INTERVIEW: MARBS

In the ever-evolving landscape of electronic music, few artists manage to strike a perfect balance between raw emotion and high-energy soundscapes. Marbs is one such creator, crafting music that resonates on both a personal and dancefloor level. From their journey of self-discovery in the studio to the influences that shaped their sonic identity, they share insights into their creative process, the evolution of their tracks, and their vision for the future of electronic music. In this conversation, we explore the inspiration behind their latest work, the challenges of knowing when a track is truly "finished," and the impact of running a label on their artistic growth.

1. Toroidal embodies optimism and self-discovery. What personal experiences inspired this track?

- I had a tough year for a lot of reasons... that feeling of “I’m in flow and feel clicked into my track!” To then be quickly followed by unexpected life turns that derail that feeling. When I first started writing these tracks I was feeling that turbulence immensely. Love life, industry speed bumps, the climate of everything right now... sometimes hard times can really propel creativity and I find that sometimes it propels my creativity more than when everything is “good.” This keeps me tuned into myself and my emotions and this creative outlet is like therapy. It gives me a space to express myself in a creative way and get feelings out that I have been holding in.

2. Your productions always carry a strong sense of movement and energy. How do you craft that dynamic flow?

- When I’m on dance floors I can feel it when the music is made just for dancing and when its made to make me go deeper. I’ve always been very introspective, but I get a massive release from the collective energy of dance floors. This combination drives me to create things that touch both those notes. 9 times out of 10 I try to create things that make you feel something personally while also connecting you with the collective. Sometimes its tricky finding the balance ... but I think my catalog as a whole falls somewhere between these two and as I grow and evolve as an artist its become easier to have introspective elements paired with a driving groove so that it bridges that gap.

3. You’ve built Desert Hearts into a recognized name. What’s the biggest lesson you've learned from this journey?

-  Flexibility and going with the flow. With trends and social media things can get hard to navigate if you get stubborn. Finding the balance between staying true to yourself but flowing with the tides and climate are integral. Above all else though, community is paramount. We have always focused on creating culture and community with our people, through the festival, through our two labels, through connection and removing the boundaries between “fan” and “performer.” Removing the “Us and Them” mentality of the industry has been integral in us weathering the storms and keeping Desert Hearts strong for over a decade now... and If I were to give any advice to artists or event organizers it would be this ~ focus on the people and creating community.

4. What challenges did you face when creating Tidal Break EP, and how did you overcome them?

-  It was hard to accomplish what I was trying to do especially with Toroidal. The lead track is supposed to be a metaphor for life. The feeling of “finding our way” to then have life take unexpected turns and derail that feeling. I found the vocal sample and felt so uplifted by it and then knew I wanted the drops and instrumental elements to provide contrast to this. So I played with stuttering effects on the vocal to make it break down and fragment when the drops happened to symbolize that “derailment.” Once I found that shift cohesive I knew I was onto something and then the project flowed. The B-side ~’Breaking’ ~ flowed a lot more since the whole track focuses on weathering hard seasons. I wanted it to be a broken beat and weighted, that track actually came to gather very quickly and seamlessly.

5. How do you see the underground electronic music scene evolving in the coming years?

- I think the climate right now with festivals, edm, and the industry as a whole is naturally propelling event producers and artists to go more underground. The more this music becomes mainstream the more it breeds the need for the underground to change things. The underground has always been the heart and soul that then leads to mainstream shifts. I think this is always happening if you’re paying attention and if you’re digging you can hear the difference in what’s brewing underneath the mainstream. It’s rebellious right? When things become too normal or popular something has to birth from it and that’s where the underground steps in. There would be no mainstream without the underground and vise versa. Politics, the climate of the world, when things are turbulent or too comfortable it creates a lot of opportunity for change and I see us in a perfect moment right now for the underground to thrive. I see it and feel it... people want a change and those who are taking that change seriously are giving it a solid go. This was a goal of my Tidal Break EP, its not in line with current trends in my opinion, its rebellious in that way and I aim to have Desert Hearts Black always be a catalyst for underground creation and for our Desert Hearts Festival to be a leader in the underground US music community.

6. What’s one piece of advice you’d give to up- and-coming producers?

- I touched on this above but focusing on the people and community around what your creating is THE most important thing I’ve found. There are soooo many DJs and Producers and content creators, ands on... the thing that will set you a part is creating a community around your music, art, or events.

7. How important is visual art to your music and the Desert Hearts brand?

- My entire life I’ve seen art and music going hand in hand. For me they do not exist separately. Maybe this comes from my lifelong love with psychedelics. They teach us that everything is connected. Seeing music and hearing art is one of the best experiences ever, so when creating either of the two, the other always follows for me. Take cymatics for example... vibration creating visual art simply by the interaction of mediums... the art exists in the music and the music exists in the art. I’ve also always been an artist. I can’t remember a time when I didn’t draw, paint, or create.. so having art tied to my label and music is always a priority. This is also why I take pride in being the lead director of art at our festival. I take pride in the artistic experience around our musical programming at our events.

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