Interview: SAINT WKND Breaks Silence With ‘Crashin’

Deep in the hub of Berlin, the raw sounds of 24 years old SAINT WKND is fusing deep, tech and tropical house beats with a subtle trap-like inspired round of evocative chilled indie sounds. With no need to label the lushness that cascades from the studio, SAINT WKND’ beats celebrate the sonic world within electronic music.

Writing the script from DJ to self-taught producer and songwriter this lead the SAINT WKND sound to honor his inner feelings gathered on the sidewalk, to pounding coastline elements replicating a tsunami of high quality electronic music. On cue with his indie bag full of tunes, the electronic haven invited him into a musical world like no other. Relishing a classic drive down a melodic pathway, SAINT WKND’s electronic stamina is elegantly exploding the sound spectrum where inspiration acts a catalyst for musical and emotive triumph.

Inspired by artists such as Pharrell Williams, Daft Punk, Jay Z, with his love for underground music, the SAINT WKND phenomenon is nothing short of a summer melodic experience and romantic musical deliverance. After a radio-silence since 2017 and his ‘Remember That Night’ Remix, he is finally back to deliver another glittering-gem, ‘Crashin’ with the well-known DiRTY RADiO. Groove & guitar riffs, here’s the efficient SAINT WKND’ recipe. On the occasion of the release, we had the pleasure to meet him for an exclusive Interview : his just-out track, music, next months’ highlights… It’s all here !

Hey, such a pleasure to have you ! First of all, can you tell us more about SAINT WKND ?

Hey my name is Max, I’m a 24 Year old DJ, Producer and Songwriter. I love making stuff no matter if it’s music, video or photo. Anything digital really! But I also like the analog real world and if I’m not in the studio creating new stuff I’m mostly cruising through Berlin on a Nickelboard. 

You’ve just released Crashin’ recently with DiRTY RADiO, catchy title ! What’s the story behind it ?

The song started back in 2017 when I was in the UK. I spent 5 months in London, where I met Alexis, who’s my flatmate today, but back then he was a talented musician I had the good fortune of meeting. The jam sessions we had, which were always experimental, ended up imbibing these sort of indie 70‘s sounds. The groundwork was now set. And a couple of months later I went on tour in the US. I extended the stay for some weeks in LA before going back to Germany. I wanted to see what all the hype was about, while truly enjoying the vibes 🙂 One day I decided to get a guitar at this place in Hollywood. That‘s where I met Joey, salesman of the month. We talked about all types of guitars old and new, he’s a very passionate collector. This newfound friendship lead to a jam session at his friends place and we recorded the final touches on a gorgeous vintage guitar Joey brought. There were plenty of different vocal ideas since the first session, but it hadn’t clicked yet. I flew home ready to write about all the experiences of the last years of traveling. And then an Instagram conversation with Dirty Radio, a Canadian band from Vancouver changed the whole situation. We Facetimed while they were in the studio and a day later the vocal was born. They came up with this super catchy hook that completed the whole song and made it feel like summer. A couple of months later some friends and I moved to Berlin to create a creative environment and that‘s where the song found it‘s final form.

What’s your creative process for making music ? Maybe do you have some tips to share?

Yea sure ! 
Here’s tip #1, get inspired by immersing yourself. Get on Youtube and check out all the videos you can — from interviews to tutorials and everything in between.  
 
Tip #2, the two-step process.The way I see it is, making music is a mix between science and art. Picture it like this: Imagine a Venn Diagram – On one side you have science and mathematics, on the other art and intuition. You find the gem in the space between. Music shouldn’t be simply science because Music must be felt. Mathematics is just another language to help you understand it more.
 
Tip #3 Allow yourself to make mistakes! Humans make mistakes and sometimes these become happy accidents. It might just be that your synth wasn’t dialed in correctly and all of a sudden it starts creating a sound you haven’t heard before. So essentially there is no wrong move. 
 
Tip #4 Be in the moment. The beauty in the music comes from being in the moment.Trust your intuition and let your emotions guide the song. 
 
Tip #5 Collaborate with people! Share your stories and write about them! I really like when there is a certain kind of energy in the room. Almost like an electricity in the air, something that cannot be understood, but certainly can be felt. 
 
Tip #6 Last but not least if you wanna write songs – have the right intention. There’s so much music out there these days and a lot of it sounds the same. For any newcomer I’d say: Develop your own sound and have integrity. That’s true rockstar stuff. 
 
In a nutshell: Learn something new every day and start applying it! Open a blank project. Start recording. Lay down your drums and get in the groove first, Or play chords/chop samples and set the mood – It’s really up to you. Like anything that you build, a strong foundation is key. The more you know the better. You really can’t predict if a song hits, but if you had fun, that’s all that matters. I am sure authenticity will always resonate with people.
 

What are next month’s highlights for you, any releases ahead ? Maybe touring plans?

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Releasing Music is now a huge highlight for me. It’s been such a long time coming and I really took the time to refine my craft. There are a lot of songs I finally feel ready to share. Last year was an introspective year for me. I had to figure out where I was headed. Moving to Berlin and finishing tracks has been a relief. These days I’m appreciating the every day more and more. When it comes to Touring – I am looking forward to giving the audience a new experience of SAINT WKND and show them all the new material. Playing some shows in Asia would be really dope. I’ve been in Seoul last year and am super inspired by the small scene that is bubbling up over there.

Last but not least, what single night out has been the most memorable for you as a DJ ? As an attendee ?

Funny enough when I opened Instagram this morning it reminded me of what I did this day 2 years ago. I was at Electric Forest in Michigan and it’s just on another level! They put so much thought in the stage designs and lighting, which makes the experience and atmosphere particularly mind-blowing. There was something special about being in the dark forest but surrounded by all these lights and this huge robot-installation that looked like it fell from sky. I don’t know man, it’s magical! 

Here is tip #7 get out there more and be with the people! 

I’ll always remember the First Weekend of the Festival. 3 Sets in 24 Hours. Picture this: I’m about to go on stage, and it’s my first time playing a show in a forest. Some people had gathered as I’m about to start. All of sudden rain starts to pour and I’m like „oh noooo, shit“, but the people loved it! More and more joined the crowd and before I knew it the whole place was crowded. There was so much energy that day. But of course the story doesn’t end there. The next day we decided to throw a little Session in the VIP camp ground. The lineup was stacked! Louis The Child, Ekali, Whethan, SNBRN and Win and Woo came out for a massive B2B. We really couldn’t end the night. Our bodies were filled with endorphins so we went out to the festival goers camping ground and found this old American school bus. They had CDJ’s set up on roof of the bus. So as you might guess we threw down another b2b until the morning sun had risen again. I think the Photographer Jane Greer was with us and we had been so far away from the artist camping that we ended up getting back around 9 am. 

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Saint WKND Press Pic 2

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