Artist Spotlight || Ettica

Get to know rising star Ettica in this week’s Artist Spotlight!

To describe tech house DJ/producer Ettica‘s style as eclectic would be getting pretty close to it. The London-based artist makes a habit of infusing his gritty, tech house-inspired sound with a wide variety of elements. From fierce, thumping basslines to hypnotic vocals to tribal drums, there is a certain dynamic quality to his music that grabs your attention. Ettica got his start early on, cutting his teeth on drum & bass and hardcore tracks from the age of fourteen before progressing into his more techno and tech house-oriented sound. With his recent Pianissimo EP, Ettica departed a bit from his tech house roots for one track that is pure euphoria and a second that can perhaps best be described as funky with a side of eccentric. With support for these tracks coming in from the likes of Shiba San, Mirkio Di Florio, and Vanilla Ace, now seems like the perfect time to introduce you to this up and coming talent.

Stream EDMID Guest Mix 061 || Ettica on Mixcloud:

Congratulations on your EP! How do you feel it been received thus far?

I’m really pleased with how it’s been received, people seem to be digging the tracks which is great especially as this is a different sound to what I usually release.

You’ve noted that “Pianissimo” and “Groovaluation” are a little bit of a departure from your usual tech house sound; what inspired you to go with a more house-oriented sound for these two tracks?

I’ve been really inspired by the way House and Tech House have been merging the last couple of years. For me, it is a really exciting time for music. This EP is a product of that change and an introduction to the new sound I’m aiming to release in the future.

Your remix of Meat Katie and Ben Coda’s “Just Quiet” is a really impressive take on the original; it’s got this thunderous bassline and a particular dark quality to it that really brings out some of the best elements in the track. How did you go about putting your spin on it?

I pretty much start all remixes the same, I’ll loop and go through the elements picking out the sounds I want to focus on. Usually, I’ll be inspired by this point and the tune dictates what needs to be done.

While you play primarily tech house, there is a ton of variety in the music that you produce and play. If you had to put your signature sound into words, how would you describe it?

I guess I would categorise it as Groove, it’s the common link between all my tracks. It’s all about that tight repetitive 4/4 groove. I know it’s right when I feel I could listen to the groove on loop continually and not get bored.

You started producing music pretty young at fourteen, what inspired you to get into the electronic music scene?

At 14 my friends and I discovered Hardcore and Drum and Bass, we were too young at this point to go raving but we would collect flyers and records and had crappy belt drive decks. About this time I discovered Ejay, which was a basic DAW that allowed you to mix samples and very basic sound design. This kept me going for a couple of years until I got a copy of Cubase.

Having been trained in classical guitar prior to producing electronic music. How did that impact you as an artist?

I think it was a solid foundation for musical progression, although my production skills had a lot to be desired at this point. I always had good musical ideas which I think was helped by my music tuition.

Which artists have influenced your work musically?

So many artists! But I guess I’d have to say, D Ramirez, DJ Wady, Sante, Robag Wruhme, Steve Lawler

When you’re playing a set, how do you decide what tracks to play?

I’ve always got a few tracks I’m obsessed with, usually, I’ll find tracks that flow in and out of these. I always like to have a big moment, pianos or strings or anything that gets the hands in the air.

If you could only listen to three artists for the rest of your life, who would they be and why?

I think the answer to this question would continually change but as it stands at the moment I’d have to say ‘The Jones Girls’ as ‘Nights over Egypt’ is my favourite song of all time. I’d put Fenech-Solar on the list, I’ve been a massive fan for a while but was blown away after seeing them recently at Heaven. The final artist I’m going with is Robag Wruhme, his productions in my mind are the best in the business, creative yet technical. I often ask myself in the studio ‘What would Robag do’.

What do you like to do in your free time when you aren’t producing music?

I like to break my days up with exercise as I produce music 7 days a week which is a lot of sitting down. I’ve been skateboarding my entire life virtually so I skate a fair amount. I’m also really into bouldering, I go to my local climbing wall 2/3 days a week. When I’m not doing these things you’ll usually find me sofa-bound with my Wife.