He is running one of the most popular deep house projects today while also been a respected producer and outstanding DJ in the community. My summer this year started with Fusion Festival, where Mladen Solomun kicked off in the afternoon on the first day. An army existing out of a couple thousand people, a mishmash of hippies, clubbers, in-crowd and loonies were all dancing to his relentlessly pounding grooves, giving you little time to relax your muscles, let alone getting a new beer at the bar. This Hamburg-based, but Bosnian-rooted is on a quest to conquer a bigger and bigger slice of the growing dance music community. Together with a small league of like-minded but diverse artists he is spreading the contemporary deep house sound.
After his hectic summer schedule with residencies in Ibiza, managing his own club in Hamburg and touring the world as a sought-after artist he could have a bit of a breather before Diynamic’s ADE Special at Loveland. Two weeks before ADE we saw the perfect opportunity to catch up with the affable jack-of-all-trades.
Hey Mladen! Since we missed each other at Fusion festival I still wanted to ask you about your experience of playing over there?
Playing Fusion Festival is always a super special thing. Because it’s a one of a kind festival, for me arguably the best festival in the world. And I have played there lots of years, so it came from my heart to play there. Next to that I played the Opening of the Turmbühne, one of the key stages at the festival, and it was pure magical. Because the dance floor was near-empty before I started, then I started playing and in a few minutes there were thousands of people dancing. I loved it.
How do you see Diynamic’s role in today’s dance music scene as compared to other major imprints?
I don’t know, for me it’s a long long process … as a label which consists of so many amazing artists it’s always a process. And this is what it’s all about I think. Not laying back and being happy, no, always exploring new territories, new sound, new things. Soon there’s gonna be a various artists compilation all with new artists who haven’t released yet, so we add some new blood to the label.
What is the greatest lesson you have ever learned from a fellow artist?
What I learned from different great artists that I really respect without saying names is, that you always have to be true to you. At the end of the day that’s the most important thing as an artist I think. Sounds easy and expected, I know, but it’s just true and actually not easy at all to achieve!
Have your Bosnia-Herzegovinian roots and the Balkan music from that region had any influence on the way you make music today?
Maybe yes, I grew up with this kind of music, with folk music from the Balkan and also with pop music from that region. And I don’t know if this is influencing my productions but of course it is influencing my dancing style, haha.
Can you give an example of a track of yours where some of these influences are heard?
No, I think that’s not possible. Maybe a little bit the melancholic vibes that some of my tracks have. You know at Balkan the artists deal with big emotions like love, life and death, I guess some of my productions also have this vibe a bit. But there’s one older track of mine it’s called “Beauty and the beast”, there I sampled some Balkan footage. And of course the remix I did for Claude vonStroke with a more Arabic scale, so not Balkan, but kind of folk approach.
Is Diynamic still an underground label in your opinion?
Diynamic is releasing underground music with a wide spread variety of artists and styles. So yes. And only because you reach more people doesn’t necessarily mean you are not underground no more? I don’t think so.
This summer you have released a remix of Lana Del Rey’s ‘West Coast’. Could you tell a little bit about how this project initially started?
The manager of Lana reached out to my manager and I loved the vocals of the track, so it was an easy thing to do. Like all other major labels also Universal had problems to deliver the remix at the right time to all territories so I got loads of messages from people who wanted to buy the track but couldn’t. So that’s why I am thinking about to re-release it again on 2DIY4, because I think it could be worth it.
Is there any new talent signed to the label that we need to look out for in the near future?
That new various artists compilation is gonna be out at the end of October with 16 pretty much unknown new artists. Some fresh blood for us and I already played lots of the tracks during the summer and it’s gonna be huge. I cannot name all of them but just to name a few which we are working also on a EP on Diynamic is Night Talk, Undercatt and Roberto Calzetta & Twin Soul.
With ADE coming up, what have you got in store for the crowd here, any upcoming releases that you we can hear at the DIynamic Showcase at Loveland?
It’s gonna be the biggest Diynamic event during ADE ever. The whole label is gonna be there and we gonna do the party at this amazing location on 3 floors, so all of us are super excited to come to Amsterdam. Besides that Amsterdam had always been one of our favourite places, since it was pretty much the first place outside of Germany where people were dancing to Diynamic.
Have you got anything planned to see or do in Amsterdam during your free on ADE?
I always try to spend there a few days also to check out the city. Because Amsterdam is one of the most beautiful cities that I know in the world, so always worth staying a little longer. You can just walk around the whole day and always see nice things.
And which Diynamic release dates do we need to put in our agendas?
06.10. Adriatique EP ‘Rollox’, 27.10. the VA compilation called ‘Vombel’!
What’s the best for way for you to relax after you’re done with a busy gig schedule?
Eating, watching TV shows on my laptop and having some walks outside and sleeping haha.
