German imprint Connaisseur Recordings welcomes Musumeci and chums Sisio, Simeone and Pavi to the family this month with a brand new three track EP.  Rarely have we seen such an impressive combination of talent and experience – Human Machine is an outlet set to take the four on quite the adventure. You heard it here first, 2016 will be a big year for all involved. This week, the foursome share an exclusive from their upcoming release while also going in depth on the processes behind the project, backing from Dixon & Ame and all that’s come in the next few months.

WWD: Welcome guys, great to have you here! What have you been working on this week? And where in the world are you right now?

Hello and first of all thank you very much for the opportunity! This week we just finished working on our second video clip, this time for the title track of ‘146 Ep’.
It was a bit of a challenge, this is the first time that we have a proper script and actors. We think the result is cool, we are pretty satisfied about it.
We are right now in our motherland, Sicily!

WWD: 2016 so far, has it lived up to your expectations?

Still early to say but we are already very happy for the interest around our project.
We have been working to a lot of tracks in the past months and some of them will come out this year. We hope that our music will find a way to meet the hearts of listeners and dancers out there.

WWD: Your latest release is forthcoming on Connaisseur. Can you tell us a little bit about your relationship with the label?

Connaisseur was already a sort of family label for us. Musumeci and other good friends were closely involved so everything just happened in a very natural way, it was in the air.  Alex, head of Connaisseur, is also an early fan of Human Machine since our debut ep on Engrave Ltd so when he heard we had a full ep ready it only took a minute to sign it after having listened.

WWD: What makes Connaisseur the right fit for Human Machine?

Connaisseur is a label with a 10 year history and an impressive list of great artists on its catalogue but at same time it keeps a quite ‘underground’ profile.
Everyone involved has a positive attitude and you feel a kind of strong motivation to keep music as the main point. We think it’s a good company to grow with.

WWD: Operating as a foursome must be complex, how do you order the different processes in the studio?

Everything comes easy, we can’t say we have a method. Sometimes we start from beats and melodies coming from some of us, other times we just play around in the studio till we say ‘yes this is something we would love to play or listen in a club’.
We don’t have a way to compose but a simple rule: do music that we play.

WWD: What about when it comes to playing shows?

As a quartet we have decided to split our show between a dj set and a live performance. Human Machine dj set will be represented by two of us in b2b
while the live will see the other pair on stage with the visual help of Martina Biffa, an artist that is already involved in our video productions.

WWD: Do you find much of a distinction between each of your musical tastes?

It’s easy to find differences between our musical tastes of course but we try to focus on our common ground first. Then we always give the chance to our personal approaches to shake things a little in a direction or another.In general we are coming from different music backgrounds but our electronic music roots are similar.
Everyone of us has been a dj for a long time, we share the same passion for the beats that make people dance.

WWD: Is there a central goal behind this collaborative project?

The goal from the beginning was to have fun between friends and we hope to keep on going like this!

WWD: You’ve shared an exclusive preview of ‘Janus’ with us today. Where did you put the track together and what was the inspiration behind it?

Janus comes from a combination between our characteristic straight beat and strong arpeggios with more atmospheric patterns. Sisio has played to us the original idea in the studio and since the first listen we were all excited to work on it. We finished the track in one session as most of the time. If something takes too long to come out we easily skip to the next track, we want our music to have a spontaneous and simple sound.

WWD: Lets talk ‘The Mule’. It’s had massive support from the likes of Dixon & Âme and your followers on social media have been making much noise about it. Is it coming soon?

The Mule have been often confused with 146 probably because both tracks have been played by Âme and Dixon and both of them have an arpeggio that builds up on a breakdown. The reality is that they are two completely different tracks in terms of musical inspiration and soundscapes. The Mule will be included in our next three track ep signed for the new Berlin label ‘Exit Strategy’. The release date is not yet precise but should be somewhere in late 2016 spring.

WWD: What are the other important dates on the horizon?

We just joined ‘Connaisseur Bookings‘ and our goal this year will be to start performing more regularly and spread little by little our sound in the clubs.
5 March will be our first dj set of the year in CIRQ, a very special venue that represents already a kind of home for our family circle.
On the 6th of May we play our Netherlands debut at Radion in Amsterdam and London is planned as well.

WWD: What do you hope defines the rest of 2016 for Human Machine?

Our hope for 2016 is to live a year of personal and professional growth, a walk between our small and big dreams.
A year of inspiration and determination to continue on the path we have chosen.

Release Date: February 29th, 2016 (vinyl & Beatport excl.) / March 18th (streaming & all other stores)

Follow: Human Machine // Connaisseur Recordings