Known for his uplifting melodic compositions, Jonas Saalbach has made a significant mark in the electronic music scene with releases on labels like Einmusika, Bedrock, and of course, his own imprint, Radikon. In the last 10 years, he has climbed from height to height, having performed at hundreds of venues across the world, including festivals like Burning Man, Zamna Festival, Fusion, and more.
He is also acclaimed for performing his art in obscure locations, pairing his impressive live setup with picturesque backdrops. Whether it be on a cliff in the Norwegian fjords for a back-to-back Cercle performance, or in front of the stunning hills of Sesimbra, Portugal for his new album release, his music resonates deeply with audiences.
Jonas has been teasing the tracks of his latest album in sets over the last year and dropped the 6 track piece earlier this month on his own label; Radikon. Entitled ‘Acceleration,’ he invites us to explore new sonic landscapes, offering a fresh perspective on melodic house and techno whilst encouraging listeners to take a moment in the ever-growing world around them.
To celebrate the launch of the album Jonas has recorded a live performance of the full album from the hills of Portugal. You can check out the full stream below!
We had the chance to sit down with Jonas to discuss the inspiration behind each track and his creative process.
Acceleration
Can you walk us through the creative process behind “Acceleration”? What inspired the driving energy of this track?
When I started to produce ‘Acceleration’ I thought it was going to be totally melancholic track but in the end it’s very uplifting and happy. With ‘Acceleration’, which thematically refers to the endless acceleration in our digital age, I wanted the track to have a lot of energy as an intro. The second break in particular doesn’t let up in its energy level, just like the developments in today’s world. By the way, the idea for the album title came to me during a visit to the ‘Futurium’ in Berlin. It’s a very interesting museum that deals with the question of what the future might be like.
Were there any specific influences, musical or otherwise, that contributed to the creation of “Acceleration”?
An important theme for me in the ‘Acceleration’ topic is the constant use of some apps that have become part of our everyday lives. Being constantly available and posting what you’re doing has become routine for us artists. Whether this is a positive or negative thing, or perhaps both, is something that everyone has to decide for themselves. When you scroll through social media and watch videos of parties, you are subconsciously influenced by the sound you hear all the time. You get a sense of what’s trending. However, this leads to a huge amount of tracks coming out sounding very similar. Being inspired by other music is great, I’ve just realised for myself that the constant consumption of electronic music via social media doesn’t really get me anywhere.
With these 6 tracks, I decided to completely free myself from the trends that would currently work on the big stages. I think producing functional songs and thinking about whether a song will be played a lot by DJs is absolutely justified, but that wasn’t my approach for at least this project. This guideline allowed me to really enjoy the moments of production and create something unique for myself.
Pretending
“Pretending” carries a distinct emotive quality. What emotions or experiences did you draw upon while composing this track?
At the end of the day, I’m pretty happy with the final result of ‘Pretending’, although I have to say the process wasn’t easy! Many producers say that the songs they produce quickly are usually the best. That’s usually the case for me too, which is why I almost gave up on the song. I changed the lead melody what felt like 20 times and also the arrangement extremely often.
It wasn’t so easy to present the song in a way that it keeps its beautiful melody together with the vocals, but still has a certain “seriousness” in the instrumental and doesn’t become too poppy. Still, I left a slight pop note in it. At the moment I play it in every set and find it’s always a good moment.
Could you share insights into the melodic elements and arrangements that give “Pretending” its atmospheric depth?
I think the good thing about the song is that it has a lot of elements, but they don’t always happen at the same time. For example, when the acid sound comes in, the lead sound is not playing. Right now my mastering is always in my Ableton session. The mastering chain completely changes the situation in the mix and then I start to reduce the song at the end. In the beginning, for example, there was a pad in the background all the time.
But you won’t hear that in the club, which I only noticed when my engineer and me mastered the song. The song felt overloaded. Then I deleted it and only added the pad discreetly at the end and in the breaks. My current goal is to always leave as few tracks as possible, even though my songs seem very full.
In terms of production, did you experiment with any new techniques or instruments while working on “Pretending”?
I used Stutter Edit 2 to create the groove in the chords. It’s a great plug-in, but it took me a while to get the hang of it as it can sound quite random at times. When I find something I like, I’ll bounce it into audio just to make sure I don’t lose the idea.
Exo (ft. RVLF)
Collaboration often brings new dimensions to music. How did your collaboration with RVLF come about for “Exo,” and how did it influence the track’s direction?
‘Exo’ has a nice story. Ralf (RVLF) and I recorded the vocals in 2021. But to be honest, I thought they were a bit too poppy at the time. Ralf takes on a non-human role in the lyrics, asking to describe what it feels like to be human, what it’s like to breathe air and what it’s like to see through human eyes. Quite interesting, as the theme has been taken up again and again in recent years.
Last year the lyrics randomly came back to me and I wondered if the theme wasn’t totally worn out. But I decided to just work on it again. I’m really happy that I gave ‘Exo’ a new instrumental and it’s actually one of my favourite songs on the record. Thematically, the song is very much about technological development in our everyday lives and fits in well with the concept. So interesting how perspectives about music and styles can change by time.
Sense Of Momentum
“Sense Of Momentum” seems to capture a certain progression or narrative. Can you discuss the storytelling aspect behind this track?
Thank you for listening to the tracks so carefully. I hadn’t really thought much about the story, but when I play it at a party I always realized that the song has a story to tell and a certain emotional depth. It starts in a typical melodic techno way with a fast bass line and then drifts into a very melancholic and soft sound carpet in the break. I love that moment. It’s hard to describe, but for me the melody feels like a positive and motivating look into the future. In the drop moment it continues with a lot of energy, very ‘dry’ and techno-like.
At the end, when everything comes together and we go into a short break again, there’s a very energetic moment, a ‘Sense Of Momentum’. In my live set I set up a 2 or 3 minute loop and play a hypnotic, constantly changing arpeggiator on my synth. What’s really exciting is that the song wouldn’t make any sense that way, but in the club and in the flow of my set it fits really well and changes the story.
Were there any specific sound design choices you made to enhance the sense of momentum in this track?
Since the lead is very soft and brings more atmosphere than energy, I decided for a fast techno bassline. Songs with a ‘stronge’ lead I like to make the bass groovy. This is always a very important decisions in my opinion.
Radical Acceptance
The title “Radical Acceptance” hints at a deeper theme. Can you describe the inspiration behind this title and its meaning for you?
I heard about Radical Acceptance in a podcast by Tara Brach. To explain it very quick, it means accepting that you can’t control everything and you can’t influence everything. In any case, I interpreted Radical Acceptance in relation to my music as meaning that it is important for me to learn to love my own music and not be too self-critical. A certain amount of self-criticism is of course good, but I often struggle a lot with my artistic creation.
I also interpret the idea of current trends. If my music doesn’t fit the trend at the moment, it’s good to accept this fact and understand that it’s important to like and appreciate it anyway. If you don’t follow a current trend, if your music doesn’t chart or go viral, it doesn’t mean it’s bad. Art always has a justification and your own approach to it should be a healthy one. I used a vocal sample in the song that says ‘to love love, to love you’. That fits really well with the theme.
From a production standpoint, what techniques were used to display the emotion of “Radical Acceptance”?
I didn’t use any special techniques. I think the song has a totally sunny and positive vibe. That’s what I like about it.
Running
Were there any specific challenges or breakthrough moments during the production of “Running” that influenced its final form?
The producing process happened over a couple of months. I just felt like taking my time, listening again and again to make the right decisions. Songs that are very musical take me longer than functional peak-time tracks. I think the vocals are very special in the song and they took quite a while! I asked the singer to write a text on the subject of working restlessly and not finding an end. Pushing yourself too far. She then recorded the part and shortly before the end of the production I had the idea of adding a second singer.
For me, the magic in the song is the break when both sing after each other. At the moment I always play the song as a closing, but only if the dancefloor allows it. A small technical note: now that I’ve played it a few times, I think we’ve made the mix and master a bit too hard. It fits very well into the mini album, but a slightly softer mix and e.g. a smooth 808 kick would have worked better for that style. Sometimes when I play ‘Running’ I get annoyed while I’m DJing and then I remind myself: ‘Radical Acceptance’… the song is what it is, it’s cool the way it is, people dance to it and are happy so please chill and enjoy 😉
Thanks a lot for speaking to us Jonas!
The album is out now on streaming platforms to listen/download here.
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