EV, slowdive, Marlon Hoffstadt: Berlin-based electronic duo DJ Heartstring dive into the influences behind their forthcoming debut album.
DJ HEARTSTRING are sonic hedonists. They are pure, irresistible, insatiable enjoyment. The kind of music that, if you don’t like it, it’s simply your problem. The Berlin-based duo have become one of the most undeniable presences in European electronic music, shutting down dance floors and delivering textured, curated recorded music to showcase their well-rounded musical nuance.
It’s been a long-time-coming, but the pair will finally share their debut album, Sentimental Ultra, on 13th November via Steel City Dance Discs. We’ve just received the final teaser single ahead of the album, “3AM/4AM”, which is a hazy, euphoric and emotive anthem that blends garage inflexions and 4×4 rhythms, and features fellow label mates MONK, Crzy Mike and 3NDLES5.
Ahead of the release of their debut album, the heavy hitters stop by to discuss the music that gets their creative juices flowing.
Listen to “3AM/4AM”…
DJ HEARTSTRING is On Repeat…
Olav Basoski – “Wait & See”
Olav Basoski is an absolute legend. His drums are so on point on basically all of his songs. To be honest, we could have picked any of his tracks. The percussion on Wait & See is stripped back but so powerful in its simplicity.
EV – “Cuppa Tea”
On this album we tried a lot of different vocal styles and tones. EV is someone, even though he isn’t featured on the record, whose vocals inspire us a lot. It’s the raw UK energy, the accent and strong delivery that gets caught in your head for days. Love the energy.
Smallpools – “Dreaming”
FIFA soundtracks have been a huge inspiration to the Heartstring sound. The songs always hit the spot just right, have catchy melodies and euphoric vocals. Dreaming fits that box perfectly. Maybe this has to be a future edit?
slowdive – “kisses”
When we look for vocals to sample, it’s especially satisfying to find something which in its original version has a different vibe to what we are trying to make with it. Certain parts of a soft song sometimes also work in a very different context.
DJ Dean – “Fire & Water”
While we struggle a bit with calling the music we make Trance, it’s undeniable that the genre has had a huge impact on our sound. The big chords on songs like Fire & Water just hit different. So infatuating.
Digitalism – “Blitz”
This one catches the exact feeling we were going for while working on this album, nostalgic & hopeful at the same time. Also a great mix of an analog sound mixed with a re-sampled, digital feel to it.
Marlon Hoffstadt – “To All Believers”
‘To All Believers’ was released right around the time we first started going to the studio together. The playfulness of the synths and the courage to layer all these melodies on top of each other were a huge inspiration to us.
MRD – “Save Me Another Time”
‘Save Me Another Time’ strikes a great balance between dance floor energy and an everyday listening experience outside the club, something we have been going for while working on Sentimental Ultra. Although only 6 years old, this tune feels like a classic already.
Guru Josh Project – “Infinity 2008 (Klaas Vocal Edit)”
This is the sound of our teenage years. The simplicity of this is quite inspiring, it doesn’t need much more than this saxophone and the iconic vocal. Besides it being released one year to late, this is what we meant when we said: “What Music Felt Like in 2007“.
G-Spott – “No Comment”
Absolute weapon for the dance floor, also found its way in our sets quite often, we love the euphoric synths and high-energy drums. There are definitely some chord progressions in our past production heavily inspired by this.
