Nachtblumen Podcast #14 Ignez
With great pleasure I am happy to present you the 14th episode of Nachtblumen’s sonic story courtesy of Ignez- a Dutch DJ and producer currently based in Berlin, who in recent years gained popularity for his label Somov records, a release on renowned labels like AEX records and being a resident of the Dutch event organization Eerste Communie.
Originally coming from The Netherlands, he grew up in a town on the north coast. This has been a rather big influence on his artistic identity, as he had the chance to be closely connected with nature and the sea from a very early age, which later translated into it being a big inspiration for him when making and playing music. Ignez was also lucky to be surrounded by friends who were already appreciating electronic music and culture a lot, and were more than eager to introduce him to this world.
After his first experiences in music, the young artist was completely hooked. He was spending hours digging for music, learning about the scene and already at the age of 16 started to pick up Ableton and to make his own music. His early influences are oriented more towards the deeper realm of techno and dub sound, but it was really that special all-nighter set by Alex.do and later on a closing by Marcel Dettmann at Trouw Amsterdam that completely fired up his passion. For the first time he witnessed such professionally delivered diverse experiences that went in every direction and touched him musically. From that moment on, Ignez became a regular at the iconic club Trouw, and had the chance to experience excellent music, meet inspiring likeminded people, and learn from the heart of the Dutch scene.
Highly motivated and driven by passion, Ignez decided to relocate to Berlin in 2020, where he established his own imprint Somov records. The debut release SMV001 was a solo EP, followed by another one later in the year both available on digital and vinyl. The releases were very well received and through the versatile sound of each, the young producer demonstrated great producing skills, a strong character and a clear vision for the direction of his label. Nature and spirituality play a big role in his life and are some of the main inspirations behind the concept of Somov. He wanted to take that and combine it with his musical being and soul. The result is a clear goal for the label - to articulate unconscious energy that guides the individual to a higher form of being and transforms the dancefloor into a collective oceanic feeling.
In addition to releasing music on his own imprint, Ignez appeared on the recent mini VA compilation by AEX Records with his track Arcane. In the future, he plans to remain true to himself and what he stands for, not let himself be influenced by the surroundings too much, and to keep working towards realizing his ideas and vision as a DJ, producer and a label owner.
From hard, driving organic techno, through hypnotic elements to ambient scapes, it is nearly impossible to put Ignez’ sound into a clear definition. Influenced by Detroit minimalism and the Berlin techno scene, Ignez is somewhat a hybrid of energies that really delivers a unique musical experience. His set for Nachtblumen is a perfect example of that. You can expect a warm welcome into a dynamic techno journey, where the mood shifts seamlessly as it progresses to a darker place only to take you out of it at the end in a melodic and comforting way. When listening to music, for me it is always important that I get triggered emotionally, and this is why I am proud to feature such a genuine contribution by a talented artist like Ignez.