Darin Epsilon needs no introduction. A DJ/Producer who is at the top of the progressive house scene, and a man whose productions stand the test of time. With a new EP just out of some of his classic tracks remixed by the likes of Robert Babicz, Wally Lopez and Nick Muir, we popped in on him to try and figure out how he keeps on producing the goods so consistently over the years…
How are you? What’s good, what’s bad right now?
Hi guys! Thanks for the interview. Everything going well here. My new release with Robert Babicz, Nick Muir, and Wally Lopez has just dropped and I just finished a new EP. Now I’m getting ready to tour North and South America.
How do you feel about having your own tracks revisited? Does it make you proud?
I loved hearing what these legendary producers came up with! The whole concept behind my label Perspectives is being able to see things from a different point of view.
Can you remember where and when you wrote the tracks and what you were feeling at the time?
I came up with the melody for ‘Denpasar’ while traveling to Indonesia and ‘Jumeirah’ was inspired by my visit to Dubai. I had a long layover between flights at Dubai airport, like 13+ hours, so I went out of the airport to do some sightseeing. A buddy of mine suggested that I collaborate with his friend Matan Caspi and we came up with ‘Thousand Winds’, which samples traditional Chinese instruments. ‘One Thousand & One Nights’ was inspired by the Arabian Nights. I sampled a traditional Egyptian instrument so it felt like an appropriate title.
Did you personally choose the remixers? What do you think of the results?
I reached out to Robert, Nick, and Wally myself. Nothing but loads of respect for these dance music veterans, and Paul Kardos was the winner of my remix contest on SonicAcademy.com. All of them did an outstanding job and each remix sounds completely unique! I think people are going to love this EP we’ve put together.
Do you think dance music has a tendency to look back a little too much, or is it OK to be mindful of history?
People resonate with tracks they’re familiar with, and I personally feel it’s super important for everyone to understand electronic music’s rich history and where it came from. Speaking of nostalgia, that Solomun remix of ‘The Age Of Love’ has been topping Beatport’s Top 100 chart for several weeks. I remember hearing the original mix for the first time over 10 years ago.
How hard has it been to keep coming up with new sounds and tunes? Does it get easier as you have more studio skills or harder as you have made so much music that originality is harder to find?
That’s a great question! I never like to repeat myself so I often struggle with creating something completely new every time. There are only 12 different notes on the keyboard after all. Yes, original ideas are harder to come by these days, but there are an infinite number of ways to express emotion through music! For new producers, I always recommend spending as much time producing as possible. Practice makes perfect, and sometimes forcing yourself to write can lead to inspiration. This is how I often come up with my best song ideas.
What else have you got coming up/are you looking forward to personally?
I’m really looking forward to my upcoming dates in Mexico, Argentina, Denmark, and Lebanon. We’ll see if we can fit East Asia into my calendar as well before the end of the year 😉
And what has the label got in store for the rest of the year?
Up next we have new music by Robert Babicz, Jerome Isma-Ae, Nick Muir, Wally Lopez, Roger Martinez, Kamilo Sanclemente & Golan Zocher, as well as our annual ADE Sampler!
Grab Darin Epsilon – ‘Classics Remixed’ now, grab it here.