We were fortunate this past Dreamstate to be able to briefly sit down and catch up with Trance powerhouse MaRLo, who’s had an incredible year selling out his own “Altitude” shows, that span from Australia, to Malaysia, Indonesia and China, many of which host upwards of 15,000 attendees. Not only that, but 4 of his own tracks, and four tracks from his label, Reaching Altitude, are in the running for A State of Trance ‘Tune of the Year,” which he has won in the past, with his track “Lighter Than Air.”

As a previous Open Door Sessions panelist (where he discovered Triode, whom he later collaborated with for their “Castles in the Sky” remix), MaRLo is no stranger to Neon Owl. We appreciate each time we get to chat with him, and this time we were curious to learn more about what separated his Tech Energy sets from a typical set, what he looks for when signing artists to his label, and also discovered how he is currently cultivating his “dream” environment when creating his own music.

Read on for some highlights from the interview, and watch the full video for more!

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With 4 of your own tracks up for ASOT “Tune of the Year” and 4 more from your own label Reaching Altitude, do you have a favorite that you would choose?

“Probably “Stronger Together” because it’s a meaningful song to me and it’s the theme song of my Altitude events” My Altitude events are really important to me obviously…we do a 4-hour set, we have live vocalists, so that’s really special to me”

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When you are looking to collaborate with an artist or signing an artist to your label, what do you look for? A particular sound or vibe?

“If I get a feeling from it, how I feel when I listen to it. I don’t really look specifically for anything, it’s just how do I feel when I hear a certain type of music and if I get excited by that music. Also of course if I like the person, that’s important.”

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Do you still have time to produce while you travel?

“My answer like two weeks ago would have been completely different than now, because usually my answer would have been that I find it too hard to get focused and motivated when I’m sitting in a hotel room or an airplane with a laptop. It’s not the same as sitting in a studio. But I’ve moved houses recently, and I haven’t built the new studio yet in the new house, so I’ve sort of been forced into a situation where I’ve got to make it work somehow. And during this tour, I’ve actually been producing on the laptop, and it’s actually turned out really good. For the next six months I’ll be doing it sort of just in small speakers in the bedroom and the laptop until my proper studio is finished building.”

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As for this “proper studio”…

“It’s completely custom made by the same guys who build studios for Disney Studios, and for Dolby Surround Sound. It’ll be one of the top studios in the world, so I can’t wait. When I met with the sound designer and the architect, we’re not [just] focusing on the equipment, we’re trying to make it look like a comfortable, high-end designer space to be in…hang out, and to have couches, …an arcade machine, a fish tank, and some bonsai trees and make it a really cool room to be in,… feel inspired, and to create new work. I wanted to get away from my studios in the past that had the neon lights and the sound panels, and that it looks like a studio. They’re cool and they’re great and I love them but now I wanted to go into a different phase of my life and career and I wanted to have a space that’s more natural, so that I feel calm and inspired and relaxed, so that I want to spend a lot of time there to work.”

Neon Owl x Insomniac Dreamstate MaRLo interview 2023 neonowlco 1

Will creating a different environment than what you’re used to influence the sound of your music?

“I think if you’re in a good headspace, you’re more creative and better anyway, so more ideas come to you. It’s little things, like the computer, you won’t even see it, there is a button in the hallway before you even get to the studio, that boots up your computer and speakers before you even get to the room. Everything is hidden. The soundboards are hidden behind the plasterboards. The bass traps are hidden under the steps. The air conditioning is hidden in the stairs. So things like that, where it’s just like a slick room and it sounds great. It’s more than 10m long and 3.5m wide. Half of it’s like a lounge room and then it steps down into the work space where you do the studio work.”

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For newer producers, if someone were to give you a demo, what would you be looking for?

“…things that are more festival-friendly, a bit more towards the commercial side, more stompy, more catchy. It has to have this anthemic, almost “going to war” feeling, like stadium-rock power to it, but still be emotive. When it gets too complicated, with all the arpeggios and melodies where it gets lost into more listening music than party music, that’s not really what our label’s about. Party music basically.”

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For those new to the scene, what’s the difference between a Tech Energy set and a normal set?

“So a Tech Energy set is basically, complete freedom to do what I want, but it’s got to be highly energetic, and it’s usually quite techy influenced. It’s not staying to any boundaries, I can play hard techno, hard trance, hardstyle even, as long as it’s a bit on the aggressive side, and driving, I play some drum and bass sometimes, there’s no real rules to it. The idea is not for us all to hug each other in that moment, it’s like we’re going for it. My normal sets are more fun and more loving feelings. A lot more lyrics, vocals, beautiful melodies.”

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