Bolster: I think we complement each other very well
Today Radio Intense is meeting mighty Bolster.
As two like-minded friends found each other in their love of techno a seed was planted. Nourished by heavy beats and dark fx this seed set out to become one of the biggest trees of the forest that is the Techno scene. The Bolster name was chosen because it perfectly describes how both Jo Smeets and Michaël Aerts felt in their partnership; complementing each other.
We had a chat with rising techno stars about the "Bolster" concept, their experience in the industry and new releases. Check it out below!
As two like-minded friends found each other in their love of techno a seed was planted. Nourished by heavy beats and dark fx this seed set out to become one of the biggest trees of the forest that is the Techno scene. The Bolster name was chosen because it perfectly describes how both Jo Smeets and Michaël Aerts felt in their partnership; complementing each other.
We had a chat with rising techno stars about the "Bolster" concept, their experience in the industry and new releases. Check it out below!
— Hello guys! Thanks for answering these questions. How is everything going for you?
— We are both fine thanks! We are keeping our hopes high for the second part of 2021. Almost dreaming of all things going back to as good as normal towards the summer and beyond. Hopefully the music scene can slowly be revived, and we can all enjoy ourselves again on the dancefloor.
— Let's start from the basics. Who is "Bolster"? What is the original story of the project?
— In 2017 Michael started releasing music under his previous alias Mike Hauls. This music came to Jo's attention through social media as it started gaining support by some pretty big names. We started talking on socials and then suddenly the idea came to get together in the studio to explore the idea of doing a collab. This idea turned out to be very effective and on the second or third studio session we decided to team up as we almost immediately felt we could complement each other very well. Bolster was born in early 2018 and we are excited about what we achieved in what is only a short period of approximately 2,5 years.
— What positive sides of being a DJ/Producer duo can you tell? Have you ever witnessed any difficulties?
— As we said before. I think we complement each other very well. We both have our expertise and we try to trust each other on that. Think of it like a good working company where each employee has its own job. The only difference here is that we are the bosses, and both have veto. We only do what both of us truly want and until now it has not proven to be of any extraordinary difficulty. We also are good friends, so I think that helps a bit as well.
— You are having quite a lot of releases and this is very exciting. How would you describe your typical day in the studio? Any tips you can share?
— A typical day in the studio would consist of:
Muting all disturbing factors like smartphones, tablets, television, or any other things that can get you out of focus easily. Choosing what the purpose of the studio session will be, is also very important. Sound design session, production or mixing. In our experience we get the best results by focusing on one thing at a time. Taking a break every 2 hours to reset your focus and ears is not a bad idea. Maybe one of the most important tips we can give to new producers is that you do not want to focus on trying to sound exactly like a producer you love. It can be a real struggle to come close to certain sound as much is based on sound design and sound design is a lot of experimenting. If you focus too much on sounding like someone else, it can be real frustrating and the outcome of sounding like someone else isn't even good because you want to be unique. It is better to explore your own journey in sound and as you get better with techniques you will eventually create your own sound as everyone has a certain way of working. Do not stress. It takes time and practice like any skill.
Muting all disturbing factors like smartphones, tablets, television, or any other things that can get you out of focus easily. Choosing what the purpose of the studio session will be, is also very important. Sound design session, production or mixing. In our experience we get the best results by focusing on one thing at a time. Taking a break every 2 hours to reset your focus and ears is not a bad idea. Maybe one of the most important tips we can give to new producers is that you do not want to focus on trying to sound exactly like a producer you love. It can be a real struggle to come close to certain sound as much is based on sound design and sound design is a lot of experimenting. If you focus too much on sounding like someone else, it can be real frustrating and the outcome of sounding like someone else isn't even good because you want to be unique. It is better to explore your own journey in sound and as you get better with techniques you will eventually create your own sound as everyone has a certain way of working. Do not stress. It takes time and practice like any skill.
— Your new remix for Dok & Martin's "The Doorbell" will be out soon on Codex. Can you please describe the track?
— We were very pleased to be asked as remixer for this track. Dok & Martin are very well-respected producers in the scene and the original was a huge success. We tried to make a true Bolster Remix. We always try to make a remix which does not fight with the original. In this case we tried to come up with some melodic ideas to blend with the original elements as there is not a lot of melodic content in the original. We implemented a huge break and big climax to make it a real peak time track. We are happy to be a part of the Codex family now and hopefully the people will appreciate our work on this one.
— Do you have any other forthcoming projects in the nearest future?
— We recently started our own label Gravity Records. Up till now it has been a success. We have been receiving great feedback on all releases and many awesome demos keep coming in. As for our own releases on other labels we do not have a lot of things coming up in the immediate short term. We have made a remix for Belgian talented newcomer Bermio which will be out soon on Orange Recordings. Also, on our own imprint Gravity Records we have a remix for KLINES coming out very soon. We do have some unreleased material on the sidelines. But for now we are still undecided which home we want to give to these babies.
— Do you have your ultimate goal in the electronic music industry or you are taking it in a way of "go with the flow"?
— Our main goal is playing at an Awakenings event. We always saw the 'Gashouder' location as one of the top locations to play. That would absolutely be beyond words to describe.
© 2023 Area Verde Music