The beginning of something special! The weirding module is the debut EP on Echoes_ Musique, carefully created by co-founder Nathan Øye, and contains a solid remix from Club Der Visionaere resident Topper.

For just over a year now the Echoes_ team have been throwing some incredible label showcases at the famous Fuse, in Brussels. Over time they have built up a solid reputation of delving in to the dark depths of the more minimal side of techno, pulling in artists such as Nu Zau, Dan Andrei, and SIT (Cristi Cons & Vlad Caia). Born and raised in Belgium, and now based in Berlin, Nathan Øye is known for his diversity and ability to experiment but still produce such high quality goods. This definitely reflects in his club nights, and judging by the first release, this will continue to shine through with the label.

The master record of the three track EP ‘The Weirding Module’ is a melodic journey guaranteed to have the dancefloor in a trance. Taking up the whole A side at nearly thirteen minutes long, the perfectly weaved euphoric percussions, will have you swaying at the after party. Throughout, there is a mysterious feel, but at the same time your mind is relaxed as you allow Øye to open up your mind, hypnotising you with his combination of abstract sounds.

It is fitting that the Echoes_ crew called on Topper for the remix as he played at their first ever party at Fuse last year, and as always he has brought his unique sound to the table. The Berlin based maestro has done a great job of picking out elements of the original track, but added his dark but groovy wobbly basslines, to create the more upbeat track out of the three. ‘Fremen’ rounds off the EP perfectly, still continuing with the mysterious theme, but the bouncy and curious sounds, definitely get you shaking your head.

The minimal feel from start to finish is captured perfectly, composed and arranged so smoothly. We are excited to see what the future holds for the Echoes_ family, whether it is on their home turf at Fuse, or on the production front. To find the right answers, MEOKO caught up with the founder of Echoes_ , Nathan Øye;

Echoes_ is just over a year old now, how did it all start for you? How did you know Fuse is the place for you?

First time I went to Fuse was 2004, it was a resident night, and I think I still have the t-shirt somewhere . So it’s kinda been the pillar in my electronic music education back then, and that made me want to get into dj’ing in the first place.

So after many years now in the scene in Brussels, playing and organizing a lot of events, starting a record label kinda was the next step I wanted to do. And Fuse just was the best place for us to set up camp being it has been with us since the beginning. Like culturally speaking I mean. And also there’s just no other place that feels as much like home you know. :)

What made you start the record label? Was it always the plan? And why now?

It has been on my mind for many years. I actually co-started some other labels before but felt like I needed a place where we could express our deepest and truest side of the music we love.

As to why now... Because I found the right person to do it with. Olivia has been the most supportive person in my life. She just understands... So I found the love of my life and we’re starting a music label.

Your night is associated with such a high quality of artists and you are clearly a fan of Topper as he played at your first night, and has made a remix on your debut EP. Will we be seeing releases from other artists who play at the label showcases?

I guess it’s still a surprise, but of course the ideology behind Echoes_ is also to create a certain family feeling which will define the sound of the label as it has been doing so far for the events.

The quality of production on this EP is incredible, must be so exciting to have your first release on your own label. What did you use in the studio to create it?

It truly is super exciting! Also because it will be my first solo release and with Topper, whom I respect so much on remix duty, I couldn’t be happier!

There were actually 2 stages to the creating process. I use a really basic setup and originally taught myself to produce only with Ableton. It’s only since I moved to Berlin that I started to invest in the more analog side of things. And the release reflects those two approaches really well I think.

“The weirding module” was made after one of our Echoes_ parties in Brussels. It was basically done in one big session... And since my studio’s in Berlin the track was made solely in Ableton using samples from the machines back at home for the drums, but besides that, most of it are actual Ableton Live instruments. Aside from the FX plug ins I used. I basically recorded the whole track on the Behringer headphones and just took it back to Berlin, re-arranged a little and mixed it down in the studio.

The process for Fremen was quite similar. I was looking for a B-side and I had this drum / bass loop going for some days and then a friend dropped of his Nord Lead synth and everything kinda clued together at that point. I basically used the same drum machine I sampled from for “the weirding module” which is the TR-8, a Nord Lead 2, TB-3, JU-06, JP-08 and Ableton for fx processing, recording, and mixing.

Is there anything else you can enlighten us on, about Echoes_ Musique?

Well, I can tell you that the second and third release are getting ready and that Echoes_ will cross borders to host nights not only in Brussels but also in Berlin and other cities across Europe soon.

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Words by: Zac Bidwell