Balance Selections 265: Eichenbaum

Andres Eichenbaum aka Eichenbaum is an electronic music artist born in 1989 in the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Since his early years of life, he was exposed to different music genres that a big city offers, leading into his own journey through electronic music, with progressive house being the main driving force.

By ends of 2013, he decides to move to Waiheke Island, New Zealand. Since then, he has been renowned for performing regularly at a wide range of events and festivals around the country. Over the time he has played in different parts of the world including Argentina, Mexico, Japan, Sri Lanka and many more surely to come in the future. He has also shared booth with some of the biggest names in the scene like Guy J, Weird Sounding Dude, among others. In July 2023, he relocates to the Netherlands, looking for new opportunities in the music industry.

Behind the stage, Eichenbaum has been releasing his own music through different labels such as Balance Music, Mango Alley, onedotsixtwo, Deepwibe Underground, Soundteller Records, 3rd Avenue, and many more to come very soon.

Balance Selections 265: Eichenbaum

Tracklisting:

01. Dublew, Eichenbaum, STEREO MUNK – ID
02. Eze Morales (AR) – ID (Eichenbaum Edit)
03. South Bloom – Let Me In (Volen Sentir Secret Technique)
04. M. Rojas – ID
05. Joan Retamero – The Sunstar (Original Mix)
06. Eichenbaum – ID
07. Dublew, Eichenbaum, STEREO MUNK – ID
08. COQUEIT – ID
09. Maze 28, Rockka – Inertia (Original Mix)
10. J.FIZ – Human Interactive Proof (Original Mix)
11. Hillel Shabtai – Return of the Goose (Midnight Visions Extended Mix)
12. Fede Monachesi – ID (Augusto Dassano Remix)
13. Andrés Moris, Eichenbaum – ID
14. AFFKT – Arpichulo (Original Mix)

Balance Selections Q+A

Name: Andres Eichenbaum
Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands
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Alias/Producer name: Eichenbaum
Labels affiliated with: The Soundgarden, Balance Music, Mango Alley, onedotsixtwo, Univack, 3rd Avenue, Deepwibe Underground, One of a Kind, Massive Harmony, Soundteller Records, Droid9, Dopamine White, Time After Time, AH Digital, Arcedian.

My last 3 releases:

Eichenbaum – Temporary Feelings (Original Mix)

Aman Anand, Echo Daft – Novena 2019 (Eichenbaum Remix)

Eichenbaum, Fede Pals – Labuntur

What music did you listen to as a child?

My earliest memories of music were a bit influenced by my parents, but especially by my older brother, who used to play electric guitar and listen to a very broad variety of music such as The Beatles, Guns N’ Roses, Bob Marley, etc. On my early teenage days, I started to develop my own music taste, spending a good amount of time listening to the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Nirvana, and Argentinian rock and reggae music. Then on my mid/last teenage era, I dived into pyschedelic rock and jazz, with Pink Floyd, The Doors, John Scofield, Medeski, Martin & Wood, Blockhead, followed by later times of more synthesizers presence from artists like Tycho, Tame Impala, etc.

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

I realised that I liked electronic music when I started going out to clubs with some of my friends back in Buenos Aires. It felt like something natural which I have developed through the years. It’s hard to put in words, but was a complete sense of attraction that happened instinctively. I am a very sensitive person and more when it comes into music.

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

I used to go clubbing in Buenos Aires to venues like Pacha, State (Alsina), Crobar and Bahrein, besides festivals like Creamfields. In my early days of electronic music, I have mainly explored two different genres: Techno and Progressive House. I remember that the genre that caught my attention into this kind of music was initially Progressive House, as by those times was loaded with melodies and different sound layers which were waking up some interesting emotions and feelings. At the same time, I used to listen Hernan Cattaneo mixes and regarding to the music production, my main influences were Guy J (and still is), Henry Saiz, Cid Inc., Dmitry Molosh, among others.

The two main events I remember back in Argentina were Guy J playing for the first time in 2013 at Bahrein and Henry Saiz at Pacha.

Which producers/artists/acts inspire you?

My main influence as a DJ and Producer has been Guy J for at least the last ten years. Over all this period of time, I think he changed a lot the way he DJs and it currently makes him very unique and special. As music changes over the time, he has also been updating his own music accordingly, but I still feel that almost every track remains contemporary. A good example of this is the track ‘Lost & Found‘, which was the first one making me feel like in a festival mood, having that wide and deep particular sound.

I also think that he has been (and still is) one of the main drivers for one or two generations of music producers and has established his own style as a “guide” for many. Moreover and in a complete personal way, I had the pleasure to co-host him and share booth on his very first time playing in New Zealand earlier this year, which allowed me to get to know him a bit more personally. I think the human factor is important too and defines you every day as a person and artist. I feel that he is a great example of someone who stays present and humble.

My main inspiration comes from my daily life and surrounding environment. Moreover, I personally need to feel very balanced in order to create new music and that comes along with having healthy habits and relationships. I am very grateful to have huge support from my partner, family and friends. And finally, I can say that thanks to producing music, I have made amazing friends, which also gives me pleasure and confidence to keep doing what I love.

What was the last album that you downloaded/purchased?

One of the last albums I bought years ago when I was a vinyl collector was ‘Dive‘ by Tycho. Nowadays everything I listen is on streaming platforms, so I sadly don’t buy anymore full albums, as I only buy tracks that I use for my DJ sets.

What is your current production and DJ set up like?

I have just recently moved from New Zealand to the Netherlands, so my current set up is quite simple and basic; Macbook Pro M1 2020, Apollo QUAD Twin X and a pair of Focal Shape 50. I had to completely switch from hardware to software, but I will be looking to get some analog gear like an UDO Audio Super 6 once I am a bit more settled. Back in New Zealand I still have an Apollo Firewire, Focal Sub One and in terms of synths: Prophet 12 Keyboard, Moog Sub37 (which I will bring over at some point,) Behringer Model D, Behringer MS-101 and Behringer PRO-1.

My DJ setup consists in 3 x CDJs, A&H Xone96 mixer with Send/Return for FX with a Strymon Bluesky for Reverb and a Boss DD-7 for delay. If a Pioneer mixer is available I don’t bother taking my FX pedals. For headphones I have been using Pioneer HDJ-X10 for the last five years and wouldn’t change them.

I DJ on CDJs with a USB stick as it’s more practical to move around and also the way I mix is using quite a lot of loops which would be impossible to do using vinyls.

What releases do you have on the horizon?

I have recently released a track on Mango Alley ADE Compilation called ‘Temporary Feelings‘, which clearly identifies my latest sound identity before moving to the Netherlands.

In terms of what’s next, there are many upcoming collaborations with different talented artists, which will be released during the next few months. There is a three tracker EP that we did last year with Andres Moris, coming up some time soon via Univack Records, which will include a remix from Ric Niels. There is another collaboration with Stereo Munk and Dublew, that will be part of The Soundgarden Winter Collection 2024 plus many more about to get signed and released next year (we did together seven tracks in around two-three months time.)

I also have some originals and unofficial remixes which I have been testing live and will release at some point between this and next year, so there is a lot of new music coming out.

Where can we hear you perform?

I have recently played some weeks ago at Modern Agenda‘s ADE Showcase here in Amsterdam which was good fun. Next month I will be making my debut in Malta, which is very exciting. At the same time, I am planning more dates for some gigs around Europe for the upcoming months. I will be posting all this information on my socials, so make sure to follow me and stay tuned with my upcoming performances.

Tell us more about the podcast you made for Balance?

I did this mix using Ableton Live. For recorded sets, I normally do some music selection beforehand, then throw those tracks to the DAW and mix them as I normally do when I play live.

I have included some of my upcoming collaborations and solo originals, unreleased music from emerging artists and recent releases.

My Recommendations

The top track in my DJ set currently is:

South Bloom – Let Me In (Volen Sentir Secret Technique)