June 2021 sees the prolific Russian techno producer/live performer Maksim Dark deliver his sixth studio album Insomnia on Oliver Huntemann’s revered Hamburg-based Senso Sounds label.

Maksim Dark has established himself as a prolific powerhouse on the scene over the past decade – his instantly recognizable style being picked up and celebrated by some of the top names in the game. The Russian producer burst into people’s consciousness in 2011, winning the ear of techno royalty like Richie Hawtin and Dubfire. Having released five albums (Alkapones in 2011, Mechanica in 2012, With Bated Breath in 2013, My Time Is Fire in 2014, Unbroken in 2015) – plus countless singles and remix projects – he’s back with what is perhaps his most accomplished work to date.

“Insomnia is my most serious minimal techno album to date and its inspiration has come from all of the positivity my fans give me from across the world. I’ve put my soul into every single track and created an LP that I truly love and hope my fans do to.” Maksim Dark

Insomnia contains 13 tracks of the talented Russian’s signature sound – tough, shadowy techno that grooves hard and is shot through with attitude and style. From opener ‘Dominator’ through to Dark’s personal favorite ‘Globalize’ and other highlights such as the LP’s lead single ‘Loud Rave’ and brooding closing track ‘Noah’, this long-player could be one of Dark’s epic sets behind the decks. There’s linearity to the journey and each track seems to complement the other. Drums hit hard, pitched-down vocals add the edge, and his beautifully-designed laser-sharp synths cut through everything creating the ultimate soundtrack to the nights we want never to end.

Release Date: June 25th, 2021. Buy Here

Follow: Maksim Dark // Senso Sounds

WWD: Hello Maksim Dark, welcome to When We Dip. Let’s dive straight in…

Hello Guys, Nice to meet you. let’s do it.

WWD: Please tell us a little about your background, how you started making music and who some of your influences are/were?

Music has always surrounded me since childhood, in family life and on the street. Regarding the minimal techno sound, I first heard this in school doing my late grades, I heard the tracks from Dubfire, Oliver Huntemann, Boris Brejcha, Maetrik, Stephan Bodzin. It was really cool and unusual, all these tight bass rhythms, great percussion and vocals.

WWD: You’re a prolific producer and are just about to release your excellent sixth album Insomnia via Oliver Huntemann’s Senso Sounds label. Please tell us a bit about the creation process and how this album differs from your previous LPs?

I just really liked Senso Sounds and what kind of work the guys are doing. I wanted to be a part of it. I already had 5 tracks completed and then asked Oliver how he’d feel if wrote an album, he said it was a good idea and then I continued working. Insomnia is my most serious minimal techno album to date and its inspiration has come from all of the positivity my fans give me from across the world. I’ve put my soul into every single track and created an LP that I truly love and hope my fans do to.

WWD: ‘Loud Rave’ is Insomnia’s lead track and was released late May featuring remixes by André Winter & Carlo Ruetz. Why was ‘Loud Rave’ selected as the lead track and what are your thoughts regarding André and Carlo’s reworks?

Loud Rave is not exactly the leading track on the album, we just decided to try it so that the most interesting things could be left for later, besides, this track was very suitable for the styles of Carlo and Andre, at least I saw it like that, they made great remixes for me, these guys know what to do! I am very glad they took part in this and will always gladly remix their tracks as well if they ask!

WWD: Our favourite track from Insomnia is ‘Radar’. Can please tell us about how you went about making this absolute bomb? Also, is that you providing the vocal snippets?

I am very glad that you liked this track. I decided to make the Radar in the good old style, some of this will always be in me, at least I started with such dark melodies! I created this track at night, most of my studio work gets made at night, I work better as there’s not much light and I feel comfortable.

WWD: You’re a live act and exclusively play your own tracks, have you always taken this approach to performing or have you also been a DJ in the past?

I was also a DJ when I was 14 years old, there was a club in my area, the club was already living a hard situation, but I managed to play there for two years, after the club closed. I started to study music closely and only later I liked how “Gaiser” played a live set and I decided to try it and fell in love with it!

WWD: You’re from Serov in Russia, what is the underground scene like over there and what have been some of your most memorable places/events to perform live?

My city only had a very small underground scene and I played only in one club, at that time people knew little about minimal techno, I played this style after the club closed at a private party and I played minimal techno for friends of the club owner.

WWD: We’ve heard you achieve your impressive sound with a minimal studio set-up just using software, please talk us through some of your favourite applications…

I use Arturia Collection, Native Instruments Collection, Nexus 2, Trilian and Omnisphere. I really love these Plugins. At the moment this is enough for me.

WWD: Do you have any plans to incorporate hardware within your studio set-up for future releases?

Yes of course, I like Virus Ti. Maybe I will buy it. However, now many companies are producing excellent VST Plugins and I love them.

WWD: As an artist how has the pandemic impacted you and how to do feel about your country’s response?

Yes, I had big plans before the pandemic, I just started to gain momentum with performances and the pandemic brought down my plans. The action plan in my country during the pandemic was the same as in other countries, the quarantine plan was strictly followed, but I grew up in a harsh place, so such situations make me stronger and more patient, the main thing is not to lose faith in what you believe in and continue doing what you love, now I have created a lot of new music and it is enough for me to play a 4 hour set only with new music. I work in the studio every day, I love it when I open Ableton and start working with plugins and it feels like I’m in a different world!

WWD: What plans do you have for the rest of 2021?

I’ll make more music, walk, read books. If you are doing something, time flies very quickly. I want to wish everyone good health and be neat, I hope we will have fun again soon, because music unites people and I really like that.