Anikdote has been on fire over the last few months, releasing banger after banger after banger. He’s done it again with his latest EP Life of the Game, which is a collaborative effort with Kedo Rebelle and switches between styles like it’s nothing. I had the pleasure of interviewing him as well, and he gave some great insights into his career. Check it out.
First of all, how did you get into producing and DJing? Did one come first and the other followed, or did they both come naturally?
Producing came first. Up until 2010 I had a windows 94 computer and my mom couldn’t afford internet, so I borrowed an old copy of FL studio (or fruity loops as it was called back then) from a friend and began my journey there. For a while I made hip hop, and then in 2014 I discovered the Youtube channel Trap Nation, and was forever inspired to make electronic trap music.
I began DJing about a year afterwards in 2015. I really wouldn’t say either came naturally, both took a lot of research and practice, but being able to play the piano and understand notes and scales etc really helped a lot.
How did the name Anikdote come about?
I used to be called “D.H.Productionz” which was just a terrible name, so when I made the transition from hip hop to electronic trap I thought a new name would be good. I liked the sound of Anikdote and so I just went with it lol.
Do you have any influences to your music, or any specific people or artists that have shaped your sound and style?
I’d say my biggest influence is Ricky Remedy, however lately after coming back from Australia and hearing the huge Dubstep scene there I’m beginning to be heavily influenced by Zomboy, but Remedy is still number 1 for me.
I notice that you’re unsigned, but with releases on NoCopyrightSounds, gigs in Ibiza and over 10,000 Soundcloud followers you must be hot property. Do you have any opinions about labels/contracts, or is this just how it’s happened?
For a while I really wanted to be signed but the more I learned about the industry the more I began to see that you don’t need to be signed to a label to have a music career. I think signing singles and EP’s to labels is great but for now I think I like being in control of everything I do.
Adding on to my last question, given that you’ve landed NCS and shows in Ibiza at this stage of your career, do you have any advice for newer producers and DJs trying to make a start? How do they get noticed like you have?
I think the biggest piece of advice I can offer is research. The more you know about your industry the easier it will be to break into it.
Learn about synthesis and mixing, make friends that will help you and share their experiences with you and don’t be afraid of failure, each time you fail you learn something for next time so don’t be afraid of failure, welcome it and learn from it.
Finally, are there any artists that you’re digging right now?
I’d say the guy I’m really digging right now is AtlanticHaze, he’s a German trap producer and close friend of mine with releases on Trap nation, Zen supremacy and Elysian records. His stuff bangs! And he’ll definitely be one of the big names in trap in the upcoming years.
Talking with Anikdote made me realise how passionate, talented and appreciative the man is of what he has, and that he’s the exact kind of person that the music industry needs more of. Recently he travelled to Australia to play a few shows, and you can watch the aftermovie here if you want to see how good an Anikdote show is. You can get a load of Life of the Game below as well as download it here, and you can follow his Soundcloud here!