Onur Ozman is a Swiss producer whose deep house style has been a feature of labels such as Rebirth, Noir, Yoshitoshi and Hottrax. His latest release is a forward-thinking five-track EP on Canadian label Suleiman, which in the past has featured tracks and remixes by the likes of Dave Aju, Kris Wadsworth, Butane and Robert Babicz. Excited to learn more about Onur Ozman’s new release titled the ‘New Era’ EP, we decided to invite him for this interview…

WWD: Hi Onur, it’s great to be talking with you today. What part of the world are you currently based, and are the local clubs open again?

I’m based in Switzerland, people can go to clubs if they have a triple-vaccine certificate.

WWD: Could you start by giving a brief description of your sound, and some of the artists that have inspired you? 

Once a friend had said to me, “Onur, I really like your futuristic deep house sound“. I was never able to think of a better definition for my sound.

WWD: Would you describe yourself as more of a DJ or producer, and do you think someone can successfully be one without the other in today’s industry?

I consider myself as more of a producer, but I’m also a DJ. I love digging for new music with the intention of playing it live for people to experience on the dance floor. However, what I enjoy the most, is being alone in my studio, and experimenting with sounds.

WWD: We recently heard your new release on Suleiman, and was impressed by the variety of styles on the release. Could you talk me through the concepts and inspirations that inspired those tracks? 

The EP’s name holds a lot of significance, musically ‘New Era’ means a fresh beginning for me, and a landmark that represents me feeling more confident about what I want to create.

I’m more and more interested by moments in music. Music is often classified by one specific genre, but in every track on this EP, I’m making a conscious effort to switch between styles. In that sense, almost every track has two genres, and I used this change in style to switch between different moods inside the same track.

I love creating moments that switch between different emotions while still maintaining a continuity inside the tracks core idea.  Stockhousen once wrote that “it is easier to be famous, if you have a style and you specialize in it“. I agree, and through that thought process realized I’m not into styles, and I produce music to discover new ideas.

WWD: Is this your first time working with Suleiman, and how did you first connect with the guys behind the record label? 

Darem (head honcho of Suleiman) contacted me directly, we haven’t met in person before, but he asked me if I would be interested in releasing an EP on his label. I’d already heard of Suleiman Records and its narrative approach drew me in immediately. I ended up sending him 5 tracks, hoping he might pick at least 3 of them. Well, we have this 5 tracks EP now. I really admire him, especially for releasing the title track “New Era” as it’s got an avant-garde style, and nowadays lots of labels don’t invest in that kind of music.

WWD: Your new EP sounded like it had a lot of analogue textures, could you walk us through some of the main bits of equipment used to make those tracks?

Actually, there isn’t any analogue gear at all. I used only VST plugins and midi devices. I like to be flexible, and be able to form the sound in any direction. The software gives you a lot more control over different parameters, so it suits my creative process, and I’m trying new plugins all the time. Using analogue devices can sometimes be a bit limiting, as once you record a sound to put in arrangement, you can’t always go back to change it again. Digital allows changes to be made at any point of the creative process, and I like the flexibility of being able to refine an idea in small increments.

WWD; What’s coming next in your schedule, do you have any other new releases or exciting gigs planned? 

I have two upcoming gigs this month in Zurich, and I’m really looking forward to sharing my new music with people. I also have another EP coming out in March, which will be released on Frankey & Sandrino’s Sum Over Histories.

WWD: Thanks for taking the time for this chat, is there anything extra you would like to add before we finish? 

I’m glad you have been enjoying my new release on Suleiman, it has been a pleasure talking with you about it.