Reber (Slightly Sizzled & Tip Tap - lausanne)
Reber made his first steps behind the decks as part of the duo D-ANDY & T-RONY. From 2008 to 2013, the tandem was able to seduce an increasingly large audience, performing several times in festivals such as Montreux Jazz and Rock Oz' Arènes (and Chocolate Festival), not to mention many other clubs in Romandie and beyond, sharing the bill with : Dyed Soundorom, Shlomi Aber, Paul Ritch, Mountain People, Mendo, Carl Craig, Mike Banks, Markus Homm, Jens Bond, Yaya, Tim Green, Frivolous, Mirko Loko or Guido Schneider. After five years rich in dates, as well as a remix released on the Recycle Records label, the two friends finally chose to devote themselves to more personal projects.
This choice allowed Reber to define more precisely his musical identity, and to really find his style. Whether it's drier minimal beats, deeper house with warmer sounds, more hypnotic or jacking sounds, his sets and productions always have the same ingredient in common: groove and amazing sounds.
Of English origin, Reber willingly claims a very "UK" influence in his music, and it's maybe not a coincidence if he was taken under the wing of the English DJ/Producer Tim Green for his label Disc Over Music. After a few releases on other labels such as Fantastic Friends, Baile Musik or Slightly Sizzled, Reber intends to reach a new milestone in 2021 with 12 original tracks spread over 4 EPs, so keep your eyes and ears open!
Since March 2020, the Covid-19 health crisis has had an impact on all sectors of the music industry, and of course on artists.The CHOCOLATE FESTIVAL has taken the opportunity to allow them, through a few questions, to share their views on the situation.
Reber, how did you feel though this whole period while artists weren’t allowed to go and meet their public?
A bit like a rollercoaster. Before the first wave, I can say that I was in a bit of a "hollow" phase in terms of dates, but after a euphoric reopening in June, the summer of 2020 will remain as one of the busiest, with a growing presence and a real positive dynamic. So when the clubs had to close, I must admit that it really affected me much more than when they first closed. All the more so because I had a feeling that it wouldn't be open again for a long time. So after a few days of darkness, I reacted by devoting more and more time to other activities that I had wanted to start for a while.
Did this year without gigs allow you to refocus on your musical creation?
Certainly, yes. Although I would say that the movement was already underway a little before the pandemic arrived. I decided in 2019 to finally invest time in my first passion, production. As proof, if I must have released a total of about a dozen tracks since 2014, I have nearly 15 coming out over 2021 and it's exhilarating to feel myself progressing and becoming more productive. It's a discipline and you always find brakes, obstacles and excuses not to do it, so I try to avoid those kinds of pitfalls as much as possible and at the moment it's working, so I'm happy!
Have you tried to play live streaming on the net? What do you think of this method of distribution?
Yes, I have, and I think the ones who haven't done it at all are the exception. Honestly, I think it was an interesting tool to stay visible (and it still is today), but it's not as good as the physical live experience, both for the audience and the artist. Afterwards, some of them have distinguished themselves with hyper original streams, notably the Englishman Suat who has made a huge buzz with his mixes on the road, or with sets nicely filmed in unusual places, as the friends from Pass Event have done for example.
What did you live off while waiting for the reopening of clubs, festivals and other alternative events?
Well, to be honest, DJing has always been an anecdotal part of my income. To make a living from music in Switzerland in particular, you have to wear many hats, and that's what I've been doing for years by devoting my time to composing music for commercials, teaching, and singing in a cover band at major events (although this activity has also been decimated by the pandemic measures). As a result, teaching has become a bigger part of my life lately and that's one of the positives I'll take from this crisis!
Do you think people will want to come back to clubs and festivals?
Yes, I'm sure of it and you can feel it, people are hungry for this kind of experience. However, there is still the pro- and anti-vax divide which, unfortunately, will continue to be fueled by the conditions imposed for the reopening of all these venues, but let's leave that out of this discussion, we've already talked about it enough elsewhere...
Music should soon be starting again in small venues, open-air stages. What do you think your summer is going to look like?
I organized an event at the beginning of July with about sixty people in an alternative venue in the Lausanne area, so I'm already happy to have been able to do another evening and test my new productions in public. It was beautiful, we were sold out and all the feedback was excellent, so it's a good basis for a revival that will be just as good, I hope. Apart from that, things are starting up again slowly in terms of dates at the moment and I'm going on holiday for 10 days with my family, so I haven't been able to make any other commitments either. We'll see what's coming up in August and beyond, but I'm looking forward to two EPs in the next few weeks and in particular my release "Divine" which will be released on the Californian label Slightly Sizzled White on August 6th and which I am particularly happy about!