At the forefront of the French techno scene, Antinon Jeanson – a.k.a Antingone – is a leader and mentor for a whole new generation of electronic music producers and DJs.
His powerful DJ skills have guided his Antigone project to international clubs and festivals, rewarding him with a 5-year residency at Concrete, where he continuously gathered captivated audiences with a diversified and intense selection of tracks.
Music-wise, his meteoric ascent and the warm reception to all his productions make Antigone an emblematic player in the French Techno scene, culminating in the recent launch of his own record label – ‘No Pain No Game’.
It was on this label that he recently released his high-octane ‘Total Control’ EP – which is available now on Bandcamp.
We recently had the pleasure of speaking with him, where we touched on utilising his time away from the clubs, the ethos and ambition behind the formation of his label and the production masterclass he has been running in recent times…
Hey Antonin – nice to connect with you! Hope you’ve been well.
Firstly, as is becoming depressingly more expected, there have been yet more disappointing postponements and cancellation of live music events in Europe. What are you feeling currently as a result of this? Are you the type of artist that is able to utilise the time away from the clubs in a productive manner?
Since the beginning of the pandemic I told myself right away that I had to just focus on music, it’s the only way to escape reality for me. So I must say I’ve never been as productive as now, and I am also the kind of artist that can use the feeling of being low, or depressed when making music, I find more creativity in sadness.
In terms of international touring locations, we’ve observed some of techno’s finest acts (SPFDJ, CLTX, Dasha Rush & more) making the voyage to Colombia to perform shows in numerous cities. Could you share with us your experience of this tour, compared to playing in your own city or in other parts of Europe?
I’ve been going to Colombia for almost 8 years, every time it’s just a massive experience, the crowds and the people are so intense, they have so much energy to give, it’s amazing.
I must say over the years the scene has changed so much, with a lot of new good artists and promoters emerging. It’s always a big honour to be able to come back every year.
Throughout your career, we’ve seen your sound develop and transform, leading to you releasing on a variety of labels including трип, Taapion Records and Possession – the first of which you recently released on as part of the ‘all his decisions’ concept album.
What can you tell us about the evolution of your sound, and whether you see this continuing as your career progresses?
As an artist, I try to keep it fresh. I hate staying in one direction. It is very important for me to evolve with what is new. I really love the scene as I think we are in a kind of ‘rave’ era so you can mix styles together like hard music with trance music and it works. Everything is possible now and I feel there is no longer as many barriers as before. Maybe thats a good product of the last 2 years, its given us all more freedom when it comes to what we produce and play. In the end it’s all about having fun in and outside of the studio.
Following on from the previous question, your musical pathway has led you towards a harder sound in recent times, which culminated in the founding of your own ‘No Pain No Gain’ imprint. On this label, you’ve recently released your ‘Total Control’ EP – my favourite track on which being the energetic ‘VegaPunch’.
How long ago did you begin planning to create your own label? What is the ambition you hope to satisfy through it?
The idea of creating my label ‘No Pain No Game’ came just before the pandemic started. At first, I wanted to create a label where I could just put out music from myself whenever I wanted.
But after the first release, I started to receive some amazing demos from a few new producers and I knew that I wanted to get it out there somehow, and therefore the idea of the label was born. It’s nice to have a platform to be able to promote music you love, not only your own but helping the younger generation. With the label I try to really create an identity and a vision of a futuristic techno sound.
Within time, hopefully it’ll be like a small family, I think that’s an important element of being part of a label.
Your abilities as a producer are of course what allow you keep crafting hit after hit, and I’ve learned that it’s something that you’ve formally been able to share with the world via your ‘Home Of Sound’ masterclass – which shows you how to start and finish a track in Ableton using your unconventional approach to music production.
What was your experience like in creating this class for people? How has the response been thus far?
It went really great although I was quite nervous that my computer wouldn’t follow up, but I must say it was a very nice experience. I am the kind of producer that loves sharing ideas and skills. It’s very important to exchange those, this is how music can evolve. it’s all about sharing and also by doing this, you can also learn from others, because no matter your age or how long you have been doing this, we can always learn more.
Thanks Antonin! All the best and hope to see you in Australia one of these days.
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Written by Jeremy McCarthy.
