Elif: I have always been in love with music

It's been a rather prolific start to the year for Turkish producer Elif. Following the critically acclaimed release of her remix of Husa & Zeyada's A Little Fun on IAMHER at the beginning of February, the Barcelona-based talent now unveils her first full-length package of 2023, with the announcement of her mesmerising new three-track EP, Letting Go, on Stil Vor Talent. Out now, Letting Go marks Elif's eagerly anticipated return to the long-standing German imprint, following her contributions to the Stil Vor Talent 300 VA back in 2021 with Juno and the label's 15 Years VA compilation with Entanglement back in 2020. We sat down with her to find out more.
— Hello Elif, and thanks for taking the time to chat to us. How are you?
— My pleasure. I'm good. Thanks for having me.
— Where in the world are you right now?
— I'm in Dubai, flying back home to Barcelona in a few hours.
— Massive congratulations on your huge new 'Letting Go' EP on Stil Vor Talent. Can you talk to us through the release?
— Thanks so much. It consists of 3 tracks. 2 of them are collaborations and I also have an original. First track is a collaboration with Stil & Bense, German DJ & Producer duo, who I've actually never met in person. I have been playing their music in my shows and we remotely worked on 'Let Go' together.

Second track - Somber- is a collaboration with Gespona, is one of my favorite producers and we have more projects and collaborations together. We made the track after playing in Amman together 1 year ago.

Last track is called 'On my Own' and I think the name is pretty self explanatory. The EP title is Letting Go and for me it symbolizes a period of my life where I had to learn to let go and find my power on my own instead of holding on to the things that does not serve me.
— How did you connect with Stil Vor Talent for this project? Do you have a long history with the label?
— I believe I sent the first two tracks to Oliver Koletzki around one year ago and I was not in a rush to release anything and he also wanted me to make a 3-track EP so I took my time. With my touring schedule last year I hardly find time to sit down and produce. I also had to move from Istanbul to Barcelona and was in the middle of changing agencies and the way I work, so took all the time I need to find the inspiration to finish the third track.

I do have a rather longer history with the label yes. I consider Oliver like a brother/father since some years. I have released 2 tracks on SVT on two compilations, Entanglement and Juno; but never had my own EP. I also have been represented by Stil Vor Talent booking agency in Germany and Austria. I play the big showcases and I'm very happy to be part of the family.
— Going back to your formative years, can you explain when and how you fell in love with electronic music? Was there a particular moment when the penny dropped?
— I have always been in love with music. But I think I discovered electronic music rather later, around the time Them Yorke started experimenting with it probably. I have listened to many different genres growing up and electronic music started to become a part of life around my late twenties. I remember I was super into indie rock and Solomun was making amazing remixes of some of my favorite bands like Foals.

Around that time I also started going out to clubs. I was going to Indigo every weekend and listening to amazing DJs. Before I owned any gear I was making mixtapes and uploading them to Soundcloud, many years ago, so when I started getting interested into electronic music I had to learn how to mix.
— What music (or artists) have played the biggest role in shaping you as an artist?
— I can not forget listening to Mira in Kater Blau, listening to this powerful woman, and saying to myself I want to and I can do this too. Representation is very important.
— How would you describe your sound, and why did you choose to pursue your particular brand electronic music over other styles? What is it about the genre that you love so much?
— I am having a hard time describing my sound or naming a one particular genre. I feel I can be very versatile. It may not be very marketable but I do like to play different music for different occasions. I love playing a daytime party on the beach as much as I love playing a dark night club or a warehouse or a sunrise set in a festival and I will adapt my sound. I love to mix things up and for me the more important thing is I enjoy the music I play and it fits the environment. There is so much good music out there.
— Looking forwards, do you have any specific goals or objectives you would like to achieve as an artist over the next few years?
— I am working on launching my own label and with it I would love to support and bring together an amazing generation of artists.
— If you could put on your own show anywhere in the world, where would it be and who would you have joined you on the lineup?
— Ah that's a very good question. I would have a few stages with non stop music, indoor and outdoor options and different vibes and genres.
I guess I would need at least a weekend to have my favorite people on that line up.As Turkish would be amazing to chose a beautiful location in Turkey like Cappadocia but now it's very popular :)

Machu Picchu in Peru could also be very nice.

Now I want to plan it :) I am getting excited over an imaginary festival thank you for this question ahah
— Where can we see you perform over the coming months? Any big tours planned?
— I feel like I am always on tour. Last year was a non stop tour and this year I'm taking things a bit slower - 1 show per weekend instead of 3/4- at the beginning, with the move and rebuilding my studio in Barcelona but I love playing music and I'm happy to do It every weekend so my life is a constant tour. I love being on the road too. It makes coming back home so much more fun<3

I have Germany, Turkey, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Holland, Winter Music Week in Miami, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Monastery In Mexico, Switzerland, Spain, Slovakia, Lightning in a bottle, Extrema, Ibiza and prob lots more coming.
— Finally, do you have any other projects coming up soon that you'd like to share with us?
— This one I already replied above, I am working on launching my label.
— Thank you Elif, we wish you all the best!