Following the release of Anastave's new single Medicine, we caught up with the artist to gain some insight into the influences that make up this experimental sound. If you like their choices, be sure to check out the track.
1. The Cure - alt.end
I love this song so much. Robert Smith has been a huge inspiration for me.
Although my favorite album by The Cure is “Disintegration,” I have to choose
the song “alt.end” because of how much it helped me. There was a time I was
really struggling, and I would listen to this song on a loop every night, and I
felt like it matched words to what I was feeling. I felt less alone because I
could hear someone else saying and feeling the same thing. This is one of
my main goals in releasing music — to allow someone else to have this
unique experience with my music — that hopefully, my music can give
someone else the words or sounds to place what they’re feeling — to help
them feel like they’re not alone.
2. Maya Jane Coles - Easier to Hide
Similarly, with The Cure song I just mentioned, this song put words to what I
was feeling. This song was also a daily listen when I was not doing well, so it
means a lot to me. Maya Jane Coles inspires me, and I love her productions.
I think she’s extremely talented and makes such great music. One thing I
particularly appreciate about this song is that she’s singing about something
difficult set to an amazing track that almost forces you to move. I was living in
New York at the time, and I would listen to this in headphones whenever I
was walking around — it gave me energy, and it gave me hope — or at least
a sense that I was less alone. I also love her remixes — sometimes more
than the original song itself. She can create a track entirely its own, while still
staying true to the artist’s vision. I would love for her to remix one of my songs
one of these days.
3. DJ Koze - Muddy Funster
The production on this song is awesome. DJ Koze, among many others, has
been an inspiration for me as a producer. This track flows so well, and like the
others, when I first heard it, I listened to it so many times. That’s sort of what I
do — when I find a song I like, I’ll listen to it essentially on repeat for days
until I move on to something else. I’m not really a casual listener — more of
an obsessive one. I appreciate that about myself, though; when I find
something I’m into, I do it consistently until I can’t anymore (haha). DJ Koze
has a lot of great tracks and remixes (also an incredible remixer). I love
samples whose presence in the song are somewhat enigmatic — like the
door opening around the 3/4 mark of the song. It’s the kind of sound that
propels the song forward — it fits with the lyrics and the vibe and feels like it’s
saying something. I have a lot of fun designing sounds. I’m not getting a
kickback for saying this, honest, but Native Instruments is a company I love
— I like nearly everything they put out.
4. Aphex Twin - Windowlicker
Aphex Twin is so inspiring. I love his music, the sounds he makes, his
productions — there’s no one like him. I also love how he doesn’t take himself
too seriously. It’s hard to choose a song of his because there are so many
good ones, but the production of “Windowlicker” is unbeatable. From the
moment this song starts, it grabs you. It’s impossible not to move when
listening to it — even if you’re “chair dancing.” I think it takes a very special
artist to be equally moved by both their dance music and their ambient tracks.
I know I’m only supposed to pick one here, but I have to give a shout-out to
“#3” and “Alberto Balsalm” as well.
5. 6LACK - Let Her Go
I love this song. 6LACK is a great artist, and this song has often brightened
my day. Even though some might say it’s not an uplifting song, it lends itself
irresistibly to movement. Dancing can change your state of mind — take you
from feeling like everything’s wrong to everything might be ok. I love the
textures in this song, the pads, and how the progression repeats throughout
the song, which gives it a hypnotic feel and really highlights his voice. I also
like the album art a lot. This song helped me just the other day — when I was
uninspired, I put this on, and it made me move and changed my perspective.