Re.you has been providing elegantly produced dance music for a decade now, with a catalogue that encompasses releases on Souvenir, Mobilee, Saved, Moon Harbour and Kompakt. In 2016 he formed a relationship with the Stereo MC’s and their Connected label and has been a regular contributor to the imprint’s output ever since.
After more than a decade at the forefront of underground electronic music, Re.You now puts all his vast experience into a long-awaited debut album on Connected, breathing new life into house music. ‘Maison’ is a bold artistic statement across nine tracks featuring guests and label bosses Stereo MCs, plus Florian Busse & Ahmad, Elli and Oluhle & Aaaron.
After many years in Berlin, the German producer moved to Paris, and found himself full of new ideas, inspired by the city and its creative energy. As such, most of this new album was written in the French capital. He was there for just six months but as Marius aka Re.You says “it was a truly inspiring place and time, so I thought I would give the album a French name. ‘Maison’ means home. That’s what I feel now I’m back in my German hometown Ulm after 10 years of Berlin and a short stay in Paris. I feel now is a good time to release my debut album on Connected, a platform on which I always felt at home.“
We caught up with Marius to discuss the influences behind the album and more.
WWD: Hi Marius, thanks for taking the time to talk to When We Dip. Debut LPs are generally things artists think a lot about. How long has ‘Maison’ been gestating as a project?
The idea of doing an album is buzzing around in my head since I started producing music. With ‘Maison’ I started in 2017 when I was living in Paris. The city inspired me a lot and that‘s where the name comes from. Maison means home in french. As a DJ you’re travelling the whole world and for me it‘s super important to be at home at one point. I guess you appreciate your home even more when travelling a lot. Now I‘m back in my hometown Ulm, where I feel totally at home.
WWD: You have a few collaborators on the LP, including label bosses Stereo MCs, did you know who you would work with ahead of recording the tracks?
It was a smooth process. I‘ve been a big fan of the Stereo MCs so I just waited a project to bring a collaboration to life. Actually I didn‘t know before with whom I want to work, it came afterwards.
WWD: Were there any artists who you dreamed of working with but it didn’t work out?
It shouldn‘t be a collaborators album, it should show my own musical vision. So basically I only worked with a few people I knew for quite a while. For instance I shared a studio together with Florian Busse in Berlin, that‘s why it made sense to me to do a track together. The other collaboration was with Aaaron, who is also a long time friend. All other appearences are vocal features.
WWD: What were the key differences in how you approached writing an LP over one of your EPs?
I think for an EP production I’m much more dancefloor oriented in comparison to an LP where you don‘t have these boundaries. However it is important to keep your signature sound, I mean if you would do totally different music, fans would get confused I guess. So I hope it‘s a pretty good mixture.
WWD: Were there any physical differences in your processes? Different equipment etc?
Actually no, it was the same stuff I also used for EP productions before.
WWD: What is the most important thing you wanted to communicate with ‘Maison’?
That „home“ (maison is french for home) is essentiell for me, if I don‘t feel at home I want to move further. Home is also not a specific location, sometimes music can make you feel home and that is what I wanted to tell with the LP.
WWD: How do you think writing a long format project like this will influence your singles from now on?
That‘s a tough question, I‘ve been writing a lot in the past days. What I can say is that my music became more melodic but I’m sure it changes again. I‘m doing what I like in that specific moment.
WWD: What’s coming next from Re.You?
I‘m working on a remix for a friend called ‘Valiete’, he invited me to play at his event in Kiel, from where we became good friends. Furthermore I will take more focus on my label Younion. The next EP by Elias (GER) will come out soon. For one of those tracks I did a remix together with Eins Tiefer. And after the LP there will be remixes of ‘Maison’. I‘m pretty excited about that.