Balance Selections 252: Anton Tumas

A driving force in the Southern California underground, Anton Tumas is known for his impeccable, genre spanning DJ sets, his flawlessly executed parties in previously uncharted locations, and Subtract, his cutting edge record label. He has played alongside Hernán Cattáneo, DJ Tennis, and Danny Howells, on Burning Man‘s Mayan Warrior, and Robot Heart, as well as Lightning in a Bottle, Desert Hearts, and Further Future festivals, each time enhancing the reputation of his ability to play sets perfectly suited to the vibe of the party.

Balance Selections 252: Anton Tumas

Tracklisting:

01. FC Kahuna – Hayling (John Digweed & Nick Muir Reprise)
02. Dionne – Back On The Planet
03. Highgrade Disharmonic Orchestra – The Other Night
04. Danito & Athina – Hypnos (Innellea Highway To Hypnosis Remix)
05. Guy J & Khen – Prism
06. Dakz & Mentelibre – She Needs Me (Tomas Rubeck I Need Her Dub)
07. Tigerskin – Peak
08. Nic Fanciulli & Andy Chatterley – Too Much Information (Manuel Tur Remix)
09. Talaboman – Dins El Llit (Superpitcher Remix)
10. Larry Heard – Deja Vu (Musaria Mix)
11. Leafar Legov – Your Vibe
12. Aparde – Prologue feat. Anne (Powel Remix)
13. 16 Bit Lolitas – Rainbows
14. M.A.N.D.Y. vs. Booka Shade – Home (Kollektiv Turmstrasse Interstellar Mix)
15. Anton Tumas – The Sky Was Purple (Reprise)

Balance Selections Q+A

Name: Anton Tumas
Location: Los Angeles
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Labels affiliated with: All Day I Dream, Sudbeat Music, Subtract Music, Balance Music

My last 3 releases:

Anton Tumas – The Sky Was Purple

Noraj Cue – Ode to Life Formation (Anton Tumas remix)

Anton Tumas – Secret

What music did you listen to as a child?

I grew up in the 80s, and the German pop duo Modern Talking was a big influence, as I had their album Let’s Talk About Love constantly on our record player. Michael Jackson, and Alphaville also stand out as having shaped my taste. Neither of my parents were musicians, but we had a great stereo system and headphones, so my early experiences and audiophile roots stems from that, and hearing many nuances in the songs that the speakers were revealing to me.

When was the first time that you realised that you liked electronic music?

I was exposed to trance and break beats in the early 2000’s, as I was transitioning out of hip-hop and R&B, which was taking a turn musically. A good friend that I worked with, introduced me to the work of Talvin Singh, with drum & bass Indian infused melodies, and my mind was instantly captivated. From there I discovered artists like BT, The Crystal Method, and Adam Freeland.

When was the first time you saw a DJ in a club?

Some of my earliest club memories are going to The Palace (now called Avalon). I don’t recall many of the names, as I was just there to hang out and have fun. A few years later I started visiting Circus Disco, where Spundae was hosting some of the best trance DJ’s in the world every weekend.

Which producers/artists/acts inspire you?

There are so many who create timeless tracks, but the ones that do so over and over again with consistency, are a rare few in my book. DJ Koze, Andre Lodemann, Axel Boman, James Holden, KiNK, Guy J, and Robag Wruhme, are some of them. Together, they have produced what have been some of the biggest tracks in my sets.

What was the last album that you downloaded/bought?

The last album I downloaded was by my good friend Pablo Bolivar – Framework Of A Dream. Perfect dubby business to zone out and meditate to.

What is your current production and DJ set up like?

My production setup is quite minimal these days, consisting of a few VSTs, great headphones and studio monitor. I share projects and stems with a friend who’s a talented studio engineer, so he handles mixing and implementing the ideas that I come up. I’ve found I can finish projects a lot faster this way with my busy schedule.

What releases do you have on the horizon?

I’ve done a couple of edits of my long-time favorites, and will be releasing them as a free download later this year. I’ve also signed a track to AnjunaDeep, which is a label that has given me so much great music. More info on that later in the year. Currently working on more originals and remixes of songs that I love, with the goal of creating timeless music to play in my own sets.

Where can we hear you perform?

I produce a monthly event in Long Beach, California, titled Subtract On The Pier, which is also my residency. I also will be playing at Love Long Beach Festival end of July, an event I’ve been co-producing for the last 6 years. I also play at various events all over LA.

Tell us more about the podcast you made for Balance?

I had a pretty clear idea of the vibe I wanted to create for this. I also have a very intricate music playlist organization system, something I’ve been developing for over 5 years. It was very easy to find the right tracks, and program the set. Then I mixed it in one take on a pair of Pioneer CDJ-3000 and DJM-900NXS2 mixer.

The vibe of the set spans the time when I started DJ’ing (around 2007) until the presents, focusing heavily on the tracks that have stood the test of time for me. Quite a few here I have been played since I started, which is a true testament of how music can transcend space and time. I’ve also added some of my recent favorites in this mix. There is a deep nostalgia with a hint of trance and some minimal grooves.

My Recommendations

The top track in my DJ wallet currently is:

Rosa Anschütz – Diopter (Billka Edit)