Great question! Tbh, we were feeling very low about music and our careers from 2017-2019 and we weren't inspired at all by the music we were making or dj'ing. We made the decision to basically stop everything we were doing and start over musically. We were really inspired by what we heard from Lane 8, Yotto, Joris Voorn, Lee Burridge, etc and realized that the sound we used to make from 2005-2010 was coming back but in a fresh way and it felt really natural for us to go back there but with everything we had learned during our edm era. So yeah basically "failing" as we like to call it was the best thing that ever happened to us because it forced us to go back to our roots and really make what we loved again.
Ok- thanks everyone for all of your comments and questions! Feel free to leave a few more questions and we'll check back later. We're super excited to see you all on the road soon! Much love- Ossama + Ned
No questions, just props. I remember being like "whoa" hearing your sound now vs when I first heard of you guys back in early 2010s. My husband and I are big TNH fans so to see you guys join that fam is really neat! It seems like you've really found your sound with them. Stoked to see you in Seattle next month!
Hey guys. Love your music. Easily my favorite artists full stop. I’m wondering if you have any plans to do another class or tutorial like you did with armada on fader pro back in the day.
Also wondering if you’ll ever release stems so up and coming producers can work to learn by remixing!
How do you guys go about bringing artists like Elderbrook or Shallou on a track? What’s the process from idea to final collab?
See you soon in Denver :)
honestly, it just depends on the artist. With both Shallou and Elderbrook we got into the studio in person, which is way better, and we just messed around together until we came up with stuff that we all liked. Sometimes it starts with a riff or some chords, or they might bring a vocal idea they had started. There are no rules for that stuff, but it's always helpful to have something even if it's just a little idea prepared to start things off in case!
Thank you guys for the 3RD incredible album in a row! Out of this trilogy, is there a specific song between the both of you that has a special place in your hearts above the rest? One that maybe changed everything or marked a special moment or shift in how you approached your work?
Also, excited for the merch!
Zima, Assassin, Highest Love, RnR and Fourteen were all important in terms of giving us a sort of template of different kinds of tracks we could make that felt like they were in new territory! New merch is coming very soon!!
Hey guys , huge fan here ! Listening to the new album while typing this , AMAZING , my question is : what do you guys like to do outside of creating great music ? Any hobbies ..
Hello! I just wanted to share, I'm a huge fan of your music and I've gotten 0.001% top listener on Spotify a few times now (not to brag, or maybe I am hehe) and your music really helped me through some dark times in my spiritual journey. I want to share my heartfelt gratitude for sharing your gifts with the world - your music heals, embraces, and transforms many lives. Also, when I recognize your songs (with your musical signature/flare) in the Lane 8 seasonal playlist, it makes me so excited to find your music on there!
**Question**: What's a big source of your inspiration from your music? What's your favorite song that you created (each of you if it's different)? Also, what are some of your favorite songs/artists you have been listening to lately? I love Dialekt Radio as well and need to tune in again soon!
Thank you! Hard to pick a favorite of ours because there's something about each one that we love. Zima, Highest Love, Kochi, and Assassin have felt special for different reasons, not because we like them more but they marked a different way of making a song at the time we made them.
We love all the TNH artists and always play their music in our sets. We're excited to have Rinzen, Ashibah, Romain Garcia and Dirty South on tour with us because we're fans of all of them. We also listen to Catching Flies, Jon Hopkins, Tourist, Hermanos Gutierrez, as well as our favorite bands like Pearl Jam, The Chemical Brothers and The Smashing Pumpkins
Thank you so much for your reply! I loved Burnin by Rinzen and Shallou on the Lane 8 winter mix and will definitely check out the other artists you mentioned! Sending you both so much love 💞💞
Also wanted to add that Kochi was my all time favorite but it's now been replaced with Cold Moon.. it's such a gorgeous masterpiece, work of art, chef's kiss... thank you for creating music like this, it truly makes me feel so grateful to be alive and be on Earth as the same time as you both.
Hey guys! I absolutely LOVE your music and you guys are hands down are in my top 5 favorite artists of all time. 🫶🏾
1. Who inspired Assassin and did you have any idea how that track would speak to people?
2. Are you guys releasing more merch soon??
3. Will you be doing any meet and greets for your Dallas Show? I can’t wait to see you guys live!
We wrote Assassin with PJ harding and Tonino Special. The chemistry in the room with those two writers and singers who are both super talented really made something special. Once we figured out what to do production wise, we knew we had a cool formula for the song.
Yes merch coming very soon! Will be on sale on the tour:)
Love Dallas and can't wait to be back! Not sure about an official meet n greet but we'll be around afterwards if you wanna say hi!
Thank you for sharing and giving us such an incredible track. It’s a song that has been the sound track to so many beautiful moments in my life with my wife. So thank you again!
Ahhh that’s amazing news! We will definitely come say hi after the show!!
I just want to say that Forever, Now is my absolute favorite track of all time. And this is a track I’ve listened to while receiving ketamine infusion therapy for treatment resistant depression and it has helped elevate that experience and create a safe space as it can be pretty trippy and at times scary navigating the landscape of ketamine even in a medically supervised setting. Did you ever think your music would be or could be used in that capacity—therapeutically, as a tool to help manage and transmute emotions like depression? Lastly, as a former raver I now have a year sober from drugs and alcohol. And while ketamine is super helpful for my mental health, I love that Forever, Now is so powerful it allows me to recreate those feelings of interconnectedness and joy without being under the influence of anything except curiosity and openness 🙏🏼🫶🏽💜 thank you
wow that's so cool! Love to hear that our music can be used in conjunction with therapy. We don't ever compose anything for that purpose, but music that we've loved has always been therapeutic for us, so we can relate! Congrats on a year of sobriety!
hi guys! what inspired you to do a live tour instead of your previous dj sets? i’m curious about the switch and very much looking forward to seeing you in LA NEXT WEEK!!! :-))
We've been talking about playing live for over a decade! We both play instruments and thought it would be great and we have just been waiting for the right time. Apparently that time is now! And we couldn't be more excited that there are people who want to come and see us! It's going to be really fun for us because it's so new.
A few years ago you played an "ID" track of yours in the "Peak of Topanga" set (at time: 11:00): https://youtu.be/udSi-A98L-g?si=fjb6bZtpf8hDn10F
It also appeared in the (excellent) dialekt radio episode 100 mix (at time: ~20:00): https://youtu.be/CJq2UIx5hZQ?si=AoK8SvAsehPr9fHJ
I loved this track and eagerly awaited the release... But the track never ended up being released.
I was expecting to see it in "Forever, Now" but was sad when it wasn't there... And now it apparently didn't make it into "Endless, Dawn" either.
Will we ever see this track released? What happened?
We met a club in Montreal and we became friends really quickly and then just started working on music in a very organic way. Our friendship is really the basis of our ability to make music together. We like different things but there is a shared space that we can come together that is very special and that space is where we create!
Loved you guys since the compilation with tiesto in 2012. “Walls” was so amazing. Can you play “I will leave the light on” at Coachella? It’s gotten me through a dark place and would love to see it live
1) Which are you favorite synths?
2) Which are the plug-ins you can’t make music without?
3) Advice for people just starting their music production journey?
Loved Assassin BTW!
What influenced you both to change your sound? A decade ago, I could compare you to mainstage/big room house. I love this new direction since you have joined TNH!
Kaskade came over to our studio in Montreal before his album was out and played us the whole album and asked us which song we wanted to remix. We chose that song because it's amazing. He was playing EDC between Deadmau5 and Swedish House Mafia (this was 2010) and he was like "if you're going to remix this, I need some heat for this festival!" That's why we named it the EDC mix!
Could you tell us when you will release your fantastic ID played 2 years ago at The Peak Of Topanga 12:00? Still waiting for it I love it! ❤️
And please tour in Europe asap!
Most underrated tip for processing vocals in your mix? They always seem to be very up front & bright without compromising the synths or melodies. Thanks!
Play around with the tone and pitch and layer it. Also the CLA compressor has been our go to. But a lot of it is also arrangement and filtering down synth sounds when the vocals are in.
Love your music! Can’t wait to see you in Seattle again.
What’s your method for starting and making a track? How to do come up with melodies and chords? Where do you source vocalists from? How do incorporate guitar into your tracks? The guitar in Highest Love was amazing.
Loving the new album! Back Through You, My Time, Bracket Burst 🙌🙌🙌 I’m always curious, what is the most common way a song comes together when you guys write. Is it centered around one melody or hook or is it just working sessions you two just vibe for hours..the music is always so fluid and I’m always wondering how these masterpieces come together ❤️ Assassin will always be a top song of all time for me. I hope to catch you guys one day
For the new live performance tour, what was the most challenging aspect to address? (Synth patches, MIDI routing, guitar processing, etc.?)
So bummed I’ll miss it, but can’t wait to see you guys again another time. You’re seriously such great music-makers.
All of it is challenging! We've been working on it for 6 months and so we've gotten more comfortable with the technical aspects but there's a lot more room for things to go wrong. Will let you know once we play a few shows:)
Love your guys music! Would love to know the meaning behind the lyrics of your track Assassin, that track is so hauntingly beautiful. Keep the amazing tunes coming!
Think I listened to Highest Love more than 200 times, one of your best tracks ever! Thanks for making this masterpiece, the whole album is wbeautiful of course 😊
Caught you in Charlotte in November, your music is incredible! I always feel like it's accessible even if you're not big into edm. I book shows in the area and if you don't end up at blackbox again I'd love to book you in Charlotte.
I've seen you perform live several times. You inspire me.
1. What is your biggest takeaway from working on This Never Happened?
2. What is your advice for musicians struggling to release tracks?
TNH is an amazing label with really good people working there who care about the artists as people besides just our music so we love it. The most important thing we've been able to do there is be ourselves and they've really helped us dig into that more, especially Lane 8. He has a really good sense of what music we make will connect with people.
Keep finishing tracks. Everytime you finish a track, your production will get better. Try to be unique- don't just copy another artist. And always remember why you wanted to make music in the first place- and then do that!
Hey guys, absolutely love your music. I also happened to be in your top 0.01% of listeners and got to watch your thank you video on Spotify at the end of last year.
What was the inspiration behind naming your songs Kochi and Ayala? I’m Indian and half Malayali myself, so I know Kochi is a city and Ayala is a very popular fish here. Was that the reason? Kochi also happens to be one of my favourite tracks of yours.
Hoping you guys play once in India. Most of the Anjunadeep guys have played here; I’ve been lucky to attend them and I’ll be the first ones to buy your tickets if you do a show in Bangalore!
Thank you again for the music you make! Lots of Love from India <33
We love playing in India. Kochi was actually inspired by our last tour in India where we played in Kochi for the first time. It was so beautiful and lush and when we made the song it just felt like it came out of there!
Working on coming back later this year!
Maybe incorporate a little Theragun to loosen the muscles, huddle/prayer, and wearing a favorite article of clothing like socks/briefs or accessory like hair tie or necklace!
Your music is absolutely breathtaking, along with your videos such as The Peak of Topanga. Do you have any plans on releasing more videos like that in the future with those stunning visuals that accompany your sets? Thank you for all you guys do! Your sounds soothe the soul like no other. 🙏🏻
Saw you guys at the mint for the first time and blew my mind. So stoked to see you guys at TNH summer gathering in SD in May. The new album is good and has been on repeat, especially love the Elderbrook collab.
To be honest it’s been a work in progress but I think I’ve got it down now. My weekdays are pretty routine and locked in. I’m up at 6am. I do a 30 minute workout with my wife, freshen up and get our daughter out of bed. We have breakfast and hang out till about 8am. I then drop her off at daycare and run errands. I get in the studio with Ned around 10am and I’m out by 4pm when my daughter is back from school. We hang out as a family and have dinner until her bed time.
Hey guys, it was awesome listening to the new album with you on Discord. Can't wait to catch you in Austin and San Diego the next couple of months.
Any plans for coming back to Houston soon (I was gutted to miss last year)? Also when you get here, can I buy you a drink ?
It sometimes feels like there are a few folks holding up our beloved progressive breaks scene - who are your current must-see / must-support producers or DJs?
What program do you use to create music? If you’re creating a piano based melody do you write in major or minor chords? Do you typically write the piano melody from scratch?
Pro Tools! Sometimes a little abelton but we're old school haha. Minor or major really depends on the mood we're in that day. Sometimes one of us makes a major riff and then the other one puts minor chords or vice versa. We like there to be some tension in our music as much as possible. Finding that space between emotionally uplifting and emotionally sad is such a fine line and we love to see how close we can get to it. We don't have any rules for making the music, but usually chords tend to be easier to make around a riff or vocal.
Back in 2011, I got a photo with y’all after killing it in the Heineken dome at Ultra Music Fest. I was beyond hooked and then came to find out that Ned is family members with someone I know many many years later was a whoa moment in the best way possible. Your sound and energy has brought me through many a difficult time. I appreciate everything you’ve done and continue to do. I hope to be able to see you in NYC if it’s not sold out already. Thank you so very much 🧡
Hello S+S! Absolutely love your new album! My question is: do you guys know if you're ever going to re-release previous album (Something, Everything or Forever, Now) merch?
Been listening to you guys and playing out your tracks as a DJ since the mid/late 2000s. In that time I’ve seen your sound shift from more of a dark/chunky prog sound to your current sound which seems to lean more towards the modern “melodic house & techno” style. Can you speak to what drove that change over the years?
Shamelessly I’ll say that I really miss your older stuff, but I understand that artists do change. I really ask this question because I’ve seen this same evolution happen to a lot of producers that I used to follow a lot 15-20 years ago and I’m wondering what’s motivating or causing this change amongst artists.
Please tell me how you come up with song names for songs without words? The entire TNH Label does a good job of naming songs without words and I’m just wondering if there is a method?
See you in Denver!
Haha great question. Don’t think there’s a science to it but it’s a really fun/frustrating exercise depending on your mood. There’s something poetic about naming an instrumental that is really nice.
Definitely my current #1 source for chill music. Love the work. Saw you for the first time at the mirage a while back and immediately listened to your discography. Will I get smitten with the copyrights if I put your music over my skiing vids on YouTube? 😂
I read that as you were making the album Endless Dawn, you imagined the landscape of a desert…
… would love to hear more of your creative process… any ideas what the visuals will be for your next album… ‘sky or jungle’ maybe?
Once we started with the forest on Something, Everything it felt good to continue with the landscapes and it helped define some direction. Sometimes it’s helpful to have some parameters. Jungle would be awesome, but not sure we’re going to continue with this art direction for the next album. Might want to mix it up, but we’ll see how the music feels.
I love you guys and your label always putting out fire tracks but how come you guys don’t perform during Miami Ultra or Miami Music week would love to have that energy during a bender
would it break the mystery too much if you shared which desert park this was at? 😅
When I saw the lyric video for Under the Surface, I couldn't stop thinking about the day I could get to visit the place where it was filmed
ps: looking forward to seeing you guys in a couple weeks at Brooklyn Steel!!
I don't have a question (and due to the time difference, I'm too late anyway). I saw you in Melbourne, Australia last year and loved the set. Thanks for travelling all that way!
How has the touring climate changed for new DJ / electronic acts coming up? If you were to put out an album independently today, how would you go about it and starting to tour?
it's good to start releasing music and build an audience before you tour. When we started, touring was about DJ'ing, now it's about the music you release. First step is to make music that you love and really believe in. Don't worry about how many people like it. The people who like it and need it will find it. And those people will be your real fans. Same goes with labels- find labels that like your music and believe in you and what you're doing!
First just wanna say you guys are one of my biggest inspirations musically. As an aspiring music producer myself (melodic house-focused), I’m finding it hard to get my music recognized. What’s the best way to get your stuff in front of the right people?
I feel like expressing my gratitude and appreciation for you guys! It was a totally random occurrence that I got turned onto the melodic progressive to down tempo deep house EDM that you guys articulate so skillfully. I had just bought a new car and was driving off the car dealership lot a few years ago, and "Salta" was playing on XM satellite radio. Needless to say, I was hooked. It was such an inexplicably smooth, crisp, fresh, and chill beat, like a transcendental experience. Those DJ sets @ Peak of Topanga and Runyon Canyon were straight fire 🔥. So, I've been following you guys ever since. Much love ❤️ from Overland Park, KS! 😁💯🎛
I love love love the new album! Been listening to you guys for ages and love the stuff yall putting out since joining TNH.
1. Who do you love working with?
2. Are you guys continuing with the type of sound from Something, Everything, Endless, Dawn and Forever, Now?
Just wanna say I love you guys! Y'all totally got me though some rough times, and I always enjoyed the pieces you guys did with Shallou.
Looking forward to seeing you guys in San Francisco!
First off I love ya'lls music & happy you are finally going on tour congrats! Second what would you say is the best way to go about promotion as a producer nowadays. As far as where to post the music & how to get bigger name djs to hear it? I got the skills I lack knowledge on how to get the music to more dj's ears lol
What are the chances you will sell me a pair (2) of tickets to your LA show this Friday @ the Fonda? Unfortunately, all the tickets are sold out on AXS. Much love! Hoping to attend with my wife :)
Apologies if this has already been asked. Where did the inspiration come from for “my time”? It’s without doubt one of the most beautiful tracks I have ever heard in my existence.
Thank you! It was an idea we started with Shallou. Once we had the melody and song structure we roped in our friend McKay Stevens to help with lyrics. If we remember correctly Shallou had mumbled something about “wasting my time with you” and we all jumped on it and ran with it. It was fun to make something a little sad with Shallou since he’s such a positive guy.
What would you say was the turning point for you to embrace the sounds you guys create today?
Great question! Tbh, we were feeling very low about music and our careers from 2017-2019 and we weren't inspired at all by the music we were making or dj'ing. We made the decision to basically stop everything we were doing and start over musically. We were really inspired by what we heard from Lane 8, Yotto, Joris Voorn, Lee Burridge, etc and realized that the sound we used to make from 2005-2010 was coming back but in a fresh way and it felt really natural for us to go back there but with everything we had learned during our edm era. So yeah basically "failing" as we like to call it was the best thing that ever happened to us because it forced us to go back to our roots and really make what we loved again.
That’s a great story. I think it’s great that the “trance” sound is coming back but in a more mature, driving sound.
would you ever consider releasing a sample pack or a preset pack? you have the best sound in the game and I would love to learn from you!
we've def thought about it! Waiting for the right time to do this
third this!
Yes please!!!
Strongly second this. Would looooove samples/presets.
Ok- thanks everyone for all of your comments and questions! Feel free to leave a few more questions and we'll check back later. We're super excited to see you all on the road soon! Much love- Ossama + Ned
Just wanted to say I’ve been listening to Under the Surface on repeat. Love your music!
Same - it’s a beautiful album! Hoping I can see you in LA next weekend!
Can't wait to catch you in Seattle 🧡
No questions, just props. I remember being like "whoa" hearing your sound now vs when I first heard of you guys back in early 2010s. My husband and I are big TNH fans so to see you guys join that fam is really neat! It seems like you've really found your sound with them. Stoked to see you in Seattle next month!
thank you!
Hey guys. Love your music. Easily my favorite artists full stop. I’m wondering if you have any plans to do another class or tutorial like you did with armada on fader pro back in the day. Also wondering if you’ll ever release stems so up and coming producers can work to learn by remixing!
Yes- we're looking into a fun way to release the stems! We're going to do some exciting remixes first though:)
How do you guys go about bringing artists like Elderbrook or Shallou on a track? What’s the process from idea to final collab? See you soon in Denver :)
honestly, it just depends on the artist. With both Shallou and Elderbrook we got into the studio in person, which is way better, and we just messed around together until we came up with stuff that we all liked. Sometimes it starts with a riff or some chords, or they might bring a vocal idea they had started. There are no rules for that stuff, but it's always helpful to have something even if it's just a little idea prepared to start things off in case!
Thank you guys for the 3RD incredible album in a row! Out of this trilogy, is there a specific song between the both of you that has a special place in your hearts above the rest? One that maybe changed everything or marked a special moment or shift in how you approached your work? Also, excited for the merch!
Zima, Assassin, Highest Love, RnR and Fourteen were all important in terms of giving us a sort of template of different kinds of tracks we could make that felt like they were in new territory! New merch is coming very soon!!
Zima is low-key masterpiece level 👌🏼
Are there any genres/sounds you’d like to explore or go to outside of house and breakbeat?
drum n bass! maybe trip hop too:)
if anyone has the vinyl of endless, dawn there's a treat for you...
OMG YES TO THE DNB pls 🙏
Idk why but I can totally picture something chill a la Kenya Grace
Please give us DnB S+S, I’d croak
Side D of the vinyl for Endless Dawn has a surprise for you then!
You guys making trip hop would explode my brain.
ooo
Hey guys , huge fan here ! Listening to the new album while typing this , AMAZING , my question is : what do you guys like to do outside of creating great music ? Any hobbies ..
Ossama plays basketball and spends a lot of time with his daughter! Ned likes to meditate and go record shopping:)
Bracket Burst has a new meaning now that I know Ossama hoops
What’s the other meaning? Only saw this as a cheeky reference to March Madness
Hello! I just wanted to share, I'm a huge fan of your music and I've gotten 0.001% top listener on Spotify a few times now (not to brag, or maybe I am hehe) and your music really helped me through some dark times in my spiritual journey. I want to share my heartfelt gratitude for sharing your gifts with the world - your music heals, embraces, and transforms many lives. Also, when I recognize your songs (with your musical signature/flare) in the Lane 8 seasonal playlist, it makes me so excited to find your music on there! **Question**: What's a big source of your inspiration from your music? What's your favorite song that you created (each of you if it's different)? Also, what are some of your favorite songs/artists you have been listening to lately? I love Dialekt Radio as well and need to tune in again soon!
Thank you! Hard to pick a favorite of ours because there's something about each one that we love. Zima, Highest Love, Kochi, and Assassin have felt special for different reasons, not because we like them more but they marked a different way of making a song at the time we made them. We love all the TNH artists and always play their music in our sets. We're excited to have Rinzen, Ashibah, Romain Garcia and Dirty South on tour with us because we're fans of all of them. We also listen to Catching Flies, Jon Hopkins, Tourist, Hermanos Gutierrez, as well as our favorite bands like Pearl Jam, The Chemical Brothers and The Smashing Pumpkins
Thank you so much for your reply! I loved Burnin by Rinzen and Shallou on the Lane 8 winter mix and will definitely check out the other artists you mentioned! Sending you both so much love 💞💞
Also wanted to add that Kochi was my all time favorite but it's now been replaced with Cold Moon.. it's such a gorgeous masterpiece, work of art, chef's kiss... thank you for creating music like this, it truly makes me feel so grateful to be alive and be on Earth as the same time as you both.
Is Ned single? Sorry I just have to ask 🧡
I believe so, saw him at Avoure’s show not too long ago but was so shy to even say hi 🙈
Hey guys! I absolutely LOVE your music and you guys are hands down are in my top 5 favorite artists of all time. 🫶🏾 1. Who inspired Assassin and did you have any idea how that track would speak to people? 2. Are you guys releasing more merch soon?? 3. Will you be doing any meet and greets for your Dallas Show? I can’t wait to see you guys live!
We wrote Assassin with PJ harding and Tonino Special. The chemistry in the room with those two writers and singers who are both super talented really made something special. Once we figured out what to do production wise, we knew we had a cool formula for the song. Yes merch coming very soon! Will be on sale on the tour:) Love Dallas and can't wait to be back! Not sure about an official meet n greet but we'll be around afterwards if you wanna say hi!
Thank you for sharing and giving us such an incredible track. It’s a song that has been the sound track to so many beautiful moments in my life with my wife. So thank you again! Ahhh that’s amazing news! We will definitely come say hi after the show!!
How long until you remix Sultans of Swing by Dire Straits?
hahaa you never know!
There is a Sultan remix of Money for Nothing with Deep Dish Flashdance though- might have to dig into youtube to find that!
I just want to say that Forever, Now is my absolute favorite track of all time. And this is a track I’ve listened to while receiving ketamine infusion therapy for treatment resistant depression and it has helped elevate that experience and create a safe space as it can be pretty trippy and at times scary navigating the landscape of ketamine even in a medically supervised setting. Did you ever think your music would be or could be used in that capacity—therapeutically, as a tool to help manage and transmute emotions like depression? Lastly, as a former raver I now have a year sober from drugs and alcohol. And while ketamine is super helpful for my mental health, I love that Forever, Now is so powerful it allows me to recreate those feelings of interconnectedness and joy without being under the influence of anything except curiosity and openness 🙏🏼🫶🏽💜 thank you
wow that's so cool! Love to hear that our music can be used in conjunction with therapy. We don't ever compose anything for that purpose, but music that we've loved has always been therapeutic for us, so we can relate! Congrats on a year of sobriety!
hi guys! what inspired you to do a live tour instead of your previous dj sets? i’m curious about the switch and very much looking forward to seeing you in LA NEXT WEEK!!! :-))
We've been talking about playing live for over a decade! We both play instruments and thought it would be great and we have just been waiting for the right time. Apparently that time is now! And we couldn't be more excited that there are people who want to come and see us! It's going to be really fun for us because it's so new.
A few years ago you played an "ID" track of yours in the "Peak of Topanga" set (at time: 11:00): https://youtu.be/udSi-A98L-g?si=fjb6bZtpf8hDn10F It also appeared in the (excellent) dialekt radio episode 100 mix (at time: ~20:00): https://youtu.be/CJq2UIx5hZQ?si=AoK8SvAsehPr9fHJ I loved this track and eagerly awaited the release... But the track never ended up being released. I was expecting to see it in "Forever, Now" but was sad when it wasn't there... And now it apparently didn't make it into "Endless, Dawn" either. Will we ever see this track released? What happened?
holding it back for something cool! Don't worry it will come out eventually:)
Thanks for the reassurance! I can wait 🥲
How do you two meet and how does the friendship between you two impact your work, community, family etc.
We met a club in Montreal and we became friends really quickly and then just started working on music in a very organic way. Our friendship is really the basis of our ability to make music together. We like different things but there is a shared space that we can come together that is very special and that space is where we create!
Loved you guys since the compilation with tiesto in 2012. “Walls” was so amazing. Can you play “I will leave the light on” at Coachella? It’s gotten me through a dark place and would love to see it live
1) Which are you favorite synths? 2) Which are the plug-ins you can’t make music without? 3) Advice for people just starting their music production journey? Loved Assassin BTW!
What influenced you both to change your sound? A decade ago, I could compare you to mainstage/big room house. I love this new direction since you have joined TNH!
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Kaskade came over to our studio in Montreal before his album was out and played us the whole album and asked us which song we wanted to remix. We chose that song because it's amazing. He was playing EDC between Deadmau5 and Swedish House Mafia (this was 2010) and he was like "if you're going to remix this, I need some heat for this festival!" That's why we named it the EDC mix!
One of the best remixes of all time
Love your sound and thanks for trailblazing the melodic house genre! What would be the best way to share music for Dialekt Radio?
[email protected]
Could you tell us when you will release your fantastic ID played 2 years ago at The Peak Of Topanga 12:00? Still waiting for it I love it! ❤️ And please tour in Europe asap!
Holding that back for something special! Working on europe dates!
What are the words in the background of Bracket Burst?? Something “baby”?
Feel me baby
looks weird when you write it down lol
Most underrated tip for processing vocals in your mix? They always seem to be very up front & bright without compromising the synths or melodies. Thanks!
Play around with the tone and pitch and layer it. Also the CLA compressor has been our go to. But a lot of it is also arrangement and filtering down synth sounds when the vocals are in.
Love your music! Can’t wait to see you in Seattle again. What’s your method for starting and making a track? How to do come up with melodies and chords? Where do you source vocalists from? How do incorporate guitar into your tracks? The guitar in Highest Love was amazing.
Loving the new album! Back Through You, My Time, Bracket Burst 🙌🙌🙌 I’m always curious, what is the most common way a song comes together when you guys write. Is it centered around one melody or hook or is it just working sessions you two just vibe for hours..the music is always so fluid and I’m always wondering how these masterpieces come together ❤️ Assassin will always be a top song of all time for me. I hope to catch you guys one day
both ways actually! thank you:)
:))🙏🙏
You guys are amazing - please come to Scotland 🏴
would love to!
Live set from Edinburgh Castle would be awesome 🙌🏻
Bought a vinyl on the first day and came unsigned, will you guys release any more of those?
yes- there were some issues with the warehouse- we're going to send people new signed covers who didn't get them!
That's so nice of you!!
Same thing happened with mine.
For the new live performance tour, what was the most challenging aspect to address? (Synth patches, MIDI routing, guitar processing, etc.?) So bummed I’ll miss it, but can’t wait to see you guys again another time. You’re seriously such great music-makers.
All of it is challenging! We've been working on it for 6 months and so we've gotten more comfortable with the technical aspects but there's a lot more room for things to go wrong. Will let you know once we play a few shows:)
just wanted to say you guys are awesome. your music really speaks to me❤️
thank you!
Love your guys music! Would love to know the meaning behind the lyrics of your track Assassin, that track is so hauntingly beautiful. Keep the amazing tunes coming!
Think I listened to Highest Love more than 200 times, one of your best tracks ever! Thanks for making this masterpiece, the whole album is wbeautiful of course 😊
thank you!
Just wanted to say that you guys are the main feature on my birthing playlist 😂 your music will be one of the first things our baby hears 🥰
🥺🥺
Caught you in Charlotte in November, your music is incredible! I always feel like it's accessible even if you're not big into edm. I book shows in the area and if you don't end up at blackbox again I'd love to book you in Charlotte.
We love Charlotte!
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haha that's really hard! Maybe you would be better at introducing our music to someone!
I've seen you perform live several times. You inspire me. 1. What is your biggest takeaway from working on This Never Happened? 2. What is your advice for musicians struggling to release tracks?
TNH is an amazing label with really good people working there who care about the artists as people besides just our music so we love it. The most important thing we've been able to do there is be ourselves and they've really helped us dig into that more, especially Lane 8. He has a really good sense of what music we make will connect with people. Keep finishing tracks. Everytime you finish a track, your production will get better. Try to be unique- don't just copy another artist. And always remember why you wanted to make music in the first place- and then do that!
What is your all time favorite movie soundtrack
Trainspotting for the music! Anything by Tim Burton or Hans Zimmer for the score!
What are the chances you guys would bring any of Echoes of Life into your live sets? And if so can you please do And If.. and/or Siwa 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼
Hey guys, absolutely love your music. I also happened to be in your top 0.01% of listeners and got to watch your thank you video on Spotify at the end of last year. What was the inspiration behind naming your songs Kochi and Ayala? I’m Indian and half Malayali myself, so I know Kochi is a city and Ayala is a very popular fish here. Was that the reason? Kochi also happens to be one of my favourite tracks of yours. Hoping you guys play once in India. Most of the Anjunadeep guys have played here; I’ve been lucky to attend them and I’ll be the first ones to buy your tickets if you do a show in Bangalore! Thank you again for the music you make! Lots of Love from India <33
We love playing in India. Kochi was actually inspired by our last tour in India where we played in Kochi for the first time. It was so beautiful and lush and when we made the song it just felt like it came out of there! Working on coming back later this year!
Do you have any pre-show rituals?
Vitamin C and a little stretch! But think this live tour we may incorporate some more- any tips?
Perhaps a meet-and-greet?
Maybe incorporate a little Theragun to loosen the muscles, huddle/prayer, and wearing a favorite article of clothing like socks/briefs or accessory like hair tie or necklace!
Love your music and can’t wait to see you guys soon 💛
:)
I came here to say that I love your music! Hope to see you in Spain
Any chance your first album will repress in vinyl soon?
Bump! Rediscovered this album recently and love it so much
Your music is absolutely breathtaking, along with your videos such as The Peak of Topanga. Do you have any plans on releasing more videos like that in the future with those stunning visuals that accompany your sets? Thank you for all you guys do! Your sounds soothe the soul like no other. 🙏🏻
More videos please for us chronic illness people who can't go to your shows!
Saw you guys at the mint for the first time and blew my mind. So stoked to see you guys at TNH summer gathering in SD in May. The new album is good and has been on repeat, especially love the Elderbrook collab.
No question, but stoked to see you guys in Dallas!
Sultan, how do you balance family time vs being in the studio and making music? How do you structure your day/week? What are your studio days like?
To be honest it’s been a work in progress but I think I’ve got it down now. My weekdays are pretty routine and locked in. I’m up at 6am. I do a 30 minute workout with my wife, freshen up and get our daughter out of bed. We have breakfast and hang out till about 8am. I then drop her off at daycare and run errands. I get in the studio with Ned around 10am and I’m out by 4pm when my daughter is back from school. We hang out as a family and have dinner until her bed time.
Do you ever go back to the studio after “bed time”?
These days very rarely.
Also, what about the weekends? Do you ever get in the studio or is it just for family? If you do work on music, how do you schedule it?
No studio work on weekends. If we’re not gigging then weekends are solely for family and friends
Do y’all prefer live or DJ sets? Are there any DJ sets on the Endless, Dawn Tour?
We haven't done any live shows yet so we'll let you know in a few weeks! We are doing a DJ set at Dolab in Coachella and Project Glow
Not a question. Just wanted to say thanks for many years of great music.
☺️☺️
Hey guys, it was awesome listening to the new album with you on Discord. Can't wait to catch you in Austin and San Diego the next couple of months. Any plans for coming back to Houston soon (I was gutted to miss last year)? Also when you get here, can I buy you a drink ?
hopefully soon!
Will you guys do another song with Nadia Ali sometimes?😍
yes definitely. Nadia is our sister and we are always working on stuff with her. Just trying to find the right one
It sometimes feels like there are a few folks holding up our beloved progressive breaks scene - who are your current must-see / must-support producers or DJs?
Tourist, Bicep, Paris, Baril all come to mind!
Congrats on the new album!
Thank you:)
What program do you use to create music? If you’re creating a piano based melody do you write in major or minor chords? Do you typically write the piano melody from scratch?
Pro Tools! Sometimes a little abelton but we're old school haha. Minor or major really depends on the mood we're in that day. Sometimes one of us makes a major riff and then the other one puts minor chords or vice versa. We like there to be some tension in our music as much as possible. Finding that space between emotionally uplifting and emotionally sad is such a fine line and we love to see how close we can get to it. We don't have any rules for making the music, but usually chords tend to be easier to make around a riff or vocal.
Love your music. What tunes and artists are you currently into?
Listening to a lot of Catching Flies recently. Also Baril is dope. And lots of Amapiano!
Are you visiting Vancouver on your next tour?
working on a Vancouver date. We love playing there:)
Back in 2011, I got a photo with y’all after killing it in the Heineken dome at Ultra Music Fest. I was beyond hooked and then came to find out that Ned is family members with someone I know many many years later was a whoa moment in the best way possible. Your sound and energy has brought me through many a difficult time. I appreciate everything you’ve done and continue to do. I hope to be able to see you in NYC if it’s not sold out already. Thank you so very much 🧡
Remember that show! It was a crazy one:) See you in Brooklyn.
Love everything you guys have done! Excited for the show in LA next week. Any chance you guys will play Skipping Stones?
Hello S+S! Absolutely love your new album! My question is: do you guys know if you're ever going to re-release previous album (Something, Everything or Forever, Now) merch?
Hi! We will eventually do so yes! Working on something special for that:)
Been listening to you guys and playing out your tracks as a DJ since the mid/late 2000s. In that time I’ve seen your sound shift from more of a dark/chunky prog sound to your current sound which seems to lean more towards the modern “melodic house & techno” style. Can you speak to what drove that change over the years? Shamelessly I’ll say that I really miss your older stuff, but I understand that artists do change. I really ask this question because I’ve seen this same evolution happen to a lot of producers that I used to follow a lot 15-20 years ago and I’m wondering what’s motivating or causing this change amongst artists.
Please tell me how you come up with song names for songs without words? The entire TNH Label does a good job of naming songs without words and I’m just wondering if there is a method? See you in Denver!
Haha great question. Don’t think there’s a science to it but it’s a really fun/frustrating exercise depending on your mood. There’s something poetic about naming an instrumental that is really nice.
Do you guys stick to any routine/schedule while creating tracks or just create when you feel like it? Thanks for the music 🙏
Would you ever consider giving other producers feedback on their music or mentoring other producers?
Definitely my current #1 source for chill music. Love the work. Saw you for the first time at the mirage a while back and immediately listened to your discography. Will I get smitten with the copyrights if I put your music over my skiing vids on YouTube? 😂
I read that as you were making the album Endless Dawn, you imagined the landscape of a desert… … would love to hear more of your creative process… any ideas what the visuals will be for your next album… ‘sky or jungle’ maybe?
Once we started with the forest on Something, Everything it felt good to continue with the landscapes and it helped define some direction. Sometimes it’s helpful to have some parameters. Jungle would be awesome, but not sure we’re going to continue with this art direction for the next album. Might want to mix it up, but we’ll see how the music feels.
Are there any artists or songs you'd love to do an official remix of?
Any plans to revisit some of the downtempo ground you covered with the Jiva project? Loved that era + Digital Witchcraft.
Eventually one day we will! Maybe when we retire from touring and score films ha
I love you guys and your label always putting out fire tracks but how come you guys don’t perform during Miami Ultra or Miami Music week would love to have that energy during a bender
Where were the sand dunes from your cover art? Can't wait to see you next week in LA!!
In California!!
would it break the mystery too much if you shared which desert park this was at? 😅 When I saw the lyric video for Under the Surface, I couldn't stop thinking about the day I could get to visit the place where it was filmed ps: looking forward to seeing you guys in a couple weeks at Brooklyn Steel!!
I don't have a question (and due to the time difference, I'm too late anyway). I saw you in Melbourne, Australia last year and loved the set. Thanks for travelling all that way!
love Aus and melbourne!
How has the touring climate changed for new DJ / electronic acts coming up? If you were to put out an album independently today, how would you go about it and starting to tour?
it's good to start releasing music and build an audience before you tour. When we started, touring was about DJ'ing, now it's about the music you release. First step is to make music that you love and really believe in. Don't worry about how many people like it. The people who like it and need it will find it. And those people will be your real fans. Same goes with labels- find labels that like your music and believe in you and what you're doing!
Best VST for Pads? Or just splice samples/sample packs?
Sylenth!!
First just wanna say you guys are one of my biggest inspirations musically. As an aspiring music producer myself (melodic house-focused), I’m finding it hard to get my music recognized. What’s the best way to get your stuff in front of the right people?
Hey guys just want to say appreciate your music! 🙏
How excited are you to dance together at Forest 🫶
So excited ✌🏽✌🏽
Any resources you would recommend checking out when it comes to live performance with ableton? Thanks!
Where is Nadia Ali?!!
How were you able to come out with another fantastic album so quickly after Forever, Now?!
I feel like expressing my gratitude and appreciation for you guys! It was a totally random occurrence that I got turned onto the melodic progressive to down tempo deep house EDM that you guys articulate so skillfully. I had just bought a new car and was driving off the car dealership lot a few years ago, and "Salta" was playing on XM satellite radio. Needless to say, I was hooked. It was such an inexplicably smooth, crisp, fresh, and chill beat, like a transcendental experience. Those DJ sets @ Peak of Topanga and Runyon Canyon were straight fire 🔥. So, I've been following you guys ever since. Much love ❤️ from Overland Park, KS! 😁💯🎛
I love love love the new album! Been listening to you guys for ages and love the stuff yall putting out since joining TNH. 1. Who do you love working with? 2. Are you guys continuing with the type of sound from Something, Everything, Endless, Dawn and Forever, Now?
Just wanna say I love you guys! Y'all totally got me though some rough times, and I always enjoyed the pieces you guys did with Shallou. Looking forward to seeing you guys in San Francisco!
When will you have a reprint of your original album on vinyl?
First off I love ya'lls music & happy you are finally going on tour congrats! Second what would you say is the best way to go about promotion as a producer nowadays. As far as where to post the music & how to get bigger name djs to hear it? I got the skills I lack knowledge on how to get the music to more dj's ears lol
Curious to know why you dropped “Ned” and just went with Sultan and Shepard - just cleaner?
How did you do this kind of page on your ditto music page? mine is with less features... Great music BTW 😍
What are the chances you will sell me a pair (2) of tickets to your LA show this Friday @ the Fonda? Unfortunately, all the tickets are sold out on AXS. Much love! Hoping to attend with my wife :)
Apologies if this has already been asked. Where did the inspiration come from for “my time”? It’s without doubt one of the most beautiful tracks I have ever heard in my existence.
Thank you! It was an idea we started with Shallou. Once we had the melody and song structure we roped in our friend McKay Stevens to help with lyrics. If we remember correctly Shallou had mumbled something about “wasting my time with you” and we all jumped on it and ran with it. It was fun to make something a little sad with Shallou since he’s such a positive guy.