[INTERVIEW] Infekt Discusses His Rise to Success, Association With Disciple, + More

Native to Germany, revered riddim producer Infekt has put forth a consistently growing career over the past several years. His gritty, mechanical sound design has proven to stand out amongst his peers, and has only become increasingly refined as he grows. With a long-lasting association to Disciple Round Table, both entities have created a mutualistic relationship that aided in each other’s success. Infekt has established himself as a force in the birth and propagation of the riddim genre, illustrated by his recent Breakout EP.

Read iEDM’s exclusive interview with Infekt below.

iEDM: Your most recent Breakout EP features beautiful artwork portraying a robotic hand grasping a rose, and many track titles represent different aspects of machinery. What was the inspiration behind this? Is there any symbolism within the EP?

Infekt: I always make a lot of different styles of music, but in the past I haven’t really felt confident to release much of it. With this EP I wanted to break free from that and just show it to the world, so the flower symbolizes growth in a new direction, while the robot hand represents the robotic style of my music that you can hear throughout the EP.

iEDM: You have been associated with Disciple for much longer than many other members. When you began your membership, what was the long term goal for the record label? Does Disciple’s current notoriety align with your original expectations?

Infekt: Before my first release with Disciple I never even considered the possibility of releasing with a label that was so focused on heavier Dubstep at the time, but after the release of my track “Orgalorg” it was clear that there was a lot of potential! When I first joined their label and management, the goal was mainly just to get a US visa and tour the states. Only when I met the Disciple family for the first time did I realize what a great team I had become part of—full of hard-working, and inspiring people, which still holds true today. I’m happy to have found a home for my music, and to be surrounded by people I can look up to.

iEDM: You released “Orgalorg” in 2016 with Disciple, which has become one of the most coveted tracks within the riddim community. At the time, riddim was just starting to rise above underground status in the dance music scene. How did this track come about? Was its long term success expected?

Infekt: When I made the track I got pretty excited because I knew that I personally liked it a lot, but I didn’t expect it to go much further than any of my other tracks at the time. However, when I played it for the first time in Montreal and saw the reaction of the crowd, I knew that there was something special about it. Really happy that Disciple picked it up to give it the extra push!

iEDM: You’ve had massive collaborative projects with Subfiltronik, Virtual Riot, and on Disciple Round Table. Are there any other artists you’d like to collaborate with in the future?

Infekt: Many people have been asking for a collab with Chibs, so I think we’re due to make a track together. Other than that I would also love to work more with people outside of the Riddim bubble, like maybe with some of my favorite techno, or deep and heavy Dubstep artists. Currently I’m working on a collaboration with Samplifire and MVRDA, so I’m excited to see how that turns out!

Disciple Round Table · Knights of the Round Table Vol. 5

iEDM: In your early days as an artist in Germany, you decided to lean into your fascination of bass music. At the time, dubstep was less prevalent in Europe, and Germany was (and still is) known for its dominant techno scene. Why did you decide to take the road less traveled? Has German techno had any influence on the music you produce?

Infekt: In the city where I grew up (called Bayreuth), there was honestly neither any Techno or Dubstep. I think my fascination with Dubstep specifically might have come from the fact that my dad introduced me to the world of computers and technology when I was very young, so when I first heard Dubstep I was drawn to the techy, robotic sound design of it. A few years later, I started developing a taste for Industrial Techno, so that certainly does have an influence on the music I produce now.

iEDM: The topic of ghost producers has proven to be very taboo within the dance music industry. However, many large artists began their careers by ghost producing. When a large artist is rumored to employ ghost producers, it often causes an uproar within the community. Is this anger justified, or are producers being held to a higher standard than artists who routinely hire songwriters?

Infekt: I absolutely understand that it can be shocking to hear that your favorite artist doesn’t make their own music because it can feel like you’ve been lied to. Personally, I prefer transparency. I love connecting with fans and talking with other producers about music production, so that aspect would get lost if I didn’t make my own music because I would always have to pretend. It’s not for me, but it works for others!

From the perspective of an artist I think there’s nothing wrong with ghost producing because it’s a great opportunity to earn some money that you can use to reinvest in yourself and your craft—or to pay rent…

iEDM: There’s a distinct fork in the road developing within the riddim community over the past couple of years. Many artists have been leaning into the rising “colour bass” genre, while others are creating more tearout, which seems to be equally popular among fans. Where do you see the trajectory of the riddim genre heading?

Infekt: I want to try to preserve the original sound of Riddim, from before it was called Riddim. There’s something special about the original sound that I feel has gotten lost a little bit in the pursuit of loudness. The focus was always on flow and atmosphere, rather than on heavy drops and loudness. I do love the new sound as well and I think there will for sure be more development in all kinds of directions, including melodic and tearout like you’ve mentioned, I hope I can inspire a bit of a revival of the focus on more low-key styles.

iEDM: Dance music has exponentially grown in popularity within the past several years. Do you believe this growth has impacted the accompanying subculture? Does culture die as popularity blossoms?

Infekt: Not at all! I think people who get upset about genres gaining popularity fail to see the positive sides of it. More people being exposed to the genre means that some of them will dive deep and develop a passion. Without Skrillex making dubstep mainstream around 2011, there would be much less underground dubstep today because all those people wouldn’t even have discovered it in the first place!

iEDM: Do you have any pre-show rituals? Is there a story behind them?

Infekt: I used to have a lot of obsessive behavior because I was always scared that something would go wrong if I don’t do certain rituals very carefully, but in recent years I’ve been doing my best to let go of all of them, and instead focus on putting in more time to get better, learn new things, and allow myself to make mistakes.

iEDM: Without taking logistics into consideration, what merch item would you like to design for your fans?

Infekt: I’m very picky with clothes, and I only want to sell items that I would also wear myself. I love clean, heavyweight, minimalistic clothing, so I definitely want to make more items in that direction in the future. Some functional accessories like a bag with lots of pockets would be great as well.

iEDM: As an artist who has remained in the scene for over a decade, do you have any advice for the next generation of aspiring producers?

Infekt: I would say we need to focus much more on sustainability, and not just on making the next big tune. So my advice is to seriously consider what you can do each day to keep enjoying the process of making music in the long run, and to also stay healthy while doing it.