INTERVIEW: Clan Brude on 2023

A new year comes with new ambitions, resolutions and projects. 2023 arrived and Clan Brude is ready to share what he has in store for the coming months.

We sat down with him to talk more about what his plans are for the new year. Check out our interview with Clan Brude below.

Hey Clan Brude! 2023 is here and we’d like to know what are your hopes for this year regarding your music career?

Thanks for asking! I would like to put together a second EP of 5 cohesive tracks this year along with my other releases that are in the works. After this, I would feel ready to go further and put out an album, although that might be overly ambitious for one year! I could see myself potentially playing live and of course like all musicians, it would be amazing to be create music for a living. The ultimate dream! I’ll keep plugging away.

What are your top 3 resolutions for this new year?

The first one is both music related (and in general to be honest) and it is to not stop learning and to be always open to new ideas and suggestions. Secondly, is to start travelling again after 3 years semi-locked down in Shanghai. I feel like there will be a rebound affect from the experience of 2022 in 2023. And thirdly, like most I guess, to keep healthy, exercise more, swim and keep up with general levels of fitness.

Do you have any releases in the pipeline for the upcoming months?

Yes, so the next confirmed release is ‘Back in the Day, Shanghai’, which comes out on January 6^th. This is my nostalgia track for the better times in Shanghai. Having been in the city for 7 years, I’ve seen quite a lot of change. This has included things like greater control in terms of nightlife and performances, which when combined with the impact of Covid, brought a lot of change and more controls. I do love Shanghai and it was really on the map for international artists pre-Covid, so I hope that now certain policies have gone, that it will get back to where it was a few years ago. I also have another couple of tracks ready for release but without a date yet. One is titled ‘Why Does This Paranoia Get Me’ and it really is a musical representation of how we were made to feel in Shanghai during the 2022 lockdown and after.

If you could pick any event, any stage, any place: where would you like to perform in 2023?

I’ve always been a semi-regular at Glastonbury (when tickets have been available!) so to play there would be a pinnacle.

And following on from that, if the world was your oyster for selection, who would you like to collaborate with this new year?

Jon Hopkins’ Singularity is really up there for me. He has a lot of interesting glitchy automation going on. It’s so intricate and I think I would learn so much in such a context.

Are there any new hobbies or activities you’d like to try in 2023?

Again, I used to travel a lot more prior to the pandemic so, although not a new hobby in itself, there will be an element of novelty about it for sure.

Are there any new skills or new gear that you’d like to implement to your studio in 2023?

Yes, absolutely. I have a long wish list of plug-ins, but initially I could do with an upgrade in my workspace. For instance, I’m not yet working in sound treated space so that would be up there. I’ve also produced for my own band in another project and as we start recording more, I would like to test the usefulness of mastering AI tools such as Ozone 10 from Izotope.

From a production standpoint, what would you say is the number one area you would like/need to invest time into in order to develop your production level?

Mastering, 100%! A lot of feedback I’ve had has been centred around this area. It’s not just about getting the right loudness but getting the best out the mix.

Any new genres you’d like to explore next year?

I have a couple of Future Bass tracks out which were a departure from the House I was creating. I really enjoyed working in this genre despite gravitating to House in general so this might be something to take further in 2023.

New sub-genres come and go into fashion every year, what are your predictions for 2023?

2022 was big for Afrobeats and so I could see this continue to cross into the mainstream with its sub genres such as Afropop coming through as well.

Besides yourself, which artists or labels should people follow this year?

According to her Spotify bio, Eliza Rose is just starting out, and what a platform she has after B.O.T.A. Other than that, I really need to reconnect with the London scene to some extent. I saw Anjunabeats were hold something at Fabric a couple of weeks ago, so I suspect that sort of thing would be a good starting point.

Make a prediction for 2023 about the world or music and we’ll try and catch you this time next year to see if it came true!

2023 can only get better compared with 2022 (and the two years prior). I’m hoping Shanghai will open up again and we’ll see the international acts coming back into town, although there is no guarantee on this.

Do you have a message for your followers for new year?

Just thanks so much for tuning in and giving the tracks a listen! If you like these ones, then much more is to come this year and I will explore some deeper themes across eclectic genres, but at the same time hopefully putting a smile on your face.

Check out Clan Brude’s latest EP Frequencies below