Tim Engelhardt: I'm having lots of fun playing shows

We are happy to welcome another talent to Radio Intense, Tim Engelhardt!

Tim Engelhardt returns to Poker Flat Recordings for the first time since his First Contact release in 2020. In the meantime the German producer and DJ has been gracing other fine labels such as Stil
Vor Talent and Watergate Records, but Poker Flat is delighted to welcome back his distinctive deep and effecting approach to tech
house with his new EP Follow.

Read more below!
— Thanks for talking to us Tim - how have the first few months of the year been for you?
— Hey, thanks for having me. The year has been good to me so far.
— During the pandemic you started working as an engineer - how did this challenge your studio skills?
— That felt very natural, as I was already doing mixdowns for several people on the side and the pandemic felt like a good time to give it more attention.
I have a very convenient, easy-to-recall setup that makes the whole process very intuitive and less time-consuming than other approaches.
— Were there any specific bits of studio gear you discovered during this time that you enjoyed working with?
— I got really into modular synths especially. A lot of my extra time went into researching the format and figuring out the best way it will work for me.
— You also put out some sample packs correct? Is that something that had always been an ambition?
— I started doing them for myself a few years ago and figured there was some potential there. I'll continuously explore that area more.
— Do you tend to work with samples in your own productions?
— Sure, for certain sounds that are harder to source, e.g. exotic instruments, I'm working with samples a lot.
— In the pandemic there was some talk about potential changes to the industry. Now we are on the other side of it - to some degree - do you think anything has really changed?
— There are certain things that have changed, in my opinion to the better, e.g. the industry has become a bit less cis male dominated, more open and accepting. Some of the other talk has faded, e.g. booking more local artists vs high profile artists, which is natural given economic consequences of these actions for promoters, venues and other involved parties. There is very little incentive currently for them to move in that direction - which may or may not be there in the future.
— Personally, how easy has it been for you to get back into the habit of touring?
— When I had my first post-pandemic gig, it definitely evoked a familiar feeling but still needed a few gigs to adjust properly. Now, it feels very natural again and I'm having lots of fun playing shows.
— It's been a couple of years since you last released on Poker Flat, how does it feel to be back?
— It's my first original work on the label in a while, which I have been planning for two years. My Poker Flat releases do feel very much like returning home for me, so I intentionally delivered something special that I have been working for a longer time and people were really receiving well at shows.
— Was Follow inspired by anything in particular?
— Follow has been written during a time, where I was especially interested in layering midi patterns and triggering one synth with many patterns at the same time. That strategy tends to result in chaotic musical sequences, yet there's a range where this actually results in very engaging, seemingly never-ending patterns. This was the
approach I used on Follow as well, the main theme of the track is actually 3 musical sequences that are all being played by the same synth, at the same time.

The initial sketch of it was done in around 3 hours, I kept working on updated versions, only to eventually return to the first version again and fix just a few minor issues. To me, Follow also represents the power of letting go of something and preserving the idea that was there in the first place.
— What else should we be looking out for from you this year?
— There's the story that's unfolding for our newly-founded artist collective & label Scenarios, which I work on with Maga, Sean Doron, Yulia Niko and Emanuel Satie.
— Finally, is there any record that you've heard over the last couple of years that should have been huge, but that was missed due to lack of club play?
— Countless ones. I'm always on the lookout for these kind of tracks, so I can give them the club exposure :)