Formula Indie Sessions _ Interview with En Derin
What is your earliest memory connected to music?
My earliest memory to music is from the cassette days, when Urban songs used to play on the radio and I used to record them on tape so I could listen to them anytime I wanted. I was around 7 years old back then. Come to think of it, it’s crazy how some people take modern platforms like YouTube and Spotify for granted nowadays.
How did your passion for creating music begin?
It was my 10th Birthday in the year 2000 when my parents bought me a musical keyboard. I had downloaded FruityLoops (FL Studio) version 4 on my PC and started making beats. It took a while to figure things out because there were no video tutorials available back then but I always stuck to FL Studio and continue to use it to this day.
What’s the story behind your current music project?
Matt U Johnson and I were speaking about music and had the idea of making two remixes for his Vybz track to add a new flavour to the song. The week we released it, both versions had over 100,000 streams on YouTube. We were also lucky to have our artist friend JA Lena and supermodel friend April Jackson take part in the video.
How would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard your music before?
My sound is Urban, birthed out of the UK Grime culture, but then blended with Turkish Hip Hop, Dancehall, and EDM. I helped spearhead a lot of styles within those genres. My sound is unique and diverse.
What is one thing you’ve learned that completely changed the way you make music?
I learned to dedicate more time to a single project. To be professional, it requires chiselling away on the sound to turn it into the best possible version of itself, like a sculpture. For example, sometimes I could take days just on the mastering process, listening to the track on 10+ different speakers and headphones and looking out for areas to improve the sound.
What tools, instruments, or software are essential in your creative process?
My go to DAW is FL Studio, I couldn’t produce, mix, and master the way I do on other software even though I have experience with most of them. In terms of sounds, I like to prioritise the bass and vocals first. The habit likely comes from the Grime culture where grimey basslines are often the core of most tracks.
Which indie artist or song are you loving right now?
In the Turkish rap scene I like the songs Lauda is making. In UK Grime, I enjoy Tempa T’s songs. And in Dancehall, Shane O is a great independent artist in my opinion. And of course, in the USA, I think my Matt U Johnson will go very far.
How have your personal experiences influenced your music and artistic vision?
I grew up in the housing estates of London, the things I saw and experienced influenced a lot of my music and artistic vision initially.
What emotions or messages do you hope listeners take from your work?
Currently, I either want to make listeners feel good or have a spiritual connection through my music. I feel like the less ego the better for my music, nevertheless there will almost always be some level ego in music no matter how humble one tries to be. So it’s a challenge of keeping a balance.
What’s the most important lesson music has taught you so far?
I couldn’t pinpoint one lesson because it’s taught me too many. I’ve been in the industry for almost as early as I can remember. There have been some positive and some negative lessons along the way.
What is a dream venue or festival you would love to perform at?
I’d love to fill up the AT&T Stadium in Texas and do my own concert there some day. It’s one of the biggest venues in the world with a capacity of 80,000.
If you could collaborate with any artist, past or present, who would it be and why?
The main artist from the past I would have loved to work with is Bob Marley. And a present artist is the Marley brothers because they are up keeping their dad’s legacy while adding their own touch at the same time.
Where can our listeners follow and support your music? (Website,Spotify, IG, links)
My official website is https://enderin.net, readers can also connect with me on Instagram via https://instagram.com/derincag
Looking toward the future, what’s your dream for the next chapter of your musical journey?
I have some major collaborations planned, watch this space.
What do you hope listeners will discover about you along the way?
I hope my listeners will discover that my music is a conversation, not a monologue. I’m not only speaking for myself but also for the people who don’t have a voice. When you discover me, you’re also discovering the voice of the voiceless.
