Emerging from the depths of blurry nightlife, AVEM‘s signature sound can best described as textured, driving and passionate. Growing alongside Basel-based imprint LOKD, the Swiss producer, DJ and live act has had a significant impact on the Downtempo scene, spearheading a novel sound. His mixtape for PLAYY reflects this, as well as AVEM’s continuous evolution, pulling from deep, sensual house and hypnotic progressive.
Set the tone for us. Where is AVEM at creatively?
After releasing my debut album «Dream State» last September, I mostly spent the rest of the year on tour with the live set, further exploring the album in new settings. It was a really beautiful experience, but it could also prove to be rather draining at times. I’m currently happy to have a bit of a break from travelling and late-night performances, granting me some much-needed studio time! 🙂
How has your sound evolved over the past year, and what sorts of things are currently inspiring you?
Playing lots of live shows lately has significantly influenced the music I’m currently making. It sparked my motivation to mould a new sound in a coherent manner, diverging from the kind of collage form that my live sets usually take. I guess I feel like developing something completely new – not just in the studio, but also performance-wise. A step in that direction was to create a new ambient live set for an event we hosted in Basel with our LOKD Label, inviting Leafar Legov and Elli of Giegling along for the ride. Exploring a new process in this manner felt very fresh and fruitful and I want to pursue it further. Generally, I take inspiration from many different sources. But some recent highlights have been the two latest albums of some dear friends. Arutani’s «Who We Used to Be» and O/Y’s «Variations» are both masterpieces that continue to inspire me – sonically, but also on an emotional level.
How does this mix reflect the current direction of AVEM?
My mix incorporates two unreleased remixes of mine (the first and last track) as well as two lovely tunes by the aforementioned artists O/Y and Arutani. The mix sits at 123 BPM, which is a tempo I feel very comfortable at lately. I’ve grown quite fond of mixing elements of House, Electronica, and Minimal but also some Dub aspects every now and then. I think it’s a good representation of what currently sparks my interest.
Looking toward the rest of the year, what sort of things can we expect from you? Any projects that you are especially excited about?
I’m doing a few different things: On one hand, I’m working on finishing a new collaborative EP with a very talented Singer named Mira Lora. There is also a music video in the works for that, directed by Alexander Kibble, a friend and filmmaker from South Africa who is based in Berlin. I’m in love with his work and can’t wait to share the final result. As I mentioned, there are also a couple of remixes coming up that I’m very excited about, two of which you can hear in this mix. Additionally, I’m planning on recording an ambient live session soon, so stay tuned for that as well!
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