Since the launch of his own label Babiczstyle in 2010, Robert Babicz has continued to reveal his talent and with no doubt has earned the title as one of Europe’s most essential techno producers. His working moto is to be „On a mission with sounds and emotions“, to which we can all agree, as there truly is something about the way each track develops, like there is a story being told with every note through each composition. Robert Babicz bearly has time for a private life between his busy tour schedule and hours he spends each day in his studio, yet he found some time to share a few lines with the readers of Electronica.hr.

Hello Robert and thank you for your time. To get technical first, tell us what is your main DAW and computer set up ?

I use a mac-pro 2.8ghz with logic.

Is there some favorite piece of equipment you prefer at the moment?

Yes there is actually, it is still my Tapemachine Studer a80, as i love when its moving and the sound is unbeatable.

Since there are so many different sounds and instruments you use in your productions, could you set aside a soft synth or plugin you use every time in each project ?

Yes of course, in every track of mine you will find NI Battery and EXS24 for sure…

How do you start working on a new track when you lack inspiration ?

It all depends on my mood that day, If I don´t feel like working, I simply will not work. But sometimes I just play around with my analog gear and make samples.

How do you think EDM will evolve , in what direction ?

I honestly don´t know how things will develope, but the basic will stay in a way that people will still dance to it.

Looking back five, six years, could you have imagined all of this happening in the DJ scene, considering some DJs are now bigger stars than singers?

I have been in the music business for 21 years now. Everything that is going on in the DJ scene now has already been seen even in the early 90´s.

Is there a way we can predict what sounds are going to rock EDM productions in the forthcoming months ?

There is no way to know, but I don´t even care what the next trend will be, I really don´t care at all, not even for what the „taste-police“ thinks about my music for that matter…My music is a reflection of who I am and is a personal soundtrack of my life.

Any love for hardware?

Here´s what my studio looks like, I think this pretty much answers your question:

http://www.robertbabicz.com/studio360/studio360/
Looks like quite an expensive working area. What is your opinion on large mixing consoles, patchbays and outboard…do you think they belong to the past ?

I´d say that large consoles maybe do belong to the past, as they are not so important anymore, but outboard is actual like always, when sound really matters.

Do you think that too many tools are killing creativity ?

I do, as it isn´t the tool that creates your music, only yourself. So even if you have a studio filled with toys, you must be sure you can focus on what you really want.

Can you work under pressure (deadlines, gigs ) ?

Yes, of course I am able, as long I know I can be 100%.

What is your opinion on so called « loudness war », does louder really mean better ?

Lets put it this way: The wrong kind of loudness is shit, if you do it right and the music is not smeared and totally destroyed, then it´s cool… You need the right amount of dynamic and loudness to keep the punch.

How about mastering, do you master your own tracks, or do you rely on a professional mastering engineer ?

I am a mastering engineer myself, and I master a lot of labels like Bedrock and so on. You can try to master your tracks yourself, but if you see you are not able to get the sound you are after, then you should contact a mastering studio.

Would you ever consider ghost-producing a track for another artist?

I get so many offers to ghost-produce music for others, but I think it´s not my way of being a real artist, I will just continue to do my own stuff, like I always did.

What is your opinion on the 360 record deal model?

It can work out sometimes, depends on so many parameters.

What is the best venue you performed in these past years?

It´s hard to set aside one particular venue, but I always love the Kazantip festival in the Ukraine every year. I always have such a great time and the crowd is unbelievable.

How important is the connection with your fans, not just on shows, but also through social networking etc…

I think it is very important for artists to keep in touch with their fans. Social networking has made it so much easier to connect with each other, I use my facebook and soundcloud profiles with pleasure.

What projects are your working on at the moment?

I am currently working on on my next artist album for Systematic Recordings.

What moment do you consider as the highlight of your career?

I am living my highlight as I am sooo thank ful for being able to do what I do each and every day.

We noticed how you bring a camera on tour and record videos and take photos. Is it because you are collecting images for a scrapbook to show your grandchildren or you want to share your experience with your fans, or maybe even a little bit of both? Some of those videos and photos are really fascinating we must admit.

It´s a little bit of everything actually, the way i do my pics is very connected to my music, because you paint with light, and music paints stories and pictures with sound!

Is there any advice you could give to young upcoming producers?

You will only survive if you stay hungry and curios!!!

 Interview by Natalie Peris