Dutch musician and performer Satori returned to Crosstown Rebels on April 8th with his latest track, ‘The Gin Song’ a remake, inspired by ‘Out on Gin’ a track by Dutch band My Baby’.
The single is the third and final release ahead of the artist’s upcoming album ‘Dreamin Colours’ dropping on the label on April 22nd. A big fan since the original track release in 2013, Satori is thrilled to have the opportunity to work on the remake which culminates in a flawless blend of Satori and My Baby.
We spoke to Satori about how “The Gin Song” came about, musical influences and more.
Aditya – Hey Satori, Glad to have you for the interview. How were the first couple of months of this year for you?
Satori – Thanks for having me! The first couple of months were great actually, I try to take some time for myself in the first quarter of every year to really focus on studio work and new projects so that always makes me happy.
Aditya – I had an opportunity to listen to your ‘The Gin Song’ before the release, it indeed teleported me to Coachella! What was the creative process behind this track?
Satori – Well it never really really starts as a track but merely as sample loop, baselines, and synths and I start jamming with this in my live set. After playing around with all these shapes and sounds I stumbled on the right arrangement and that’s when it starts forming a track. I loved the sample so I was inspired right away.
Aditya – The vocals in this track are very catchy, any insights you’d like to share?
Satori – The vocal is from the amazing Dutch band called My Baby, they rock! I really love the vibe and energy in their music.
Aditya – Who are your influences and why?
Satori – To be honest I have so many different inspirations but let me name a few. One of my major inspirations as a genre is Mali Desert Blues, and the best band who does that is Tinariwen, I love their grooves and rhythms. But also, artists like Violetta Para are on my daily list of need to listen to, the emotion, and the melody is so beautiful that it challenges me to create them as well.
Aditya – You’re performing at Coachella on both the weekends, how do you feel about that?
Satori – I’m really excited about it! I had the honor to play the Do Lab stage at Coachella a couple of years ago but now I’m ready for the big one, the Yuma tent.
Aditya – Since your productions are very middle-eastern influenced, which is your favorite middle-eastern instrument and why?
Satori – This one is easy, the oud. It’s such a unique sound and so versatile in the use that i love it.
Aditya – Your Album comes out on 22nd April, would you like to share more info on that?
Satori – It’s been in the works for over 2 years so I’m really happy it’s finally coming out. I wanted to use the studio and recording techniques that were used in the seventies and eighties for this album. My whole point was to make electronic music sound as if it were being played by a band, which is why I collaborated with Henry Sarmiento of Sonic Vista Studios. It was so inspiring – he taught me how they approached recording in the eighties and we applied that to each track. Throughout the whole process, we were never aiming for the perfect take. Instead, we were looking for the take that had the most character.
Aditya – Which is your favorite track from the album and why?
Satori – You can’t ask this! They are all favorites haha. But for instance Yellow Blue Bus is really special as it’s a love lullaby that fully embodies me being away from my love at that time.
Aditya – How long did it take you to produce this album?
Satori – Answered above.
Aditya – Lastly, what are your plans for this year?
Satori – This year shows a lot of promise with loads of highlights for instance I will be having a residency at Chinois, Ibiza from June till October, I will play there every Thursday and invite nice artists to join me for these shows. Besides that I will play the legendary Dance Arena at Exit Festival this year, Coachella, Distortion Festival, DGTL Barcelona and I will start touring with my live band again in the fall.