In Conversation with Astrover

Photo by Emily Henman.

Ben Parkin comes to techno from a rather unique position. Despite only being 21, his musical background has influenced him from the get-go; using this to understand conventional genres whilst creating something distinctively his. From live performances to label releases, he already displays a range of expertise and a level of understanding not common for somebody his age. Deeply passionate about the music and surrounding scene alike, he is currently working across Berlin and London - completing tracks alongside an English Law and German Law degree at King’s College London. Not only is he creating music, but he’s also helping others to do the same - something he finds very satisfying and actually beneficial to his own creative process. We caught up with him to discuss this process, his experiences with production and performance, as well as his thoughts on the wider techno scene.

How did you get into music production, and how have you grown stylistically?

My brother, who’s nine years older than me, produces music in a similar style. I grew up in a very musical family - my parents are both professional classical musicians, and I had lessons with the piano and French horn. My brother introduced me to electronic music, but at first, I actually hated it - I'm the kind of person where if I'm not instantly good at something, I tend to bin it off. He was very good at helping me stick with it, showing me new techniques. I thought his workflow was amazing - he got tracks together really quickly. After a couple of years, I really started to love it because you start from a completely blank canvas and you get into this incredible flow -  I find the intense focus can be very therapeutic. 
In terms of style, I remember at the very beginning I would make loopy type of music. I started by making house music, then I moved on to deeper, trippy techno. That's what I make the most. I've also started experimenting with hip hop and garage recently, which has been fun.

How do you feel that the techno scene has changed over the last seven years? 

This is a very hot topic, particularly with techno. Though I’m 21 now, I've been making music since 13, so I obviously wasn't involved in clubbing at that age. However, I've seen how the music itself has evolved; techno seems to be commonly understood by people my age to be very fast, maximalist music. However, the techno that I was introduced to tends to have a lot more depth, as opposed to a focus on big slamming kick drums and drops. It started off as a minimalistic, hypnotic genre, which is what I know and love. The scene has changed quite a lot - what’s happened is people applying the label of ‘techno’ to another style of music that I think shares very little similarity to what many people understand techno to be. I think newer age techno can be more popular as it caters to a culture where instant gratification is valued over a journey, but I believe that music is all about that subtlety: often tracks can be seven minutes long, with elements coming in and out very slowly. It can be hard to find the right environment for this music nowadays.

How does the production side of things, behind closed doors, compare to the immediacy of live performance? 

They actually go hand in hand. When I produce a track, I'm really excited to test it out in a club, preferably on a big sound system. The aim is always to create an interesting listening experience, but one that has purpose on the dance floor as well. For me, producing is much more therapeutic, whereas in a club, there's much more performance - I need to do things that cater towards the crowd. I'm not so bothered about that when I'm producing,
I just make music that aligns with the sound that I want to create. I’ll do that to an extent in the club, but I also  need to read the crowd, checking that they’re enjoying what I’m playing; if not, then I'll have to change it up - giving the people what they want, to an extent. However, there's also a lot of control that comes with that. As a DJ, you have a lot of control in what people feel at certain points throughout your set. I think that both producing and performing are art forms in their own right. DJing really gives you the opportunity to create an immersive experience - it's about the tracks that you play, the point at which you play them, and the mood that you're trying to create.

You’ve already released four singles, all under different labels. What was that process like?

My first release is called Depositional Waves, and it was released on Qilla Records. They’re an Indian record label and they were looking for artists for what's called a VA - an EP of four tracks, each composed by a different musician. My brother actually sent over a track I’d made that he thought would align with the sound that they were looking for, as they’d originally been in touch with him. They were really happy with it, which was a really satisfying experience as I was very self-conscious about the music I was making; I don't think that I would’ve sent something in at that stage, but the whole experience led me to being bolder in reaching out to labels. My second release was called Euphoric Pain on Crescent London, which has been a very important label for me because they hosted the first techno event I ever attended. I'd never heard techno on a sound system before, only ever on headphones. They have a free download series where artists can submit a track. This time, I contacted the labelheads myself and they accepted it. My third release is Hornet Ritual on a Lithuanian label called Area 127, who often release trippy, very fast music. I saw on their Instagram that they were doing an open call for a big compilation.
That compilation got released on CD -  the experience of holding my own music in my hand was a big milestone. My most recent release is called Rejection, which was also on a VA, for a Georgian label called Spira Records. 
They reached out to me - I sent a few demos and they chose a track.
I've also released a podcast with this mixed series called Forsvarlig Arkiv, which is based in the Netherlands - I recorded a DJ set for them after they reached out to me. It was released on their SoundCloud, and it was really fun to have that other art form in my repertoire. 


What has been your favourite set? 

I did a set at Union, in Vauxhall, where the techno event there is unfortunately now shut down. However, that was the first instance where I had time to really take people on a journey. It wasn't necessarily the best set in terms of quality, and I came out of it thinking, you know what, that went decently well, but there were things that I would have done differently or that I would have liked to improve. As artists, you are your harshest critics, but it was really nice to be in an environment where everyone was there for the music. Particularly with techno, you have such a diverse community of people:
I saw a couple who must’ve been about 65 - they came up to me afterwards and said that they’d really enjoyed the set. That feeling doesn't compare to anything. It's incredible. The opportunity to craft that journey over three hours was really special. 

You've produced music for a short film, a Greek play and a fashion project. How have you been able to navigate making music for someone else's project and tailoring to their vision whilst retaining authenticity? 


To a certain extent that authenticity is lessened, but I still feel that it's my music because I’m the one making the decisions. I have to align to the director's vision and assist them with fulfilling their vision, but it’s still quintessentially me. When they ask for something that fits a certain list of characteristics, I’m ultimately the one that decides how I'm going to create that mood; it can be very satisfying, and actually quite similar to releasing music in terms of seeing a final product come together. I aim to make music with atmosphere and depth, so creating music for media comes naturally to me because those things often require you to create certain atmospheres, along with depth in the sound design. Careful decision making is something that I think about a lot when I produce techno, so I'm able to apply that to other projects.

Photo by Emily Henman.

What drew you to techno, drum and bass and ambient? Are they what you listen to in your own time? 


I go through phases! I'll have days of listening exclusively to deeper, ambient techno; then maybe a couple of days of more functional, club music, and then some drum and bass, and ambient. It often goes in this cycle. What drew me to more atmospheric, slow-burn music was what is now my all-time favourite track: it's called Högre by Evigt Mörker. It's a relatively long track - it unfolds over 8 minutes. I find it so emotional. It doesn’t have lyrics, so the message isn't presented directly, but that’s what makes it so brilliant: I was so amazed that just sound design and synthesis alone can evoke such intense emotion. I can't imagine not listening to that kind of music.  

Who, or what, inspires you?

My brother both inspires and motivates me. Every single time I finish a track, I'll send it to him and he'll give me concrete feedback.
He doesn't pull any punches - he's often quite harsh! His honesty is a really valuable thing, because a lot of people will just tell you what you want to hear; having someone who does that because they know what you're capable of is amazing. I mean, all the things that I do in my life, however mundane it might be, might give me a spur of inspiration to create something. I try to capture those moments as best as I can. Another source of inspiration is simply listening to the music that I've always loved and noting what kind of emotion it produces, and how it makes me feel. I'm really motivated to get to the stage where I can do that.

Alongside creating music, you also teach music production. How has that experience influenced your own work? 

I've been teaching electronic music production for a while now, and I'd like to continue alongside any other job I might have. I find teaching beginners particularly satisfying, because with where I'm at now in terms of production, I don't get the same satisfaction out of sort of putting together a beat that a beginner does and there are so many times where I have the privilege of explaining something to a student and giving them this sort of Yureka moment of, oh, so that's how you do that or that's really amazing. 
That's I'm going to be able to take that away and I'm going to really be able to apply that and get the sort of stuff that I want. And I remember having those moments when I first started, and being able to relive those moments through them is amazing.  It's really inspired me to create other forms of music. I've got one student at the moment who’s interested in making garage music, which has led me to experiment with that genre as well, putting my own spin on it. 
I really try to create a friendly environment, because starting music production can be very intimidating for a lot of people. Often, someone will load up the software and not even know where to start, so it's really important to explain these things in an encouraging way that makes them want to continue. Everyone has creative potential, and if you stick at it, you can do really well.

What might the future hold for you? 

I want to continue putting out music, striving for releases on labels that I respect and developing my sound to where I want it to be. I'm never satisfied with the music that I make, but that’s a very real aspect of being an artist in any shape or form. However, I want to continue developing my sound as well as continuing teaching; it’s important to me to help others to develop a hobby that I am so lucky to have. In terms of producing music for other projects, I’d really like to continue that and explore it further. I've even got an EP in the works - hopefully it'll be ready quite soon!

You can listen to Astrover on Spotify and keep up to date on his latest music and upcoming gigs on Instagram.

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Edited By Mahak Naddafi, Co-Music Editor.