Electronic music artist QRTR is thrilled to announce the release of her eagerly awaited EP, “music for stealing to,” which is set to drop on February 2nd.
QRTR describes the project as “the beginning, middle and end of a heist film,” created during a life-altering time for the artist as she relocated from Brooklyn to Philadelphia and navigated the challenges of building a new community.
Moreover, we were lucky enough to sit down with QRTR for an interview, where she shared more about the creation and inspiration behind her EP.
This is a take on “techno” by QRTR that pays homage to the melodic sounds of 90s techno by legends such as LFO, Orbital, and Aphex Twin. The modern touch of QRTR’s work is influenced by artists such as Belief, Alex Banks, Daniel Avery, Dapni, and John Hopkins.
QRTR’s work has received widespread recognition and support from leading industry players such as Mixmag, Dancing Astronaut, Pitchfork, Magnetic Mag, DJ Mag, and has been featured on popular radio stations such as KCRW, Femme House Radio on Diplo’s Revolution, BBC6, Rinse FM, Insomniac Radio, and even curated her own mix on 1001Tracklists (linked above).
Support The EP Here
This release is a lot more techno-influenced than your previous work. What prompted this change in style?
I’ve never tied myself down to a specific genre, always fluctuating between house, techno and breaks with my priority being capturing a specific mood or energy above anything else. This particular EP is definitely leaning into higher energy, reminiscent of a heist film score in my opinion – which is a big part in why I titled the EP that way. I was going through a lot in my personal life and found myself finding escape in my studio imagining a world where I uproot everything and run off somewhere entirely new.
I found comfort in that idea while writing these tracks, and then I actually did end up leaving my life behind in New York and starting fresh in a new city while wrapping things up with this EP.
In your own words, what is techno all about to you?
I wouldn’t classify myself as a specific techno artist by any means, but techno feels like kinetic energy to me. A constant and evolving flow.
What did you learn about music production while making “music for stealing to”?
I’m really happy with my mixing work on this EP, I think working on these tracks helped me level up in the mixing department quite a bit. I also incorporated a new synth (Arturia Microfreak) into all these tracks and have been exploring its possibilities for future work.
What did you learn about yourself while making this record?
I don’t always need to release a long-form album concept to feel satisfied! I am finding a lot of joy in working on smaller capsules where I can really lean into a specific mood.
Share your favorite memory that you associate with this track.
I assume this is in reference to the single “again, but colder” off the EP – in which case, my favorite memory so far is opening my Countdown NYE set with it while there was pretty terrible weather in San Bernardino, CA. The crowd went insane when they heard the weather forecast soundbite in the track – as if I had made the track just for that set. The crowd response was incredible, especially knowing it was going to officially release just a week later. Such a good feeling.
Follow QRTR Online: Instagram // TikTok // SoundCloud
Will Vance is a professional music producer who has been involved in the industry for the better part of a decade and has been the managing editor at Magnetic Magazine since mid-2022. In that time period, he has published thousands of articles on music production, industry think pieces and educational articles about the music industry. Over the last decade as a professional music producer, Will Vance has also ran multiple successful and highly respected record labels in the industry, including Where The Heart Is Records as well as having launched a new label with a focus on community through Magnetic Magazine. When not running these labels or producing his own music, Vance is likely writing for other top industry sites like Waves or the Hyperbits Masterclass or working on his upcoming book on mindfulness in music production. On the rare chance he's not thinking about music production, he's probably running a game of Dungeons and Dragons with his friends which he has been the dungeon master for for many years.
