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With their debut album Feuer Lust Licht, Berlin-based trio _studio416 x Até deliver a rich tapestry of genre-fluid soundscapes that blur the boundaries between techno, trip hop, experimental electronica, and emotive storytelling. The project is the result of a slow-burning, deeply collaborative process between producers Henne and Svenne, and vocalist Até, whose fresh perspective breathes fire into their atmospheric productions. In this interview, the trio opens up about their creative rituals, the importance of their physical space, and how trust, chaos, and long-form improvisation played key roles in shaping the album’s unique identity.
How did the collaboration between studio416 and Até originally come about, and what drew you to each other’s work?
Henne:
A old friend connected us after the coronavirus pandemic. He knew we’d really like to do a vocal project with a female singer and had already tried it several times.
Svenne:
At our first meeting in the studio, which was actually just to get to know each other, we ended up directly in the first vocal recordings with Até.
I was impressed by her spontaneity, creativity and confidence in her own voice. When her voice hovered over our first musical ideas, it was clear to me that we had to work together.
What was the dynamic like in the studio between the three of you—did each of you fall into distinct roles, or was it more fluid?
Até:
We never talked about it but it came into place on its own. Svenne was the one creating a first loop and sitting on the computer. Then the guys would bring me to the studio, set up a couple of mics and we jam! We record what we like and then Hendrik is fine tuning everything in the next days. Simple and so effective!
Henne:
Até is the FIRE in our team. She showed us new ways to break out of our established structures. That was very refreshing for me.
But YES, there are still certain roles that each of us has. In the song “Destination” it’s called “the captain, the helmsman, the navigator.” That’s us.
Svenne is the helmsman. He usually sits at the DAW and tries to somehow channel the creative bursts into the computer.
Até is the navigator. She wrote most of the lyrics and developed the way she sings them.
I (Henne)… took on the role of captain. After all, someone has to keep track of things and make sure the ship stays on course.
Até’s vocal presence is deeply personal and expressive—how did you work together to integrate vocals within the dense instrumentals without losing nuance?
Henne:
The personal and expressive quality clearly comes from Até, but also from the situations we created in our studio. As I mentioned, our studio is a special place for me (a safe space); it’s where I can try things I wouldn’t have dared to before, like singing.
I think for all of us, working seriously with vocals was something completely new. Sure, we’ve tried doing something with vocals here and there before. But it’s incredibly difficult to overcome our inner barriers. Often, as soon as the microphone is turned on and the recording begins, a kind of fear arises. For FEUER LUST LICHT, we re-recorded the vocals several times during production as we became more and more confident.
Getting everything to sound great in the end was a mammoth task for Svenne and me. Because when we realized how personal some of the lyrics were, we felt a certain sense of awe to make Até’s voice sound as good as possible. I think we have also taken a huge step in the way we produce.
Svenne:
That’s a very technical question for me.
We practiced and jammed a lot and always recorded everything. Then we listened to the recorded material, selected the best things and made a basic sketch. From that moment on, we concentrated on Até’s voice and refined it with a few effects.
But even without all this editing, it’s the timbre that Até’s voice has. It just fits perfectly with our sounds.
Were there any creative disagreements or moments of tension that ended up pushing the music in new or unexpected directions?
Henne:
Disagreements… no, I can’t think of anything. That was and is the beauty of this production. Somehow, we all managed to be and stay on the same level. That requires a lot of consideration.
Tensions… there were some of those now and then. The studio sessions were sometimes more than intense. Imagine… thousands of ideas in the room had to be channeled. Svenne (the DAW operator) didn’t have an easy time with Até and me. But I think we always managed to balance the atmosphere between us.
How did your differing backgrounds—Berlin techno legacy vs. Athens’ club culture—inform the final sound of the album?
Até:
The funny thing is that for me as ATÉ, my roots lay in alternative/indie rock. I play multiple musical instruments and before I got into electronic music, I was a guitarist and singer in several bands. I think our creations are very influenced by our backgrounds because we simply let it flow. We never push ourselves into a specific genre, so it gets created naturally.
Henne:
German precision and accuracy meets Greek history, relaxedness and southern fire.
What have you learned from each other in the process of creating Feuer Lust Licht?
Henne:
There were so many things. But I’d like to highlight one…
At our very first meeting with Até, there was the following situation from which I learned a lot: Dont talk to much …DO IT!!
We had prepared well for the first meeting. We thought we’d first talk quietly about what we were doing and what Até was doing, etc. We had prepared a playlist of songs to show what we were up to.
Then Até came into the studio and we really talked… for exactly 30 minutes. After we played our first two songs, Até asked… “Okay, cool, I like what you’re doing, but what are we doing today? Why don’t we try recording something?” Two hours later, we had the first vocal recordings on the computer. Fittingly, it was the song that later became FEUER LICHT LUST.
Svenne:
As I had only ever played the role of producer, it was difficult for me to slip into a kind of live role at first. But after several rehearsals, a certain routine crept in and we were able to realize our live idea.
I had always thought that our ambient album ‘5 Minuten zu Fuß’ would be very difficult for us to top. And it was until I listened to our new album ‘Feuer Lust Licht’ not from a technical point of view but as a listener with some distance. Then it was clear to me, wow, we’ve done it.
Can you see yourselves continuing this collaborative project beyond this release? What possibilities excite you?
Até:
ABSOLUTELY! We are a band!! We keep creating new music and our next step is to perform it LIVE. Stay tuned!
Henne:
We’ve already started working on new songs. Maybe this time it’ll be faster than 2.5 years. But I don’t want to promise anything here 😊
Pre Order
Beatport https://www.beatport.com/es/release/feuer-lust-licht/5029007
Bandcamp https://diffusereality.bandcamp.com/album/studio416-x-at-feuer-lust-licht-te0201
Yutube session
Socials _studio416 & Até
