CRYME steps to the plate with an hour of deep and dubby goodness, following the release of his recent “7th Element” EP on Oddysee.
CRYME has been on our radar for quite some time. The Berlin-based artist has been making waves with his signature blend of dubby and rolling house goodness. He’s also one of the founders of SEVEN, a queer and FLINTA* leaning record label and store. After connecting with Lucas last August, we’re delighted to hear he was keen to work on a release for our label. 7th Element was born not long after and we couldn’t be happier with how it turned out!
To mark the occasion, we asked him to contribute to our mix series and picked his mind about the new release and things to come. Indulge below.
Hi CRYME, good to have you with us today! I would like to start by giving you a massive shout out for providing the third EP on our Oddysee label. How’s things in Berlin and how have you experienced the feedback on ODDY003 so far?
Hey! First of all I want to thank you guys for giving me a platform to release my music. I really appreciate it. Things are really bright in Berlin (literally, Spring is coming!) everyone is outside with a big smile on their faces. The feedback is crazy on ODDY003, a lot of artists & friends texted me and said what a banger EP “7th Element” is. Also to see people supporting it in their mixes and gigs feels amazing.
It’s been a real pleasure working with you on this release. What can you tell us about the particular tracks featured on the EP?
Yes, likewise! So each track is quite unique. There are stripped back grooves on the release, and also some serious peak time tools. But in the end they are all related to each other in some ways. The A-side is more a serious club side and the B-side is more a dreamy tech house dub infused vibe.
In the process of creating this EP, it came to my attention that you’ve a very steady output of seriously hot tunes. Can you tell us a little about your process in the studio and what kind of things inspire your creative process?
Yes that is true, I am on the more prolific end of producing lol. I’m so lucky to have a lovely studio at home which I love working in but also I can work anywhere. I think only 20% of my work is done in the studio, the rest is on the bus, train, plane, back of cars and hotel bedrooms. Producing is my addiction so I am always doing it – could be a lot worse lol. I get inspiration often from my surroundings which is why I love to produce whilst touring. I’m just finishing a trip to Ibiza with my partner (Glenn) and our close friends Rachel Noon, Moody Mehran & Andre Zimmer, and I’ve been producing all week there and the music that is coming out has a unique vibe from being connected to nature here..
You’re also one of the co-founders of SEVEN – a multifaceted Queer and FLINTA* leaning platform that is about to open a record store in Berlin. How did the idea of opening a record store come about and what can we expect to find in the store creatively and curation wise?
Thinking back I can’t remember the day we decided that, I just remember looking for new office space that had a space that could be a store. Record stores are such an important part of our scene and there is nothing better than actually meeting someone who is buying your music or the music from a friend so I think that was part of it. It’s taken a lot longer than we thought to get the store ready for opening but I think it will be worth it. You only get one chance to make a first impression so it’s important for us to really carefully curate the music and experience there so we’ve been taking our time.
Next to the implacable SEVEN label, you recently introduced the A.2AUM sublabel. What can you tell us about this new addition to SEVEN fold and what is there to expect in the coming months?
Yes so the idea behind A.2AUM was to provide a platform not just only for house or techno, but more focused on more electronic music. More for the heads. There are so many really talented artists out there that we want to support so I am really excited about that.
What can you tell us about this mix you’ve put together for us? How did you approach it, what kind of energy can we expect and are there any special tracks in there you would like to mention?
I really love how this mix turned out. It’s got some of my favourite old school tracks, some new stuff from friends and a good sprinkling of some of my own upcoming and unreleased tracks.
What else are you working on and where can we catch you playing in the not so distant future?
I will be at FEEL Festival again this year and I’m really looking forward to a Pornceptual gig at LoFi in Amsterdam as well. And I am super excited about a party we are hosting with Tilt, Layers, MAS, Mitmischen and RoomTrax on 1st May in Berlin which is our big local holiday.. The more I develop in my career the more I am realising that while I still love DJ’ing, I think my even bigger passion is producing, so I am being a bit more selective with the events and trying to focus my energy on the ones that are really special.
