Maltese electronic producers Rene and Ernest recently launched a new trance project called New Even, with a debut album in the works. Interview by Ramona Depares.

How was the project New Even born and what is the aim behind it?

Rene: As a duo, we have been producing music and experimenting with sounds for the past eight years. However, last year we decided to start launching music under the project name New Even with the aim of releasing tracks on an international level.

Is there a story behind the name chosen?

There isn’t any particular story behind the name New Even. However, ‘New’ describes the future projects that we are working, on while ‘Even’ is referring to a duo, since number two is an even number.

New Even is made up of you and Ernest – how did you two start collaborating with each other?

Ernest and I have known each other for a long time, from secondary school. We used to talk a lot about music and we realised that we shared the same dream, that is, to produce music.

Therefore, we decided to start meeting up and work on music production together. From then onwards we continued to work harder in order to improve our skills and try to make our dream a reality.

How do you describe the music you produce?

We produce trance music, which makes us part of the electronic dance scene. In few words, our productions consist of an uplifting and rolling baseline, while also incorporating the classical aspect of music making it sound dynamic and emotional.

Would you say that trance has a big following in Malta?

Compared with the early years of the 2000s, it has decreased in popularity. However, we still think there is little knowledge among the Maltese people regarding trance music. This is because sometimes, people will like a certain track that they heard on the radio and they won’t not even realise that it is trance music.

You are about to release your debut album. What can you tell us about it?

Our album hasn’t been released yet. However, all tracks are all ready and we are releasing one track at a time. Each track is being sent abroad and meant to be signed internationally, in order to refine them by collaborating with international producers. Finally, we will release the whole album containing all these tracks.

Where did you record and how did you find the recording process?

First, we composed and finalised the tracks in our own studio. Then we went to Somnio Studios for mastering, for a better refined sound. The recording process was challenging and required a lot of work and time. It’s a journey where you always learn smoothing new and you always find room for improvement.

What was the biggest challenge in finalising this album?

Since as a duo we are both perfectionists in our work, and always strive for detail, the biggest challenge that we encountered in finalising the album was that we always thought that every project was not quite completed. If possible, with every track we’d take it to another level to sound better and fresh. However, we always refer to other producers’ work and consider others opinion regarding our work to serve as a guideline.

And the biggest satisfaction?

Undoubtedly,  the biggest satisfaction was the release of first singles on various international record labels such Imperium Audio records (Egypt), Cloud land records (the US) and Trance Temple records (Egypt), to name a few. Also, we had the opportunity to collaborate with talented Maltese vocalists and also with an international DJ/producer Dennis Pederson.

Where do you find your inspiration?

The story behind every track that we produce is related to a personal experience such as memories, love, loss, fantasy, dreams… From the musical point of view, we inspire ourselves from nature, different cultures and also through certain electronic events that we experienced.

What’s next for New Even?

We have released our latest single in collaboration with the Egyptian International DJ/producer Ahmed Helmy also featuring Talitha on vocals. Having a bpm of 138, the track Made of Love starts off with an uplifting trance progression, but evolves into emotional break. This is being released on the  Egyptian label, Trance Temple Records. It is one of only a few tracks that are  scheduled for 2018.

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