Meines continues his story as a musician, DJ and producer with his well-sounding tunes demonstrating a solid production career with releases on remarkable labels. In between, he pushes himself as a DJ with a distinctive style that works for a smooth sunset and in packed-out clubs.
Most of his sounds are handmade and produced with love in his Cologne-based studio. Not one to shy away from the studio, Meines has continued to develop his uniquely warm and pushing sound, signing music to an endless stream of well-respected electronic imprints.
To mark his latest release, ‘I Feel It’ on Déepalma Records, we caught up with Meines for an engaging chat about his career so far, his plans for the future and more…
Hey Meines, thanks for joining us at DMC World. Let’s start by exploring your musical background and your journey so far. What are the most influential factors that make up your sound, be it other artists, experiences, specific instruments, techniques etc.?
Hi! Thanks for having me! Well, I started Djing in school when I was 17 years old. That was in 2003. Everyone was listening to HipHop or Rock music. Then a friend brought a mixed CD with some house tracks by Moloko, House of Glass and Ian Pooley. That was the moment I started to love and listen to house music. Later, at the university in 2006, I bought Cubase SX3 and started to make some beats. They all sounded pretty flat and simple, and I realised that good and pumping house music is not so easy to make. Fortunately, in 2007 everything changed because I got to know Deniz Koyu. He wasn’t that famous at this time, but he already had a very dope sound, and he knew nearly everything about music production. Every night he shared all his knowledge with me via skype. So I produced for like three years every day and night, getting better and better.
I always focused on recording real vocals and instruments like guitars, basses and percussion to make my songs sound more dynamic and real. The music that really inspired me during that time was the sound of Knee Deep, David Penn, Crazibiza and The Cube Guys.
Your latest release is out now on Déepalma Records. Tell us about ‘I Feel It’ and how it materialised.
I produced the vocal of “I Feel It “with the great Giulia Wahn. That was already in 2020. She was in my studio to record some promotion for her as a singer, and I asked her to record some lines that I could maybe use later on for my music. So she sang like ten or more nice cuts – in different keys and dynamics. Last year I already tried to find the right beat for this stunning vocal line, but it didn’t really fit. This January, I tried again, and suddenly there was this piano line. I also added bass from the Korg M1 because the style of the vocal and the piano reminded me of the sounds back in the late 90s.
Buy/Stream: https://dplm.lnk.to/IFeelIt
You’ve been featured on Déepalma several times with some great releases. What can you tell us about the label and your relationship?
The first time I talked to Felix (owner of Deepalma) was in 2018. I just had finished my track “Take Me Away “, and I knew that Deepalma was one of my favourite labels for that kind of house music. It was the beginning of a great partnership. Felix has a remarkable sense of good music, and his feedback is always on point. Even if that means that your track – that you’ve been working on for so many hours – is too bad to release it.
For me, it is a very important thing to have a personal relationship with the people I work with, especially when they deal with my music. That is one of the most important reasons why I prefer to release my songs on Deepalma Records and work with Felix.
If you could change one thing about being an electronic artist in 2023, what would it be and why?
I like the way it is right now. If you are talented and if you work hard, you can be whatever and wherever you want to be. I really enjoy that more clubs and radio stations play and represent one style of music and that with Spotify, we have the opportunity to listen to our music everywhere and whenever we want to. For me, as an artist, it means that the people who listen to my music really want to listen to it, and that feels pretty good. Of course, it is harder to earn money and make a living producing and playing music. But on the other hand, your opportunities are limitless.
Nowadays, for young artists, it’s hard to enter into the game because of the amount of music that is released every day. That means that a lot of good music doesn’t find its way to the fans – maybe that is one thing I would change at the moment. Tell people to find more time to listen to new music!
What is your best advice for artists developing their sound and getting noticed in the current market?
Stick to your sound; find a label that loves your sound; don’t expect everything all at once.
What are your goals for the rest of 2023?
At the moment, I have three tracks I will finish releasing this year. For me, it is very important to develop my sound without losing my style and to make the tracks sound as good as possible. That’s why I spend many days waiting, mixing again, changing elements or recording new vocals. In the end, I want a result that makes me happy for a long time, even though that means that I can release fewer songs. Two of the productions are very close to that point. The style will be a little deeper than my current release, “I Feel It “, but also with catchy vocals by two artists from my hometown Cologne.
