Secret Souls has always taken pride in introducing new and emerging artists who deserve to be heard. Recently, we have brought the lovely Peachgf into the spotlight with her debut EP, goodnight. This ambient lo-fi body of work happens to be the first EP released by Secret Souls and we couldn’t have found a more perfect collection. 

 
Having just started releasing music since 2018, Peachgf has already found a solid direction and style. She describes her music the best stating, “To me, it feels like a lot of my music mainly comes from the part of me that feels nostalgic about childhood. I like to create songs with a mood or a scenario in mind, and I feel like a common theme with everything I make is the feelings of sadness, yearning, and hope. More than anything, I just want to make a positive difference in people's lives through music.” These themes are evident in other tracks like ‘a walk through a snowstorm’ and ‘growing up’, which transport you back into your own memories thru the power of nostalgia. 

 
Her sound has been influenced by both family and environment having lived in the distant, yet beautiful, mountains of Utah in the western United States. “I have a major love/hate relationship with life in Utah, we have the most beautiful mountains and parks, but I've had a hard time finding people I can really connect with here.” She reminisces how “my dad was a radio DJ when he was a college student so I grew up listening to a lot of 80’s, 90’s, R&B, and Rap mostly.” She attributes her largest source of inspiration to playing in orchestra classes remembering "I grew up playing in orchestra classes from ages 11 to 18, so I've had some incredible experiences like playing keyboard and violin in pit orchestras for musicals and visiting The Abravanel Hall in Salt Lake City many, many times to watch the orchestra play.” 

 
Peachgf’s appreciation for orchestra continued into adulthood as she frequently attended classical music concerts both amateur and professional. “Because of those experiences, one of my dreams is to write music for movies and tv shows. There's a certain emotion in film and tv scores that I'm so fascinated with, and is so different from everything else out there.” Her ambient and soft textured music would indeed make for a perfect match for many television programs. We will be sure to watch this young artists career develop as she pushes the culture forward with her music. 

We caught up with DIVINE, a true talent from the deep south, to explore his music and thoughts on the wave and trance scene. 

DIVINE could be characterized best by his mystical soundscapes, emotional writing, and synth work style that is best exemplified in his track Glimmer. We’re immediately hooked by the twinkly vocal chops and a slow, melodic wave that carries you away. He said he’s “been quite inspired by fantasy in the recent past, so weave that environment into whatever genre I do.” The nostalgic nature of fantasy is such an impactful force bringing back memories from simpler times playing Runescape online and World of Warcraft - wishing to be these characters. The fantasy nature of DIVINE’s music is a major theme of “Eden”, a 6 part body of work that is a journey through time and space itself.

DIVINE first started producing trap in 2014 “which is fun” he said, “but it got old. It didn’t feel very fulfilling or emotional, so I transitioned to whatever I’m making right now.” Having collaborated  with numerous artists, his favorite is the Australian producer, Vowl. “He is such an amazing, versatile artist. His workflow is insane. He’s really prolific, but also very careful and methodical. I’m really excited to watch his career blossom.” These two sampled kllo - back to you for a high vibrational future trap piece that is just waiting to be played at festivals.  DIVINE’s remixes are some of his most popular works with Alison Wonderland frequently playing his Run remix around the tour circuit. 

In lieu of touring himself during COVID, live stream DJ performances have been the go-to for playing shows. He played the Electric Hawk’s initial live stream and had some thoughts on the current state of URL vs IRL shows - “ Interacting with people in the chat was really fun. I hope to do some more events like that... hopefully in real life this year! But I think for now, URL events are the best that we can do. IRL shows don’t really seem viable at the moment unless super strict guidelines are imposed, given the current state of the world. Nonetheless, I think online events are great. They’ve definitely been giving a lot of deserving artists more attention, plus most of the events are free and are accessible to anyone around the world. “ He played a hype trance set as well to close out our secret souls live stream but isn't too sure if trance will ever make a comeback in the US. “I haven’t listened to much new trance. I just really love old Above & Beyond and anything that was released during the Y2K era. ‘Hardwave’ definitely seems to be making an attempt at fusing trance and trap, which is cool for what it is, but we’ll have to see I suppose!” We can' t wait to see DIVINE hit the stages IRL soon enough! 

Secret Souls prides itself on cultivating a diverse group of artists that range from genre to genre with the Polish producer, Naski, as a prime example embodying this diversity. His release, runaway, was representative of the relaxed nature of secret souls; However, Naski’s other releases range from hybrid trap, to house, wave, brostep, and centralized around cinematic sounds. He explains, “I love soundtracks from video games and movies. I have a huge respect for John Williams and what he created for Star Wars.” Whether he is making a wave, trap, or dubstep track, these elements are a staple of Naski’s sound. 

It all started hearing the scores behind Call of Duty montages in which filmmakers were adding electronic music, exposing Naski to dubstep for the first time. “I tried to recreate some of the sounds on my own, to mention a few of my biggest idols: Skrillex, Borgore and later on - Zomboy”, he recalls. These were well known names all around the world but breaking in the United States where the genre was most popular. Unfortunately, the popularity of the genre was not shared by his Polish family leaving shows to fall through due to a lack of interest. This hasn’t stopped Naski from sticking to his instinct creating fierce tracks like “Witches’ and ‘Incognito’ dropping on a side project soundcloud page, Seven. He continued to explain Seven as “A collective of friends. We’ve known each other for a long time and some of them I’ve met in non-musical circumstances. We found our common passion and right now we are exploring our styles and possibilities. We make music together, such as events and gigs. We would love to become a label one day, that’s my biggest dream in my career.” 

We asked Naski about how he and the rest of Poland were affected by COVID 19, in which he said they were no different from the rest of the world. Clubs shuttered its doors and all shows rescheduled for 2021 leaving the scene to take a pause, but Naski used this time productively to fine tune his craft for the return of shows. “I always prefered making music instead of performing it, but nowadays after these few months of isolations, I would love to go on stage and play some music for the people.”, which is a sentiment felt around the world as well. In addition to the struggles shared by the Polish and the rest of the world’s music industry are the social justice issues. They stood by the American struggle for the Black Lives Matter movement in protests outside the US Embassy while dealing with their own  internal battles. He explained Poland as “a very conservative country” in which their government “is abusing women rights and constantly trying to tear down LGBT community. But we, Poles, we are very good in terms of getting together and standing for each other. Right now, we are also showing our love and support for our neighbours in Belarus, who are currently facing a very difficult time. I really hope that the situation here, in Belarus and in the US will be soon solved and we all can live in peace and understanding.” 

Stay tuned with a follow up VIP of runaway that turns the originally mellow track into a mainstage banger! We wish Naski the best of luck on his musical career and watch him closely as one of Europe's top dance music producers.

Shöckface is an extremely talented musician, known for his hard hitting sounds and great collaborations with artists like mark veins and Ian Munro. We interviewed him to put his release "Floating" on Secret Souls together with B-Dos and Amethyst in the spotlights. We asked him about his curated playlist on Spotify and his unique music style, find out more down below!

Tell us something about your musical background

I have been creating music for about 7 years now. I've been blessed with having the opportunity to work on music all over the earth creating songs with my favorite artists. I made "Whatever" with Azide when I was in Stockholm, Sweden.

How would you describe your style?

My musical style is the result of a mixture between how I am feeling and what I am being inspired by. Sometimes my music sounds dark and loud other-times it sounds enchanting and focused. Everything depends on inspiration. This is what sparks my creativity.

You work with a lot of vocals, how do you find the right ones?

I work with a bunch of different amazing vocalists like: Amethyst, Catcat, Bromar, and so many others! Most of the vocalists I work with are friends and I love working with them because they are not only amazing at their craft but also super easy to work with because the bond is already there.

You have a playlist on Spotify called Shöckface Radio, how do you choose the music featured on that list?

Shöckface Radio is a collection of my favorite records on Spotify that really make me feel a certain way. It’s the type of music for me that hits straight to the core. The playlist is made up of some of my friends' songs that I am enjoying right now plus some of my own releases. Recently Rad Hatter, mark veins, and Rome In Silver all dropped some heat so I had to throw it in there.

A month ago you said you were also busy with other projects, can you reveal something about that?

I'm currently working on the best music of my career with a few of my favorite artists. I really don't want to shed too many details on this until it's ready to go just know that I can't wait to share what I'm working on with everyone.

You like to collaborate, what made you decide to work with B-dos and Amethyst?

I have been friends with B-Dos for a few years, I saw a piano video that Amethyst put on Instagram while I was making the record with B-Dos and that's when everything clicked. I had to get her voice on ‘Floating’ so everything would make sense. Super thankful to Eevee and Secret Souls for releasing "Floating."

What do you do outside of music?

Outside of music, I enjoy to work on living a healthy life. From climbing mountains in my free time to keeping my physical, spiritual, and emotional state of well-being healthy at all times. For the most part I love to spend my time creating music and sharing it with the world.

Any shoutouts?

Shoutout to Eevee, shoutout to Secret Souls, shoutout to XELF, shoutout to B-Dos & Amethyst. Words can't describe how appreciative I am of having the help to make "Floating" come to life.

With an impressive list of music on multiple big labels in the scene like Yusoul, Yume and Spectral, we interviewed Svperior Dwells in honor of his track Spell Fire on Secret Souls, a collaboration with his good friend Jessaudrey. Svperior Dwells is a 23 year old music producer named Omar Uribe located in Winchester, VA. We discuss his music, passions, loved ones and connection with gemstones.  Read it below :).

 What does your life look like?

Pretty boring lol, I work too much at my county's landfill. So my life is filled with trash, but I find some really cool things on a daily basis. I do that and I play Fallout 4 a lot. When I have the energy, I make music.

 Who or what got you into making music?

I had a friend in middle school who introduced me to Fl Studio and I fell in love. It's what I was meant to do. I was BIG into dubstep so that's what I was making. I made a lot of awful music for years but shoutout to DJ Curfew.

 Who or what inspires you the most?

Life inspires me every day. I have an outlet to translate what I'm feeling into music so I feel very blessed.

Also, my artist friends inspire me very much, they're all so talented.

 How would you describe your music?

I would describe my music as meditation music, not always but most of the time. It's a mix between hip hop, ambient, and electronic.

What is the biggest influence on your sound?

My biggest influences would probably be some of my favorite early producers. 

Some examples are Ital Tek, Kryptic Minds, PANTyRAiD, Blank Body, Burial and of course hip hop in general.

What does Svperior Dwells mean to you?

Svperior Dwells is my higher self. It's who I really am. 

How did you come up with that name?

I honestly have no idea and it doesn't make any sense, but I've come to love it. 

You've released a collaboration with Jessaudrey on our platform, how do you see your relationship with her?

That's my bff. We are so in sync so we run a lot of ideas past each other and we like to share new music and art with each other. She is the most genuine friend I've made through music.

What made you decide to make something together?

We've known we wanted to for a long time so she finally sent me some vocals to work with and that's how that started.  We have a lot of unreleased stuff that we can't really seem to wrap up. We got more stuff coming for sure though.

Describe your creative process

I don't like to push myself, that usually ends up really frustrating me, so that's why I work like a snail. Sometimes I just have ideas and that's when I hit my bedroom studio. It's really fun when I get in the zone. When I do, I like to build melodies and delete them until I find something that hits right. Then I move on from there.  I would say that's the most fun part of the process.

What are your passions besides music?

Traveling makes me happy, I plan on traveling a lot more in the future. And I don't know what else but I'm trying to get into cooking, I enjoy that a lot.

You are into gemstones, how so?

There has always been a connection between me and gems. I think it maybe started in first grade, my brother and I had a neighbor who would babysit us and she took me to a crystal shop and bought me some rocks. She was like our grandmother, I love her. 

What is your view on society?

Society is fucked in my opinion, at least in my environment. It makes me sad because people can't see past the surface. They see what they want to see and there is a lot happening that needs more attention. 

You've recently shared tweets of Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, Bernie Sanders and Greta Thunberg. Care to elaborate on your political standpoint?

Bernie 2020! Yeah, I like what they stand for. They are all so passionate about what they're doing and working towards. 

Which philosophy do you live by?

In the end you have to live with your choices, so choose what makes you happy.

Any shoutouts? 

Shoutout to my Spectral gang also shoutout to Team Ascension.

We had an interview with the French producer, Mayten, who was one of the first artists who released on Secret Souls. Read up on how he is starting a new project and looking back on the lessons he's learned over the years.

Where are you from and what’s the wave and beat scene like out there?

I’m from the southwest of France, the wave scene in France is pretty small, I don't know a lot of French people making wave right now, they are all trying to beat the Phonk scene at the moment haha.

Who are your early inspirations, both people and ideas?

The 1st thing I listened to on SoundCloud was Darklight in the EP concept vague from Night Lovell back in 2014. I started making beats right after that. I think that the early SoundCloud scene from 2014 has really inspired me and even today I still think about this period of time where everything was more simple, posting beats and having fun.

I really liked the lo-fi scene for a moment with the night bumps from Bsd.u and all the comp. He was making.
From the wave and trap scene, I would say the collective Red Mirror with artists such as Fifty Grand, Hellion and Gin$eng.

Are you trying to accomplish anything with your music? Inspire others, provoke thoughts, or just to for fun?

I didn’t start music for the clout or even in the goal of a career, it was more a way for me to escape from boring reality and make people feel.
SoundCloud at the time was the easiest way for me to share my music so I jumped on it without thinking about anything else than the music.

What advice would you give to someone who is starting off making music?

Have fun, don’t stress about anything you are not going to be the next big name tomorrow.

Any long-term goals for your music career?

I'm currently taking a hiatus from producing music because of personal reasons, I would like to come back to the scene as soon as possible with a really good project.

I browsed your whole SoundCloud and was really blown away at the different styles of tracks and emotions you're able to conjure in a listener. The note in your most recent track (I don’t believe in you / anymore) was also very touching as well.

Taking a long break to re-evaluate your focus is a difficult but necessary decision for many artists. Was there any moment in particular where it all clicked or did the decision develop over time?

I would say that it's a mix of both, 4 years is a really long period of time especially in the SoundCloud community. I saw a lot of people quitting and other coming and rise on the platform.
I just thought that I have to get away from all this community for a moment since I don’t recognize myself in it.
This summer I started getting sick of the community overall and I also started having trouble having fun producing so I just decided to stop and take a huge break.

If you know, what do you plan to do with your new project?
I don’t really know what I should do next, I’m just trying to listen to new things at the moment and searching for new artists to work with / inspire myself from. All I know is that I want to create something really new and totally different from my past projects.

2014-2015 were really golden years for organically finding some great artists and having your music exposed to most people. Any thoughts on SoundCloud now and what’s next for music discovery?

People keep telling that SoundCloud is dead. I mean they are not wrong because the main goal of SoundCloud was to create a strong sharing community. I feel like SoundCloud is becoming a cheap version of Spotify where people pay to become the next big name in the industry. It honestly kills the main goal of the website and the community is becoming slowly more and more toxic.

I still use SoundCloud mixed with YouTube to find some good music.

What was the writing process like for "heartbeat" on Secret Souls?

For this specific song, I didn't really use a specific writing process, it was more rushed since I wanted to release something for SS.
I have plenty of unreleased tracks for the collective so it's just a matter of time before I release some music for you all.

To answer your question, I usually search for samples and melodies for multiples days and then start working on their textures and then create a beat with the build-ups and filters.

I do a lot of different styles besides my main account so I don't stick to only one style.

Do you have a favorite song you've made?

Yes I do, my favorited song is Overdose. The sample is tasteful, huge and beautiful, I added a lot of drums, variations and did the best mix/ master I’ve ever made on a track. It's my peak in terms of quality and emotions. Sometimes I think about it and become nervous since I’ve never been able to recreate such an ambiance haha.

Who are some artists you'd like to collab with for the new project?

I don't really know, I’m not into collabs that much, I would say anyone who has a good sound and appreciates my music.
I haven't worked with a lot of people during these years since I’m really in my own particular style for producing and a lot of people are not used to it.

What’s a life lesson that you've learned over the last 4 years making music?

The whole process of slowly getting a small fanbase with tons of crazy people made me realize how lucky I am to be a part of the community.
It did teach me patience (sitting behind a computer for hours was really not my cup of tea haha).
Joke aside, watching the whole process of climbing on SoundCloud taught me that everything is possible and that even if you are not that big you can still influence people in their sound and inspiration and that's dope.

To finish I would like to thank Eevee for adding me in this crazy collective next to some big producers who inspired me a ton.

Thanks for everything :)

Amazing, thank you so much Mayten, love from Secret Souls 

Hélix is a 19 year old producer from Sweden named Mohamed. With already quite an array of self released music (including collaborations with names like WEVLTH) and having created two soundkits (Helix Sound Kit Vol. 1 and 2) this artist doesn't go unnoticed in the scene.

We at Secret Souls celebrate his latest release (Pulse) with an in depth interview where we discuss the process behind the track and what inspired him to make it. We also talk about his musical background and his iconic early wave era style. Read his answers below if you're curious 🖤.

How did you get into music?

Back in 2014 my good friends Falsecut and VinceLA, who didn't make music at that time, got me into underground music on Soundcloud. Everything from Night Lovell to Xavier Wulf and many others.
Later in 2015 I got inspired by the way Night Lovell produced his tracks and how dark and hard hitting his drum were. Normally I would just listen to what's popular on Spotify and didn't really know music or anything about Soundcloud and I was simply amazed by how versatile it was.
The person who really inspired my style and still does today is the producer Wondagurl. If I didn't find her music I honestly don't know if I would be making the music I make today. I started out on FL Studio 12 later that year and the rest is history.
My good friends VinceLA and Falsecut started music one or two years after me and today we all make music together.

How would you describe your style?

I'm almost never happy with sticking to one sound, I always want to learn more. I learned to make normal rap beats, trap beats, wave music, future bass, EDM and even ambient chill stuff. I want to learn more and with all of that find my own sound.
If I could describe what I make right now it would be a mix of melodic wave music, but much more trap influenced.
I want my music to stick out and sound different from others, so that in the future people can hear a new song without looking at the artists name and say: ”this sounds like Hélix.”

How did you come up with the name Hélix?

I was going through my biology book at school in 2015 and saw the word hélix and thought it sounded really cool and unique, so a few weeks later I just named myself that. It was really random! The actual name is a double helix, the shape of DNA molecules.

What inspired you?

I was going through some old Trash Lord and Blank Body music and got really inspired by his melodies and wanted to make something beautiful like his but completely different and in my own style.

What artist are your biggest inspirations?

- Wondagurl
- Oshi
- Yung Gud
- Laxcity (currently very inspired by this artist)
- Trash Lord

What kind of music did you listen to when you were young?

A lot of rap and pop/rock, everything from Kanye West to Sum 41, music you would hear on the radio. But I would say I fell in love with music when I found Soundcloud 5 years ago.

Can you tell us something about your musical background?

I had absolutely no clue about music when I started, I never played any instruments or knew anything. But although it was hard, I slowly learned and got through the many challenges and I don't have any regrets. I'm very happy that I've found my passion in life.
When I started out I ran into a other producers who have helped me become who I am today. One of the first people I met and who was also new to the scene, was my good friend Cosmic, him and I have been close ever since and always helped each other out with info, tips and tricks. Another producer who I met and means a lot to me was Sekumo, he took me under his wing in his collective Shutterstock and that way I got to meet a lot of other producers. If it weren't for those people I wouldn't be who I am today.

What is the idea behind your latest release: Pulse?

I wanted to make a wave track during the time I was locked in and making music. I was very desperate to make something special that didn't sound like the rest. Something that was wave music but not nearly as close to what others are making. That was my thought during the making of Pulse. I winded up making a lot of projects that got discarded until I finally got the right sound.

Which creative decisions did you make and why?

I started of making melodies and making sure that was done first because it's very easy for me to make good drums but hard to make melodies that are 'perfect'. When I got that part done, everything sort of came together on its own.

What drives you to keep doing this?

I love making music, it's both fun and I've met a lot of good people throughout my time and I keep making more friends. Producing has always been fun to me, it's like as if I am playing a game. I don't see it as a serious thing, I make music because I like it. Many people take it way too serious and it's not healthy because I feel like you're forcing yourself to make something you might not enjoy.

What's keeping you busy besides making music?

I don't have many hobbies other than music right now, but I go to school and I'll be going to college this month. I also play a lot of football (soccer) in the summer when I feel like it.

Future releases?

YES! You will see alot of me on secret Souls and many other releases in 2020!!!

Any highlights or shoutouts?

- Eevee
- Falsecut
- Vincela
- Sekumo
- Cureguard
- Cosmic
- Shogun
- White Shinobi

And everyone else who helped me become who I am today and helped me grow to the artist I am now.

 We had an interview with Swedish producer/DJ Sweeep, a musician who is known and loved by many. We talk about where she gets her dark influence from, how long she has been making music and her thoughts about women in the electronic music business. Get to know more about this female artist and her musical process.

1. When and how did you develop your enthusiasm for music?

Develop is an interesting word to use, because I can’t really remember a time when I wasn’t already interested in making music. Even from a young age it’s always been something that I was drawn to. However my style and methods for making music is the only thing that changed over time.

2. Which music has influenced you the most?

It’s not really one specific type of music, but more like a combination of everything that I’ve been listening to at different periods in my life. However I find myself more attracted to darker music which I think definitely shows itself in my own solo material.

3. When did you start making music and what sound did you make at the beginning?

I started playing instruments when I was a kid but I started producing electronic music in 2014. I’ve always had the same style that I do now, but in the beginning my songs were a little more experimental. But after learning more about mixing and arrangement my sound started to mature a lot more into what it is today.

4. You are from Sweden. What influence does your home country have on your music?

Here in Sweden our winters are much longer and darker than what is typical in most places, and I think that has made an impact on my music. I’m sure I’m not the first Swedish artist to site our dark winters as an influence, but it’s true.

5. Women are still rare in the international beat scene. How do you think that could change?

It’s not that women are “rare” there are tons of talented women making music all over the world, it’s just that sadly I think there is still very much a culture of men only supporting men, and I don’t think it’s done maliciously or with intent but I think if we want it to change a lot of people have to make an effort to seek out these talented female and LGBTQ artists and start making an effort to actively support them whenever possible.

6. What does your setup look like right now?

Primarily I like to experiment with different sounds and equipment, so I’m usually traveling to different studios and trying out stuff that my friends might own. However my go to setup is Ableton.

7. What does an average day looks like for you?

Recently I moved to NYC to finish on a collaborative album with WTCHCRFT, so pretty much we just wake up and make music every day, then go out to eat some vegan Vietnamese buns at Baohaus in Manhattan. In the evening we might end up at a small show in Brooklyn or find ourselves watching a Gaspar Noe movie.

8. Could you tell us more about the track ‘Imagination’ that you released on Secret Souls? ( When did you make it, what plugins/synths did you use, what feel did you wanted to express with the track)

The song came together in the winter but it features sounds that I’ve been recording during my travels, for example you can hear a helicopter from Malibu in the intro. The reese bass is made with Massive. It’s hard to explain what feeling I wanted to convey with this song because the song is a feeling that I couldn’t put into words in the first place which is why it was created.

9. What advice would you have for someone wanting to follow in your footsteps?

Whatever it is you dream about doing, go out and do that. You can do anything you want, but not everything so you have to focus on what’s most important to you at that moment.

10. What are your goals for the future with your music?

My goal is to play more shows and tour, and to keep exploring the sounds of Sweeep.