Belgian Psytrance producer and event organizer D-ther (aka Diether Verheyen) agreed to do an interview with me. We will be talking about the developments in the music scene but also the inspiration behind his music.
I am very excited to share this with you, guys!
Yves: Hi Diether. Thank you for taking the time to do this interview with me. Let’s start at the roots. You were born and raised in Belgium.
Can you tell me a bit about your youth, the impact of the music you grew up with and at what point in time you decided to become a Psytrance producer?
D-Ther: I was influenced by music a lot during my childhood by my father who played the saxophone. I already started going to music school on an early age and played the piano there for a couple of years. Later on, when I graduated from secondary school I decided to become a music teacher where I had three years of studies for this profession. Nowadays I’m still teaching music education to kids from 12 to 14 years old, still play the piano from time to time and get influenced by music on a daily basis.
Before PsyTrance events, I was visiting metal parties where I ended up going to folk metal events. This was a fun music style with a lot of dancing but I was still missing something. Visiting a party with many different styles on NYE there was also a room with PsyTrance. I immediately fell in love with the effort they put in the decorations. Also, I just fell in love with the music style and haven’t stopped loving it ever since!
Yves: That is awesome to hear! Music is definitely your life!
Can you take me through the process of creating a D-Ther track? Do you, for example, have a “Mancave” in the basement filled with recording equipment?
D-Ther: Nowadays I see a lot of “bedroom producers” and I guess I’m one of them as well. I have a bedroom filled with bass traps, rockwoll structures and also the bed kinda absorbs the reflections of the sound so it’s a pretty good sounding room to work in. PsyTrance is all about electronic music and this is a music style which can really take the maximum out of what a sound system can do in terms of frequencies and cleanness of a sound. That’s why I’ve always searched for the best producers out there who have the cleanest/clearest production out there.
Creating a new track always starts off with creating the kick and bass. This really is the backbone of your track and I usually skip the intro myself to hear if the bass line is on point or not. If it sucks I tend not to even listen to the whole track anymore so I put a lot of effort into getting it as solid and coherent as I possibly can. Next up is percussion so I can get a certain groove going. Once I have those elements in place I just loop that bit and jam out some sounds on top of it. Once I have a serious amount of sounds I try to spread it out and work on the production at the same time.
Detailed work always needs some time so I always try to take a rest for a couple of days before I enter the project again. The most important thing for me is that I’m just able to do my own thing and create something that I think sounds good. It really is the best instrument to create something which you can play back afterward without having to play it yourself and just enjoy the sound.
Yves: Thanks for sharing that process! Let’s talk inspiration.
What inspires you and do you have any artists inside or outside of the Psytrance scene that have inspired you throughout your career?
D-Ther: I’m mainly inspired by artists from within the PsyTrance scene. I hear from time to time that there are people who draw their inspiration from Pink Floyd or some other oldschool band. My vision is that the more you’re exposed to a certain style the better you’ll become in that certain style. Talent for me isn’t something you’re born with but rather the amount you’re exposed to it. I do have my absolute favorite producers where I both look up to and get my own ideas from. Just to name a few: Waio, Plasmotek, Brainiac, Materia, …
Yves: Haha, I know you are a huge Waio fan. I can’t blame you.
While I was preparing for this interview, I listened to one of your tracks called “Pixiedust”. Not only is this track very beautiful but it also is, definitely, not Psytrance. I would be very interested in hearing the history behind this particular track if you don’t mind sharing.
D-Ther: Apart from PsyTrance I can really appreciate downtempo/ambient music which is in many cases part of the PsyTrance culture. These days it’s hard finding locations where they offer 2 rooms so the second room can be transformed to a chillout area which I really miss on the PsyTrance scene in Belgium.
Ambient/downtempo music is really beautiful music which I’ll always be playing on my headphones during walks in the forest in the summer. As I’m also a pianist and PsyTrance is more technical I could really let my melodic part do its thing. I’ve stopped creating chillout these days as I’m focussing on another melodic love called “ Hi tech” these days but I did create a couple of cool releases and I recommend to check out my “Boundless” EP released on GreenTree Records if you’re interested in some more of my chillout tracks. Last but not least I’d like to point out that Carbon Based Lifeforms is truly beautiful music and is my absolute favorite ambient project.
Yves: We are all aware of how the music industry landscape has changed over the last two decades. Nowadays, one could argue that, in the pursuit of success, a strong social media presence has a bigger impact than the actual quality of the releases. What are your thoughts on this?
D-Ther: Couldn’t agree with you more. I think being a producer these days involves much more than just producing music. Being visible on a daily basis on social media, connecting with organizers around the world, collaborating with certain artists, even hosting your own events to gain contacts these days is very important. Personally, I see it as a challenge to get all these things really worked out well. It’s part of your project of being a producer nowadays and I really love to bring my A game with whatever I’m doing. For me personally, it’s an interesting development but I’ve also seen some really talented artists who just lose all their motivation because of this. It’s pretty simple these days: Although music quality is still very important, not being on social media means no gigs.
Yves: Amen! In many ways, to get exposure you are very dependent on getting a spot on the many music playlists, for example in Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer but also on YouTube. Is this something you actively pursue or do you have a more laid-back approach? “Whatever happens, happens”?
D-Ther: I try to figure out everything but there’s just so much you can do having to combine producing music, working a fulltime job, playing gigs, promoting yourself, etc. I’ve never really gotten into streaming services really. I’m interested in how they work but just didn’t have the chance to completely get all the knowledge from them though I have tried to link my personal account to the artist profile on both Apple music and Spotify so that’s a start!
Yves: I know that you are now also actively involved with the actual organization of Psytrance events in Belgium under the monniker of ‘Raverse’. Can you tell us a bit more about that and also what the current Psytrance environment is in Belgium?
D-Ther: Basically all the “sub-styles” within the PsyTrance genre are represented here in Belgium but I’ll try not to go to deep into this information. A few years ago someone tried this for mushroom magazine/trance guide and that person got a lot of criticism about sharing their vision about a certain style which seemed to be incorrect to others.
I’ll just focus on my own events and I’ll bring the artists and DJ’s I’m most interested in. People here in Belgium know my PsyTrance live act and they know the music style I stand for. When they’re coming to my RAVERSE party I’ll always do my best to offer them my vision on today’s most badass producers out there in combination with a proper sound system and mental deco. Every party I host I want to be proud of so whatever I do I always try to work out all the details. People really seem to enjoy all those extra’s so it’s an awesome feeling to get the respect and happy faces from the crowd!
“Every party I host I want to be proud of so whatever I do I always try to work out all the details.”
Yves: With regards to these indoor events, what sets your events apart from the others in Belgium?
D-Ther: As I said above, I’m always trying to work out all the details of the event to get one hell of a mental party every time. I always try to stay updated on what producers are “hot” these days and try to get them to perform in Belgium. As long as they offer quality sounds with serious psychedelics, you can be sure to catch them on one of my events somewhere in the future!
Yves: Besides music, do you have any other hobbies and passions that you would like to mention?
D-Ther: Music is my life! I bet this sounds corny to a lot of people but it really really is. Not only do I teach music education but after teaching I still focus on music all the time whether it’s listening to music ranging from metal to jazz or classical music or whether it’s producing tunes or playing em out on gigs around the globe. I couldn’t wish for a better hobby/passion. My only hope is that I can keep it this way until my 80 or 90 years old!
Yves: Fantastic! I am right there with you but I took a 15-year head start. Thank you so much for doing this interview, Diether!
Follow D-Ther on his Facebook Page or his Instagram!