With just over a year having passed since Balatron released his phenomenol IÐAVÖLLUR, which was also the first release on YUKU, we asked the Icelandic creator to reflect on the album and the events of the last year, and give us some hints about what's to come. Click play on the album above and read on for a little insight.
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YUKU — It's been 1 year since your debut album was announced, and 6 months since its release. Do you still listen back to it, and if so, how have your feelings about it evolved over the past year?
Balatron — I do listen to it every now and then yes. Since it was released I have gotten loads of messages from people telling me how much they love the album and that’s all I could ever hope for. Making an album like this and then listening back at it after a couple of months is a weird experience — you have gotten over the whole production phase and stop thinking about what you could have changed or not, and you can start to enjoy it more. I love it.
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YUKU — It felt like we heard a side of Balatron come out that hadn't been explored before, with some tracks delving into ambient, IDM, techno. It gave the album a really diverse spirit and added plenty of colour. Will we only see that side of you in albums in future, or is this something that you're ready to explore on shorter releases?
Balatron — I listen to so many different genres of music. I get very curious about how certain tunes are made, so I challenge myself, trying different things, different genres — mixing stuff up keeps me from getting bored haha! I’m always up for exploring new soundscapes, so I will deffo release various styles on LPs and EPs alike.
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YUKU — What have you been working on since the release of the album? What does the future hold for Balatron?
Balatron — Since the release, I’ve been working on producing and mixing albums and singles for various Icelandic artists, in hip hop , indie, and dance music. All the while, I’m building a collection of sketches and ideas for my future releases.
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YUKU — Are there any fresh styles that have caught your attention, such as UK Drill, or perhaps other regional influences that you're looking to explore?
Balatron — I get very inspired listening to the releases from YUKU. It’s a fantastic collection of artists. other than that, I kind of stay in my own bubble.
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YUKU — You collaborated with some brilliant artists for Idavollur. Who else are you planning to collaborate with in the future / would you like to work with?
Balatron — Wow, who wouldn´t I want to work with haha! Amon Tobin, Ivy Lab, Disclosure, Proxy, Shades, Skin, Florence, Liam Howlett, all of my fellow YUKU artists. So so so many people I would love to work with!
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YUKU — Have there been any silver linings to lockdown for you personally in Iceland?
Balatron — During this pandemic, things haven’t been too crazy in Iceland. Everybody practices social distancing to the “t” I would say, with the occasional bad apple. But, because of that, we haven’t been locked down at all. So we can get around and do almost the same as we did, except clubs and such. I do miss playing shows, as every dj / performer will tell you, but the silver lining is using the time to create more, that’s what I think at least :)
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The IÐAVÖLLUR vinyl has sold out, with just a few in reserve for the YUKU YEAR 001 box set coming later this year, but you can get the digital from bandcamp or stream on Spotify.
