RB Exclusive Interview: The Him – Feels Like 2017

The dynamic duo known as The Him have been travelling and spreading their unstoppable vibes around the world. With several chart-topping hits, The Him had some major success in the last year, building their name and expanding their sound! Starting 2017 off right, they joined Relentless Beats at Decadence to play an incredibly vibey set. Lucky for us, we got to hear about the past, present, and future of the duo just in time to start the new year!

For EDM fans who aren’t so familiar with your music (yet), how would you describe your sound, and how did your signature style come about?

Our sound is a combination of deep house with everything we love. It’s got heavy emotional chords and breakdowns and usually euphoric drops. It’s hard to answer how it came about because it’s such a gradual process. It just grew out of things we love.

Who are some of your influences in the music industry and how did you two begin producing and grow the duo? How did the name ‘The Him’ come about?

We started working together 3.5 year ago, doing some bootlegs for fun. Then we entered ourselves into a Tiesto remix competition at beatport. After a few weeks we found out we won a laptop and a second place so working together was useful, haha. We started doing more remixes and bootlegs. This brought us to the point where we tried to make some originals like Feels Like Home and those got a huge response!

The name came about when we wanted to put our first bootleg online. We compiled a list of names that we thought could work. Looking for inspiration in old albums we found a track called “The Him” on an old New Order album. The name stuck with us so we used it for the project!

Looking back, you’ve had an incredible year! What is usually the production process for you? Is it more of a slow pace or lock-yourself-in-the-studio type of deal?

We work really fast when we have the right vocal to start with. But to be honest, it still can be a painful process to find the right idea. It sometimes takes us more than 3 days to have a solid idea but afterwards we finish it in one. We work from 8/9 am till 6/7pm every day. This is the only thing we can tell you for sure haha. Maybe cool to know we made Midnight Hearts with Sam Feldt in a day :)!

You guys have released a number of both remixes and originals, both undeniably successful. Your recent Martin Garrix remix was a huge hit! What inspired you about the track to recreate it?

We loved the original already and this song has such a strong hook. Normally we experiment with remixes a lot and always try to make something new. But we knew that our piano sound would fit perfect to remake it.

There’s no doubt that 2017 will be even more successful than the last! Can you tell us anything about your upcoming plans for the next year?

Our plans for 2017 are really clear. Release tons of music and work harder than before. After this summer we started working with our management and agency and they are doing an awesome job. We can’t wait to see what 2017 will bring.

We’re so ecstatic that you got to help us ring in the new year at Decadence! Any New Years resolutions for you two to keep during 2017?

Yeah, we want to just try to keep focussed on making great music and playing it out live. Also maybe keep hitting the gym while we’re on tour to burn off all the donuts and burgers we’ve been having over here in the states ;).

Connect with The Him: Website | Soundcloud | Twitter | Facebook