Tonight, the Belgian producer, Apashe, takes to the stage at Razzmatazz, bringing with him his own brass orchestra, no less, to perform explosive tracks from his new album, Antagonist. Mixing elements of classical, EDM, Hip Hop and Dubstep, Apashe delivers exactly the kind of intense majestic maximalism we live for. Combining opulent visuals and massive soundscapes, Apashe challenges the limits of what electronic artists can bring to the live stage.
Loverboy caught up with Apashe before tonight’s show to find out more about his love for ballet, the importance of not overlooking artists some consider ‘weird’ and how the Anatagonist tour has changed his life…
Hey Apashe, happy 2024, where did you celebrate and have you made any resolutions?
Happy 2024! For NYE I played a festival in California and it was such a wild night. Definitely went harder than I planned, but it was so much fun. I haven’t made any big resolutions, but I am just trying to keep healthy and active on tour, but it’s been hard to do on the bus! Haha…
I read on X that you want to write music for a ballet. What storyline do you see happening in this ballet?
Ooh, that’s a great question. I have a few ideas, but I guess the most realistic one would be to do a one where I remix my Antagonist album into a ballet. There’s a whole conceptual story behind the idea of the album, so I think it could be fun to do a ballet to showcase that. I don’t want to give too much away just in case; you never know!
You’ve said you take inspiration from movies. I wondered what movies you watch when touring?
It really depends honestly. Easy answer is whatever is on streaming services that I need to catch up on, but I usually try to watch movies that have great soundtracks or are a bit more cerebral with the story. I’m always looking to get inspired, but I’ll also throw on some comedies and other stuff sometimes just to have a fun time and relax.
Your music is so maximalist, I love it. How do you balance out this intensity when unwinding? How do you energise yourself before a show?
Before a show, I generally try to just relax and get hydrated because once I go out there I just try to let loose and enjoy playing for everyone. After the show it can be hard to relax sometimes, but you can’t really beat a hot shower at the end of the day to chill!
I’m using maximalism but I wondered what your favourite adjectives were that you have heard people use to describe your music? I heard one person say ‘aggressive’ which was an interesting one. What did you make of that?
I do like ‘aggressive’ for certain songs of mine, but others are definitely more on the chill side. If I had to pick some words to encapsulate all of my music, I’d say majestic, epic, and cinematic.
Your sound pulls so much from the past and so much from the future, but for me it also hits that sweet spot of blasting Adam F’s Kaos in 2001. I wondered if you felt any connection to Adam F’s music and what the extremities are of your influences?
I’ve definitely been inspired by Adam F. I gravitate towards anything that’s sort of left-of-center or experimental or unique. I think as a creator, even if someone is making mainstream pop music they should listen to music that others deem as “weird” because you’d be surprised how something like that can inspire you. I listen to a lot of soundtracks in my spare time, so unique composers like Philip Glass really influence me a lot.
Having a brass orchestra with you in Razzmatazz is going to be incredible. How has that been touring around the world with them?
It’s really been an honor. They’re such a cool, open, inspiring group of creative people that motivate me to go bigger than I ever have before. It was a bit challenging at first especially from the logistics perspective, but any obstacles have been well worth overcoming because this tour really has changed my life.
Have you been to Barcelona before? Will you have time to visit anything?
I have been to Barcelona before! It’s such a beautiful place, but unfortunately I won’t have too much time to get around. Hopefully next time I can stay a few days and really enjoy it.
Lastly we are named after the biggest selling single of 2001 so always ask what is your favourite Mariah Carey song?
Is there another answer besides Fantasy?
Apashe plays Razzmatazz tonight. Tickets available at www.salarazzmatazz.com
The album, Antagonist, out now.
