Interview || Stuck In A Loop With Stoneface & Terminal

Words of Wisdom From Stoneface & Terminal "Be Different" 

'Be Different' is Stoneface & Terminal's second artist album and was over a year in the making. It proves again that the two school friends can create true musical brilliance, which is exactly what an artist album should be. Being known for numerous successful club singles, Stoneface & Terminal deliver with their new album which provides an interesting mixture without forgetting their own sound. 'Be Different' is a journey from catchy vocal songs to techy rhythms via trancey lines and laidback sounds. Interesting collaborations with Kyau & Albert, Ellie Lawson, Sean Ryan, Amurai, Ronski Speed & Synthea and Ana Criado turn 'Be Different' into a timeless album.

We had the chance to catch up with the legendry duo to pick their  brains about "Be Different'

Hello, Henry and Matthi. Thank you for taking time out to do this interview with us. It is a huge pleasure.

How are you doing?

We are fine, thank you! Our Album 'Be Different' is out and Germany ist Football WorldChampion 2014 Brazil.

1.     This is a staple TIE question, what is the first thing that comes to mind when you hear South Africa?

 Matthi: The great white Shark and his fight against his extinction.

Henry: That stranded tanker at Salt Rock, Durban. We've been there, it was kinda scary...

2.     Can you tell us a little more about who each one of you is? How did you guys meet?

We know each other since 1984 as we were together in a class at school. In the beginning we just were two guys in one school class and in1993 we found out that we have a hand for music.

3.     Everyone always grows up with ideas of what they want to be when they older, Have you always wanted to be a DJ/ Producer and what was it about trance music that attracted you to the scene?

 No, it is a development process to become a good Producer. Both of us had some other beliefs  till we felt 'Oh maybe we’ve got a hand for music and maybe it could be enough to make it a full-time job...” We started our music career with hard driving techno sounds. Later we tried to connect our techy sound with some melodic stuff. A lot of people told us that we were the first guys who produced true Tech-Trance. It was an honour to hear this from other people.

4.     What is a typical day like in Stoneface & Terminal studio? How do you guys go from idea to finished product?

 It depends...sometimes we start playing around with some melodies and sometimes we’ve got a good bass line or some good rhythms. Then we build a track around this idea. If we struggle with an idea somehow, we leave it till the next day and start with something new. 

5.   You guys have just released your new album “Be Different”. Inspirational title, what was the inspiration behind the album?

 The inspiration is, to Be Different to all the EDM stuff that's out there at the moment. There's so much more in electronic dance music than the same drops and sounds.

6.    What does it mean to “Be Different”?

 Simply dare to Be Different and don’t float with the current just to be cool or to be save...

7.     In today’s time being different is what differentiates you from the rest. Being different is often not welcomed by many music fans in your guys opinion how important is it to be different and what do you have to say to all the haters?

Our Album Be Different is just how we think to be different to all the other Edm-stuff out there at the moment. We worked with forgotten percussions, tried lots of different sounds to show that electronic dance music is multifaceted and not stupid monotonous like lot of guys produce it at the moment. Everybody who invented a new style in music, was different in the beginning. If someone comes up to us and tells us 'I hate your stuff' we just give him a smile and ask him „...and why are you here?“ or „...just don’t listen to our music again.“ 

8.     One track of the album that you cannot get enough of?

Matthi: Deepressure

Henry: Alive

9.     Typically how long does it take you guys to produce a track, and how long did it take to produce the album “Be Different”?

Sometimes we just need a week for a track and sometimes we need more than 2 or 3 Month.

As for Be Different, we needed about 2 Years, from the Idea till the finished album.

10. Say you were booked for a gig and the promoter only had enough to pay for one plane ticket, what would you guys do, who would go or would you turn the gig down?

Unfortunately it is happens a lot in the last months. If we get a request for one Guy, then we talk first with Marco, our Booker. How important it is for us to play there and do we have other option for that date. If we sort out everything and if we decide to make the Gig, then mostly Matthi is going to the Events and Henry ist working in the Studio for new Ideas.

11. Stoneface & Terminal has been in existence for +12 years. Do you guys get in to any fights when working together, and what’s your secret to a long lasting relationship ?

No, we don’t fight if we are working on Tracks. We have stirring discussions.

We know each other very well and we can be together a whole day (during a tour) without speaking one word but at the end we have a blind understanding.

12. Do you guys plan your sets before a gig? How do you prepare and overcome the nerves?

We don’t have a plan before our Dj Sets. We know witch tracks we have in our case but we don’t know wich one we’ll play. First we have to see how the people are in the Club or at the Event, so we decide wich track we play shortly before we start and then we go track after track.

13.  Change is something that needs to happen, how do you guys think trance music will change in the next 20 years?

Really, we have no Idea, please ask us in 20 Years :-)

14.  Which words or phrases do you guys overuse?

Matthi: Bitch ( to Henry :-)

Henry: toll – a german word for „great“.

The most overused words and phrases in our scene are 'Trouse' or 'Who's afraid of 138'.

15. Name one thing your fans don’t know about you each of you.

Henry is going to be a father in August.

Do you guys have any last message for you fans.

Guys, thank you for all your support, please don’t stopp and support us in ervery way. Best Henry & Matthi aka Stoneface & Terminal

Go and grab a copy of "Be Different"

Itunes: https://itunes.apple.com/album/be-different/id886201414

Beatport: http://www.beatport.com/release/be-different/1328981

Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/music/album?id=Bqkqkp5euupskuhhigpwwsbuekq 

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1seoCVv

Signed CDs: www.shop.euphonic.de

Thank you so much for doing this interview with us. We hope to see you guys playing in South Africa soon ☺  Layla and Yasmin