In the dynamic world of Techno, B. Riley and Joel Mull team up for their latest collaboration, "Accents." US-based B. Riley, known for his hard-hitting, hypnotic sounds, has been making waves with releases on CLR, MOOD, and his label CMND CTRL. Joel Mull on remix duty for the EP, is a seasoned Swedish Techno pioneer, brings three decades of experience and over 100 releases to the table. Together B. Riley and Joel Mull talk to 6AM to discuss their work on "Accents," sharing insights on their creative process, the challenges of the music industry, and their hopes for the remix's impact on the Techno community.

 

Hi Brandon and Joel thanks for taking the time to talk with us, how are you both doing?

Brandon Riley - Doing great!  Thanks for having some time for us to talk about our latest release.

Joel Mull - Heya, all good and I'm more than happy that Summer finally arrived up North here in Sweden.

 

To start off with, Brandon, as CMND CTRL celebrates its 50th release with Joel on remix duty, could you share some key milestones and the major challenges you've faced while building your label? What lessons have you learned that you're applying to your future projects?

Great question, and I think firstly is navigating the digital landscape of the music industry in its current form.  When the vast majority of music listeners are now reached through algorithms it’s tricky to find an authentic way to break through the noise and engage with an audience who is exploring this kind of electronic music in a more personal and meaningful way.  So being and staying authentic I think is most important.

As far as milestones I’m just happy the label is receiving great music from talented artists across the world and that they chose my label to help be a vessel to promote their craftsmanship. 

 

Joel, diving into the remix of Brandon's track "Accents", what specific elements of the original track sparked your creativity, and how did you blend these with your unique sound to create the remix?

When we first struck up a conversation it was about two years ago, I believe? It was through our mutual friend Alexi Delano who connected us both. 

Firstly, Brandon had another track in mind for a remix, but I could not find the right angle of approach so ended up asking for a second option. Which led to the Accents track. Right off the bat the acidic baseline is a definite hook, and the original track is way more stripped down in terms of arrangement and drum parts etc. I have built the whole arrangement of my track around the lead. That acidic baseline gets washed in heavy processing to make it glide and sway a bit extra. 

As we all know I’m weak for adding drama to tracks and I guess it’s part of my trademark. A little more atmospheric and melodic bits have been added.

Brandon, what inspired you to select Joel for the remix of "Accents"? Were there particular qualities in his previous works that you thought would make a great fit for your vision of the remix?

Well, this will date me a bit, but I’ve been a big fan of Joel’s work and the whole “Stockholm sound” of electronic producers since the 90’s and used to play Joe’s early works on vinyl heavily.  So, to personally connect after all these years and collaborate on a (what I hope to be the first of many) project is truly a dream come true for me and a big reason why I love this industry so much.

For both of you, what were the most rewarding aspects of collaborating on this remix? Were there any unexpected creative synergies or challenges that arose during the process?

Brandon Riley - The most rewarding part for me was finally receiving his remix completed ha!  Jokes aside, I take a hands-off approach when it comes to having people create original music for my label and / or remixing as I believe the artist's interpretation should remain theirs.  Lots of labels will make you refine bits and pieces of your music until it no longer sounds like yours anymore.  Personally, I’m not a fan of that.

Joel Mull - I think the most rewarding thing during this project is the fact getting to know each other and us linking up spending quality time both in Stockholm and Miami during this year's Winter Music Conference. That’s the magic of music. The magnetic force it has on people and leading up to lifelong friendships. People that dance together stay together.

 

How do you both anticipate this remix will be received by your fans and the wider techno community? What are your hopes for how it might impact listeners?

Brandon Mull - I don’t worry too much about that as I believe if you stay true to yourself and just make music it will resonate with someone on the dance floor somewhere.  I don’t care if my music makes 1 person dance or 10 thousand, but just as long as it connects with someone in a meaningful way.

Joel Mull - For me personally I try to hypnotize myself when producing, creating or performing as a DJ presenting a musical journey.  Perhaps it sounds strange to some but mixing music is a kind of a therapy and a process for me to travel somewhere into my imagination. So, I hope that both tracks get their moment somewhere with someone.

 

Brandon, with a release on Rawsery Records ‘Mediator’ and an upcoming EP on Diffuse Reality and ongoing focus on CMND CTRL, could you provide some insights into the themes and sounds we can expect in your upcoming projects?

 

Brandon Riley - Techno is my first love, but more often than not when I sit down to work on music it just takes me where it wants to go, and I try to go with that flow.  I think overall I’m mainly trying to focus on hypnotic techno sounds and more what I personally call “Tech House '' in the sense that they are tracks that can easily steer the music in different directions, which is especially fun to do when DJ’ing an extended multi-hour set.

 

Joel, you will be joining Drumcode for a week on sea at the Croatian Archipelago. You’ve also played for 6AM’s warehouse parties before, so going from a dark warehouse to the open sea is quite a variety of settings. How do these unique settings influence your performances? Do you have a preference for either?

6AM is a home for me and I always felt so welcomed in L.A.  I’m lucky to be able to experience many different settings. Whether it be a Club with perfectly installed equipment or a stripped-down warehouse, it’s the people and the vibe and momentum that goes on that adds to the energy. 

And I do like to play all of it. 

The different setting comes with different stories to tell with the music. In a Warehouse I would most probably play another story then out on the sea under the sun. 

To give a comparison I could give an example of the difference between a set down at Berghain or up in Panorambar. They are linked but have a different soul and mood. You can play some very abstract and mental things in Berghain that would not translate as well up in Panoramabar. 

I’ve played both rooms at the same night which is a whole other story. 

I run a Monthly Ambient Club here in Stockholm, so I really love to be able to play sounds from the whole Spectrum.

That’s said, I'm really excited to play the DC parties in Croatia. It’s attracting so many happy and excited people that are traveling from all over the world to get there and gather to dance to music in spectacular settings. It’s like a mini Loveparade out on the open sea.

 

Lastly, after this successful collaboration, do you foresee more joint projects in the future? What directions might you both be interested in exploring next, either together or individually in your respective careers?

Brandon Riley - That’s the fun part is discovering what kind of project creates itself ripe for collaboration.  Just be open, go with the flow, and good things follow.

Joel Mull - I’m not a stranger to continuing on more projects after this one. It’s been an honest joy to do this first remix project and I think Brandon can agree that it’s definitely not our last.

 

Thank you so much for talking to our audience, is there anything you both would like to add?

Brandon Riley - Thanks again for having us and keeping up with your helping this electronic industry grow.

 

Joel Mull - Thank you for inviting us to spread the word! Keep up the good momentum you guys do. Wish you all a nice Summer 2024!! 

 

Connect with Brandon Riley: Instagram | Facebook | Soundclound

Connect with Joel Mull: Soundcloud | Facebook