This piece was discovered on Concept By Sound
Acumen is set to release his EP “Ixtapa” on December 8th via Last Night On Earth, the label run by Welsh dj/producer Sasha. When creating a song, the most important thing for Acumen is to convey a feeling. His attraction to melodies is evident on “Ixtapa,” especially on the grooving “Reaching Our Limit” below. Along with the premiere, Acumen talks about his live show, inspirations, and the similarities between pharmacy (another of Acumen’s professions) and music.
Where did the track title come from? The name of the track probably evokes my personality. I like to push the limits of myself in all areas. Whether professional, musical or sports, I like to discover new things every day and live at 100 miles per hour.
How would you describe your sound? I think I'm coming to a time of my life where I'm actually producing what I love. I would say my sound is an alloy of grooves and melodies. I still have trouble making really big sounding techno, even though for once my track Ixtapa sounds pretty raw. I'm proud of it.
Did you have any challenges with this project? No, I didn’t really have a challenge writing these songs. My challenge was to sign on a label as ambitious as Last Night On Earth. This was a great moment for me because I admire Sasha a lot.
What is your live show like? I completely changed my way of performing live. I'm not djing, I'm playing my tracks with different instruments live. I think it's important in this case to not just press play in Ableton and let it play a fully recorded sequence. Whilst I'm busy sequencing drums, machines and other synths, I have a pianist who plays with me and reproduces many parts of our songs. This creates a livelier, random and really fun show.
What is your music inspired by? I have a rather rock influenced past and I was inspired by many bands like The Sex Pistols, The Clash, New Order, INXS, and George Michael. I listened to all kinds of music and I could not live without it.
Can you describe the French nightlife that you were a part of? The French nightlife has constantly changed from year to year but I imagine that this is similar in most countries. There was a big effervescence of nights and raves between 1999 – 2003, it was a really strong period in France, especially in the South where I grew up. I would say after that, France entered a rather hollow period, but now I have the impression that it is really growing once again, especially with the numerous amount of festivals on, at some incredibly unique locations. There is also Paris, which being from the South, is not my favorite city. But let's be honest, on an event, culture and clubbing level, Paris has nothing to envy when compared to Berlin or Barcelona.
What is the most important thing for you when creating a song? I think the main thing for me is to convey a feeling, which is why I'm very attracted to melodies. I do not have any proper musical training, I'm learning alone and it is hard sometimes (laughs). But I think I'm getting better with age.
What’s the last book you read? I think it's the second episode of Maestra: Domina by L.S. Hilton. It's an erotic thriller that is really well done, I recommend it.
How do you find balance between music and your life? I absolutely need both. I'm not sure that I could only do music. Electronic music is full of temptations to which I have little trouble saying no. I feel totally balanced by having two facets in my life. I'm not very attracted to concert dates anymore, I have a lot more fun to be in my studio with an excellent glass of red wine.
Are there similarities between producing and pharmacy? No, I do not really see any similarities in the two, apart from selling drugs in clubs and pharmacies...(laughs)
Is there an artist you really enjoy at the moment (not featured on the album)? There are a lot of artists I admire to be honest. So many artists whose music makes me totally vibrate. I can quote many but I would say at this time Denis Horvat, Yotam Avni and Fort Romeau.
Are there any people you’d like to collaborate with that you haven’t yet? My hero and one of my first supporters, Laurent Garnier. We live very close together in the South of France. I hope it will be the case one day.
If you didn’t work in music, what would you do? I would have loved to be a top athlete. I would have been professional a squash player.
Pre-Order “Ixtapa” on Beatport