Insight Interview: 4lienetic

We caught up with the amazing 4lienetic recently to talk about his music, his influences and the future. Check out what he had to say below…

Hey 4lienetic, thanks so much for agreeing to an interview. Where are you based? Do you tend to travel a lot, or are you firmly rooted at home?

Its my pleasure Anthony, thank you for the opportunity!

I am based in Mumbai, India. Firmly rooted at home, though there is a possibility that I might be visiting USA and Italy in Jan, 2018. Depends on the Visa Application going through!

Can you recall your first real exposure to music?

The very first times I ever heard music would have to be Bollywood movies. But I really am not a fan of Bollywood music tbh. My dad listens to a lot of old music by Phil Collins, Lionel Richie, Bryan Adams, Rod Stewart. I remember the very first time I heard him playing Backstreet Boys in the car. I still listen to music from the 90s, more than he does. In The Air by Phil Collins, absolute classic. I fell in love with electronic music when I heard deadmau5 for the first time, 6 or 7 years ago I think? Maybe even further back. I’m listening to him right now while answering these questions, in fact! I started listening to a lot of house and dubstep back then and slowly discovered Ambient and Future Garage music when I heard Phaeleh. He’s been one of my biggest inspirations and it’s mostly because of him that you have 4lienetic 😀

How and when did you first begin writing and creating music?

That was about 5 years ago, I had a friend who was a DJ and that really intrigued me. I started looking into his craft and googling how it works, watching a lot of videos, ended up downloading FL Studio and messing around. And I just never stopped messing around haha! (Eventually I did switch to Ableton Live though, I use that today). I made music because I just liked it and everytime I made a track it pushed me to do better. I could see myself improving and I wanted to see how far I could take myself. Still doing the same, and I don’t think I will stop.

How did you decide upon the name 4lienetic?

It’s based from the word ‘alienated’, meaning isolated or lonely. Which is how I felt at the time. I was still figuring out and dealing with a lot of things and it just fit well with me, it seemed to describe me best. ‘4lienetic’ just came to mind when I let that word sit with me for a while. The A was replaced by the 4 to help make my name unique and easy to look up on the internet and I thought I could do something creative with it when I start designing logos. I don’t know how or why me from 5 years ago put so much thought into this but honestly I’m glad I did.

Have you made or released music under any other name?

Nope! It’s always been 4lienetic.

Can you describe your music for us? Is there one particular track or album which you think encapsulates who you are as an artist?

My music is generally very emotional, calm ambient and chillout music. It’s atmospheric with piano being the centerpiece of most of my tracks. For most people that listen to my music I think it helps them relax or sleep, if I’m right. Though, the emotion is what I’ve always focused on. Most tracks and albums have a story behind it. I’d have to pick two EPs that really encapsulate and define me as an artist. One is Lacuna, a 7 track EP I made 2 years ago. The second I released 4 days ago, The Rooftop At 2. I was going through a lot when I made both of those EPs and I tried to channel all of that into these EPs somehow. Lacuna being more focused on my chillout side, and The Rooftop At 2 towards my ambient side.

Have you played live recently? Would you like to do more shows or tours in future? Anything coming up soon you’d like to tell us about?

Actually, there’s a possibility I might play my very first live set really soon, next month!

What have been your biggest influences?

Phaeleh has been a huge influence for me. I love his music and it’s because of him that I got inspired to make music. Apart from him, there’s Burial, Brian Eno, Exist Strategy, Stray Theories, Need a Name. Oh and also deadmau5. He makes a lot of music apart from house music as well, like his 7 EP, Bleed, his remix for HTDA- Ice Age. He’s a creative genius. I can’t count the number of times I’ve had We Never Left by Stray Theories on repeat. One Last Time is a masterpiece. I could go on about these artists all day.

Do you think producing electronic music requires technical or creative skill? Or both?

I think it requires both technical and creative skill, though being skilled creatively weighs heavier than being skilled technically. A less creative track, no matter how good it sounds won’t appeal to the audience the way you’d want it to. You need to be creative enough to define your own sound, be able to make your music be different from the music that’s already out there and you need to be skilled enough technically to make your songs sound the best they can. That would mean more people listen to your songs more often through more mediums. Of course that comes from constant practice.

Do you tend to find the creative process a cathartic or therapeutic experience? Has creating music helped you cope with difficult times in your life?

Yes it has! I have always channeled the hurt and sadness into my music, always tried to channel my emotions into the tracks I make. It helps me remain calm and steady emotionally and it gives me a sense of satisfaction and happiness. And I’m sure this is the way a lot of artists feel as well.

Any collaborations, remixes or joint projects on the horizon?

Yes! Me and Whithe have been working on something for months now, expect music from us real soon.

Any new genres or musical styles you’d like to explore in future?

I haven’t made much of future garage music much which I will do next year. Apart from that I will keep branching out into the different kinds of ambient music and try my hand at them, and get back into making the kind of chill music I used to make 2 years ago. That’s basically the agenda for 2018.

Do you have any thoughts on the future of electronic music? Do you think the scene will evolve further?

Of course it will and we are seeing it happen right now as well with wave music. I feel that electronic music is an ever-evolving scene where tastes and preferences change every so often, largely due to how versatile and diverse it can be. It’s one of the things that intrigues me the most as an artist.

Any new releases coming our way?

Right now, for the end of the year I am just working on some collaborations with other artists. I’ve been waiting to work with them for a long time and the releases are going to be something to look forward to!

Any artists or other individuals / collectives you’ve not worked with yet that you’d like to work with in future?

Maybe this is just wishful thinking but I’d absolutely love a chance to work with Stray Theories. I love his music and he’s been one of the biggest inspirations for me as an artist. I’d also love to work with unforseen sometime. I feel like we could work some magic together!

Do you have a favourite track / song of all time? Favourite artist?

My favourite artist would have to be Phaeleh, of course. I can’t pick one between In The Twilight, and Should Be True. The Cold In You EP is pure gold.

It’s been said that a life in music can be a hard one. Would you agree with that?

I do agree with that. It’s stressful and tiring to be on tour playing shows, from what I’ve heard. I haven’t experienced it yet, though despite it being hard I can only imagine it being a dream. What could be better than living your life off of playing your music to an audience of people who loves it? Sure its exhausting but it’s everything an artist could wish for.

Do you have any words of advice for aspiring young producers?

I’d advise you to never, ever stop or give up. Sure it’ll be hard at times, you’ll feel like you’re making no progress, you’ll feel like your music isn’t good enough but you need to know that we all have been there at one point and we still feel the same way at times. It’s only by judging ourselves and feeling like we can do better that we push ourselves and grow as artists.

Any other projects on the horizon that you’d like to tell us about?

You can expect a future garage EP from me next year sometime 😉

And finally – are there any tracks / artists that are relatively unknown that you’d like people to know about?

My friend Clement, aka Blackbird. He makes absolutely beautiful future garage and ambient music and you absolutely need to check it out.

Thanks so much 4lienetic!

Thank you for having me 🙂

4lienetic’s stunning new EP ‘The Rooftop At 2’, and the rest of his back catalogue, is available here and here.