Ain TheMachine is without doubt one of the most unique and creative producers that we have had the pleasure of discovering, with a production arsenal that includes no more than himself, a few random objects and Ableton Live.
Creating basslines from his voice, kick drums with his fists and percussion using everyday household items, the Berlin-based Ain TheMachine is pushing the limits of what it means to truly play live.
Speaking with him recently, we got to ask about his new Make Your House Funk Again original, why he takes such a unique approach to building his sound library, and what he has coming in 2021. Get the full discussion below.
Your new track Make Your House Funk Again, tell us about it? How did it come together in the studio?
Make your House Funk Again is a funk house track that was born from the bassline. I am always mumbling melodies and grooves and when this bass line snapped in my mind I was into uplifting vibe music. I remember at that time I was listening a lot to Format B and Solomun, or as ‘The Worst Techno Memes Ever’ facebook group would say, I was listening to business techno.
Make your House Funk Again was recorded entirely using only the sounds from a body, 2 voices and 2 objects. But this track, as the whole album, was created live between studio jams and proper gigs. These songs were born and grew up in a live environment. Sitting in the studio to work on them was the last part of it and the shortest. And this process I shared with the legendary Brazilian producer Dudu Marote, who mixed them.
And it arrives via Mundo Afora Records, how did you come to work with those guys?
Mundo Afora Records is my own label and was created in 2014 for the release of my first album as Ain TheMachine. Since then I have been releasing material through it. In the era we are living in, if you have direct access to your crowd, the best business solution is to be independent.
You have a pretty unique approach when it comes to sourcing sounds for your tracks, what makes you look for unusual sounds when you could just grab something from a sample pack?
The core of the process is my rebellious side just questioning everything, including why electronic music needs to be done with drum machines and synths.
Also I find the process of grabbing a sample boring as hell and not original. I understand the value of machines like 909’s etc. but I find it so redundant that everybody somehow sounds the same. For a long period of my career, my main goal was to create something new and fresh to the ears. The only path to innovation is through radically questioning and that’s what I did.
And what’s the strangest thing you’ve ever recorded?
A sex act. Literally, people having sex.
You performed the track live from a boat on Berlin’s Spree river, what’s the most challenging part of a performance like this?
Getting to the boat. Imagine you have to put all of your most important and expensive equipment in a cheap inflatable boat and sail for 20 minutes on the Spree river among big boats passing by and creating waves. Not big waves, but enough to make you think if something bad happens all your equipment will be lost in the water. So we sailed there between fatal jokes and prayers.
You’re currently working on an album that will come in 2021, what more can you tell us about that?
The album Naked on The Dance Floor was made under the roof of techno and house music, employing only the sounds from 1 body, 4 voices, 20 objects, and the Roland TB-03. It’s a masterful grind of funky basslines, jazz harmonies, and quirky melodies mixed into nine total dancefloor bangers.
And will it result in a completely new live performance that we might be able to look forward to?
Most definitely! As I said before these songs were born live, but they evolved a lot in the studio, so their return to the stage will be massive. Follow Ain TheMachine on Instagram to keep up to date with gigs. I hope you like it!
Ain TheMachine’s Make Your House Funk Again arrives October 30th on Mundo Afora Records.