CORREN CAVINI
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GET TO KNOW - CORREN CAVINI
Connect with CORREN CAVINI:
Hi Corné, we would love to hear all about your musical background. How did you first become interested in DJing and producing music, and what inspired you to pursue it as a career?
I started playing guitar when I was eight years old. In high school, I discovered the captivating allure of dance music—a force that unites people in a way that is almost magic. It instantly captured my heart, and I knew I had found my calling. While both my parents are theologians and I'm not religious myself, I've realized that dance music and clubs serve a similar purpose in my life—a place where people can find connection, forget their sorrows and experience euphoria. It really is like a religion to me, in the best possible way.
Which artists influenced you the most growing up?
As a kid I listened to a lot of music from almost every genre, but the most played on my MP3-player were definitely Red Hot Chili Peppers, John Mayer and Linkin Park. In high school, when I started to explore electronic music, I was drawn to the sets and productions of artists like Joris Voorn, Eelke Kleijn and Nora en Pure.
How often do you listen to music in your personal life? And what do you listen to?
Music is an essential part of my life, almost no hour in my life goes by in silence. I find inspiration in a vast spectrum of sounds, and love indie acts like The National and Eefje de Visser, the powerful hip-hop of Kendrick Lamar, and the ethereal magic of Ry X. Of course, I also listen to a lot of dance music and I get a lot of energy and inspiration from listening to sets from DJ’s like Mind Against and Joris Voorn.
What has been your favorite place to perform so far and why?
One standout moment was my performance at the RAW Factory during Amsterdam Dance Event 2022. That venue itself is absolutely majestic. Sharing the stage with esteemed artists like Nora en Pure and Eelke Kleijn, whose music I have loved for years, was an incredible experience. What made it even more special was realizing that people specifically came to hear my music for the first time. After my set, I always join the crowd, and meeting those individuals who shared personal stories about how my music touched them meant the world to me. Connecting with people through music is incredibly meaningful.
How did you develop your style and how would you describe it yourself?
My style evolved through a combination of factors. While studying music production in college, my initial focus revolved around mastering every technical skill I could. However, a challenging period in my personal life shifted my perspective entirely. It was during this time that I wrote "My Mind," a track I literally wrote with tears in my eyes. From that point forward, emotion became the cornerstone of my songwriting process. My sound traverses the realms of deep, energetic, atmospheric, and club-oriented music, but the harmonic and emotional facets of dance music are always the most important.
What kind of releases can we expect from you later in the year?
I'm thrilled to announce my debut release with Purified Records, and I assure you that it won't be the last collaboration between us. Alongside that release, I have numerous projects planned for this year that will explore previously unheard aspects of my sound. It's both exhilarating and nerve-wracking for me, and I can't wait to see how people react. However, what I’m most excited for is the joy of dancing and connecting with both new and familiar faces on dance floors, as a DJ and as a fan.
As a producer, where do you start, what is your creative process when you are about to develop a new idea?
My creative process usually starts with a harmony, almost always on the piano, that encapsulates the emotion I’m looking for in a particular song. Transforming that initial spark into a finished release is an extensive journey involving stages of sound design, meticulous work on rhythm sections, and around 20 stages of mixing. For fellow producers, some tools I highly recommend are Arturia Fragments, D16 Decimort, and, of course, the heart of my studio, Ableton.
Who are some new talented names on the scene from your perspective? Who do you fully support on their journey as DJ’s and producers?
Witnessing the recent rise of a lot of new talent, both in my home country and internationally, brings me immense joy. One artist I have to mention is Thysma, a producer with an incredible melodic sound whom I collaborated with for the second track on my upcoming EP with Purified. In the Dutch scene, I'm also a big fan of the unique styles of Mitch de Klein, Rose Ringed, and Helsloot.
What is up next for you? What can we expect from you and anything special we should keep an eye out for?
Besides my upcoming releases, I look forward to playing more and longer DJ-sets. To showcase different facets of my musicality on stage, I'm working on a live setup that I hope to unveil for the first time later this year. As my artistic confidence continues to grow, I find motivation in exploring various aspects of my artistic identity. Stay tuned for exciting developments on the horizon!
To wrap it up, if you had to describe with one phrase what electronic music is, you would say it is…
Connection
