Following the widespread international success of his three-part Floating EP back in August, hotly-tipped Dutch producer Crouwel now looks to continue his prolific run of form on Reflektor Records, as he returns to the esteemed Amsterdam-based imprint for his sophomore studio outing.
We caught up with Crouwel to discuss how his collaboration with Colin Benders came about, and more.
T.H.E – Hey Crouwel! Welcome to T.H.E – Music Essentials. How would you summarise 2020, given what has transpired this year, making it an extremely difficult year for artists?
Crouwel – 2020 has been a very internal year, where touch has become less normal. It’s also a year of self-development, reflection and individualism, as we are unable to be together with others so much. Hopefully, we can learn from some of the things we have discovered in this crazy time, to get some good out of it all.
T.H.E – We had a chance to listen to your collaboration with Colin Benders, which is out this month, and we were simply blown away! How did the track come about? Talk us through the production process on that one.
Crouwel – Thanks for the kind words. The track came out to be in quite a special way. Colin has been doing amazing lockdown streams on his modular system. Together with his community (on Discord) he archived all the streams in different stems. Using some of the stems I added some drums and piano and had the basic demo of the song. After some video communication, we managed to set the right tone for the song and finished it. It was a very special way to work and I’m very happy I got to work with Colin through these special circumstances.
T.H.E – How long was the track in the works?
Crouwel – I think the track took only a few days to make. It was quite quick, also since some of it came out of one of Colin’s jams. The finalizing, mixing and mastering all together made it take a bit longer. It’s been ready for more than a month now, so I’m very eager to share it!
T.H.E – Given that majority of this year has gone in quarantine, did you maybe make some changes to typically how you go about your production process, due to an increased studio time?
Crouwel – I love collaborating on music, which has been a bit harder during these times. Luckily, I was able to work with Colin digitally. With everything being done without meeting in person, I guess we worked very corona-proof.
Apart from collaborations for me in my production process, not so much has changed, as I often go to the studio alone and work on productions there. Not being able to play for a crowd has been quite a bummer though.
T.H.E – A lot of artists source inspiration from their travels. Is that something which influences you too? If yes, how did this year differ in terms of sourcing inspiration with the lockdown in effect?
Crouwel – I love to see and learn from the world. The lockdown has in a way opened my eyes to the nearby. Many people here in The Netherlands decided to spend their off-time within the country instead of abroad. And there are many nice places to visit that are also very inspiring here. I think in these times it is also a lot about flexibility and adaptation. Finding alternatives.
T.H.E – Lastly, what are you looking forward to, especially with your plans for 2021?
Crouwel – I look forward to a 2021 where I can play shows again, release lots of music and hope Corona has less of an impact on our lives. I wish everyone a healthy new year full of happiness.
