Maxim Meyer-Horn

30 Mar 2023
Music

Trym: “I Want to Write a New Page of My Chapter With Every Production I Make”

When we want to take a break from reality to feel completely free, we often seek out techno parties, and let’s face it: the Belgian scene is doing incredibly well with the likes of Charlotte De Witte and Amelie Lens. French DJ Trym is also among our absolute favorites these days and recently released his new EP ‘Trinity’ via EXHALE, Amelie Lens’ label. We talked to him about this new project, looked ahead to the summer, and discussed his friendship with our former digital cover star Amelie Lens.

First of all, we want to congratulate you on your new EP Trinity. How do you approach the production of a song?

I don’t really have a specific idea in my head. I always start from a feeling or emotion, which I try to translate into a melody or production. It depends on my mood of the day and what I have experienced in general. I just open my computer and let my mind take over. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.

Which emotion or feeling was the starting point for Trinity?

It’s difficult to say, but I wanted to play with voices and have good vocals on a track. I also wanted to look into the future and guide towards the projects for the future. I want to play more with melodies and voices. I find it difficult to describe my own music, but I know that I love working with vocals and combining them with a good melody. I want to take the listener on a journey when they close their eyes.

Techno is a genre that evolves and changes a lot. Do your colleagues easily inspire you?

I always admire what the others do and try to catch their sets. At the same time, I’m very focused on my own music and my own sound to create my own identity. I don’t necessarily try to follow trends or what others do, but always listen to my heart and gut feeling. Every time I open my computer to make music, I make sounds how I want them to sound and what I feel at that moment. That process can go fast but can also take a long time. I want to try something new every time I work on a new song because I want to surprise people by using new instruments and elements. I want to write a new page of my chapter with every production I make to tell my story.

As a DJ, you play in different settings. How do you adapt your set to a location or occasion?

It may sound a bit weird, but in every single show I do—even if I do 12 or more shows a month—I never do the same set and play the same tracks. Let’s say that in a set of two hours, I play 65 tracks, including some bangers that are known by everyone and keep the audience happy. Around these known tracks, I try to introduce new music and look for new sounds on YouTube, Beatport, and SoundCloud … With every set I do, I want to bring something new.

There’s, of course, a big difference between playing a set in a club or in front of 10k people at a festival. I don’t necessarily play the same kind of songs or use the same structures. My sets during the festivals in the summer are definitely different. When I play at a club, I do my research before the show to see who’s before and after me, what time my set is, and what the configuration of the club is. There’s also a big difference between cities and countries. I try to be different every single time and keep it fresh so people have the best time ever.

Do you feel a big difference between playing at a festival where you are one of many artists and doing an all-night-long set?

Oh yes, that’s quite the opposite of one other. You’re more limited when you only have an hour or an hour and a half. During shorter sets, it’s more difficult to express what you have in mind, your world, and your identity. We developed the all-night-long concept a year ago. In six to eight hours, I really have the opportunity to share all kinds of sounds that I appreciate. You have the time to construct something coherent and specific, which makes it easier to take people with you in your world. It also feels more intimate and vulnerable. The all-night-long concept is my favorite format, even though it’s way more intense and demands a lot of preparation. You have to do research and crave to put something together that leaves people stunned. So to answer the question: it’s different on many levels. There’s not one necessarily better than the other, and I like to do both.

Is there one specific setting that you prefer?

If you had asked me this question two years ago, I would have said that I prefer playing at festivals. With time passing, and still being quite new to the scene, I really started to appreciate playing at clubs. Sometimes, in clubs with a capacity of 200-300 people, you can have a euphoria in a room that can’t be matched by a festival crowd. I don’t have a big preference for a specific setting because I love doing both. I just know that you feel there’s good energy at the festivals during the summer months.

To give a specific example, at the DOUR Festival last summer, the end of the set was just magical. I had a one-hour set, which went by very fast but was very intense. I played “Désenchantée” by Mylene Farmer and over 15.000 people sang the song at the top of their lungs. It gave me a special feeling, and I felt a lot of pride that I could create such a moment for so many people. I also have a very good memory of playing in German cities like Augsburg and Karlsruhe, where people go crazy.

You’re returning to the DOUR Festival next summer. Is it one of your highlights of the summer because the crowd is so big and the stage is enormous?

I have to admit: the three giant led screens are impressive. When I played there last year, it was so massive and crazy. I haven’t done too many festivals so far, so it’s difficult to compare or already have an absolute favorite, but for now, DOUR is one of the coolest festivals I have done.

You’ve collaborated with our Belgian pride Amelie Lens a couple of times. How did you meet?

I’ve never met her physically, but three-four years ago, I DM’ed her my track, “Millenium Pain”, on Instagram and she responded. Since then, we exchanged a lot about music and the DJ life. She’s a very sincere person, who has an undeniable love for techno. She’s a real example for me and the whole scene because it’s inspiring to see how she build such a career in such a short time. What she contributes to techno as a DJ and with EXHALE is incredible. I’m super excited and honored that I got to release this EP via her label EXHALE, especially with a remix of her of my own song. That’s an absolute achievement for me. I truly hope that this is just the beginning of many more collaborations. I can never thank her enough for all the opportunities she gave me.

Trym will be playing DOUR Festival on Friday, July 14. 

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