DJ and producer Uli Hasselmann aka Basic Instinct is something of an enigma. Hugely popular from his exciting explorations of the deeper side of techno and dark disco vibes, very little is known about him aside from his fashion brand, Vertere Berlin, with the club and street in mind. Collaborating with Jennifer Cardini, Andhim and most recently Hugo Boss, he is now working closely with Anja on a Schneider merchandise collection.
Music-wise, Basic Instinct represents an atmospheric and hypnotic sound between dub-house and techno. As founder of Vertere Berlin and several other event series, he has been active in the Berlin techno scene for more than 10 years now.
Opening up 2022 on Sous Music is an exciting new artist from Berlin, Basic Instinct, with his “Into The Night” debut EP.
Let’s dive in and get to know the artist a bit better.
Connect with Basic Instinct on Instagram | Beatport | Spotify | Soundcloud
Tell us your name and where you are from?
I’m Uli Hasselmann, aka Basic Instinct. Born and raised in Berlin.
Can you explain your sound and what we can expect when listening to this EP?
I’m very much into hypnotic and atmospheric sound. I’m a big fan of energetic dub-house and dub techno. The idea of the EP was to produce tracks that represent different stages of a club night.
How many years have you been producing and what are some of your career highlights so far?
I’ve been making music for more than 15 years. Basic Instinct is my latest project with the vision to make a sexy and atmospheric sound. One of my biggest accomplishments definitely was to sign tracks to local legend Anja Schneider’s label Sous.
Hardware or software? Why…..
I’m using more or less the same setup since when I started producing. The outcome is very raw and organic. A lot of textures and noise elements give a certain warmth. My gear is mostly digital and quite basic but I get exactly that sound that I’m aiming for.
Fashion and music are both very creative outlets. Tell us how you started your brand Vertere in Berlin?
We founded Vertere Berlin 4 years ago from a collective of DJs, artists and designers. We want to give Berlin’s fashion scene a home in fashion. Since then collaborations with labels and DJs have been essential to Vertere Berlin. I’m very proud to have partnered with artists including Moscoman, Jennifer Cardini and many others.
What are your plans for the brand as well as your music in the next year?
Definitely more exciting collaboration lines. We are also launching a record label with Vertere Berlin and the first vinyl is coming out in February.
Finally, your No.1 track of 2021?
I’m mostly into older tracks and I like to dig rather into the past than stay up to date on current music. But I love everything Chaos In The CBD released this year.
Thank you.