Emanuel Satie is a producer and live act based in Berlin, Germany. With successful releases on labels as Saved Records, Knee Deep In Sound and Get Physical is usual to see him at the charts top spots.
We had the chance to talk with him aligned to the release of his recent Moon Harbour EP, ‘All the Time’.
Electronic Groove: Thanks for taking the time to talk to us. What have you been up to so far in 2017?
Emanuel Satie: It’s been an incredible start so far. I had a great NYE in London, followed by some vacations in Spain, and then a week in Mexico for BPM where I played the Better Lost Than Stupid and the Snatch Records parties, which were both great. Then I got to play 3 of my favorite clubs in Europe – Villa in Oslo, Labyrinth in Hasselt and Watergate in Berlin, and right now I’m just recovering from my Australian tour, where I was playing in Sydney and Melbourne with the Knee Deep In Sound gang – Hot Since 82, Butch and Cristoph. It was a crazy trip, where I had to play 4 gigs in 2 days and somehow managed to lose all my stuff, USBs, headphones, wallet, and missed 2 flights. Pure chaos, but definitely a couple more stories to tell and a fantastic trip 🙂
“I have a big mix compilation project coming up”
EG: 2016 was a great year for you with a number of well-received releases and winning a DJ Award for ‘Best Producer’ – Do you have any specific aims or goals in mind to top the success of last year?
Emanuel Satie: Thanks guys, definitely 2016 was a great year for me, many good things happened and I had a lot of fun. For me it’s not really about topping past successes, it’s about growing as a DJ, Producer and as a person, and reaching more and more people with the music I love. I have many new projects ahead of me, a lot of touring and new music.
My year started with an EP on Moon Harbour, that one is getting a lot of support at the moment, next up is my EP for one of my all-time favorite labels, Nic Fanciulli’s Saved Records, and another one for Eats Everything’s excellent new label, Edible. Also, remixes for Matthias Tanzmann, Claptone and Black Coffee are in the pipeline.
In June I have a big mix compilation project coming up, it will include only exclusive material, I’m very excited about that, it’s something new for me. We are also working on a series of small spontaneous events around the world that will be held in unusual places. More info about coming soon!
EG: ‘All the Time’ will be your first EP on Matthias Tanzmann’s Moon Harbour, an artist who you truly respect. Other than both being German, what is it that draws you to Tanzmann and his music?
Emanuel Satie: Matthias and Moon Harbour have been one of the brands that grabbed me from the very beginning, with their groovy and super playable sound. I remember myself buying every vinyl blindly back then, and playing it to death. I still play some of the tracks from that time, and of course also the new Moon Harbour stuff. Also, Matthias is a very cool guy and a strong supporter of my music. Last year he charted my tunes so often I almost felt uncomfortable lol. It feels pretty natural for me to release on Moon Harbour and I’m very happy to be part of the crew now.
EG: How did you approach the release? Did you have a particular sound in mind that you wanted to showcase that fitted in well with the overall sound of the label?
Emanuel Satie: Not at all, I don’t produce music with labels in mind. I remember I did all the tracks past summer in a period where it was super hot in the studio. I just wanted to have fun and make tunes for my sets during the open-air season. I have an anecdote with one of the tracks I did with the vocalist SerGy from Tel Aviv/Marseille. He sent me some recordings a couple months before for another track, that was quite R&B. Nothing really came together on that session, but then I dragged the vocal in randomly over the ‘All the Time’ beat and got stuck on a small hidden spoken word part that just sounded very sexy over it. Happy to have the man on the track, he will do big things soon.
EG: You’ve also got another EP upcoming on Saved Records, what can we expect from this? ‘Come as You Are’ was a great success and even made it into Mixmag’s ‘Top 100’ tracks of the year. Did you enjoy the pressure of making a follow-up?
Emanuel Satie: There was zero pressure when making the follow-up. I knew I couldn’t top ‘Come as you Are’, so I made something totally different. First track ‘Voodoo’ is a trippy, melodic journey. Something you wouldn’t expect from me, but I’m getting great feedback on the track, Nic (Fanciulli) is hammering it a lot already. I think it’s a step forward in my development as an artist. The second track ‘Soso’ is a banging, techno tune with a touch of house, a diva vocal, and a big breakdown. I can’t wait to show both to the world.
EG: You also released a number of important Remixes last year too – how does this creative process differ from producing an Original?
Emanuel Satie: It’s very different actually. Originals are truly a creative endeavor where you start from zero and just do whatever you want, whereas remixes are like solving a riddle or a math problem. You have some pointers already and now need to fill in the blanks. I like both, but I’ve made so many remixes lately, for the next couple of months or at least weeks I only want to focus on my own stuff, there’s just something about starting on a blank page that’s challenging but quite rewarding at the same time, and a true expression of yourself.
“I don’t produce music with labels in mind”
EG: Last year Berghain was recognized as a cultural institution as opposed to an entertainment institution – Do you think London could learn from Berlin about how to look after club culture better, is it perhaps treated with more respect?
Emanuel Satie: I hear about this comparison a lot lately, I don’t think it’s generally a Germany vs UK thing, it’s not that. I think club culture, in general, is getting treated with more respect here in Germany. Berghain has a huge impact musically, culturally and even socially in Berlin. It’s more than a club where you can enjoy music and get drunk, it’s the foundation of a new movement and lifestyle. Berghain is a place where anything is possible, but not by chance, it was created for exactly that experience. When a place has such a big impact on the life of so many people and in fact, on the whole city it is located in, it’s no surprise and only fair that it gets granted that status.
EG: Any tricks to staying fresh and focused while on tour?
Emanuel Satie: Yes, sleep everywhere you can! I mastered this skill, I do naps on 15-minute cab drives, the most uncomfortable plane seats, gates at the airport, anywhere. A lot of times you have crazy flight times from one gig to another that don’t allow you to sleep at the hotel, so you have to get sleep on the road. Another good tip is keep busy while traveling. When I’m not snoozing, I meditate, read, brainstorm ideas, listen to music, organize things, write e-mails, talk to strangers, anything to not get bored and let my energy drop. Once boredom sets in, you feel the tiredness, so keep busy and use the time.
EG: What’s in the pipeline for you this year?
Emanuel Satie: As I mentioned earlier, the next project is an EP on Saved Records. Followed by an EP on Eats Everything’s label, Edible. I’m also working on an EP for Truesoul label. A disco heavy remix for Claptone is coming this month, plus remixes for Matthias Tanzmann and Black Coffee. On top of that lots and lots of touring and events. And I’m sure I will have much more to present for the second half of the year, I’ll keep you posted. 🙂
Emanuel Satie’s ‘All the Time’ EP is already available on Moon Harbour.
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