We chat to Univack’s Integral Bread about his debut album, ‘We Die to Live’, before its release on Monday 2nd May, and offer you an exclusive stream of the second track ‘Meliflua’.

Thanks for taking the time to talk to us again!

What has been happening with you and Univack since we caught up with you last year?

Apart from the remixes I got released last year, my work in the studio has been focused on the composition of the new original tunes that appear in this album. I did this alongside my job of running my label, Univack Records, which has continued to grow throughout the last year in part by how well the last releases have worked, and also because of the great artists that have worked with us. Univack is getting better known in the melodic techno and deep progressive house scene, and this means it requires more investment in time and hard work to keep things growing.

Obviously the big news is the imminent release of your debut album, ‘We Die To Live’. What inspired you to make an album, and can you describe the process of bringing it all together a bit for us?

After a few years releasing EPs and remixes, I wanted to create a reference point with more content, with different original songs that would show a wider range of sounds and rhythms with which I like to work. I tried to get a more mature and fresh sound, but without sacrificing my own style. Within these new tracks I have chosen to experiment with different grooves and rhythmic resources, often using less sound layers, and caring more about the details and the structures, along with my premise of seeking a harmonious balance between percussion and melody.

Some of the tracks will be familiar to listeners from earlier releases on Lowbit, Indigo, and, of course, Univack. How did you decide which of your earlier works to include on the album? And how did you find the process of revisiting your own work?

The past year marked 20 years since I wrote my first electronic music track. For this reason we thought to also include on the album some reworks of tracks that usually appear in my live sets when I’m touring, and also have an important emotional meaning for me. You could say that this album is a summary of the sound I have been working on in recent years, and a demonstration of the way my sound has evolved.

What musical influences does the sound represented on the album draw on?

I always try not to be influenced by the artists or music that are popular at any given moment. I think this mindset is the best way for making that journey to find your own sound – a sound that marks your path as a creative artist – but it is almost impossible not to feel the influence of the music that you like to listen to, in some ways. When I compose music I try to make music that makes everyone dance, not only with your body but also with your mind, and if it is possible, try to create some timeless tunes.

The title of the album sounds rather pessimistic at first – was that the intention, or is there a different message you want it to convey?

The idea I want to give people regarding the title is not pessimistic, but the complete opposite. It is a call to life, a call to the desire to live without fear, feeling proud of the gift that the Universe made us. And appealing to what I think is our main goal in life, which is none other than to create beauty in our way through this world.

This small text was written by my partner in Univack, Mr Elio Ks, that perfectly expresses the idea behind the title of the album. Let me share it with you here:

What is it that the humans call “Art” master?
– Art is…the ultimate goal of life.
– I don’t get it…
– Life is nothing more than a random combination of the bricks existing in the universe. Compared with the inert, life is just a more elegant form. Our mere existence is beauty, because we are the more improbable and complex combination of that common raw material.
– OK but…What about Art?
– If, at the end, our most notable difference is only that we are more beautiful than a stone, then our highest purpose – to be alive – cannot be other than to generate more and more beauty.
– Now I understand… but it’s all very ephemeral…We die!
– When we die, the universe re-orders our atoms, opening the door to generate other different beauties. We live to die. We die to create. We live to create. We die to live.

What else can we look forward to from yourself and Univack Records in the rest of 2016?

Soon, I will release a quite special EP, created with my partner in crime Elio Ks, and also some remixes and original tunes that I’m currently working on. After this album, my idea is also to release my next works on some other record labels around the world. My intention is to present the album in a LIVE format in different countries around Europe and South America over the coming months. Apart from all this, I’m composing the music for a videogame that is in the creation process and is set to be released in 2018.

2016 is going to be a very hectic year for Univack in terms of releases and you will hear some exciting new talent from of the European scene, and also we will balance this by releasing some amazing tracks created by artists whose names are already well known in the electronic and melodic techno scene.

Thanks for this opportunity & for you support ☺

Thank you!

‘We Die to Live’ is out this Monday, and you can stay in touch with Integral Bread and Univack here:

https://www.facebook.com/Integral-Bread-134147726633355/
https://www.facebook.com/univackrecords/
http://www.univack.com/