Coffee Break with Innellea
Germany’s Innellea, although fairly new to the music scene, has been releasing top tracks on a whole roster of major labels (TAU, Afterlife, Innervisions and Atomnation) for the past couple of years. Originally presenting themselves as two, Innellea became one back in February when Daniel left due to the hectic tour schedule taking a massive toll on his health. And even though now only formed of Michael, Innellea is still sailing strong, where recently he has overseen the release of ‘Prospective Vision’ - a compilation formed of all unreleased tracks played in the live sets, alongside his upcoming remix of Edu Imbernon’s ‘Underwater Breathtaking’. The signature sound combines melodies with drums and synths; it is addictive, energetic and instantly recognisable - and yet, Innellea still remains somewhat of an enigma, a code we were hoping to break down into a little further after meeting up for a coffee break recently.
Hey Michael! Thanks for taking the time to have this interview with us! How are you doing and how has this Summer differed from previous years?
Hey - first of all thanks for having me. I am quite well. The corona-coaster got me sometimes but all in all I am fine. So far the summer is nice, I have more time than ever - I can spend it with friends and family and there’s also a lot of time to work on new exciting projects and new things. Usually I would be touring a lot this summer and would have probably answered this interview from an airport.
We recently premiered your track ‘Blizzard’ on Melodic Diggers, it is composed beautifully with various synths and drums, and somewhat blissful. How do you come up with the title names, and on average, how long does it take you to produce a song like this?
I produced ‘Blizzard’ on a very snowy and windy day in Munich. I was freezing so badly that this track title was a very easy one to think of. On average, I’d say not much longer than two days of building a track. Mixing is another day of work. I have the feeling that if it takes me longer than this, I don’t really feel my approach. Over the years, I learnt to let loose and kick ideas if they don’t touch me anymore, not forcing myself to finish something I am not 100% into.
We all know that Daniel is your best friend and was your music partner when Innellea formed. How have you adapted by yourself now that you are not working together? Has your friendship changed drastically or is it still like the good old days?
In the last years of Innellea as a duo, it became a steady process where I produced the music by myself and did most of the work. So it felt very natural after the point where we made that decision. Our friendship is still the same. Due to the reason he’s working a lot, as am I, we only see each other occasionally but there’s rarely a person I know as good as Daniel and vice versa.
Throughout the quarantine period we saw you do live streams multiple times - your first was a DJ set with additional visuals and your second stream was a live set in a Planetarium filled with new unreleased songs. Which one did you enjoy more? Did you approach them in a different manner?
I enjoyed both a lot as they were very different to each other. The first one felt more like an extended set in a club - very spontaneous and nothing really planned, whilst the second one was a whole concept. The stream was part of the ‘Prospective Vision’ concept where the idea behind was to Complete The Past To Initiate The Future. One side of the release features 11 songs I have played a lot over the past year, and the other side there is the live stream which initiates the future with almost only fresh and new music.
When it comes to your productions, what do you aim to achieve from your tracks and are there any standout tracks from your ‘Prospective Vision’ compilation?
Honestly I don’t really want to achieve anything. For me the most exciting thing whilst doing music is to just follow your feelings. That’s why ‘Black Pillow’ is my personal standout track. I wasn’t aiming for anything during this session and lost myself for so many hours in that melody and the drums.
As each artist has their own preference to where and when they like playing, do you prefer small intimate clubs or large outdoor festivals? As you recently posted a video of some of your gigging highlights earlier this year, how much have you missed playing in front of a live audience?
I definitely love both. A small floor can create such an intimate and highly energetic vibe but also a big stage has its charm, a sea built of humans losing themselves in music is magic as well. I miss that so badly no doubt!
There are a lot of great artists which are producing some amazing stuff, do you have any plans to collaborate with another producer in the near future and if so, who would you love to collaborate with?
I recently made my first collaboration with Kevin De Vries. It was really amazing! It was a perfect fit, musically but also humanly. I think that’s why we finished the whole EP within two weeks. Ahhh, I can’t wait to show the songs to the world!
The global pandemic has hit the world by storm, but in your own personal view do you believe that the music scene will adapt differently in terms of events and festivals? Also, in regards to everything which has happened this year, what are you aiming to achieve in terms of new releases?
Here in Germany a lot of promoters came up with a safety concept for smaller festivals up to 1000 people. I am very excited to see if it works as well and if it is possible to keep the safe distance and all that. For me a rave lives from the freedom to do kind of whatever you want. Hugging, kissing and all other intimate moments lead to the magic of a night out. I hope we all will be able to do this again soon. In my opinion our society needs those moments, ones you only find at those places.
Your sound has a very unique signature about it. In comparison to other artists, what do you think makes you stand out from the rest?
It’s hard to tell that as I love music so much, but if I have to name one thing that I do over and over it’s that I don’t care about ‘dos and ‘don’ts’. I just do whatever sounds good to me.
Being a DJ carries a lot of pressure and is by no means easy. Your best friend evidently went through the struggles, what have you learnt in terms of taking care of your health? Furthermore, how important is it to take care of your mental health and how do you keep positive with stress and so forth?
It is important to live consciously. A lot of sport, nutrition but also to create spiritual freedom. I achieve this by walking in the park or simply hanging out with friends. It is very important to recognise early what your personal limits are and you should respect them.
You’ve done so well the past few years in terms of producing for some of the best labels around right now. Does this put even more weight on your shoulders, or do you feel the same as when you started all those years ago?
In the beginning it really did. It was also not an easy way to settle down with it. In the meantime I have learnt to free myself to make music just like before. I just don't stress myself too much anymore and I also accept that creative pauses and breathing deeply is necessary to get back to good results.
There’s a lot of people who aspire to get to where you are now. So, what age did you start producing and mixing records, and did you ever think you would end up here? Furthermore, what advice would you give to those pursuing their dreams?
I started making music in my basement in 2013. And no, I never thought about it. It was always a dream and it was my personal goal that I wanted to achieve some day. My personal advice is to be patient, set goals, try to reach them and don’t give up even if anything isn’t working as fast as you want it to happen.
What is your favourite food?
All Indian food.
iPhone or Android?
iPhone.
How do you like your coffee?
I just bought a new espresso-machine and now my coffee is perfect.