Interview: Recondite

In the ever-evolving world of electronic music, Recondite stands out as an artist who consistently bridges the gap between introspection and dancefloor energy. As he tours globally and reflects on the release of his latest album Indifferent, Recondite offers a unique perspective on navigating creative extremes in an increasingly polarised music scene.

In this conversation, we explore his thoughts on balance, both in music and in life, the inspirations behind Indifferent, and how he approaches the challenges of connecting with audiences while staying true to his signature sound. Amid political turbulence and cultural shifts, Recondite invites us into his world of haunting melodies, introspective beats, and thoughtful artistry.Recondite Interview

Hey! How are you, how is everything for you right now in the world?

Hello! I'm good. I think it's been a very turbulent couple of days in the world at this moment, especially from a global political standpoint. Our government in Germany is also in a bit of a disintegration process, which adds to the uncertainty. It's definitely interesting if you're keeping track of it, I certainly am. On a personal level, things are going well. I'm currently in Berlin right now, touring on the weekends. My album came out about three weeks ago, and I'm still in the process of discussing it, presenting it, and reflecting on it myself. I'm also taking a brief creative break, as I typically do after an album release, just to recharge for a few weeks.

Your recent long player project “Indifferent" seems to reflect a departure from extremes in the electronic music scene. What inspired this shift for you, both personally and artistically?

I can't help but reflect a lot on the things around me that could signal shifts in society’s general perception. While this is more or less objective, it’s mostly subjective. However, there is a lot of media, videos, and newspapers that talk extensively about what's happening in the world, presenting many different viewpoints, which can sometimes be a bit confusing. A lot of this makes me think, especially within the music world, because I believe that culture, society, and politics are always somehow intertwined; not necessarily directly, but whenever there’s a certain zeitgeist, it influences creativity and cultural movements. This connection to what’s happening in the world is always there, even if abstractly. I find the grey zone in the middle very interesting, the space that's not necessarily about making an obvious statement, but more about exploring these grey areas. I’ve always been drawn to these grey zones in terms of exploring the shades and shapes of my personal creativity between extremes.

I’ve noticed that, especially during and after COVID, people started to be attracted to more extreme things. Extreme can mean something very different, for example, in musical terms. If we look at electronic music, I would say that the rise of Keinemusik with their softer, gentler interpretation of electronic pop music is, even though it’s slow music with gentle beats, still very extreme in its own way. That’s what I mean. For me, extreme doesn’t necessarily refer to the rise of hard techno or hard styles, or even high trance making a comeback, or styles like gabber. Those are extreme in their own way too. But on the other end of the spectrum, as I mentioned, Keinemusik also represents something extreme for me. This observation began even before COVID, when the hard techno scene started to get bigger. That was the first sign for me that there was an interesting movement, as it was much more extreme than what we had in the past 20 years of electronic music history.

You describe the current electronic music landscape as polarised between aggressive and soft extremes. How does Indifferent navigate this middle ground?

With Indifferent, I wanted to explore my role in this shift towards extremes. I’ve been around for a while, and I’ve always navigated between these extremes, even when they weren’t as distinct. From 2013 to 2019, I released on labels like Ostgut Ton and Dystopian, which leaned toward techno, but also worked with labels like Ghostly International, which was more indie. I liked being in that space, between two worlds, because it felt true to my personality. My artist name, Recondite, also reflects that, it’s something not easily categorised, something a bit obscure. But with the rise of extremes, I started wondering if I needed to change to fit in. My music isn’t easily put in a box, but at times, I felt like I might need to become more distinctive. It was a little scary, thinking I might have to adapt to this new movement of extremes. I started to feel the pressure to adapt, to fit into either the hard or soft side of the spectrum. But then, I realised that when I play shows, even for younger audiences who didn’t know me pre-COVID, they still respond to my music. It still moves them, and that gives me confidence. It feels great to see people connect with my music, whether they know me or not.

And that’s when I decided to explore this moment in time, this zeitgeist of extremes, while also staying true to myself. I didn’t want to lean into hard techno or overly soft music; I wanted to keep doing what I do; melancholic yet energetic, introverted but sometimes intense techno. I wanted to stay true to that and create an album that reflected this. That’s when I came up with the idea for Indifferent. I liked the word because it has two meanings: it can imply a lack of care, but it also represents balance.

The first time I came across the word was in physical therapy school, where we learned about treatments that involve temperature, like cold plunges or heat therapy. You seek an indifferent temperature, one that’s perfectly balanced between hot and cold. It reminded me of the sweet spot I aim for in my music, blending the hard and soft. And that’s how I see myself in the electronic music scene, I’m not trying to fit into either extreme. I’m just doing my thing, blending both sides, and that’s where I feel comfortable. The album is about capturing that moment from my perspective, and that’s what Indifferent is.

What message or feeling do you hope listeners take away from Indifferent?

Well, this question is less about me and more about the listener. I’ve shared my point of view, but I think it's important to consider the listener's perspective. This is something that’s been on my mind lately, especially after a recent post on social media. My intention was to approach promoting an album in a more open way, almost as an attempt to close the circle that I opened with the release. It wasn’t necessarily the end point, but it was a way of sharing how I feel about the process, not just making the album, but also presenting it to the world. I sometimes feel conflicted about promoting my creative work, and I think that contradiction is worth acknowledging.

Usually, when you create something that is really meaningful to you, the best case scenario is that it gets noticed on its own, without any additional effort on your part. You create, and the work speaks for itself. You share it with the world, and people can resonate with it, maybe even feeling what you felt when you made it. But we live in a world overflowing with content, where there’s so much competition. People who follow you also expect you to help raise awareness of what you do. Social media has become intertwined with the art itself. If you don’t accept this dynamic, it becomes difficult to get seen, let alone heard.

I was overwhelmed by the response I got on my recent post, many creative people commented, saying they felt the same way and had been grappling with the same contradictions. It was really affirming to know that others shared those thoughts, and they appreciated me expressing it. That’s why I see it as closing the circle that I started with the release. Even though we live in an era of extremes, I think it’s even more important to create something that reminds people it’s okay not to be extreme. These platforms can be extreme, but it can also be honest and unplanned, without any strategy behind it. It can be a vulnerable way of communicating. Regardless, even if your music is against the grain, even if it’s not popular or doesn’t align with mainstream trends. It’s okay to just be yourself. Social media still has value for me in sharing my artistic and creative ideas. I think it’s important for people who lean towards music like mine, those who might be more cerebral, introverted, or even melancholic, to see that there’s space for them too. I wanted to show that side of things, and that’s what I hope listeners can take away

Did you enjoy the process of writing it, were there new challenges? Did you approach it differently than your previous work?

Yes, I did. I really enjoyed it, and I approached it differently from my previous album. With my last album, I went about it in the 'old-fashioned' way, so to speak. I finished the album and then released it in its entirety. But as someone who also uses streaming services, listens to a lot of podcasts, and streams music, I understand that the way we consume music has changed. In my opinion, it’s not just for the worse, but also for the better. Like we said earlier, everything has its ups and downs.

What I changed this time around is the approach, particularly with the 'Indifferentl series' before the album. I released a few singles prior to the full album. The process began around late summer or early fall of last year, and it spanned about a year in total. It was really nice to experience because it extended the journey. Given the way attention spans and oversaturation have shifted, you can pour so much work into an album, only to have it lose interest after just a few days. But with this 'Indifferentl series' project, including my album release event at ADE, it created a nice progression, and I really enjoyed it. I then made different versions of the tracks from the singles of the album and added new ones, which made for a nice little journey. This was a new approach, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

You’ve mentioned not being naturally inclined toward extremes. How has this influenced your approach to music over the years?

Well, we’ve touched on this earlier, however I can try to describe how I personally see myself as a person, or when I reflect on my life and decisions, my past decisions, let’s say, from an outside perspective. From a personality standpoint, I’ve never been someone of extremes. For example, because of my education and background as a physical therapist, I’ve always had a strong interest in the biomechanics of the body and sports in general. So, I’ve always been very active, and I’m still training five or six times a week. I’m always in hotel gyms, exercising a lot and experimenting with different types of training. I’m still very interested in it. But when I talk about this, it might sound extreme, like working out five or six times a week. But the way I do it is not extreme at all. I’d never consider participating in something like a competition. I’ve done a lot of CrossFit in the last few years, but I’d never think about entering a CrossFit competition or a marathon because that’s way too extreme for me. To be part of that, I’d have to push my body to its limits, and beyond, and that’s just not my personality. I like to keep it cool.

I approach training in a very indifferent way. I get that doing the same thing over and over doesn’t make sense, but I also understand that constantly changing your workout style every week doesn’t make sense either. I get that never going for a run probably isn’t the best idea because we’re born to run and to move. But in my personal view, running a marathon also doesn’t make sense. That’s just how my brain works for some reason. I don’t like things that are too hot or too cold. I’m always trying to find balance in between. It’s the old yin and yang philosophy, which I really gravitate towards.

Your music often carries a haunting, melancholic undertone. How do you balance this mood with the driving energy of techno?

It can be really tricky. What comes to mind when you ask this question is, for example, when I find myself at a gig, going to a club where I don't really know what to expect that night. Maybe I don’t know the lineup or who’s playing before or after me. Let’s say it’s a promoter I’ve never worked with, a club I’ve never been to, and a city I might never have visited before. So, I get there knowing I’ll play a set, and let’s say it’s a rough, hot techno night. For some reason, I end up on the lineup, and it doesn't really make sense, but it is what it is. I have to do my thing. So I think to myself, how can I approach this? Obviously, I’m going to add a few more BPMs and play what I usually play, but I’ll go through my old roster of tracks. I’d probably pick the more techno-oriented ones, but they’ll still have my DNA. It’ll still sound different for a hard techno crowd. But in adapting towards that within my parameters, there are little things that might be the key to connecting with the crowd.

Let’s say it’s not just a softening techno track, but there’s also a little melody in there. A techno crowd, used to more functional sounds, can still relate to it because it’s not too obvious or cheesy, it’s not something they’d turn away from, thinking, 'We’re not at a pop party tonight; we came to a techno club, so don’t go soft on us.' But they’ll get it, they’ll understand the melancholy, the industrial approach of the track. They’ll hear that it’s actually spanning, but in a more moderate way, without losing its darkness or energy. It’s just its own way. That’s how I try to balance things out for example, and interestingly, it usually works. It’s rare that I can’t connect with a crowd.

With Indifferent, was there a particular audience or environment you envisioned it being played in?

Not really, but I wanted to expand the realm I had already created by speaking to myself, making it even more, let's say, coherent.

What does balance mean to you in music, and how did you embody this within the album’s production?

The whole concept of indifference, yin and yang, and being a person of grey tones, just embracing and appreciating those mixed colour grades, rather than being on the extreme ends of the spectrum. That’s exactly what I was aiming for with the album, not to be too introverted or experimental, but also not trying to make a full-on hard techno album all of a sudden. Maybe some people would think that would be exciting, but for me, it would be too much if I completely felt that way and decided, 'Okay, I want to make a hard techno album.' If it happened organically, if I was truly on that ride and enjoying it, then it would be completely fine. It would actually be great.

What's next now the album is done?

It’s another release week for me, with two tracks out on Habitat; the new label from Mind Against. They’ve been my close colleagues and friends since the very beginning of our careers. These two tracks are definitely more dancefloor-oriented than the album. Although the album itself was still quite dancefloor-focused, from my personal approach, these tracks are even more energetic within my parameters. I also have a few collaborations going on, but as I mentioned, a lot has happened recently with the album releases and everything. So I feel like I need to take a bit of a break from my creativity to reset.

I’m also really looking forward to my India tour where I'll be playing in Bangalore at Echoes of Earth on the 7th of Dec and in Goa at Raeeth on Dec 8th

Recondite’s “Indifferent” is out now on his Plangent RecordsGrab it here - https://www.beatport.com/release/indifferent/4758665