Teddy SmilyanovaModeplex is a very well known name among the electronic music scene. He stands out with his personalized and unique sound full of energy and melodies. We have seen him releasing his music with prestigious labels like Steyoyoke, Harabe and Beatfreak Recordings. We catch up with Dave today where he will walk us through the process of making his 2 new original tracks for one of the highly renowned electronic music labels – Beatfreak Recordings as well his future projects.
Hi Dave, how are you and where we find you now?
Hello dear Sweet Music Team. I am very good so far. I had a troubled December but started with fresh energy into 2022. Right now I stay close to my brothers places in south Germany for some day but as far as it looks I will be touring soon again.
How did you come to settle on Modeplex as an artista name?
Ha! One of the big secrets. But what I can tell you, it is a combination of some things I like much.
You have grown up in one of the hottest destinations for electronic music. How did living in Germany influence your music taste and direction?
The electronic music scene in Germany is huge. Not just the different shapes of techno music. All kinds of electronic styled genres. I guess that had a huge influence. Right from my youngest days on I was stealing myself on illegal little rave parties in some old building and locations. So this origin techno spirit which got established in Berlin in the late 80s and early 90s was always around and waved as a huge echo over the whole country and later over the whole globe.
What are your favorite venues to play in Germany?
Actually I love these small and fairy-ish wood festivals a lot. Much effort and wonderfully hand crafted art, areas, decorations and details can be found there. It’s a little sub-cosmos besides this very fast running world. The community there is wonderful, sensible and open for all kinds of weird souls. So if you ever have the chance to go there, do it.
We are premiering your track called “Dilemma”. It is one of the 2 original tracks that you release on the Spanish D-Formation’s imprint Beatfreak Recordings. Could you tell us how did you end up signing them with Beatfreak?
Dimas (known as D-Formation) who is the owner of it, invited me to the Beatfreak rec. Event at ADE in Amsterdam to hang out with him and talk a bit. So I went there and had a fantastic night out there. He pampered me much and took very good care of me and my people. So we became good friends and started working together. That’s it. A fun night in Amsterdam was the start.
What was your inspiration while making “Dilemma” & “Phantom Nova”?
After two three more powerful tracks I felt like doing something more designed. I love good art in the sense of aesthetic. Epic movies with big pictures for example. Stuff like that. So I wanted to make a track about a “Dilemma” which is a very annoying thing if you have ever been in one. A “Dilemma” is always something that comes across with a big decision. And that’s a very good topic for art I thought.
What does your set up look like? Do you prefer physical gear over digital?
I must say it depends. I am more the guy coming from the digital sector because when I started I had pretty much nothing and it was the most cheapest way to start. I can’t say anything else because I was a poor guy that time. So I tried to get the best out of my first cracked vsts and options I had. Also the vsts improved massively in the past years and I started to invest in more solid software and gear. Step by step. Today I use a mixture of both and use much more real analog gear
/vv
On my Instagram I frequently post little live session to get more into this area.
Do you have any favorite artists you are following both in Germany or worldwide?
Many ha! I am a big fan of the recent work and art by Evelynka, David Lindmer, Baime, Jos & Eli, S.One, Ntsha, Paul Anthonee, Erly Tepshi and so many more. I think the whole scene is pulsating and so dynamic. Many fresh artists come up so quickly and a lot amazing music gets shared – And I love to see that.
If you could set up an event of 5 artists and the time table how would it look like?
Ouh that’s so hard. Maybe something like that: Øostil, B Traits, BOg, 8 Kays and Fur Coat! Looks like a proper line up in my eyes. 🙂
What are your future plans and projects and what your followers can expect from you?
My release schedule is quite tight this year. Much music will come up and I am currently working with my team on some bigger tours. Right now the situation in central Europe is still kinda limited but we are very hopeful that this summer 2022 is gonna be super amazing and a little freedom will come back for all of us. Don’t let the rave die!
Thank you for joining us today, Dave! We hope to see you soon in France.
Thanks for having me. I would love to come. It’s been 2-3 years already, since I had the chance to visit to my beloved neighbor France. Looking very forward to come back soon.
Find our more for Beatfreak Recordings & Modeplex