Guest Mix + Interview – Lenny
Munich-based producer Lenny has been continually climbing the underground ranks. With a heavy-hitting trap sound, he’s become a mainstay on our site, landing multiple premieres including collabs alongside capshun x TaDa x Arthus, and MCTR x Golden Child. Tomorrow he will be making his debut on our label alongside SL!DE with ‘Oasis’ on our Champions Of The Underground Vol. 1 compilation. With releases on Lowly, Bass Nation, and Trap Party, plus our steady support, it should come as no surprise that Lenny is one to watch.
To showcase the artist’s talent and get to know him better we have connected with Lenny for our latest Guest Mix + Interview. The mix is pure SoundCloud gems while the interview explores what inspired him to start producing, the German bass scene, his dream-turned-real studio, health and fitness, and much more. Dive in below.
Tell us about the guest mix. What should fans expect when they press play?
For this mix, I decided to put together a SoundCloud exclusive mix, that gets me hyped. This is the stuff I would imagine myself listening to while riding an American lowrider, play in a club set, or bump at the gym.
What prompted you to start producing music? How has your journey evolved over time?
I was always into music, it started with trying to take piano and guitar lessons as a kid, later it would be drum pads and garage band on my iPad. I tried to work with FL Studio for quite some time as a teen but I never really got a grip on the full understanding of the DAW. In 2017 SL!DE and I sat down for a couple of weeks during his visit at my place and we together had our breakthrough on getting the basic understanding of the DAW, we both continued from then on.
I am very happy and grateful that role models turned into friends…
When people think of Germany they tend to think about Techno. What’s the trap and bass scene like there?
Actually, when you compare the nationality of influential artists in the scene to the population of the country of origin, I think Germany, or more precisely, the German speaking region, has the highest density of influential artists who shape/influence the scene. To name some of my German speaking peers like skypierr, stradeus, L*o*J, Shardem, MCTR, Mo Vibez, drift boy, Pulse, milye, Kaiser, SL!DE and more. I took a lot of inspiration when finding my own style and I still do on a daily basis. I am very happy and grateful that role models turned into friends, having made music together and/or even met up.
What is the “Bassment” studio? What makes it special?
I left Munich for 3.5 years to live in Beijing. When I returned in 2020, SL!DE and I had made it our mission to build our own studio. Unfortunately, rent in Munich is incredibly expensive and it’s almost impossible to find any place. We knew it would be a nearly impossible task to find a rentable space in Munich, in the first place and then build a studio without having to care about noise complaints etc. Most music studios are outside of Munich, located in more rural areas. After some months of despair, we finally managed to find the perfect place, it really was a miracle. A basement, 15 min away from the city center. We knew we had lots of work to do but it was usable for the idea we had in mind. For the next 1.5 years, we would dedicate all of our resources to planning and building our dream studio. It was like a puzzle we had to put together.
The Bassment is a unique creation of a studio, planned and executed to the smallest detail. It’s what we’re most proud of in our lives. We are grateful every day to step inside. It takes us to another world. If you are interested, I would advise to check out the trailer we filmed and posted on the @bassment089 Instagram.
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Can you tell us a bit about Saints & Sinners? Can we expect any new releases from the label anytime soon?
Sinners & Saints is a producer collective of German artists. We are more like a group of friends that formed a collective under which we released ‘Exodus.’ At the moment we are not looking forward to releasing anything in the future under the collective name.
I see collaborating as a super-efficient way of creating quality art which does not lack in any form, a complete creation by different like-minded minds, pouring their heart and inspiration into one piece.
You’ve dropped a lot of collaborations in the past few years. What draws you to working with other artists vs. working alone?
When I create a project which I know will make it to be released, I will have spent a lot of time and precision on the first part of the track. Basically, I will have poured all my inspiration and motivation into one part after which I know, If I now have to do a second, unique part, it will be lacking compared to the first one. That’s why I love collaborating. Most of the time, a new project is inspired by something/a mix of songs I’m listening to at the moment. So I will just go ahead and ask the artist I took inspiration from or someone I know who would fit super well on a second part, whether they want to work on it. I, myself love the feeling of receiving a dope project which already fills me with a ton of inspiration by just listening to it. Then having to work on one part works out super well all the time, because you already have a foundation to work with and are fully inspired. I see collaborating as a super-efficient way of creating quality art which does not lack in any form, a complete creation by different like-minded minds, pouring their heart and inspiration into one piece.
What’s your health and fitness routine look like? Does it impact your creative output?
I work out around 6 times a week. It’s my daily habit to walk to the studio from my home, work a bit, then go to the gym which is nearby the studio, and then go back to the studio to continue working on music. SL!DE and I share the same daily routine. Consistency is key.
I always listen to music during training which gets me diving into a huge variety of genres. I am always listening to what I feel like, ranging from baile over rock and techno to hip hop and ambiance. However, the real inspiration to create something always happens by consciously listening to something I like very much, resulting in me wanting to create something that gives me the same fulfillment as listening to that particular song.
What have been your highlights of 2022 so far?
2022 is my biggest year of change. In every single aspect of life I had a major breakthrough. I am just extremely grateful for everything.
Try to not focus on what’s next. I like to keep doing what I am attracted to while focusing on the present.
What’s next for you?
Try to not focus on what’s next. I like to keep doing what I am attracted to while focusing on the present. Things will come right as they are supposed to!
Tracklist:
1. aedfx – icy
2. slowly, slowly – savi
3. cela cela – burden.
4. Namu Serpentard – JUMP IN OUT
5. Creatxr – BLOOD
6. knick. – expand
7. gawd – freebobby2020
8. Mo Vibez – rollinpeaceinsanity
9. aedfx. – Right Here
10. Mo Vibez – ghost
11. Quickly, Quickly – SNAPEM
12. KAISER – MEMPHIS
13. LOCAL STRANGER – STEADY MOBBIN
14. bsterthegawd, legend & qioh – oppshit!
15. julius woods & DILIP – distressed
