Inside Five – Bart Skils on his latest release, navigating the pandemic & more

A longstanding staple in terms of top-flight techno artistry, Dutch powerhouse Bart Skils has been contributing premium quality dancefloor decimators for well over a decade. Widely appreciated as one of Holland’s finest electronic exports, Bart’s signature sonic stamp has found its way onto many of the most respected imprints in the techno space. One of which happens to be none other than Adam Beyer’s iconic Drumcode stable, where Bart has become a frequent fixture – helping to retain his rightful place in the forefront of cutting-edge electronic music. 

His latest release lends Bart’s unmistakably standout acoustic makeup once again to Drumcode, this time in the form of a gripping three-tracker – ‘New Era’. 

To celebrate the launch of Bart’s latest release, we caught up with him to talk about the EP, Drumcode, navigating the pandemic and much more. Here’s how it went:

Hi Bart, thanks for joining us! Let us start with your latest release – New Era. Is there any specific messaging or inspiration behind this EP?

The EP name ‘New Era’ stands for a fresh new start after the long closing of our scene with no events happening. These tracks were made during the last period with the dancefloor in mind. I envisioned playing them when the festivals and clubs would be open and in full force.

You have been an instrumental feature on Drumcode for the best part of a decade, does the label reserve space in your mind when you are starting new projects or do you just let the creative process do its thing?

We are all a close family. We have daily contact in our WhatsApp group where we talk about production, musical ideas, new music, parties and the regular chit chat about daily things in life. The whole process of producing new material is basically something that goes on in my own studio, but we share our first drafts with each other for feedback and test them on the dance floor when possible, of course.

How have you been keeping yourself creatively fresh during this whole pandemic? Understandably, it has been pretty taxing on everyone.

It’s been a tough year and a half for everyone involved in our scene and we all had our own struggles mentally and financially. I tried to keep a good daily routine with sport, studio time and time for my family. In the summer, it was easier, but winter made it more difficult with short days and it not being possible to be outside a lot. The most important thing for me was that I could see the light on the horizon with options to do new tours and shows, and we could leave this behind. We’re not there yet, but I feel the scene is ready to go!

Where does this EP personally rank amongst all of your other releases on Drumcode over the years? Is there anything that makes it more sentimental or meaningful than past releases?

I’m very proud and happy with every track on the EP. The ‘All Over My Body’ collab with Superchumbo, where we re-recorded the vocals in my studio, turned out great. ‘Dub Killer’ and ‘Golden Temple’ each have their own vibe, with one being more melodic and the other rawer and jacking. Every track sounds phat, so I’m excited to share these with you and drop them at parties.

Lastly, have you got any exciting upcoming projects or bookings that you would like to share?

There are always new studio projects I’m working on; I just finished a contribution to a new Drumcode pack with some amazing fresh remixes from old Detroit hero Kevin Saunderson aka E-dancer. Remixes included come from core label artists Adam Beyer, Amelie Lens, Wehbba, Layton Giordani and ones further afield including Special Request, DJ Bone, rRoxymore, TYGAPAW and more, reinforcing the breadth of the label. But the thing I most look forward to is obviously being back on the festivals and clubs circuit. I can’t wait to be properly on tour again and travel the world with my music!

Bart Skils’ latest release – New Era – on Drumcode is available to buy/stream now on all major platforms!