To have talent is a gift in and of itself. To utilize that talent from a very young age is the ultimate goal. A goal that Dillistone has achieved. This rising producer/ vocalist has been honing his craft since early on. Landing his first DJ gig at night clubs in Shanghai at 16 and now settled in UK, his journey to success is just getting started. The Danish born Morten Aamodt discusses his new EP release “Furnace”, living out his dream and his extremely diverse upbringing. Our conversation is sure to light-up your curiosity around this emerging talent. Provoking Dillistone to become one of your new favorite playlist additions.
Mm: Seeing that you have such a unique & diverse upbringing, when did you know that music was the path for you?
D: I had some amazing teachers in my life whose passion for music rubbed off on me, so it has always really been part of my life growing up. I was never really the technically best of the class, but they would always encourage me in my production and even though they didn’t fully understand it they would never get mad when I kept blowing the schools PA because I didn’t know what limiting was (it only happened twice). I knew music was for me after DJing for a time, and I realised that I wanted to play my own songs, not someone else’s. That was when I started taking production seriously, and started teaching myself. I think the fact that I was autodidact has meant that I was always kept interested, even to this day. I’ll hear something, be amazed at it and then try to figure out how I can do it my own way.
Mm: Which country that you resided in, had the biggest influence on your creativity thus far?
D: Shanghai, definitely. England has given me so much, and the people I have met here have helped shape me and my music, but Shanghai imprinted a bit of itself on me creatively. It’s industrial smog, bright neon lights and towering sky scrapers are always at the back of my mind when I produce. It was mysterious and underground to be one of a handful electronic musicians in a city of 28 million people. I loved every moment of it.
Mm: How did you land your first gig DJ’ing at a night club when you were 16?
D: My friend and I had our own DJ ‘crew’ where we would meet regularly and play back to back on our school laptops, and after playing our first time in a local club for practice, we reached out to some older kids at our school who were promoting events. Shanghai had incredibly lax laws around night clubs, so they let us play the last slot of the night to a packed club of people from all the international schools in Shanghai, and we killed it. It was an incredible mix of feelings - the adrenaline rush of controlling an audience like that mixed with the sensitivity needed to know when to play what song. We played nights through out the city right up to when we left the country, and even ran our own night for a time!
Mm: What was the inspiration behind ‘Furnace’, or shall I say the girl-spiration that inspired the burning Furnace theme?
D: The tease is everything. It creates tension and excitement. I think there’s something enticing about confidently being able to tell someone how you could make them feel and then delivering on that promise. ‘Furnace’ was about encapsulating the essence of that.
Mm: All three songs on the EP have a smooth, refreshing, yet cool beat at the start....which gives the tracks an alluring feel. Was that the intention when you created these tracks in the studio?
D: It was about creating space and slowly introducing different elements, allowing the tracks to build naturally and have peaks and dips to drive the song. Not to steal a quote from Da Vinci but... simplicity is really the ultimate sophistication, and the temptation was always to over do something that didn’t need it. Luckily I had incredible people around me who could tell me when I was glossing something that needed an edge.
Mm: How does it feel to be living out your dreams at a fairly young age?
D: A bit surreal, to be honest. I’m just trying to keep the pedal to the floor and my eyes peeled on the horizon. I think 16 year old me would never have imagined where we are now, so I’m taking it all as it comes. Honestly I am just so honored so many people have been able to connect with my music and would love for that to continue.
Mm: What would you say to (younger) up-and-coming artists that might seek your advice?
D: Make mistakes and make a lot of them. Most of my favorite elements in my songs start from a mistake I made when processing a sound that created something unique. If you do something wrong once its an error, but if you repeat it its a stylistic choice.
Mm: Now that your incredible ‘Furnace’ EP is out, whats the next grand goal on your 2016 list?
D: I’d love to play a live show in each of the three countries I have close to my heart - Denmark, China and England. That would be incredible.
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