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housefloor.de: |
currently you work on your second album which is to be released in winter. can you already reveal any details? do have a concept to guide you while
producing? |
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mihalis safras: |
actually this is my first personal album in techno scene and concerning the fact that i produce too fast, i think i am already late! the album is going to be released later this year by traum schallplatten as a double lp and cd. through it i try to emphasize the melodic and the darker aspect of what we call minimal music.
recently, i think the techno scene lacks artists that will push the boundaries of techno into new levels. the album contains tracks with emotional vibe as well as polyrhythmic programming tool tracks that characterised by genuine attitude towards the listener.
i don’t have any special concept that guides me while i am in studio but i try to develop my sound according to the reactions i get when i dj. that’s essential because after all its all about the audience. |
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housefloor.de: |
since your first release in 2006 you pushed right through so that 2007 has become a successful year for you, in which you had more than ten releases on different labels such as trapez, zenit and harthouse digital. how do you explain your rocket-like rise?
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mihalis safras: |
that answer is really easy… i work a lot of hours in my studio because i really love what i do! when i make music i always try to have fun and do my own thing, and do what i like. so the recipe is simple: grab a hot chocolate drink and bring it on! |
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housefloor.de: |
you're label owner of material series and its sub label playmobil series. with which philosophy do you run the labels? |
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mihalis safras: |
material series is the music-pool we started together with my mate mark broom in early 2007 and later i started the sister-label playmobil. the main philosophy behind those 2 labels is to create two electronic-powerhouses that will be able to deliver a combination of peak time music as long as eccentric musical themes combined with techno beats that will last in the period of time.
there are many labels out there that try to do the same but i think that the fact we release our records on limited edition coloured-vinyl makes the collection of the records a little more special! despite that, we are really proud to have the best producers of the scene, like format b, mathias kaden, zahn and more on our roster! |
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housefloor.de: |
you did remixes for britney spears and dubfire which are to be released within this year. curious to hear them i¹m wondering how you have transferred spears-pop into safras-techno? how did you approach this remix? |
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mihalis safras: |
one of my favourite things to do is remixing tracks that inspire me to take them in my hands and transform them into safras-sphere. both remixes you are referring to (britney spears – i’m a slave / dubfire – roadkill) were tracks that i use to peak my sets so i thought it would be excellent idea to recreate them under the safras perspective.
about britney’s remix, which i must say is one of my strongest remixes so far, i tried to approach it under the view of ‘what would she dance to right now?’ and so i tried to do a clubby version with elements full of passion and groove.
in regards to ali's remix, i will say something that even ali isn’t aware of: i did that remix on my laptop while i was at the hospital recovering from a flu incident. ha-ha!
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housefloor.de: |
you can not only be seen in clubs as a dj, but as a live act as well. how does the sound and feel of a dj-set differ from your live-set? what do you do in the last five minutes before a live gig starts? |
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mihalis safras: |
mostly i play live sets but i must say that i prefer dj sets because as a clubber i hated when i saw artists playing dance music with any other medium rather than vinyl. djs sets, in reality, are more passionate and more exciting than being in front of the mac trying to do the same tricks that hawtin does.
as a dj, i can communicate with the dance floor much better so i can play with the psychology of the audience in a unique way. it’s really overwhelming to be able to touch what u play if you know what i mean. i’d prefer not to answer the second part of the question... ha-ha! |
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housefloor.de: |
your bookings worldwide are managed by german traum booking, whose homonymous label has released several eps from you. why do you appreciate this cooperation? |
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mihalis safras: |
that’s a nice question. when i spoke with riley (traum’s owner) for the first time, i was strongly impressed with his ambition and his ideas about the electronic scene. so i figured, ‘what’s better than collaborating with people that know what they want in this messy scene?!’
it also made sense because he takes pride in his labels and the artists in the rosters and i too take pride in my label and i always support the label family. i feel like we have a long journey ahead, and i can’t wait to see where it brings us! |
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housefloor.de: |
a new track of you is called “greece“. what do you think is special about the electronic music scene in your home country compared to all the other countries in the world you¹ve visited as a dj? |
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mihalis safras: |
‘greece’ was released by great stuff recordings in june as a special release for the olympic games. when rainer from great stuff called me to offer me the slot for the greek track i instantly replied that finally people may have the chance to produce a techno-based track influenced by my native roots. this was a nice opportunity to show that greece is a country which has tradition in music and of course, in electronic music too.
greece is a country that has something that other countries may lack...it is called ‘tamperamento’. we can easily be calm and mad at the same time so that affects all aspects of our lives including clubbing, dancing, flirting and even with music production. |
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housefloor.de: |
within in the ten years that you have been dj-ing your sound has changed from house in the first years to the techno sounds of detroit’s percussive rhythms. how do you define your own sound? what inspires you? |
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mihalis safras: |
i have been in the electronic scene as a dj for many years now and i have played alongside almost all of the major djs. the truth is that i jumped from the drum&bass scene in the early 90ies then i followed the house waves that were all around europe back then. soon enough i realised that techno was the one for me.
finally, what’s inspires me? god is the answer. |
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.:: more on mihalis safras ::. |
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vinyl review mihalis safras - rainforest |
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vinyl review mihalis safras - interafrica |
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vinyl review mihalis safras - colpo grosso |
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dj-charts mihalis safras |
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