In conversation with SINAN
Tell us about your musical journey from Haifa to Berlin. How has this cultural and geographical transition influenced your sound?
The first time I started to get involved in Berlin was in 2018 after many years of creating and playing music in the local scene mainly in Haifa, Jaffa and the westbank. It all started by submitting a demo for ‘The Tribe’ EP to YOMO Records, which was a fresh and promising label owned by Mike Koglin and Stephan Pietack aka Moodfreak which are both artists that I’m inspired by. I liked the label and the label liked my music. We had a chance to personally meet and finalize the EP in Berlin at that time. Since then, I was part of the YOMO family and naturally became more involved in Berlin by having multiple visits trying to work on releases, collaborations and meeting people from other labels and clubs.
You started with a classical music background. How has that experience shaped your approach to producing electronic music?
I think classical music background definitely shaped the way I approach a musical idea at most by just playing an instrument that I’m the most comfortable with, which is the guitar. I’m sure classical music opened up new ways of composing melodic ideas that helped later on in the track I try to make. After a while playing classical music at a young age, I was growing up to sounds I was hearing on TV and radio that were Pop, Hip hop and electronic music that was growing dramatically around the 90’s early 2000’s and I remember liking the electronic sounds a lot and since then I’m trying to marry the two.
Your EP “Shwy Shwy” on MIR Music has been well-received. What was the concept behind this project?
“Shwy Shwy” means slowly slowly in Arabic, which is a common saying when things work out when they are taken slowly, especially when we are uncertain regarding things that happen within us or around us. furthermore, we shouldn’t rush love and relationships especially when it’s the most tempting to do so and the sound I was trying to bring demonstrated that vibe. while the second track “Algorhythms” is more influenced by dub Techno and oriental sounds.
What are the main challenges you face when blending classical elements with modern electronic music?
I would say the main challenge is taking a raw idea that could be inspired by classical melody or sound and try making it sound interesting for the dancefloor in terms of the length of melody, how it sounds in a loop or in a long arrangement.
Berlin is known as one of the global capitals of electronic music. How would you describe your relationship with the city’s music scene?
Being involved in this scene made us look more into the city and its landscapes, the musical influences also by understanding the history of how music that was created in Chicago and Detroit reached Berlin and developed after the Wall came down. I would say I have a strong relationship to the city from that matter and of course being involved in it professionally with my releases and relationship to artists and labels alike.
Your live performances, such as the one for Beatport Live, have been highly praised. What makes your live sets unique compared to other artists?
I would say the ability to improvise live and make ideas on the spot on top of tracks that would sound different when played without any interpretation. I always believe in the approach of “it’s not what you play it’s how you play” therefore I always like to be creative in how I play a track, what I do to it live and how I would change the feeling of the track by how I affect it.
You’ve released music on renowned labels like Magic Island Records and Cafe De Anatolia. Is there a label or artist you dream of collaborating with in the future?
I think the list of artists I would like to work with would be too long for this interview but I would mention some prominent labels I would like to release with such as Anjunadeep, Stil vor Talent, Diynamic.
Your music has gained attention both locally and internationally. What has been the most defining moment of your career so far?
I think the most defining moment was at first having my first releases in Berlin that got into Beatport top 100 charts which helped me gain a bigger crowd and followers to my music that got me to where I am today in the global scene not just the local one. Second would be my signing my track ‘Moments’ with two major labels Cafe de Anatolia and later on ‘Magic Island Records’ as part of Roger Shah’s compilation.
What inspires you the most during your creative process? Do you have specific rituals or habits to get into the right mindset for producing?
It could be anything really, from any sentence, sound or melody that I might hear but since music has a lot to do with emotions… memory and imagination help a lot in the creative process of making good music that moves you from the inside. When I’m clueless and have no ideas, I always try to play with instruments that could be old or new but since it’s a fun process it could lead to an idea for track later without thinking too much.
Looking ahead, what are your main goals as an artist and producer? What can we expect from SINAN in the coming years?
I would say releasing good music as much as possible. also having more chances to play in more gigs abroad and open up to new crowds. Later on, I aim to have my own Label that represents my music and other artists with similar taste especially coming from the MENA region. Buy “Shwy Shwy” here
