The Ukraine duo ARTBAT is definitely is making huge waves at the moment. Their tracks are being played by stars like Solomun, Tale of Us and many others. Their awesome workout “Prometheus” was named best track in the Traxsource TOP 200 Progressive House of 2018. And 2019 they start off with a killer release “Upperground” which is topping the charts on Beatport and Traxsource again.
ARTBAT is on fire
They are ubiquitous in the underground scene, of course by their sublime work on Solomun’s global Diynamic imprint. But we should not forget previous releases on Suara and fryhide that had an impact. More and more fans are engaging and discovering their work. ARTBAT’s work is being played at events and festivals around the globe. They are on fire!
Time for a conversation with the ARTBAT duo. Enjoy the long read and music!
Connect with ARTBAT on Soundcloud | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
Hey hey, hope is all well these days?
We are fantastic. Thanks for asking and hope you too. 😉
TGMS: Everything is good with us as well, thank you.
Did you end the 2018 year in style or did you take a break to relax?
We had a fantastic end of 2018 with some incredible shows. Played in Cologne and Berlin, which was off the hook. New Year’s Eve we returned to a very intimate but outstanding venue in Doha called O’Hara. So it was fantastic. Had no time to relax yet as we played 3 more shows since.
Now the time has come to relax for two weeks until we are finally going on a US Tour with 8 gigs.
Let’s look back at 2018? What was your absolute highlight of the year?
Would be difficult to name one highlight. It has been a hell of a year for us with many amazing shows, but also on a releasing side. A definite highlight was to play at the Fusion Festival in Germany, DC10 Ibiza for Circoloco or supporting Deadmau5 on his tour in Turkey. Many great memories. 🙂
And of course, we released new ARTBAT music. “Papillon” on Fryhide and “Planeta” EP on Diynamic were really special for us.
Any downsides?
To be honest, not really. We love touring, we love to see new cultures and also love to be ithe n studio. The only downside might be to be away from home, family and friends more often. But they all support us and have our back.
2019 just started. What are your goals and expectations for next year?
Goals will always stay the same 🙂 We want to share our vision and style with people all around the globe. Nothing motivates us more than happy faces on the dance floor, car, work or home while listening to our music. Obviously, we have a lot in the pipeline on the production and gig side. You will see us playing in cities / countries that we never played before. Kicking off 1st Feb with the first ever US run.
Nothing motivates us more than happy faces on the dance floor, car, work or home while listening to our music.
One thing that will came in as a meteor is your upcoming release “Upperground” EP. 3 smashing tracks that will set the dancefloor on fire!! Tell us how this release came together.
Upperground, the lead track of the EP and Atlas we finished already in summer 2018. We sent both tracks to Solomun and he then started to road test them. First, we had a vocal in, but removed it after some time. Mid summer Solomun gave us a hint that those tracks could be our follow up EP on Diynamic Music. We just missed one track to round up the release. Of course, we’ve been trying out a couple of things but it didn’t feel right. One day, our friend Dino Lenny sent us “Don’t ring Me Down” and boom – this was the missed piece. We then sat together in the studio with Dino, worked on some fine details – bits and pieces. DBMD was born and the EP was ready to go.
Anthem in the making, “Atlas”, is so powerfull it can light up a dancefloor. Where does all the energy come from?
Haha. This is pure ARTBAT sound. We love when the dance floor goes off and the whole room is in ecstasy. Thanks for the kind words, because Atlas is a really special track for us.
The track has been played by a lot of big-league players like Tale of Us, Solomun, … How does that make you feel?
It’s a big honor of course. When Solomun played Atlas during Kappa Futur Festival in Italy or Tale Of Us played the track at DGTL in Israel – those are special moments. And for sure they helped the EP or this specific track to get hyped and supported by others. We’re very grateful to call those great artists our friends.
More euphoric news came from Traxsource where your track “Prometheus” was the named best track in the TOP 200 Progressive House of 2018. How does that make you feel?
No words can describe how amazing we feel about. Among hundred thousands of tracks released in that year our track was the most successful. We can’t thank everyone enough for the never-ending support and mad love we are receiving on a daily base. How cool is that – Best Progressive House Track 2018 on Traxsource…, right? An absolute wonderful feeling.
So asking again about 2019. How are you setting your expectations? Or are you just going to please the crowd with these gems and make them dance their legs off?
We setting our bar really high and expect the most from ourselves. Goals need to be reached, so we keep doing what we do best. That is make people dance and dance and dance. Non stop. 😉
Goals need to be reached, so we keep doing what we do best. That is make people dance and dance and dance. Non stop.
Do you feel there was a “breakthrough” point after which suddenly things changed for the better and brought you to where you are now? If so, what was it and why do you think it happened?
Our first ever released track “Mandrake” was the crucial. Supported and played by Richie Hawtin in every set for over a year. The fact made our minds go crazy. “Mandrake” also got picked up by Maceo Plex and other cool artists at a very early stage.
It was special and kind of a signal for us. Its the biggest motivation and inspiration you can receive as a new artist. We understood that our stuff can give a vibe to the world and any crowd. The hype around “Mandrake” made us go forward to create new music and share with the world.
As Artbat we understood that our stuff can give a vibe to the world and any crowd. The hype around “Mandrake” made us go forward to create new music and share with the world.
We haven’t been changed much since. We’re just more dedicated and made this our living.
Since you are a duo, do you have any advice on maintaining a successful working relationship in a crazy space like dance music?
There is no real schema. We have the same goals and most importantly the same taste. We function as a team. One day Artur has this idea and the other day it’s Batish. As a team, you need to listen to what your partner in crime has to say and be very respectful. Of course, we have some small arguments sometimes, but only because you want the best for the shared project. Do it with love or stop doing it. Stick together in bad and good times.
If you would pick any festival next year which one would you love to play and why?
There’s is way too many. But we are excited to be the part of Awakenings Festival end of June. Thats gonna be awesome. Watch our touring schedule – we are playing some really cool festivals in Europe and the US.
What makes you decide to play a particular record during one of your sets? Is there a criteria other than pure subjectivity, for selecting what to play at a gig?
It’s just a feeling that we created throughout the years. You need to read and feel the crowd. We communicate almost after every track and discuss about the follow up records. To be honest, our fans make it pretty easy for us. Mostly we can just play our music, because people come to listen to our music.
Always prepared for every scenario. :)))
Thanks to developments in the realm of software, DJing, playing live and producing have moved closer together than ever before, allowing DJs to change a track down the tiniest detail. How do you make use of these possibilities in your sets and is there a benefit?
Of course, the developments are essential. We love to work with a lot of effects while we play. At the end, the customer wants to see a perfect show. The people on the dance floor need to go home after a rave and remember you the next day, month or year. Thanks to all the software and equipment we can deliver the best music possible.
The people on the dance floor need to go home after a rave and remember you the next day, month or year. Thanks to all the software and equipment we can deliver the best music possible.
The DJ seems to be the rock star of our generation. Electronic music seems to be the modern Rock’n’Roll, Burning Man and Tomorrowland the Woodstock of our generation. How do you think future generations will re-invent music and festival culture to distinguish themselves from us, the parents?
Wow, that’s a good but difficult question. If we would be God we could tell you exactly what’s happening next. Unfortunately, the music cultures are changing so fast. 20 years ago it was rock, then hip-hop and 5 years ago EDM. Now its Techno Festival all around the world. We think Electronic Dance Music is a never-ending story. Techno, for instance, will always be up to speed. But you never know what’s next.
Happy New Year, good health, and all the best for ARTBAT in 2019 and beyond.
Nothing but the best for you and thanks for having us.
Thank you.
