Baril talks about his debut ‘One More Rush’.

First of all, congratulations on your latest release One More Rush, which has been released at Intercept last week. Can you tell us something about the creation of this record? 

Thanks! Hmm, what can I tell you guys about the creation, not much to be honest. It started as an EP with two tracks that would follow up on my first single release. But when Ray and I were listening to it, we had this feeling that it should be a bigger release. So I just started making more tracks. Eventually, we made a nice selection of 6 tracks and voila…

One of the songs of the record is called ‘Lost Again’. You are always losing.

I’m always losing at Fifa when I’m playing against my friends… Just joking, haha. I do not have an answer for this one. I made this track almost 2 years ago and didn’t know what to do with it. So I think I felt a little bit lost with the track.

Quite some people know your previous releases, which you did by your birth name Marc Holstege; what made you decide to take a new alias?

When I started making music, I also started releasing music right away. I had some great releases that I love. But over time my sound started to change and I didn’t feel connected to the ‘Marc Holstege’ sound anymore. Instead of releasing new music under the same name, it felt better to start fresh under a new alias.

The whole collection of songs of One More Rush has got an airy touch, with a slight melancholy. Can you refer this kind of feeling in any way to the / your past or do you think you’ve been digging melancholic music a lot?

I’ve always been digging that kind of music a lot since I was a kid. When I started making music I wanted to make music that could touch people at home or in the club. 

Could you tell us something about your workflow and the gear you’ve used while recording One More Rush? Do you work more software or hardware-based? In what way did your piano skills have any influence creating the tracks?

I made the whole EP ‘in the box’, so no hardware. Just my computer, a midi keyboard, and a lot of VST’s. I’m interested in working with hardware in the future, but first I need to make myself some money, haha. I don’t think my piano skills have influenced the creation of the tracks, but it makes it a lot easier for sure.

It seems with your latest productions we hear more and more influences from indietronica, downtempo music and ambient, do you think that’s accurate? Which kind of music are you currently listening with this kind of weather?

Yeah, I think that’s accurate. I also think that I will make that kind of music a lot more in the future. It’s hard to answer what kind of music I’m currently listening to because I listen to almost everything. It really depends on what kind of mood I’m in. Currently, I’m listening to some soul music from the ’70s while answering these questions!

One of the last songs of the album is called ‘Restart’; in our ears the perfect soundtrack for a cozy setting that includes lots of rosé, a campfire, and a gentle sea breeze. Describe your favorite setting with that song in mind and please pretend there are no limitations in this scenario.

Definitely the gentle sea breeze, a sunset, a nice place in the Dutch dunes, lots of good friends, wine, and food. 

Would you say Bicep’s 2017 release Glue has put things in motion for something we call maybe by now call a breakbeat-wave movement?

I think you could say that in some way. Breakbeats have always been around, but Bicep’s track ‘Glue’ was the first ones of the revival to also reach the mainstream audience, I heard it a lot on the Dutch radio. After that release there a definitely more producers making breakbeats and more people that really love listening to them.

Unfortunately, we can’t completely ignore the idea we’re currently in a lockdown and the electronic dance scene is in an upside-down world. In what kind of way has the quarantine affected your life, as well on a personal level as creatively?

It for sure made my life a lot more boring, haha. No gigs to play, no more parties to go to, no more friends or family to see. It did give me a lot of time to produce more music, so that’s what I did. I think it affected me a little bit in a creative way as I was always getting a lot of inspiration from parties and festivals that I’ve attended. Luckily things seem to be going better now and I hope that I can play gigs again very soon! 

The title track of the opener ‘Take Ur Time’ seems like an assignment to your listeners. Was this the original title of the track and do you feel the meaning behind this message has been changed cause of lockdown?

Haha, I haven’t really thought about it in this way. It was the original title of the track, based on the lyrics of the vocal. I think the message still is the same as before the lockdown. Take your time for things, don’t rush. The outcome will be better!

Somewhere across the line, you’ve been studying Leisure Management. Can you give us all some advice on how to manage our leisure in times of crisis?

As we’ve all seen, things can go pretty bad pretty fast. So, therefore, I would recommend spending as much time with your friends and family as you can and create some good memories.