Mønje & Partenaire

Within the unique melting pot of world-class talent that is emerging from the global clubbing nation of Argentina, Sebastián Sellarés (aka Mønje) and Axel Bray (aka Partenaire) are standout future stars shining brightly right now. Hailing from Buenos Aires, Partenaire has been steadily building a stunning portfolio of releases on labels such as ICONYC, Clubsonica, Auditen, Modern Agenda, Soundteller, Stellar Fountain and onedotsixtwo. As a DJ/Producer, he always looks to experiment through the more emotive expressions of electronica, blending his stylish brand of progressive house with a unique strain of deep and lush techno. Meanwhile, Mønje was born in Córdoba and started to get into music when he was very young, eventually being drawn to the underground electronic scene, where his productions incorporate and fuse elements from techno and trance to create his distinctive driving progressive signature style. With a steady flow of releases on the likes of Massive Harmony, Light Side Music, BC2, PHW Elements, BCSA, Stellar Fountain and many more, he is (alongside Partenaire) one of Argentina’s finest emerging creative talents.

Although separated by a 10-year age difference and over 700 km (Buenos Aires to Córdoba), Sebastián and Axel’s similar tastes in music and mutual admiration have created common ground, and what started as a collaborative studio experiment, soon found its colour and shape. Without ever being together in the same room, the duo share thoughts and ideas on a journey to find their distinctive combined sound. Their remarkable new 3-track ‘Convergence’ release on Tripswitch’s onedotsixtwo label is the fruit of this dynamic creative relationship and DMCWorld thought it was a perfect opportunity to find out more…

Sebastián and Axel, a big welcome to DMCWORLD and congratulations on the release of ‘Convergence’ on Tripswitch’s exciting new onedotsixtwo imprint. The first thing we want to know is what’s the story behind your collaborative project?

Axel: Hi there guys! First of all, thank you for having us over! It’s a pleasure to be here. Sebastian and I met last year, when he was asked to remix an original of mine, called ‘Intertwine’. I guess we knew about each other through our previous work, or at least I knew about his sound, and I was really excited when I heard he was one of the remixers for that project. Sebastián’s remix ended up being a massive tune, with Hernan Cattaneo playing it in one of his Cordoba homecoming shows last year, and at legendary venues such as Warung (Brazil) and OVO (Uruguay) as well, so that was super cool. We thought our sounds worked well together, and we have a similar outlook, so it was kind of a no-brainer to work together on a new project.

Sebastián: Hi guys! Thanks for having us here. At first we just wanted to see how the blend of our sounds would feel, since I had already remixed one of Axel originals, and we both really liked our sound and ended up deciding to work on something together. We knew something great would come out of this collaboration.

Talk us through the making of this 3-track release? How does the creative process work when you’re in the studio together?

Axel: Well, to begin with, I have to say, this started out as a “let’s see what we can do” kind of thing… I don’t think we were really expecting to come out with 3 tracks. Maybe 1 or 2, but certainly not 3. Thing is, Sebastián lives in Córdoba, and I live in Buenos Aires – that’s almost 700 km apart, so we were never in the same room. We sent each other ideas, things we felt had grown stale, but couldn’t bring ourselves to throw away or discard at the moment I guess. They just needed to be seen in another light, someone else’s vision. So we went back and forth, tested out some ideas, and came up with different versions of the tracks, until it just felt right.

Sebastián: As Axel already said, we never worked in the same room together, since we live very far apart from each other, so we just sent each other tracks we couldn’t finish for different reasons – some from lack of inspiration, others just forgotten or incomplete. We took the track the other one sent and gave it our own twist, except for the last one, “Illuminaria” which we worked together, and thus the EP was born.

What are the positives and negatives when working as a duo compared to producing solo?

Axel: To be honest, I don’t think I found a single negative aspect. In our particular case, I was surprised at how things just flowed. And I think that is reflected in the tracks themselves. We have a very similar taste in music, and in how we see music when we create it. Of course, we have our own tastes and tendencies, which is where the interesting part is I think? That is what makes this sound like Mønje & Partenaire and not just Mønje with a dash of Partenaire, or the other way around. And that is what makes this outing unique. It’s a sound we normally wouldn’t fully go for without the input of the other.

Sebastián: The only negative I could think of would be not having that much freedom to work on a track, but in our case that didn’t happened, we were very open-minded about where we wanted to get the tracks and really liked the ideas each other had to offer for the different tracks.

For anyone not familiar with your music, how would you describe your individual styles? Can you put your finger on the elements of your music that make it so distinctive?

Axel: The Partenaire sound to me is a blend. Certainly anchored within what we call Progressive House. But I do tend to draw a lot of elements from Techno, although I’m not into the abrasiveness of it all. I usually go for a dark, deep & sexy kind of affair. But, that’s not something I know beforehand when I sit down to write something. The music I make is dictated by emotion. It’s me recreating something I felt. So sometimes I’ll end up on the tinkerbell prog, ‘Cielo Primavera’ side of things, and others in the Faithless Techno-ish spectrum.

Sebastián: That’s something very hard to do, I’m still trying to define my sound, I try not to work on the same kind of vibe on every track, so sometimes I do tracks with a club vibe, sometimes more trance, or with a more melodic or atmospheric approach.

Is defining music by genre useful or limiting?

Axel: I guess it’s useful if you look at it from the organizational side of things. If we all know what we’re talking about, or looking for, we’ll probably get there faster. But, I know that’s kinda utopic, since everyone has their own way of looking at things, and we hardly ever find some common ground when it comes down to genres. Personally, I don’t think about genres when I’m making music. I make the music I like, creating the sounds I wanna hear. But… could you imagine Beatport without it being divided by genre? Would be a fucking mess I bet!

Sebastián: It’s useful to some extent. The thing is, as much as you limit music by genre, the genre itself starts to become more and more generic, it’s hard to find something original when everybody thinks the music should sound in some way instead of not being limited to a genre and experimenting more.

Tell us something about the psychological effects of music that totally blows your mind?

Axel: I’m a big fan of synesthesia. I dunno if I have it or not? Don’t really care for the medical diagnosis. But I’ve “seen” the music ebb and flow, as they say. I can do it when I close my eyes. I can imagine colors. I work with a color coding in Live which I think represents the the sound it stands for…how intricately it’s connected to the other senses is probably the most mind-bending thing ever!

Sebastián: The way music triggers different moods and mind states, it amuses me. How changing a single note in a progression, or melody, can make you perceive a song in a totally different way.

Do you find it easy to express your deepest emotions when you play and make music, or is this something that finds an outlet only in certain, special moments?

Axel: For me, it’s indispensable when creating to express something. I use the process to communicate a feeling – usually, something I need to heal. A secret. Something I haven’t told anyone. So I don’t really sit down to make something just because… I don’t follow thru on every project I open. If I discover in the middle of the thing that the feeling is gone, or that I never fully understood what I was trying to say, I’ll discard it. It served as practice anyway.

Sebastian: It’s actually something very difficult for me. Sometimes I have to take days off producing to find inspiration. If I try to make something out of nothing, without an idea, or trying to express something, it’s becomes pretty difficult to create something solid. When I started to make music I just did it for fun, not caring about how it should sound, or if it should represent something, so my tracks didn’t have any emotions, they were boring.

Let’s rewind for a moment, what are your earliest musical memories?

Axel: To be honest, I kinda fucking hated music when I was a young kid. One of my sisters, she sings really good. Like, crazy good! And I think I was just jealous. It’s the kind of talent you can’t buy. I got into music and found my own style when I was a like 10 or 11. But I do remember the childhood tunes. It was disco. My dad is a big fan of disco.

Sebastian: My siblings used to listen to lots of rock music, as a kid I grew up listening to RHCP, Metallica, also lots of Metal and sometimes Daft Punk and Depeche Mode, which were my first electronic music artists I listened to.

What was it like growing up in Argentina?

Axel: I grew up in Buenos Aires. In the countryside to be more specific. And if I have to be honest, I grew up in a private neighborhood and went to private schools. In the 90’s it was pretty normal I guess. The country was going through this economic fantasy where the local peso was on par with a dollar. So everyone was doing really good, or had the sense they were doing really good. Then, the fantasy crashed back in 2001. I was 14 at the time. And that changed everything, for everyone. My parents had to make a lot of sacrifices for us to still go to the same schools and all that. So I am lucky to understand the value in things, and how much effort has to be put into life, despite having a middle class upbringing.

Sebastian: I grew up in a small town 30km northwest of Córdoba. In 2001 when the crisis Axel mentioned began, I was a 3 years old, so I don’t have much of an idea of how much it affected my family. I had a pretty normal childhood, went to a semi-private school and graduated in 2015, not much more to tell about it…

At what point did you both get into DJing and producing? Who have been big influences in your music career?

Axel: I didn’t get into making music till I was 24. An ex-girlfriend of mine gave me a synth as a birthday gift, because she believed I was supposed to be making music, not only writing about it (I’m a music journalist as well). So, I started jamming with my best friend, in this live sort of setting, making electronic rock. There, as I saw my friend record our songs, I went through the first motions of making music. It did take me some time though, to figure out how to go about things on my own, and what kind of music I wanted to do. The Partenaire moniker has just turned 4 years old, and it was born with my first tracks & DJ gigs. Influence-wise, I come from a different background I think. I’m big into rock music, but it was Radiohead that kinda drew me into the possibilities of electronic instruments. I became aware of people like Aphex Twin, Burial, Four Tet, Caribou and Bonobo, to name a few. And only got into Progressive House and Techno around the time I was 25. Maybe even a bit later.

Sebastian: I started taking a look into what being a DJ meant around 2013 when I was 15, thanks to mainstream Electronic music, and got into producing at the end of the next year. At first I was listening to lot of Big Room and all that kind of mainstream music and didn’t got into the underground side until 2015, when I started listening to Tech House and Techno. I tried listening to Progressive House but didn’t like it, until I heard Guy Mantzur in 2016. He and Cid Inc. were my biggest influences in what would be music production, I really liked their styles. Later, I started listening to Hernan Cattaneo, Nick Warren and Guy J and they became influencers in my career.

In what ways do you think your particular journey through life has influenced the electronic music you make now?

Axel: Well, I’ve lived in USA for some years, and traveled abroad. And I found out I don’t have a problem at all when it comes down to connecting with people. In fact, I enjoy it. Electronica has that kind of genre bending, all inclusive, thing to it. Most of the tracks are instrumental. It’s a universal kind of thing. But I have become a very reclusive person as well. So all in all, I love the hours I spend on my own, crafting each track, only to throw it out there and see with how many people it can resonate with. Besides, I need it. I am a very emotional person. And like I said, I spend many hours alone with my thoughts and feelings. So, sometimes, they take a toll on me and I need to expel them.

Sebastián: Well, as a child and teenager I was always more of an introvert. Always preferred staying inside rather than going out. Later, as I started working on music that time I spent inside became time I spent listening to music or working on it.

What piece of studio equipment couldn’t you live without?

Axel: My computer, definitely. I don’t use much external hardware at all right now. Hell, I don’t even need a MIDI controller!

Sebastian: It would be my PC and my MIDI controller, it became something necessary to compose melodies.

Where have you played recently? And, what new places are you looking forward to experiencing in the coming months?

Axel: My last gig was at The Shamrock, a gritty basement down here in Buenos Aires. I had a very good time, as some very cool DJs and producers like Exe Bunge and Mike Griego were also on the line-up. Luckily, the next few months are looking very promising, with appearances in some of BA’s nicest clubs.

Sebastián: Haven’t had a gig for a while. Last one was in February, played at a little club alongside Berni Turletti in Villa María, a city 150km SE of Córdoba. I’m looking forward to playing more places whenever I can.

If you could play for a whole night with any DJ (ever), who would be at the top of your wish list?

Axel: Probably Sasha. Hernan Cattaneo would be totally cool as well.

Sebastián: John Digweed. Either him or Hernan Cattaneo.

Having witnessed the evolution of the underground scene in Argentina, what’s your assessment of things now? Is the scene healthy? What could improve it?

Axel: I think the scene is doing really good right now. Buenos Aires is a kind of hotspot. You have different options every night – from Progressive House, to Techno, Minimal, Live Acts… I think we are very selective about the music we consume, and that’s a good thing. It raises the bar for everyone involved. Just look at the list of top Argentine Progressive House producers… Ezequiel Arias, Interaxxis, Juan Deminicis, Mariano Mellino, Antrim, Soundexile… and the list goes on and on… And I can tell you there are at least 15 more that might not be as well known, but are just as good, for sure. Thing is, for some reason, the crowd is attracted to “superstars”. You know, the big names. And because of that, a lot of people in the local scene might not get the recognition they deserve, which I think it’s a bit of a shame.

Sebastian: The scene is doing really good now. In Córdoba there’s at least 3 shows per week, sometimes more. Usually with international DJs/Producers, either that or locals, which the scene is full of here, and of great quality

What places in Argentina should a visiting Electronic music fan check out?

Axel: Buenos Aires, for sure. If you come down, Bahrein is definitely the place to go. Our iconic underground venue, as they say.

Sebastián: In Córdoba I would say La Fabrica is a great open air venue, and should totally be a must.

After this impressive release for onedotsixtwo, what new projects should we watch out for from you both in 2018?

Axel: I don’t think you’ll be seeing us together again until next year. We wanna keep these outings special. But, personally, I still have a few releases down the pipeline before the end of the year which I’m pretty excited about.

Sebastian: I have a couple of releases still to come this year. As for us as a duo, I’m guessing we’ll keep working on stuff but nothing will be concreted until next year.

Can you recommend any other new Argentinian artists that we should keep an eye on?

Axel: Apart from the names I dropped earlier, I’m well into the sounds of Juan Hansen, Dynacom, Paula OS, Berni Turletti, Artfaq, and obviously… Mønje.

Sebastián: Well, besides my mate Axel here, I would say Artfaq, Ezequiel Arias, Antrim, Berni Turletti, Guhus, Paul Deep, Mauro Augugliaro and Nicolas Ruiz, just to name a few… Although, in the scene there is a lot of talent to discover.

And finally, what’s the best piece of advice you have ever been given?

Axel: The best piece of advice I can give, I had to learn for myself. And that is that time passes. It goes somewhere. And you don’t ever get it back, so make sure you make it count for something. I used to spend a lot of hours, just doing nothing. Or what I was doing wasn’t contributing to my tomorrow. I haven’t become a workaholic, by no means at all, but I have a different approach to life, in general. Each hour you spend behind a DAW, a synth, decks… the better you get. The further ahead you get. The closer you get to fulfilling a dream.

Sebastian: Everything takes time, and if you focus your time on something specific, whether it’s a track, an album or something music-wise, being patient is key to making good things.

Thanks for your time Sebastián and Axel – much appreciated!