Juno Daily: In The Mix – Innershades plus Q&A: “Maybe it’s Belgium’s complexity that drives us to make this type of music”

Current resident of techno mecca Fuse in Brussels spoils us with our own exclusive mix

The Belgian trance-dance master talks us through his process and influences, in light of his recent ‘Deviation’ EP

Innershades’ brand of entrancing deep house is the kind that can never fail at igniting dancefloors the world over. Both melancholy and upbeat, the Belgian producer opts for something more than just simple tool music, always getting at the dance’s more moving subtexts.

He’s always locked that combo down, whether that be via his residency at Brussels nightclub Fuse, or his releases on a seemingly endless array of underground labels, like Creme Organization, EYA and his own co-curated outfit Altered Circuits.

His first EP for 2022 (given his yearly track record, we doubt it’ll be his last) is ‘Deviation’, marking his debut for London-based label Cartulis. We caught up with Innershades for the lowdown, and in return he treated us to a special In The Mix session…

Of all the tracks on the EP, ‘Electro Emotions’ might best represent your style, being a great combination of syncopated synths and strings laid to an electro beat. Why do you prioritise overt emotion like this in your music? Have you noticed a difference in crowd responses at your DJ sets when playing that kind of sound, compared to more hard-edged dance music?

I like to layer the directness of club music – and what one would generally associate with that: straight rhythms, high energy, euphoria – with more intricate emotions. Evoking those feelings is the most important part of music for me.

One way to achieve that is through melody : when I make music I always try to write a melody that works for me, one that touches and moves me, first. I start off from there and then I write the whole track around it.

The same goes for my DJ sets. I don’t play a lot of hard-edged music, I tend to always pack my bag with tracks that have a lot of good melodies: tracks that will affect people and are still functional for the floor.

Why do you think dance music from Brussels is so emotive in general? There’s a lot of trance in the city, for example, and  we certainly don’t have anywhere near same level of emotion in our club sounds here in the UK…  

Those not familiar with this type of sound might find a nice introduction through the “The Sound Of Belgium” documentary. Once you have seen it, you’ll get a better idea of why our music is so emotive. Belgium has a rich musical history and was a bit ahead of the times at certain points – electronic music wise definitely at the end of the eighties and the beginning of the nineties. Maybe It’s also the complexity of the country that drives us to make this type of music.

I was influenced by a lot of the early new beat labels: R&S, Antler, Target Records, Dance Opera… just to name some of the bigger ones. The music they released contained a very emotional component. 

I’m also obsessed with early CJ Bolland and Joey Beltram stuff: for me that’s some of the best music ever made. Their tracks were a really big inspiration for me.

What hardware / software are you using to generate some of the acid sounds, bells and other great melodious parts we hear on this EP?

I just use a bit of everything at the moment – whatever takes me to the sound I want to make or hear. For the Deviation EP on Cartulis specifically, I used a lot of Roland gear: the Alpha Juno II, the Juno 160, the SH-101, the Roland D-50… combined with some Roland generated drum sounds of course.

How did you link up with Mutado Pintado?

Unai from Cartulis had the idea for the vocals and he made it all happen! A big thank you to him, and of course to Mutado as well for doing those vocals.

What can we expect from you next, and where can we catch you playing soon?

I have a few gigs confirmed in Italy, Germany, France, the UK, Belgium, … The nightlife lockdowns seem to be disappearing everywhere and I am happy to see my agenda filling up nicely. On the 18th of February the Belgian clubs reopened, and I was able to play my residency spot at Fuse in Brussels that night. It felt good to be back: I enjoy the sets over there a lot! Production wise I’m talking to some labels at the moment and I’m also planning another EP on “Altered Circuits”, the label I launched with my longtime friend Mathias last year. My “Faith of the Misbelievers” EP was the first record we released. The second EP will be taken care of by Polarius, an alias of Danny Wolfers (best known as Legowelt), and the third one will be by DMX Krew. We are very much looking forward to getting those to the stores, but with the delays at the pressing plants everywhere, we have to have some patience.