical spectrum as an artist and tries by title placing on the album, to send the listener on a musical trip. I just get bored with albums that run from start to finish in the same bar and you could not talk about it as an album anymore but as a monster EP.
Buy Sven Sossong’s “We are all one” on Beatport »
How did you approach the individual tracks?
As for the tracks, I can say that CHOP, for example, was a project that was very close to my heart because I liked to play breakbeat at times, around 2003/2004. Some of this just had to go on the album. Kidzz of the 90s is more of a track that reminds me of my past. Yes, I see a lot of pictures of when I was a little boy and travelling in the woods with friends or with my bike way too far away from home and then landing at a large cornfield and enjoying the view. The intro with the numbers, 8693, are the birth years of me and my friend whom I simply wanted to thank for his time and incredible commitment while touring with me.
How did the process go from idea to generation? How did it start and develop, so that in the end you were happy enough to release the album?
I just produced, let myself drift away and listened to my heart by not putting myself under pressure and not letting me be distracted by times and dates. I Just cancelled appointments, which may sound a bit arrogant, but it is not at all. I almost always got the highest level of understanding. I did not have to change all that much, there were only some tracks that I had to change because we were not so sure about the mix down because we wanted a certain sound after mastering.
I just produced, let myself drift away and listened to my heart by not putting myself under pressure and not letting me be distracted by times and dates.
Right now, I’m talking about “we” because that’s why I’ve been working very closely with one of my best friends, doing mastering at the same time. Frederic aka Fred M., is just great, a really talented guy, who knew exactly what to do so that the track would sound like I imagined it afterwards. Then it was really two times before I sent up four versions of two tracks on different days and already the third time directly two hours later, the fourth behind and I said, master please only the fourth version. But Fred already had so many versions of everything so that he then wrote the wrong version and even sent me back the remasterings. I am still sorry that he had to suffer so much during this time. But hey, I like to tell it because we still enjoy it today, how confused we were from time to time. It was only because of those things that everything was so perfect and most importantly, it was just as we wanted it.
How long did it take you to get from idea to finished result?
So, I think it was about half a year, with the last 2 months being the ones I worked on the most in the studio.
Where do you get your creative influences from?
I always get my ideas when travelling in other cities/countries. After all, I do not know what my future tracks are now, but there is always a fascinating musical mood in my head that urges me to go straight to the studio and just let go. I especially noticed this when I was at drum n bass parties, I would have just an incredible inspiration for them.
There is always a fascinating musical mood in my head that urges me to go straight to the studio and just let go.
Have you ever encountered a dead end while making music? If yes, what helped you the most?
Yes, I dealt with it and it’s really not easy. First of all, you have to deal with yourself and not to panic. My longest creative hole phase, as we call it, was 3 months. That was really a hard time. I thought it was my own fault because maybe I had changed too much. But no, actually I have not changed. I then quickly found out that it was my private environment, such as the resentment of several people around me. But then I quickly changed and no longer let it influence me. But it is difficult for anyone to be able to recognize it and act on it.
It just helps me to go to a place where there is silence and I can be alone for a while to finish off with a free head for myself and the music.
What does the perfect environment for you to be creative look like? Environment, smell, vibe, in the middle of people or alone?
I prefer to produce alone in the studio at home because there I am better off. That’s where I get the right vibe. I can also start a project with my friends like Daniel Cuminale, Fred M., Denis Keiner or MJL, which I already did, but then it has to be mood-appropriate.
Does the music you grew up with influence the musical taste you develop? What were your past influences and how is that reflected in your current style?
Yes, the music I grew up with, for example, Dr Alban. I’ve also heard a lot ABBA earlier on because my dad had a lot of music from them. Yes, my dad was also a DJ. What I noticed though, is that I’m very much in love with tunes, hear a lot of other genres privately at home or in the car and if a song has a fat melody then it captivates me immediately.
“We are all one” is released on May 4th on “Complexed Records”. High expectations?
I can’t speak of expectations because I do not know what to expect because I’ve never received so much attention for an album through the good promo that’s currently running. Of course, the labels at the time of the first two albums had a lot of trouble and supported me, of course, I’m eternally grateful for that and they know that too. Together with Arnd Reichow (Drumcomplex) I have now got to know a completely different approach that I did not know before, we have really always discussed everything with each other in terms of when, how and what. I just hope the album arrives at many people in this world who can enjoy it. I just can’t judge the rest. I’m very excited.
What was your biggest achievement and your best moment so far? Where do you see yourself this year? Do you have any big plans or just let it come to you?
My biggest achievement was probably when Markantonio wrote to me and asked me if I would like to do something for his label AnalyticTrail. The most beautiful moment was when I got to know my great love during a jazz set that I played early in the morning. At the moment I have many plans. I work together with a small selection of Newcomer Artists selected by me from my city on their musical journey, as well as the first EPs that we will be released on my own on two labels GRYPHON or NALA MUSIC.
Yes, that’s just a lot of fun I have to say. I’m working on new tracks that I would like to bring out on labels such as Orange Recordings or Phobiq. Otherwise, I’ll let everything come to me. Anyway, I’m already looking
forward to the summer.
Thank you!!
Thanks to you!
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