Coffee Break with Solique
Solique is an electronic music duo - and longtime friends - that gained recognition in the underground dance music scene for their versatile sound, releasing on some of the best labels this scene has to offer.
Another delectable musical package bearing all the hallmarks of the label’s diverse and vibrant sound palate, the second release on Lifeforms is curated by duo Solique, featuring two brand new original cuts exploring some of the very finest interpretations of stripped back techno and tribal electronica. Solique’s Temporary EP is a veritable masterclass in intelligent, cutting edge electronic music from the in-form, Austrian-Swedish outfit, who land on the label armed with a slew of impressive career releases on the likes of Innervisions, Applied Magic, microCastle, Chorus Records and MoBlack, amongst others. We caught up with the guys to find out more.
Hey guys, thanks for having this little chat with us today.
First of all, what are you doing/working on today?
Hey, thanks for having us here. We are sitting in the studio as usual finish some music we have been working on lately :)
Please tell us about your introduction to music in general, then electronic music, and later your first steps as music producers.
We both share a similar background when it comes to our musical upbringing. Neither of us had musicians in our families, but music always filled our homes. When our friendship started, we had a strong connection through our shared love for music, particularly underground Hip Hop at the time.
Our introduction to electronic music was in 2012 during our visit to a renowned local club called Bootshaus, where they had also good underground events back then. We didn’t expect anything, because we hadn't been exposed to this genre before, but we were really mind blown of the music and the energy of that night. It marked the beginning of our journey together, starting with exploring and exchanging music, as well as discovering the world of DJing.
We invested in a DJ controller, progressing step by step.
Our first interest in music production started 2015, while we were in Australia. During this period, our collaboration organically transformed into a duo project.
How was this musician duo created, and why the name Solique?
As we mentioned before, the idea to start our project began during our time abroad. At this time we were really a part of this world and we felt that we should make the next step, then only playing on house parties. When we returned home after a year, we started producing and getting involved in the music scene here in Cologne more and more. We also kicked off our own event series called 'PUNKT PUNKT KOMMA STRICH' with our good friend Patrick (Avant).
The name 'Solique' doesn't have a specific meaning; we just wanted something catchy that sounded nice. Before settling on 'Solique,' we had a few other names we used, but its better, we don’t mention them now haha!
What would you say are the upsides and downsides of working as an artist duo?
So since we are always working together we know each other so well. In earlier days of the project each of us had different skills & ideas to offer, which is always something positive if you work in a duo. Also we are constantly motivating each other to move forward and get stuff done or also to help with other ones anxiety’s or bad thoughts.
On the downside, there is sometimes disagreements when decision-making, but we have learned to handle and communicate with that through the years.
We both feel very lucky to have someone around us, that shares the same vision, taste and mutual respect with another, and we know that this is not self-evident.
What is your favorite piece of gear to produce at the moment?
So we have a lot of fun with Serum lately, because we never used it that much before. If we talk about analog gear, it’s probably our Prophet-6 or the MS -20
You just released a really nice EP on Frankey & Sandrino’s label Sum Over Histories: “Fakes”. We actually premiered the 2nd track “Lights” on Melodic Diggers 🙂 Could you tell us about the story behind the 2 tracks and what was the process to create them?
Sure thing! Both tracks were made about a year ago and at that time we were really inspired by soulful house vocals, deep/bright pads and just this kind emotion.
I can’t tell you exactly how we started, but im pretty sure, we had the pad first and the vocals after that. The vocals are probably from this page everyone is using at the moment. After we sent one after another, we were really happy that the guys wanted to make an EP with us.
You’ve also just released an EP on Tim Engelhardt and Dr. Nicolas Pinto's Lifeforms label, called “Temporary”. The title track is a long-awaited banger which was already heard in the sets of Jimi Jules, Âme and a few other DJs we love. What was the process for creating this EP?
The title track is another track that we did 1,5 years ago. We started with the drum groove and after we found the stab, we knew this track is almost done. It didn’t took long to finish it after that.
The second track with Paul was also a sketch that Tim really liked, so we asked Paul if he wanted to be part and luckily he did. In the end we are really happy how this EP turned out on Tim and Nicos new imprint and to be part of this brand new label of our good friend.
What gear of VSTs did you use to create the 2 tracks?
For the Temporary Stabs, we used Arturia’s Pigments, and we always use the amazing Soundtoys bundle in every processing in almost every track. We also love to use UADs Galaxy Tape Echo for example on our drums and UADs Vertigo for saturation.
You are also known for your track with Ivory, “Burn Through”, which was released on last year’s Innervisions Secret Weapons and was one of the most played tracks from the compilation. It is quite a special track indeed. Could you tell us about this collaboration with Ivory?
So we had the first version of the track, that already felt special to us, in that time Mehill was visiting our hometown and we shared it with him. He used that version for his MTN mix, where Ivory noticed it and reached out to us, asking for the track and offered us a remix. After a few versions later, we felt that we cant get the max out of the idea, so we asked Ivory if he wanted to collaborate with us and luckily he was keen to do it. The rest is history :)
Are you working on exciting projects for 2024?
Yes, we really have some exciting stuff coming up for 2024, we can definitely tell that there will be at least one track coming with Tim Engelhardt, and we have other really exciting stuff coming, that we unfortunately can’t talk about for now :)
Is there anything else you would like to tell our readers?
Yes, we hope everyone of you has amazing holidays with your beloved ones. Thanks for all the people that reached out to us and that is listening to our music. Big Hug!
And last but not least: how do you like your coffee?
When we drink Coffee we like it with oat milk or on summer days we love to drink Iced Latte :)
Solique - Temporary EP is out now via Lifeforms.
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