ERIS Mix
Joining us for Tapes #115 is ERIS, a Berlin-based duo formed by Enrica Falqui and Dea. Two souls from different musical histories met on a simple night out. They instantly connected and their taste and passion spiralled into production and mixing sessions. Their debut EP was released on CABARET Recordings and with that Moments EP was created.
Enrica Falqui represents the Sardinian half of ERIS. Her journey begins somewhere in 2009, when she started to create music and DJ. The years that followed were filled with contributions to dance culture with her DJ sets, alias productions, and her own record label. Dea represents the Croatian half of ERIS. A woman who has danced on all floors and experienced many memorable musical journeys. Born into a family of musicians, Deawas dancing before walking and playing piano before she could write.
Hey both - welcome to the Origins Tapes series! Can you start by introducing yourself?
E: My name is Enrica, and I was born in Sardinia, Italy, where I lived until 2013, the year I moved to Berlin to rediscover myself and to live more intensely my biggest passion, which is music.
D: My Name is Dea , Latin for goddess, American for Drug Enforcement Administration. My mum gave birth to me in a lovely town on the coast of the Adriatic sea in a country then known as Yugoslavia and I was labeled Croatian. I've been making music since I was 6. lol it's true tho, my first big hit is on Spotify, don't have a clue who put it there but you can look it up; Dea Dvornik - plesimo plesimo! It's about dancing all night until you feel sick.
Tell us about this mix - what's the ideal setting to listen to it?
E: This mix was extracted from a set played at the Hoppetosse club in Berlin last month.
D: Ideal setting is Hoppetosse at 3am, Enchanted Rhythms just finished playing, and Alexandra will follow after. If not that then any kind of sofa afterparty is the next best option!
How was ERIS born? And what’s the best part about performing as a duo?
E: ERIS project was born almost by chance after a night spent together at Berghain Panorama Bar in Berlin. Immediately after that Dea and I decided to try making music together in my studio. From the beginning, there was a strong connection; we both enjoy playing instruments, whether it's composing a melody or writing a groove. The only difference is that Dea has studied classical music, while I am self-taught.
D: We met in CdV, went to chill out in the studio, made a bomb. Joking, I just told this story so many times, I can't find another creative way to tell it and be boring to myself so I hope Enri did.
Tell us more about your influences? Do you feel like you have separate styles when you play together compared to individually?
E: I listen to genres and styles of music and from all of these I seek inspiration. Dea and I share a very similar musical taste, whether it's House music or Techno. We both buy any record that captures our attention, not limiting ourselves to a single genre.
D: Of course we have different styles individually. ERIS sound is that space where our individual tastes overlap, but there is a plethora of music which resides outside that area. Biggest influence to my DJing is over 20 years active presence on scenes in different places I lived. In that period of time, I have experienced so much variety of styles, genres, trends in electronic music, on the dance floor, as they happened in real time, which is something that can never be translated via digging in front of the screen through the headphones. All these times and places shaped my personal taste to be as it is now. Surely being born and raised by musicians and having early access to quality music and instruments also played a part in developing the way I experience and interact with music since I know myself.
It seems you’re both quite drawn to raw, analogue sounds as reflected in both your mixes and productions - talk us through your production process?
E: I enjoy spending many hours in the studio, and I don't release a track until I am satisfied with every aspect of it, whether it's a melody or a snare sound. Perhaps that's why I don't release every track I compose; I am very self-critical, both of myself and, naturally, of what I produce with Dea.
D: I never intrinsically understood, took interest in or even played with computers like much of the younger generations does. What I do understand and connect to is music and playing an instrument, connection between sound and body, so I am much quicker to understand a turntable than a CDJ, a drum machine than Ableton for example. Enrica prefers the same way to work so in the studio we are just exchanging in adding layers to the track. Usually she will start with the groove asking me if I want 4x4 or breakbeat. I will say breakbeat and then she will say how we actually need a techno track on the EP :DDD then I will add a bassline, then we will keep adding elements untill the track is completed. Usually Enri plays every element of the drum section by hand, and anything that is played by the keyboard (basslines, pads, melodies) I play by hand.
I love the emotion behind handmade music, and to clarify, I mean music that comes from your mind or heart and you register it on the instrument or machine as you hear and feel it as opposed to sounds that are randomly generated by a sequencer or plugin. I like when it’s wonky, swingy, irregular, human. I prefer not to quantize what I play because it usually kills the juice, and if i’m not high as a kite in the studio, I can be precise as fuck. Ask Enri.
What has been your favourite set you’ve played together?
E: I believe the best set we played was at the Ikpa festival at RSO in Berlin on June 23rd. It's not very common to be truly satisfied with how we play, but that night it felt like one person was playing. We managed to connect completely. Of course, the audience played its part, and the festival was meticulously organised, which is certainly not to be overlooked.
D: This year my favourite ERIS set is probably the one we played at ICKPA festival in RSO Berlin. Pity it wasn't recorded. The best ones are never recorded.
Any exciting upcoming plans or releases in the pipeline for ERIS?
E: Lately we've been working on our next EP, which will be released on my new label called 'Plexus 4’, around April or May 2024.
D: I'm excited about playing at fabric continuum next Saturday, I love these kinds of synchronicities. I have no long term goals or plans (other then starting a trip hop band). I'm very bad at planning and organising but I'm great at living and if there is one thing I’ve learnt, it’s to let life unfold before me as it will, trusting its masterplan for me is 100 times better than anything I could orchestrate myself. :)