Nicolas Barnes is a distinguished DJ and producer hailing from Riga, Latvia. His extensive portfolio boasts high-caliber releases on prominent labels across Europe. As the founder of the ECOUL SND label, he maintains a steadfast connection to his passion for Dub Techno and minimal music, solidifying his presence in the music industry. In May 2024 we released his Dark Mirror EP on Etui Records.
Hi Nicolas! Great to have you on the podcast. How are things going?
Hi, everething is going good, making music and working as a graphic designer.
What was the key moment that got you into house and techno?
I have a special moment and it’s my first visit to a nightclub where I heard such a genre as minimal techno from a DJ from Russia, and that was around 2016, but of course I’ve listened to electronic music before, like Eric Prydz or Daft Punk.
Please tell us about your label ECOUL SND.
ECOUL SND was born back in 2020 and its translate from Romanian as Echo Sound, a place for all Dub music lovers out there and a good place for new talents to start their journey as a producer. After a while I expanded the music genre spectrum on my label and started releasing minimal and deep house variations. In the near future I hope to start also with vinyl releases.
We just released your EP Dark Mirror. How did the tracks come together?
I think that’s pure luck. Because I had trouble producing new material for a long time. I was always waiting for all my finished material to come out so I could make new music. But one day I tried out a new bass line and boom, a new track was ready.
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More InformationFrom what do you draw your inspirations for your own music?
My inspiration is my surroundings, the post-Soviet city in Eastern Europe and of course other artists.
What’s your favorite piece of gear – hard or software?
Well I don’t use any hardware but would love to buy someday Elektron Digitakt. If we talk about VST I usually use all stock VST from Ableton
Who are the 3 artists that inspired you the most?
Traumer, Ricardo Villalobos and Andrey Pushkarev
What is the idea behind your mix?
Just to showcase my work.
What can we expect next from you?
Well I hope to get a few vinyl releases this year.
Any tips and secret spots to visit in Riga?
Riga is one of the countries that spread Electronic Music from Soviet to all other europe and we got few great places to visit.
One One Riga is for techno lovers
Teritorija is an after club with Minimal house and deep music.
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More InformationTracklist:
1 Nicolas Barnes – I Can Count It
2 Nicolas Barnes – Bodo
3 BarBQ – Per Aspera Ad Astra (Nicolas Barnes Remix)
4 BLOMAQ – Kemchug Dub (Nicolas Barnes Remix)
5 Nicolas Barnes – Sphere
6 Nicolas Barnes – Mental Break
7 Nicolas Barnes – Secret Info
8 Nicolas Barnes – Black Gem
9 Riga Dub Orchestra – Firewall
10 Nicolas Barnes – Regain Trust
11 Nicolas Barnes – Reality Isn’t Nice
12 Nicolas Barnes – Leave It to Me
13 Nicolas Barnes – Free Ride
14 Nicolas Barnes – Fide
15 Nicolas Barnes – Blind Habit (Eric Louis Remix) (Unreleased)
16 Nicolas Barnes – Taril Metroma (Unreleased)
