Producer and songwriter Stereoclip came to visit us virtually at Nexus Lounge Virtual at theRoof at theWIT in Chicago. In this Take Five conversation, he discusses the inspiration behind his new single, “Inner City Angels,” as well as his future album. He also flashed us his humorous side by answering all of our questions: either funny, serious, or just plain odd!
Stereoclip, whose real name is Maxime Merkpoel, started his musical career in Brussels in 2010. Inspired by his trip to Berlin, the young Belgian producer began composing electronic music. When he launched the hit single “Easy Field,” he drew a wide following and was discovered by the Delicieuse Musique team. After a string of successful performances locally and internationally, he was eventually signed to Armada Music, the world’s largest dance music label.
Just recently, Stereoclip released the single “Inner City Angels” via Armada Music. When asked how he made the song, he said, “I was jamming around stuff in my studio. It’s always like that. I never start a song with something in my head. And ideas come up like that.” The track, characterized as having ‘celestial wonder’ elements and hints ‘towards the greater good,’ was released on streaming platforms on October 29th this year.
Stereoclip’s style is a mix of deep house and electro-acoustic, and his music is known for its engaging melodies and enchanting rhythms. Through this brand, Stereoclip has been making big waves in the dance music scene. The Belgian icon is currently bringing innovations to festivals, clubs, and concert halls around the world. He has graced the stages of Tomorrowland, Dour, Piknic Elektronik, ADE, and Rex Club.
Following his successful albums’ Hometown’ and ‘Travel,’ the musician has put extra effort into the studio and teased that a third album is on its way.
"The name is 'Echoes' [which] is going to be released on November 26th. I did it during lockdowns, and it's a 10-track album specially made for live sets."
Colored by nostalgia, ‘Echoes’ reflects ten years of frustration and delight, pain and desertion, accomplishments and determination, love and hate. It’s also about soaking up the feedback and using it as new input in the cycle’s ever-changing loop. And it is within that cycle that one can find personal growth.
Once we got more acquainted, Stereoclip readily answered a slew of our amusing and odd queries. When asked why music is essential, he responded, “it’s a way to distract yourself from yourself.” He continued that it’s a way to travel, to feel, and to imagine. And we couldn’t come up with a better response than that. The artist also revealed the worst decision he had ever made. “It was in a live show, and I didn’t prepare myself pretty well. I didn’t check technically what I was doing. I had so many bugs on my computer. So the song was glitching all the time, and I was in front of 300 people.”
To know more about Stereoclip, including the funniest WiFi name he has seen, listen to our full interview below!
