In the diverse world of Electronic music, DJ and music Producer Nonduality stands out with a journey marked by evolution and creativity; from his early days producing Dubstep to his transformative move to Berlin in 2015,
Nonduality has continually redefined his sound and artistic vision.
With a name inspired by meditation and the pursuit of inner peace, Nonduality blends influences from House, Techno, and beyond, creating a sonic experience that is both deep and diverse. Today, we’re excited to delve into Nonduality’s mind and music, exploring his creative process, inspirations, and the vibrant community he’s found and built in Berlin.
Hi there Nonduality! How are you doing?
Doing great! Got a little quiet time between festivals, so I’m taking it slow, writing a lot of tunes, and getting in some quality time with friends. Thanks so much for having me!
Can we start by hearing more about your journey into Electronic Music? Can you remember what initially drew you to the genre?
One of my best friends in high school turned me onto a music blog called Musigh that curated a huge variety of Indie and Electronic tunes. Around the same time, my friends started making Call of Duty montages set to Dubstep, among other things from Musigh. As a suburban high schooler in 2009, this was the height of cool. After a little while, I thought, “I could do that,” and started producing my own Dubstep tracks. My style has changed a lot, but I haven’t put Electronic production down since.
What inspired the name, Nonduality?
To me, Nonduality represents a state of extreme peace and clarity. I moved to Berlin by myself in 2015 to work at Native Instruments, with no connections in the city whatsoever. Combined with some unaddressed social anxiety and standard young-adult cluelessness, I was struggling to take care of myself. Around that time, I stumbled across meditation. Meditation helped me cope with my social anxiety and occasionally put it down entirely. It’s still super important to me — I couldn’t think of a more beautiful thing to dedicate my music to!
Can you describe your musical background and how it influences your sound as Nonduality?
Good question. One of my earliest memories is dancing to The Beatles’ “The Ballad of John and Yoko” with my mom and sister when I was tiny. Very few things hit like The Beatles do, even today. Their music is immediately accessible and catchy, but also dynamic and soulful. It’s something I try to emulate in my own productions.
My Dubstep days also live on through my love of sound design. The world of synthesizers and digital processing is unimaginably powerful nowadays. I feel like I’ve only scratched the surface of what’s possible, which keeps me coming back to dive deeper.
How would you describe your sound? Is there a particular style you draw the most inspiration from?
If I had to describe my sound in a word, it would be heterogeneous. There’s so much good music out there and I always want to make whatever I find most exciting at the moment. I bounce between Deep House, Garage, Techno, Breakbeat, Electro…I’ve been itching to make some Jungle recently, too.
I used to worry about developing a specific style, but I’ve come to believe that everyone has a unique sound that will come through in their music whether they want it to or not. I’m usually aiming for groove, depth, and beauty. Beyond that, variety keeps things fun for me – and that’s why I’m producing in the first place!
How do you see the future of Electronic music evolving, and where do you see yourself in that landscape?
Another good question — Electronic music is such a vast topic that I can’t claim to have a holistic perspective on it. One trend that I’ve noticed is that with the accessibility of producing and DJing, collectives and niches have more agency to do their own thing.
In that vein, I’ve been loving my community in Berlin. Collaborating with so many amazing producers, serving as a mixing and mastering engineer, and throwing park parties with my studiomates has been deeply fulfilling. It’s also been an honor to see labels and listeners connecting with my music. I can only see myself getting more involved going forward.
Despite hailing from California, you now base yourself in Berlin. Can you share how you find the music scene in the city? What impact would you say the culture has had on your sound, musical journey, and career?
Coming from a small suburb of San Jose, the music scene here is unlike anything I’ve experienced before. There are so many clubs and public spaces that are open so often — it feels like there’s space for everyone. There’s also an incredibly rich House and Techno scene, which has been eye-opening for me aesthetically.
Music is my favorite way to connect with people, so having such a density of musicians in the city is a blessing, too. It’s hard to express how huge the community I’ve found here has been for my mental wellbeing.
Tell us about the Whalesong Society collective and your collaborative work some of your close friends, what drove you to create this collective and what are the aims for the future together?
Whalesong Society is a collective that I started with my studiomates Hawt Coco, Chirop, and Eva van Dijk. Releasing with labels can be a long process, with music sometimes coming out over a year after writing it. We created Whalesong Society as a platform to get our music out quickly, so we could share the feeling of it being fresh and exciting with our audience.
We’ve also been throwing small parties with our friends in Berlin’s public parks. We’re planning on growing that community while keeping it intimate and friendly. If you’re interested in joining, hit us up on IG at @whalesongsociety!
Could you share some insights into your creative process? What does your workflow look like when you set about creating a new track?
Over the years, I’ve settled on a few tools that I find particularly deep and inspiring: the Elektron Analog Rytm, Make Noise 0-Coast, and Empress Echosystem, to name a few. I love starting ideas on hardware, especially when collaborating. It’s so much fun jumping around the studio, punching things in and seeing what kinds of sounds I can squeeze out of my favorite gear. They feel like old friends at this point.
I’ve also found that a lot of my best work happens when I focus on getting to an initial arrangement in the same day that I start an idea. It’s too easy for a feeling to slip away between sessions, so I try to get to a result that feels complete, albeit unpolished, before putting things down.
What plans do you have for future releases and collaborations?
I’ve got a collaborative EP coming up with my studiomate Chirop that I’m particularly excited about. Chirop is one of my favorite humans, and the EP veers further into Techno than I’ve ever gone before. It’s also coming out on my friend Nein oh Nein’s label, Raumer 9, which I’ve loved releasing on in the past. There are also some Whalesong Society collaborations on the horizon, along with a vinyl mix series that Chirop and I are developing. It all feels like a big step forward aesthetically, so I’m super excited to share it!
We finish this interview thanking Nonduality, for sharing his insights and experiences with us. His journey through Electronic music, coupled with his dedication to sound design and community building, surely makes a recipe for continuous inspiration and shows his passion for producing music. We look forward to hearing more of his innovative tracks and seeing how the Whalesong Society continues to grow, in the meantime, make sure to follow him across social media to learn more about his upcoming releases and future projects.
Nonduality Online
