‘Never Alone’ brings together three very distinct creative voices. At what point did the collaboration stop feeling like a feature and start feeling like a shared organism with its own identity?
A collaboration with Adriatique had been discussed for quite some time, and I knew that sooner or later it would happen. It really started to feel like a shared organism once the track was finished and ready to be released, especially after the Adrians played it all over the world.
You’ve spoken before about evolution rather than repetition. What was something in your own sound or process that you consciously refused to fall back on while making this record?
I consciously tried not to overproduce the track, or in other words, not to get lost in too many details. A minimalist approach and an openness to something new were very important to me.
The track is engineered for peak-time impact, yet it carries a strong emotional undercurrent. How do you personally judge when a record has the right balance between physical energy and emotional weight?
That happens in the places where the track is played and through the feedback from the people there.
Working with Adriatique often carries a certain expectation within the melodic techno world. Did that pressure sharpen your instincts, or did it give you permission to push further than usual?
To be honest, it never felt like pressure. I make music as well as I can and try to stay true to myself. Only when I feel connected to what I’m doing and genuinely enjoy the process do the best things emerge.
Vincent Vossen’s contribution adds a subtle emotional tension to the track. How did his approach reshape moments of the arrangement that might otherwise have gone in a more traditional club direction?
Vincent and I share a special connection, and that’s something you can clearly hear reflected in the track.
There’s a sense of restraint in ‘Never Alone’ — nothing feels overcrowded. Was minimalism a deliberate philosophy here, or did it emerge naturally through collaboration?
My approach is always to work in a minimalist and very structured way (very German of me, I know), even though it doesn’t always work out that way.
You’ve released music across Afterlife, Siamese, and now X Recordings. Do different labels subtly change how you think about storytelling within a track, even before a note is written?
Everything in life influences us, so I’d be lying if I said it didn’t. That said, it’s less about the labels and more about the music itself, which is where I draw my inspiration from.
When DJs respond early and strongly to a record, as they already have with ‘Never Alone’, does that validation influence your confidence, or do you deliberately tune it out to protect your long-term vision?
It strengthens my confidence 100% and gives me energy and reassurance that I’m on the right path.
Looking back at your output since 2018, what part of your earlier work feels most distant from who you are now, and what part still feels fundamentally unchanged?
Everything feels exactly right. Every release was a step that led me to where I am now.
‘Never Alone’ suggests connection, unity, even dependence. In an industry that can often feel isolating, what does that title reflect about where you’re at personally as an artist right now?
Never Alone means you can’t do this on your own. I’m grateful to have people who believe in me, and that gives me strength.
