Contirbutor
Fresh off the back of his insanely powerful EP Ante Sempra Meta Ramen which is out now on Everybody In we caught up with French artist Beatune to learn more about the four track offering alongside his musical background & much, much more.
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MI4L – Can you tell us a bit about your musical background and how you got started in the music industry?
Beatune – I became passionate about electronic music at a young age when I discovered French house and electro during the boom of music blogs around 2007 with artists like Justice, Daft Punk, Boys Noize, or Vitalic, and labels like Ed Banger Records. Then I was introduced to minimal techno by my little brother, but it is only during my first stays in Hamburg and Berlin in 2011 that I finally understood this music when I experienced it in former industrial buildings converted into clubs. This vibrant German underground club scene opened up a whole new world of electronic music to me, with more minimalistic genres than I was previously listening to, such as techno and deep house. This is where my passion for creating music really ignited. Immersing myself in this environment exposed me to many new artists, labels, and sounds, which significantly influenced my musical direction. After moving to Berlin in 2012, I dedicated myself to refining my skills as a producer, drawing inspiration from the local electronic music scene. This journey eventually led me to collaborate with other artists and labels such as Berlin Bass Collective, Traum, and most recently Everybody In.
MI4L – Your EP ‘Ante Sempra Meta Ramen’ has just been released on Everybody In. What inspired the creation of this EP?
Beatune – The creation of my EP ‘Ante Sempra Meta Ramen’ was deeply inspired by iconic artists from the UK such as Burial, Bicep, Overmono, and Fred Again, but also my favorite German band Moderat. Their music sparked my desire to explore a new direction, embracing broken beats over typical four-to-the-floor rhythms.
MI4L – How would you describe your sound and the themes explored in your music?
Beatune – In my music, I try to create emotion using evocative chords, melodies, and adding organic textures from field recordings or foley sounds in order to make it sound more personal and lively. I think my style is quite eclectic, spanning from chillout electronica to melodic deep house and sometimes even throwing it back to the old-school rave vibes depending on my mood and inspirations of the moment.
MI4L – As a French artist, how do you perceive the current music scene in France? Are there any particular trends or movements that influence your work?
Beatune – Growing up in Lyon, the ‘Nuits Sonores’ festival has had a major influence on me. Every year for the past two decades, it has been inviting top electronic artists from all over the world. Many performances I’ve experienced there have been very enlightening. Although after more than 10 years living in Berlin, I now feel more connected with the local music scene, I still remain inspired by this festival and by French artists like Agoria, Laurent Garnier, or Sweely just to name a few.
MI4L – Could you share some insights into your studio setup and your creative process when producing music?
Beatune – I use Ableton Live with a Push controller, which is my most-used piece of gear. It allows me to jam effortlessly and quickly find cool chord progressions and melodies, which would take me much longer on a classic keyboard.
I also have a Korg Prologue hardware synthesizer that I mainly use for live performances for my techno side project Kamelreiter. However, when I produce, I mainly create “in-the-box” with software synthesizers like Diva because I find it much quicker to set up, and it allows me to adjust the sound afterwards without having to re-record the synth parts again. I can still enjoy the tactile side of the hardware because I have my favorite presets with the main sound parameters mapped to the macro knobs of my Push controller, which allows me to modulate the sounds very easily.
Most of the time, I start by loading some of my favorite sounds from my library that I think could fit well together, and I start jamming and generating plenty of different patterns. Once I have enough material, I pick the ones that inspire me the most, and I move on to the arrangement phase. Other times, I start from a specific pattern that inspired me in a track or DJ set, for instance, just a certain rhythm that I apply to my own sounds. Then I use it as a basis and build a track around it.
MI4L – What drew you to collaborate with Everybody In, and how did your relationship with the label come about?
Beatune – I got connected with Everybody In last year right after they stumbled upon my latest track ‘In My Soul’. They reached out asking for some demos, and as soon as I delved into their releases and artist lineup, I was hooked. Artists like Eloi, who I discovered through them, the up-and-coming sensation Aemone, who caught my attention with ‘Hold You’, or more recently Banku with his track ‘Dropper’ really resonated with me. Plus, being based in London, it felt like a perfect fit for this EP with its UK influence. Their proactive mindset, creativity, and the way they pushed me forward were just the kind of motivation I needed.
MI4L – Are there any specific tracks on the EP that hold special meaning to you? If so, what inspired their creation?
Beatune – Absolutely. One track on the EP that holds special meaning to me is ‘Rail Watching.’ It contains a field recording of an old train that I captured many years ago while traveling through Thailand. The steady clatter of the wagons blends with dreamy melodies and melancholic vocals, evoking the peaceful feeling of gazing out the train window as landscapes roll by. Although I used to fly quite often, especially since my family lives in France, I haven’t taken a flight in the past two years, opting instead for train journeys as my modest contribution to fight climate change. This track is therefore not only reflecting my musical inspiration but also my recent lifestyle change.
Another track that has a special story to it is ‘Knocks,’ which is the result of a monthly challenge we had with fellow music producers from Berlin. This time we had to follow these specific rules:
- Record percussions by knocking on random items.
- Record your voice and make a synth out of it.
- Use a given field recording sample, on which you can hear a frog and insects chirping at night in Corsica.
All melodic instruments in the track are based on a recording of my voice making “Aaah” or “Oooh” and put into a sampler, which loops the sound to make sustained notes. I have started to share a short series of making-of videos on my Instagram to show the steps of the sound transformation on this specific track. It was a very fun sound design exercise, and I think it adds a personal touch to the track.
MI4L – In terms of artistic growth, how do you feel you’ve evolved since your earlier releases?
Beatune – I think I’ve become more prolific over the years and learned to finish tracks quicker by identifying what ingredients I need to create before I can move on to the arrangement phase and lay out the whole track structure. I’ve also enthusiastically practiced my remixing skills and had a lot of fun reinterpreting tracks from fellow artists, infusing them with my own sounds. Some will be released later this year, and others are under preparation.
MI4L – With summer approaching, do you have any exciting plans for live performances or tours to promote the EP?
Beatune – For now, I’m working on building up my solo live set, and I plan to start performing it in Berlin or surroundings this summer. I’m also in the process of getting booked for a live set at a cozy, semi-private festival with my techno duo side project Kamelreiter in June. I’m very excited about the opportunity to perform our music live and connect with the audience.
MI4L – Lastly, what message or feeling do you hope listeners take away from ‘Ante Sempra Meta Ramen’?
Beatune – Well, first of all, I hope they won’t Google-translate the title to decode its Latin meaning. Joking aside, I hope this EP will take my listeners on a journey to briefly escape reality and show them a new, unexplored side of my music. I also hope it will arouse the curiosity of new listeners who might want to delve deeper into my musical catalog.
Pick up a copy here – https://everybodyinrec.bandcamp.com/album/ante-sempra-meta-ramen