Interview #14 : SKYLAB
It has been a few months since we’ve been following Skylab, that we post every one of their new releases, thank to their Youtube channel, and more the time passes by, and more we think to ourselves that we don’t know anything about these guys. Except the fact that there is many of them, seeing the use of « we » on their facebook page, or that they went around Ibiza … So few things we knew about the group, so we decided to ask them a couple of questions, that they accepted to answer.
1. We know absolutely nothing about you guys, can you briefly introduce yourselves ? How many of you are there, how are you guys called, how old are you and where are you from ?
SKYLAB was formed in 2010 by three producers from Amsterdam. Today we are a growing collective, of which DJ Dave Diepenveen does the live-performances.
2. We only know you from this logo with several squares, what does it represent exactly ? When will we be able to see your faces ?
The logo itself is pretty obvious once you take a look at the intro ofvideos. You will notice the letter S first and then the L which connects and completes the logo. SL = SKYLAB. You can be sure that there is more symbolism in the logo than that, but that will reveal itself in the future.
3. In your bios aswell as in general, you guys mention space a lot, why is that ?
SKYLAB is named after the NASA space station in the 70′s. Unfortunately it crashed back to earth at one point, but it’s energy and spirit is still outtthere. We use frequencies from earth, but also out of space. SKYLAB has a co-operation with the TU-university of Delft (Netherlands) to convert certain soundwaves out of space into our sound. Recently, one of our tracks was played by Dutch astronaut Andre Kuipers, in the ISS Space Station. Therefore, one of our big ambitions; having our music played in space, is already reality. We are also inspired by the fact, that soundwaves basically travel forever. In our lab, we blend several soundwaves into our sound, where we emphasise on 70′s and 80′s disco and funk.
« One of our big ambitions; having our music played in space, is already reality. »
4. What made you guys wanna produce house music ? Have you ever thought about producing another style ?
From our youth, we have always been into deep funk, disco and hiphop grooves. It was only from when guys like Daft Punk and Cassius came around, that we got interested in ‘house-music’. We prefer to use the term Hypnofunk however for our sound. If you listen to the song CYANIDE, you will notice that it is actually not house-music.
5. A month ago, you published some sort of mystical trailer called « Homebase ». It looks like it’s gonna be a future EP, isn’t it ? Could you give us more info about that ?
Homebase gives you a peek into our world, but also a few of our new tunes. We might do an EP in the near future, but right now we are focussing on a mixtape which will be out very soon now. Maybe by the time you post this interview, it will already be available.
6. What have you guys prepared for this end of year ? And for the future in general ?
First off, we will finish our mixtape. Also we have some new material we will most likely post on our Youtube-channel soon. Stay tuned for those! Big plans are there for our future live-sets as well. We see no limits in what we can do in the entertainment industry. We are working hard every day on our music, but also to expand our network and we see our collective growing. Our ambition is to do stuff that some say is impossible. At least we want to take our followers away from every day life, into a world where there are no limits such as time and space. For the near future, we have some live-gigs planned in the Netherlands, but also South America. On our Facebook-page we post everything about upcoming gigs
7. Besides making music, aren’t there any other activities/jobs on the side you guys do ?
Right now, SKYLAB is a fulltime thing for most of us. This is where our heart is at.
8. On your Facebook page, there were a few photos about your trip to Ibiza at a F*** me I’m Famous party, or also at a sundeck of ushuaia for a SHM night. However, you don’t produce progressive house like they do, or house music that some call « mainstream ». What do you guys think about this genre of house music ?
We basically love and respect every kind of good music in general. SHM had some amazing stuff upthere in Ibiza which was really good to be around. We don’t really care about the fact whether our music is mainstream or not. The thing is; we take our listeners very serious and we considder them as intelligent people that enjoy the goodlife and are not affraid to dream out loud. Hypnofunk gives you the freedom to take your own trip into the song, instaid of having somebody else decide for you where and when the climax is.
9. Does Ibiza represents something important for you, musically speaking ? What would you say to those who never went there, in terms of music, clubs or atmosphere ?
It has been said before; but it’s true; Ibiza is one big club. The vibe is just amazing if you let it get to you.
10. Top 5 tracks of the moment ?
We prefer to give you a random list of alltime tracks that we like and in some cases inspired us:
1. Demon vs Heartbreaker: You are my high
2. Air : All I need
3. America – Ventura Highway
4. Run DMC – Peter piper
5. Advance – Take me to the top
11. With whom would you dream to collaborate ? And why ?
Good question, but not so easy to answer. Too many to mention i guess, but since we are inspired by acts such as Daft Punk and Cassius, it would be awesome to work with them at one point. But to colaborate with a band like Fatback or a producer like Quincy Jones would be fantastic as well offcourse.
12. Any final words ?
It is special for us to do an interview for a French blog, since we are so inspired by French dance music. We hope to play live in France very soon. Can’t wait!
And for a final word: WE ARE SKYLAB !
FOLLOW SKYLAB :
Thanks : Skylab
Ryan L. & Nico for the translation
