Rock and metal, 80s MTV pop, dark disco and a healthy appreciation for Phil Collins’ drums might not sound like the most obvious ingredients for an indie dance record, but My Secret Playground has never been particularly concerned with sticking to the rulebook.
Having spent more than a decade navigating Berlin’s electronic music scene, the Vienna-born artist returns with End of Noise, a new EP on Melopeé Records that draws on some fairly turbulent personal experiences, from grief and addiction to recovery and rediscovering the simple pleasure of making music. It’s a record about putting the past to bed, although thankfully not at the expense of a decent bassline.
We caught up with My Secret Playground to discuss his unlikely musical influences, the complicated relationship between creativity and club culture, why sobriety has changed everything, and the importance of turning up on time.
My Secret Playground has been running for well over a decade now. How did the project begin, and how different is your idea of what it can be today compared with those early years?
I experimented a lot in the beginning. My roots are in rock and metal, and electronic music didn’t play a major role back then. It wasn’t until I was in Berlin that I began to delve deeply into dance music. Then, in 2020, I discovered the indie dance and dark disco genres. As a child of the early 80s, that was right up my alley.
Today—including on the End of Noise EP—I try to bring both worlds together, without worrying about commercial goals. Rarely have I felt as artistically free as I have over the past two years.
Before electronic music became your main outlet, rock and metal were important influences. What was your route from those worlds into producing electronic music, and what from that earlier musical life has stayed with you?
Yes, Nine Inch Nails, Parov Stelar, and Massive Attack were the key links between the various genres for me. Even back when I was a drummer, I started experimenting with drum loops and dance patterns.
In recent years, Kurt Cobain of Nirvana has once again become a significant figure in my mind. The uncompromising attitude he brought to his music still fascinates me to this day.
End of Noise deals with loss, new beginnings and confronting old patterns. How much did you understand what you were writing about while you were actually making it?
I made a conscious decision to produce an EP that reflects the emotions I’ve experienced over the last two years. I love albums from the 90s, back when they still told a story. That is something I largely miss in electronic music; the genre is very fast-paced.
There’s a strong 80s character to parts of the EP. Which records or artists from that period have had the deepest influence on the way you hear electronic music?
The carefree spirit and sense of optimism found in the albums of the 80s have stayed with me to this day. At the same time, there is always an underlying note of slight melancholy and heaviness. To this day, I love Madonna, Genesis, Michael Jackson, and The Bangles—basically the entire spectrum of 80s MTV pop. Not to mention those Phil Collins drums.
Vienna and Berlin have both shaped My Secret Playground. After more than a decade in Berlin, can you still hear Vienna in what you make?
Absolutely! The atmosphere—at times morbid—and the love of art and cuisine in Vienna have shaped me to this day. After 16 years, Berlin feels like a great adventure. But the city also nearly destroyed me.
You chose sobriety in 2024. Has that changed the way you experience club culture and nightlife as much as it has changed your creative process?
Sobriety has fundamentally changed my life. Alcohol and drugs robbed me of my relationship, my productivity, and my zest for life. Today, I experience everything with much greater awareness—the music, the nights out at clubs, and the world around me. It was a tough journey, but today I am happier than ever before. My creative process is no longer clouded, and also on stage, I can truly say, “This is really me!”
More than 130 musicians have passed through My Secret Session since 2014. What has working with that many different players taught you that you wouldn’t have learned producing alone?
Electronic music is often about simplicity and sensing what the dancing crowd wants in the moment. There’s no need for an ego-driven guitar solo; a single repetitive note can be enough to make the crowd go wild. The most important thing I’ve learned is to put your ego aside and blend in with the group.
And, I would strongly urge every musician to be reliable and punctual. You won’t get far without those qualities, no matter how much talent you have.
End of Noise sounds like a fairly definitive title. What are you actually drawing a line under with this record, and where does My Secret Playground go from here?
That’s true. After my father died in 2022, I lost my footing. I seriously thought I could make better music while under the influence of drugs—or that drugs were simply part of the nightlife scene. That was a huge mistake. It took rehab for me to wake up and see the world clearly. Today, I feel and love more intensely, and I can respond consciously to my surroundings and to problems.
It gives me great satisfaction to know who I am. Hence the EP title, “End of Noise.”
End Of Noise is out now on Melopeé Records
