How did you start?
(Micha) I have been part of Black Sun Empire since 1999, and before I fall in love with Drum and Bass I used to listen to all kinds of music and I still do. Besides that I think it’s very important to keep challenging yourself, so a few years ago I decided it was time to widen the horizon and I started making ‘4 to the floor’ inspired music. By doing so I noticed it gave me more inspiration for drum and bass as well. It kept everything fresh, so I kept going. Jordi came from the progressive and house scene and works as a ghost producer for several music acts, but he also just started a solo project with the same kind of style as I had been making. Coincidently we had the same PR agent who at that time was working on both our solo releases and noticed the similarity in our sound. So eventually she (Nicole Hofman) was the one who hooked us up and together we became Tinlicker.
Where are you currently based?
(Jordi) We both currently live in Utrecht the Netherlands. I moved from a small town called Oudewater to Utrecht When I was 18 years old and Micha grew up here. We also have our studio setup in the centre of the city. This used to be the old pop venue Tivoli on the Oudegracht.
Please give an example of your music creative process?
(Micha) We work in different ways. Most of the time we start working on something new with the two of us. Sometimes Jordi comes up with a new project, and sometimes I start something. So there is no fixed way of working, but we always finish the tracks together. It also depends on our moods / how we feel.
Your latest record with Helsloot – Because You Move Me – has recently been released. Please tell us about how this collaboration came about? How was it working with Helsloot? Is the end result what you expected to achieve? How has the response been?
(Jordi) I also have a music project with Thomas called Majestique. We started the Majestique project in 2013, which is the same time that I started collaborating with Micha as Tinlicker. So Thomas me and Micha became close friends and after a couple of beers in the bar we decided it was time to make a track with the three of us for fun 🙂 And “Because you move me” is the result of that.
At the end of the August 2017 you will be dropping a single at Mau5trap, followed with by EP in September, what can we expect from both?
(Micha) We love to challenge each other in the studio. So we always try to make something different. The single and EP on Mau5trap has a Tinlicker sound but we combined some styles together. It’s a bit more dancefloor orientated and a bit more techy and dark.
What is your gear setup?
(Jordi) our DAW is Cubase from Steinberg, we have a pair of Adam S3A with a sub 12, but we also work on headphones a lot. Besides that everything is software based. Three of our favorite and most used plugins would be the Massive from Native Instruments, The Diva from U-he and the Valhalla Vintage Verb for the Reverbs. If we DJ we use the Pioneer CDJ’s and DJM setup, but we are working on a Live show in Ableton as well. We hope we can use the live stuff in the near future.
What do you like to do outside of music and does it affect your music?
(Jordi) I love to cook. When I’m not in the studio I’m in the Kitchen 😛 I’ve been on vacation to Asia and I love to make curry’s. I also love to be in the bar with my friends and have some special beers. For example me and Micha love to go out after our studio day, have a beer and crack a few bad jokes.
How would you describe your music genre?
When we are in the studio creating new music we never think about if it should be a ‘techno’, a ‘progressive’ or a ‘House’ track. We just do things and see where it goes. We love to combine a lot of styles into our music and don’t care if it’s hard to box. We actually think that’s our strength and we just call it Tinlicker.
Do you know any music theory?
We both were drummers back in the day, so we didn’t learn to much music theory, but we learned ourselves a lot after we quit playing the drums. For example we can play a little bit on the piano now, but we still can’t play a Chopin track from A to Z. However we know enough about keys and chords to get around. The next thing would be to learn to play the guitar.
What are your plans for the future?
To make more Tinlicker tracks and work on our live setup. We cannot wait to play live.
How did you get into music?
(Jordi) My grandfather was a drummer. So when I grew up as a child I learned how to play drums on his drum kit and when my dad bought a computer I started making music on Fast Tracker 2. The result was my first EP on vinyl in 1999.
(Micha) I started playing the drums at high school, but my dad is a bit of a gearslut, so we always had PC’s when I grew up.
And being a teenager in the 90’s means growing up all the upcoming electronic bands like: Underworld, Front242, The Prodigy, Chemical Brothers etc.
And those inspired me a lot, so I started playing around in cakewalk with my brother and a friend from school which eventually ended up being Black Sun Empire.
What are you listening to at the moment?
(Jordi) I am listening to Klangstof at the moment, It’s a Dutch/Norwegian Indie Rock band. I saw them on a Dutch festival called Grasnapolsky. I fell in love immediately and I can’t stop listening since. It brings back a lot of good memories. (Micha) after a day in the studio with Jordi I can’t listen to anything anymore :P:P j/k. Right now I really like Run the Jewels.
Who are your top 5 influences and icons?
Hard to say who influences us as Tinlicker in a top 5. But here are some artist who definitely made us who we are now: Phillip Glass, Giorgio Moroder, Underworld, Paul Kalkbrenner, Deadmau5.
