Uner is to Spanish electronic music what the sunset is to Ibiza. After receiving the DJ Awards crown for Best Newcomer last summer, and being partially responsible for the stand out success of ANTS, Ushuaia’s newest and coolest residency last summer, UNER then released his debut album, “Tune 432,” this February on Diynamic. Habitually, someone’s first collection of work, whether it be music, art, literature, is a self portrait, and this seems to be no exception, each track more moving than the last. In a heart to heart exchange, Uner revealed his deeply personal approach to composition. It’s always a breath of fresh air to come across someone who finds creating music so liberating and whose passion is so infectious.
Talk to us about the new album as a whole. Is “TUNE432” a musical representation of you? What was your intention when you set out to create it? The album is what I had 100 percent inside my soul. My intention was simply to make music, enjoy it, and make it as natural as possible. In this case, everything has turned out exactly how I imagined. I'm really satisfied with the result, as from listening to it you get to know me inside out, not just as a musician or DJ. The recording process was almost a year and almost the full album has been composed out of the studio. My idea was to expose myself to the influence of the places I've visited through the months of recording. I've tried to find inspiration on tour and in the different cities I've visited. It’s been an amazing experience.
Tell
us about some of the collaborations on the album – any funny or interesting stories about how they came about? How did you find sharing creative control? I love to work with other musicians. You can find different ways to feel the soul of the music, and I've been blessed enough to work with very inspiring artists on this album. Piek is a good friend of mine, and I met Lazarus some years ago in Berlin and was sure about our collaboration. Then we found Kafele’s amazing soulful voice via YouTube! The feeling with him was simply incredible, and we decided to work on it. Also the history with Negra is great; I was asking on my Facebook wall for some male vocalists when she appeared with this sweet and lovely voice. I thought, “I want to work with this girl!”
“UbM” and “Laderas del Sollube” are my favourites on the album. What was the inspiration behind them? Can you talk us through the process of them? These two are really the most personal tracks. We might say they're the most “me” tracks on the album. As I've mentioned before, the album has been made on the road. “Laderas del Sollube” was composed in Bilbao, after paying a visit to a mountain named “Sollube.” It was a short visit but it has been one of the most inspirational moments I've had. I was able to see a nearby province and the sea, the horizon far away, between two mountains. The impressive vision filled my head with melodies and feelings like you can hear in the track. “UbM” is even more personal, since it was made at home, not in my studio. One day I decided to remain silent on my couch, the sun
coming in through the balcony. It brought feelings of disconnection and relaxation, but at the same time, proximity to life. Once played and programmed on the laptop, post production was made at my studio, to polish off the little details and record the required instruments.
Your personal favourites on the album? Maybe those two, along with Trumpets & Flowers, Surfering and Flying Suns. They're the ones that make me smile the most, but I really love them all the same... They're my 13 children!
Are there any tracks that took a bit longer to perfect? The truth is, there weren't. In fact, I was able to choose from 22 completed tracks. All the surroundings, the travelling, and the people I've worked with on the album have made inspiration and work flow in a very natural way – likewise with the creative process. Even the tracks' melodies and drums have been recorded on the go, without retouching, and the structures were mounted completely live. I wanted it all to be as natural as possible.
You’re known for your enigmatic sets and performances: how did you find the process of locking yourself away and working on and creating a whole album, especially as it’s your first? The most important thing for me is how I wake up in the morning. I need to feel the inspiration. I love being inspired in silence. My creative process is usually very different, because I like producing in completely different places and just use the studio to finish the projects. I like to be on my own, listen to my own sensations, my mind, my vibrations. That’s how I find myself and find the best expression with music. With the album I tried to be myself 300 percent, not thinking about the trendy music of the moment. It was the most inspirational process ever for me. I'm already working on the next one!
As well as DJing you’re developing a “live performance act, an audiovisual concept using state-of-the-art software and hardware to explore your most solid, personal side.” Can you elaborate on this? How much would you say an artist’s personal side influences their performances? I’d say a lot! 90 percent of my gigs are in DJ set format, mixed with Live set, I play my tracks live. But some of them we only make live for special occasions, since it's quite difficult to make the full deployment of hardware, visuals, etc. It's a full story, one hour long, with music and video especially designed for the occasion. As you said, I'm an artist that makes of all his work very personal. I believe that if you can't move yourself on the stage and feel it 100 percent, it will be hard to make the audience feel with you or understand the story you're trying to tell them, both in live or a DJ set.
You won the award for Best Newcomer at DJ Awards 2013. How do you think this has affected your career in the months since? Well, I still sleep on the same side of the bed! Joking aside, an award is always welcome and cheering, but I think that an artist's career can't be founded in a fact but in a group of actions, the most important of them being daily work and effort. I think the press and the clubs pay attention, but an award, if not backed with good work, is useless. In our case, we keep giving it 300 percent. I don't think it's only because of the award, but because we had an amazing year full of work and everything else on top of that.
This summer’s Ibiza line-ups are already starting to be announced. You were a key contender at parties such as ANTS at Ushuaia and Insane at Pacha in 2013. Any idea what you’ll be up to this time round? We'll still have quite a presence on the island, although this year is the right time to focus on a brand and put all our energy into a long term project. Last year we set foot in a big market, and this
year is the right time to get focused and give everything, following just one direction. As soon as we can, we'll give you more info!
UNER's new album, "Tune432," is out on Diynamic now. Buy it here.