A DANCE THROUGH INFLUENCE
Oliver’s musical DNA is a thread woven from the influences of Euro Dance, Hard Trance, and Techno. The echoes of Sander van Doorn’s ‘The Bass’ and Dubfire’s ‘Roadkill’ reverberate through his creative process. The roots run deep, touching on Hardstyle, Hard Trance, and Gabber, forging a unique blend of sounds that define HI-LO.
“As a kid, I was a massive fan of Euro Dance for sure. One of my first memories is dancing to 2 Unlimited ‘No Limit’ in kindergarten, haha. When I was 11, I got into Hardstyle, Hard Trance, Jumpstyle, and even a bit of Gabber. However, when my dad would show me one of his favourite Techno artists, Plastikman (Richie Hawtin), I didn’t appreciate it at that time. However, I did appreciate some of the Jungle and Drum ‘n Bass (LTJ Bukem) that he was into.”
“Then, when I was about to go to high school I got more into House, Club, Electro, and Tech-Trance music. If I had to pinpoint a specific track or artist from that time that continues to resonate with me and influence my work as HI-LO, I’d say Sander van Doorn with tracks like ‘The Bass’ and ‘Riff,’ or Dubfire ‘Roadkill’, and Ida Engberg ‘Disco Volante’ (Sebastien Leger Mix). However, some of the ideas for HI-LO tracks stem from my roots in Hardstyle and Hard Trance; for example, the melody idea I had for
Portugal, the track marries a distinctive UK Garage bassline with raw Hardgroove Techno elements, creating a sonic journey that’s nothing short of transcendental.
“A good friend, who also happens to be an experienced raver, had convinced me to join him at a festival at a lake in Portugal in early June this year called ‘Waking Life.’ It was a festival like he never had experienced before, something truly special. I had a fantastic time there, and I got exposed to some exciting music from artists whom I had primarily not heard of yet. Something that caught my attention at the festival was that some DJs played very eclectic sets with elements of UK Bass/Garage, Breakbeat, Jungle, Electro, Techno, and more, and coming out of that, I got the idea to do a track with a distinctive UK Garage bassline but mix it with raw Hardgroove Techno elements.”
“At the camping site of the festival, I started working on this already on my laptop. This resulted in the instrumental track I named ‘Waking Life UK FM Bass Raw Techno Vibe’. When I returned home again, I developed the track a bit more, and I sent it to my publisher in the Netherlands and told her I could see a British rapper on this track. She then ran into the rapper Michael Ekow at a bar in Amsterdam through a mutual
friend, and when she ‘Saw
of Olympus’ (which I ended up finishing together with Reinier Zonneveld), was very Hardstyle and Hard Trance inspired. But a track like ‘Kronos’ was much more inspired by artists like Enrico Sangiuliano and UMEK, for example.”
WAKING LIFE: A SYMPHONY OF SOUNDS
The forthcoming release, ‘Waking Life (A New Dawn)’ featuring Michael Ekow,
is a
testament to HI-LO’s ability to blend genres with finesse. Born from the enchanting ambience of the ‘Waking Life’ festival in
heard his voice and accent she immediately thought of my track. So she sent it to him. Then Michael wrote some lyrics around that “Waking Life” working title, recorded some really dope vocals that worked very well over the track, and the rest is history.”
A BRIDGE BETWEEN WORLDS
HI-LO’s music defies classification, traversing the boundaries of
Techno, Trance, and
House. Tracks like ‘Kronos’ and ‘Mercury’ have not only crossed over into the “mainstream”, but also found their place in the hearts of Techno purists. This ability to bridge diverse musical worlds sets HI-LO apart, offering listeners an experience that transcends the confines of genre.
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