DJ Simon Iddol On Creating A Hybrid Live/DJ Ambient Set

Budapest-based DJ Simon Iddol shared an ambient set, embedded below, created as a preview of an upcoming performance at the Ozora Festival, one of the biggest psychedelic tribal gatherings of the world.

We talked to Iddol recently at Superbooth 2018, and discussed Ozora, where he will close the festival with an ambient live act/DJ set hybrid, performed on a Roland DJ-808.

Here’s what he has to say about the mix:

When I was asked to play an ambient set at Ozora Festival I got really excited, for two very different reasons.

First of all I love the early ’90’s ambient scene, and also the ambient and chill out music in general (downtempo, contemporary classical, minimal electronica and so on). To play an ambient DJ set is different than to play a floorshaking headlining DJ set, it’s mainly about the flow, the journey, you have to have a story to tell.

Meanwhile it turned out that the organizers gave me a really special spot, my set will be one of the closing performances. I will play when all the other stages have closed and all the people gather to celebrate the end of the festival together. I guess the theme and the main topic of my set is clear with this position.

Secondly the technological side, the process of putting together the set and performing it on my beloved Roland DJ-808 is also challenging. Four Serato decks, the sampler and the drum machine is quite a lot to manage complex musical layers. I decided to create new ambient songs, so I dramatically slowed down, chopped up and looped many techno / deep house tracks.

My goal was to re-create the classic 90’s ambient vibe but from brand new songs. This mix is the first sketch of the full show, the stage version will be more abstract, heavily effected and full of atmospheric samples and drums programs.

My performance at Ozora Festival will be on August 5th, so I still have time to make experiments, and I will share further elements, bits and pieces on my channels till then.

Simon Iddol – radiOzora Observation Guest Mix

Technical Details:

Most of the songs are heavily modified, looped, re-edited and, most importantly, played 20+ BPM slower

Elements used:

01 BLANCAh feat Diogo de Haro – Revoada
02 M.A.N.D.Y. feat Booka Shade – Wandler (Rework)
03 Nick Devon & BLANCAh – Rasante
04 Ramboiage – Lux (Bar version)
05 Rubin Steiner – Persuasive Percussion
06 Boxwork – Castle Rock
07 Marcus Marr – Love Release (Ara Koufax remix)
08 The Flip – Convex/Concave
09 Jean Tonique – Keep Dancing
10 Ricardo Ruben – Unoina (Alejandro Veneno remix)
11 Boxwork – Velveter
12 Bobby Nourmand – The Sun feat. Adam Engle (Dub mix)
13 Squire – Panda Girl
14 Marc Houle – The Sound Of Berlin (Theme)
15 M.A.N.D.Y. – Rabbit Mountain
16 Studio – Life’s A Beach (Prins Thomas remix)

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