Fresh off the back of his hot new release ‘Strangers’, we grab a few minutes of Julian Collet’s time to talk with him about the single, the response to the record so far and what inspires him. Seeing his music hit more than 2 million streams last year and pick up support from the likes of Selected, Julian’s latest single was always going to be a perfectly crafted addition to his growing repertoire of music releases.
First up, how are you doing Julian? And what have you been up to lately?
Hi, thank you! I’m pretty good actually, lots of news to be excited about. First of all, new music is coming out but in different ways. I’ve started to join in the new movement of Dolby Atmos to present my music to the people. I don’t think that I’m able to give people more than in stereo, but I want to invite them to discover elements and parts in the 3-dimensional space that they might have overlooked before.
New single ‘Strangers’ is out now. For anyone who hasn’t heard it yet, how would you describe the track?
It’s basically a story of two people searching for something, not really knowing exactly what it is that they’re missing. Once they meet it’s clear that it’s been each other they’ve been looking for the whole time. I come from 4ttfloor music originally, but suffered from a severe writer’s block a year ago which led me to put the kick drum at a different spot than the usual quarter notes. And that’s how my latest work including ‘Strangers’ came together. It’s kind of a mixture between Melodic Techno, Electronica and Indie… hard to put it in a box, really.
What has the reaction to the release been like so far?
Amazing! Besides getting great editorial love of the streaming outlets, Ukrainian stop-motion artist Alex Darovskey made a super-great video reflecting the original vibe of the song and its idea which has had wonderful reactions so far!
How did you come to collaborate with award-winning mastering engineer John Greenham who has worked with the likes of Gorgon City, Sam Smith and Billie Eilish?
I’ve been a fan for quite some time. I followed his work and was super inspired through channels like ‘Mix With The Masters.’ In the end, you only know what can happen when you do actual work together. With ‘Strangers’ it was a special thing. I’d spent a long time working on the song and it had kind of lost the spirit. It lacked the magic, the certain spark. I sent the song to John and what he sent back made me fall in love with my own record all over again which is what I cherish the most about a master and I am deeply grateful for. To me, amplifying what I mean and what I want to express with a record is what a master is all about.
Where do you look for inspiration when writing new music?
For me, inspiration for new music is basically music itself. The music I listen to, I cherish and that I hear by chance. Often a piece of music that someone else has written will put me in a certain mindset and then a whole new world of sound can grow from that.
What advice would you give to a producer on finding their own sound?
A lot of times it can be quite hard to try to follow your gut. Competition can be overwhelming. But think about it this way: your competition is probably listening to your stuff thinking “Wow, how did he do that, make that sound etc.” Get rid of competitive thoughts and find people you can rise with together. That’s the most fun. Who wants to be at the top alone? Getting there as a community, supporting each other, is much more satisfying, right?
You spent part of your youth playing classical guitar, later exploring genres such as jazz, funk and rock, what attracted you to electronic music?
There has been a particular record that drew me to electronic music. ‘Get This Feeling’ by Fedde Le Grand. I heard this one and was swept off my feet. Shocked really. I instantly knew that this is what I wanted to do. Ever since this moment I have dedicated all my time (that I dedicated to guitar before) to learn how to produce music.
Who would be a dream artist or producer to collaborate with?
Obviously, Fedde would be a thing, since without him I wouldn’t be having this interview. But I also deeply admire the Swedish House Mafia trio and artists like Bonobo for just following their guts and roots and giving me goosebumps with every single release. Working with them would be a life’s dream!
Can you share some emerging talents of the electronic scene that you’d recommend listening to?
Definitely check out Innelea. Much more than emerging, but the first one that is coming to my mind. Not because he’s from the same city that I am (Munich) but because he’s a massive artist. Also be sure to check out Weval and Hidden Orchestra for some really intense electronic vibes. More diverging from 4ttfloor is an artist I recently worked with Rickie Lee Kroell, combining existing German lyrics with new electronic grooves and music, Philine Sonny is emerging out of Germany with something I have not heard before, it gives me goosebumps!
Now that you’ve kicked off 2022 with your new single, what’s in store for the rest of the year?
There’s definitely more to come… I don’t want to be too mysterious, but not everything is official yet. Most importantly, I want to be out there again on the road playing live and really celebrating music with people on location. Having live feedback on my music is something I am really missing, and I can’t wait to be one with people while performing live again.
Thank you, it has been a pleasure.