Exclusive Interview with AUDIO DOPE

The Basel-based producer Audio Dope began his musical career by creating old-fashioned beats influenced by the US hip-hop sounds of the late 1990s. However, he soon fell in love with the instrumental music scene and established his own recipe by combining organic samples and vocal fragments with crisp synths and tight drums. His innovations between hip-hop, downtempo, and trip-hop led to opening slots for worldwide bands including KAYTRANADA, Maribou State, The Gaslamp Killer, and ODESZA, as well as performances at festivals including Montreux Jazz, Zürich Openair, and Openair Frauenfeld.
His debut album Audio Dope was published on Majestic Casual and Radicalis Music in February 2018, followed by his EP ‘Preserved’ in December 2018. The second album of Superlunary was published in April of 2020.
Audio Dope and Matthias Gusset debuted their new project Kappa Mountain in 2019. On May 8th, the debut EP was released.

On 2 December, Radicalis will release the new track “True Love” by the critically acclaimed Swiss musician and producer Audio Dope. “True Love” is a melancholy, gloomy, downtempo song with a very captivating chorus and hypnotic music video. The song will appear on Audio Dope’s March 2023 album ‘Gone’. This is Audio Dope’s third album, which has received 50 million plays across streaming platforms and is his third overall. Check out the song and the exclusive interview below:

1. Can you tell us a bit about where you come from and how it all got started?

AUDIO DOPE: I’m an electronic music composer from Basel, Switzerland. When I was young, I always spent hours in my room drawing comics, playing Pokemon on my Game Boy and jamming on my guitar. After I got my first computer, it was only a matter of time before I stumbled upon the first music production software (which was fruity loops, by the way). Then the transition to Ableton Live happened and things started to excel.

2. Did you have any formal training or are you self-taught?

AUDIO DOPE: I’m completely self-taught. When I started out, online tutorials weren’t that established so I just sat down and figured everything out by myself.

3. Who were your first and strongest musical influences?

AUDIO DOPE: The earliest influences come from my dad’s music collection. He always had great mixtapes prepared when we were on the road together. Also, I grew up in the Super Nintendo era. Some of those soundtracks are unforgettable (like Aquatic Ambience from Donkey Kong Country). In my teenage years I finally discovered hip-hop, especially Dilla and Madlib beats got me hooked.

4. What do you feel are the key elements in your music that should resonate with listeners, and how would you personally describe your sound?

AUDIO DOPE: My music is less about story-telling and more about evoking personal emotions. As a result I mostly use very subtle vocals. I love to enhance my synth sound with natural samples and textures to give the tune a more natural and complete feel.

5. For most artists, originality is first preceded by a phase of learning and, often, emulating others. What was this like for you? How would you describe your own development as an artist and music maker, and the transition towards your own style?
AUDIO DOPE:
Back in the days I met with a group of friends almost every weekend to freestyle rap over instrumental beats pumping out of my old Motorola RAZR phone. After some sessions I started to produce my own beats but I never wanted someone to rap over them because I felt there wasn’t a balanced appreciation between vocals and instrumentals. So I slowly started to produce my track with more details and build-ups, so it could speak for itself without the need for rap vocals. I’d say during this process I developed a big portion of my signature sound.

6. Do you think is it important for fans of your music to understand the real story and message driving each of your songs, or do you think everyone should be free to interpret your songs in their own personal way?

AUDIO DOPE:

I’m definitely a fan of free interpretation. Every listener has a unique background, so for me to expect that they are going to feel the same thing that I intend is never going to happen. It is way more fulfilling if my music can touch people on a personal level.

7. Creative work in a studio or home environment, or interaction with a live audience? Which of these two options excites you most, and why?

AUDIO DOPE:

My daily life and all its routines revolve around my work in the studio. That’s where I feel safe and inspired, and I love it! But without the kick and adrenaline rush of live performances, I probably wouldn’t have the same drive after all these years.

8. Do you feel that your music is giving you back just as much fulfillment as the amount of work you are putting into it or are you expecting something more, or different in the future?

AUDIO DOPE:

I’m grateful that I’m in a position where I can mostly do what I love. I don’t feel constricted. Of course, I wish for some things to happen in the future; for example, I wish that a full-length album will regain the esteem it once had. But for now I guess we have to live with the 2-minute release strategy.

9. Could you describe your creative processes? How do usually start, and go about shaping ideas into a completed song? Do you usually start with a tune, a beat, or a narrative in your head? And do you collaborate with others in this process?

AUDIO DOPE:

Mainly I start by digging through my collection of weird and whimsical progressive music. If I can resonate with a tune, I slice it up into samples and start jamming around. I add drums, bass, synths, and effects. I often end up removing the original sample after some iterations.

10. With social media having a heavy impact on our lives and the music business in general, how do you handle criticism, haters, and/or naysayers in general? Is it something you pay attention to, or simply ignore?

AUDIO DOPE: I try not to get too involved in social media because I feel it would drain my creative energy. But back in the days when I released my music via Soundcloud, I experienced nothing but love and support from fans and fellow musicians. I think the instrumental and electronic music scene in general is very positive.