Romanian-born DJ and producer Audio State is proving to be an intrinsic name within the next generation of rising techno stars, with a rich catalogue of high-impact records to his name. Having only been active on the circuit for a few years, the burgeoning talent has already graced some of the most influential labels in the scape, including Terminal M, Elevate Records, Unrilis, Legend Records and Extima Records to name a few. Championing an adaptable blend of melodic-driven, peak-time techno alongside raw, hypnotic cuts, Audio State’s boundless creativity is setting him on a path to dance music royalty.
Launching his career in the tech-house sphere, Audio State saw huge success under his preceding aliases before maturing his sound palette into a harder and faster strain of underground music. Now standing as one of Romania’s most promising components, Audio State’s deserving reflection from fellow DJs has ensured his elevation to even greater heights in the last two years, with his productions proving commonplace among the touring playlists of Charlotte de Witte, Enrico Sangiuliano, Joyhauser, Pig & Dan, Thomas Schumacher, Joseph Capriati and Sama Abdulhadi, to name a few. With notable footholds inside Beatport’s Peak-time Top 100 chart and Hype section with every single one of his releases, the producer’s flourishing discography only grows to hold more future hit records.
Moving from the countryside to Bucharest during the city’s golden era of dance music, Audio State’s versatile perspective on the genre stems from these early experiences and aims to raise the profile of the country’s relatively undiscovered nightlife. In addition to his local performances within Romania’s notable clubs, Audio State has played alongside artists such as Jon Rundell, Stiv Hey and Alex Mine, as well as closing one of the stages at the acclaimed Untold Festival.
With a string of upcoming shows in the pipeline, Audio State looks ahead to his debut performance outside of his home country, as he heads for Helsinki. But first, he has a chat with SIX AM to talk about it all.
Welcome to SIX AM Audio State! What’s going on?
Hi there. Firstly, thank you very much for having me and it’s a pleasure being here. Secondly, I am currently in my studio, working on several tracks. I am trying to have as much new material as I can for the upcoming gigs that I have. Aside from that, I am also investing a lot of time in elevating my social media skills because, as you know, nowadays it’s so important to have a good online presence.
Being from Romania, how did you get into electronic music? What’s the rave scene like in Romania?
My journey into electronic music started quite some time ago, around 2004 when I discovered in my father’s car some CD’s with Dj Aligator. Because it was something very new for me, it sounded interesting and I liked it and I wanted to discover more about it. So then I started listening Brooklyn Bounce, Dj Tiesto and Scooter. From there I went with Benny Benassi‘s music and in 2007 I began learning music production for the first time. At that moment I was already digging a bit more deeply into electronic music genres like tech-house, progressive-house and of course techno, or rather minimal techno, because that was more popular back then. Next I discovered the esteemed Drumcode label which was a gateway for getting into the real techno music. As for the rave scene in Romania, it’s quite young compared to other countries so to speak. People are more into tech-house and ro-minimal, techno being at the moment a genre that could be a little bit too hard for the general audience. But we are getting there, we have a few major festivals that try to push the scene forward, so I would say that we are moving in the right direction, but of course, it takes time.
In terms of your music career, you started off in the tech-house area of the scene. How did you make your transition from tech-house to techno? What was the motivation for this shift?
As I was saying before, I started producing music back in 2007. At that time I don’t think that I even knew what style I wanted to create, so i was doing whatever sounded good to my ear, minimal techno, tech-house, progressive-house, a bit of everything to be honest. After developing my production skills a little, I was producing tech-house, releasing music regularly for 4-5 years, give or take. In 2011 I discovered Adam Beyer and his Drumcode label and it instantly propelled me in a whole new world, which was new in a way for me but the old sounds that got me into this kind of music were still there, only presented in a more modern approach. Somewhere around 2013 I started experimenting more with sounds and had my first attempts at finishing a techno track. Until the summer of 2018, nothing too serious happened for me in regards of establishing a name for myself in the techno world. So the motivation for this shift came right after I experienced Awakenings Festival in Holland for the first time in my life. After I came back from this amazing festival, I knew that I wanted to make only Techno music and I had to do it fully committed and with consistency!
You’ve gained support from big industry names such as Charlotte de Whitte, Joyhauser, Joseph Capriati, and several other techno titans. Having only started your career in the last few years, how does it feel to already gain recognition so early in your career? What does it inspire within you, and where do you see yourself in the next 5 years?
Most of the times it does feel surreal, having your tracks being played by some of the biggest names in the industry, in front of thousands, it’s a feeling that I can’t describe it in words. Moreover, if some of your idols do play your tracks, then it’s even better!
Regarding inspiration, I am really weird when it comes to this. I’m always starting tracks from scratch, without having necessarily an idea in my mind, I just go with the flow and see what happens, where the track gets me. I’ve read many interviews where producers were saying that they have this certain idea in their heads and they build their track starting from that. Well, in my case, as I said before, it works differently. As for inspiration generally speaking, there are many many things that are inspire me, starting from movies, architecture, books, to places, nature or great experiences.
When it comes to the future, I guess I hope that I can grow even more, produce greater tracks and tour internationally!
You have a track coming out on Sam Paganini’s label Jam on May 5th, how were you able to get noticed by such an icon and how does it feel to be able to release on his label? Do you have any other upcoming releases that you’re getting excited for as well?
Yes, “Step into my Mind” will be released on Jam label, on their VA named “4 on JAM” along other great artists like Drumsauw, Pablo Say and Dok & Martin. You can imagine that my excitement level is going through the roof, being able to release on the label of such an iconic DJ, someone please pinch me!
Actually, before getting noticed by Sam, I have sent demos to the label a few times, they would listen to the tracks, but they would not reply back. This was a very important lesson for me, as I have learned that you have to enjoy the process and be patient. Things will happen if you try over and over again! I would like to express my sincere thanks to Sam Paganini for trusting me and releasing my music. I also have a track that was released last week on the greek label “No Love”, also on a VA and it’s a track that I am very proud of because I really stepped out of my comfort zone with that one! In regards of other upcoming releases, at the moment I have a few other unreleased tracks that I am hoping to be signed by other big labels, hopefully news will follow soon!
You have a few upcoming events at the end of May, at the Berlin Dance Music Event, at the famous Birgit Club, and at Void Club. How did you get connected with the Berlin Dance Music Event? For those that haven’t heard of it, what’s the vibe of the event and how do you feel about playing it?
Indeed, I will play two shows in Berlin during their annual Dance Music Event. Actually, me and a dear friend of mine, Filtrack, who is also a great producer, got picked up from the bowl at a raffle organized by a german techno promoter named “Wohnzimmer Techno”. As for the Birgit gig, I sent dozens of emails to them until I finally got picked up to play there. You can imagine that I am very happy to have this opportunity and I am very grateful for it. Regarding the vibe of the events from Berlin, I can’t explain it, you need to have this experience yourself in order to understand it.
Thanks for chatting with us Audio State! Is there anything else you’d like to share?
Again, thank you very much for having me and stay positive!
Connect with Audio State: SoundCloud | Facebook | Instagram | Spotify | Beatport
