Hailed by tastemakers as one of the most exciting up-and-coming talents in electronic music, Zurich-based DJ and producer Marco Maffeis, is rapidly making a name for himself as one of the most intriguing new artists on the European house music circuit. Making his eagerly anticipated debut on EDX’s long-running Swiss imprint Sirup Music, Marco now teams up with super-talented New York-based singer-songwriter Jaime Deraz for the pair’s stunning debut collaboration Save Me. Out now, Save Me is everything we could have hoped for and more from the inaugural meeting of these two musical masterminds, who join forces in perfect harmony to deliver one of the standout tracks of the summer. An exquisite slice of feel-good, uplifting house music, perfectly accented by Jaime’s infectious top-line and Marco’s impressive production credentials, Save Me exudes power and energy from the off, and is definitely one for the weekend warm-up playlists. We caught up with Marco from his home in Switzerland to find out more…
Hi Marco! How are you today?
I’m excellent, thank you!
Please introduce yourself for our readers.
I’m Marco Maffeis from the beautiful country Switzerland with beautiful mountains and beautiful chocolate and I’m planning on making many beautiful tracks in the future!
Starting at the beginning, how did you first get into producing music?
When I was 14 I was fascinated by the art of djing. I found a pioneer turntable in the scrap and began to experiment with an old CD player and the turntable!
However, I was more interested in how the music is made, so I organized a drum computer from Yamaha, I think! and as a daw I used reason later dan logic which was part of the emagic company at the time.
How would you best describe your sound?
Marco Maffeis is electronic music that is inspired by all the styles that have shaped me in my life.
Who are some of your biggest influences, sonically?
That depends on the song, on my mood, my feelings
What were you doing before you decided to make a leap into the world of music?
I was very young when I decided to make music but as it should be, you have to learn a decent job so I was an accountant.
Congratulations on your new record Save Me, with Jaime Deraz. Can you talk us through the release?
It’s funny I was in the shower and just heard Oliver Cheatham – Get Down Saturday Night! was completely in the groove and then my phone rang. It was Jaime, she was at Zurich airport, and she said “hey what do you think about doing a jam session in the studio?”
So we were in the studio later that evening and I was completely in this funky groove and played around with the synth. Everything went so smoothly and 3 hours later the the idea was finished! However, it was a jam session so the arrangement was not clearly defined and the song was quite long! Two days later I sat down with fresh ears and finished the version.
What was it like working with Jaime? Is it your first collaboration with her?
We know each other through a common friend who I’ve worked with several times and he introduced us! I wanted to do something with Jaime for a long time but it never happened. I’m a bit old school and I like to meet in the studio not over the internet – that’s how it worked out and that was good
And how were you introduced to Sirup Music?
I have been friends with the guys from Sirup music for over 20 years. This is my homebase and they know how I work. It was clear to me that this song was in good hands there.
Do you have any other releases upcoming that you’d like to share with us?
Yes, I’m working on a follow up actually. I think it’ll be pretty cool too.
Marco Maffeis – Save Me (ft. Jamie Deraz) is out now via Siurp Music
