Apollonia's Quietest Member, Dyed Soundorom, Speaks Up

This is not the first time THUMP has spoken to Dyed Soundorom, as we didn't want our interview with Apollonia (the supergroup and label he runs with Dan Ghenacia and Shonky) at WMC earlier this year to be the last.

During that conversation in Miami, Dyed proved the least talkative member of the collective. He's quiet, but not because he's shy or because he has little to say—Soundorom is quiet because he is, first and foremost, a listener. This is evident in how he throws down his hypnotic brand of deep, rhythmic house; he takes different under-the-radar patterns and fuses them with the latest classics, all while maintaining a groove and exhibiting his persuasive charisma. It's a style Apollonia refers to as "white soul and black music."

I chased after the reserved Parisian producer for a one-on-one chat, and finally reached him before his first ENTER. gig in Ibiza with the Apollonia boys. Now, Soundorom is on his way back to North America this weekend for Electric Zoo in New York City and the SummerDaze finale in Toronto, and he's got Dan and Shonky accompanying him as well. For a DJ who has spent the last couple months bouncing between Scotland, Rotterdam, Berlin, Belgium, London, Miami, Marseille, L.A., Frankfurt, Portugal and of course Ibiza—take a breath, just count 'em—it's another special stop indeed.

"I think if they like you here, they'll like you for a long time," he extols in his lilting French accent. "Everyone is open. They are ready to hear something new. To accept different things and it's always growing."

The States in particular is a place Dyed could perhaps see himself moving to one day and playing exclusively for a period, which would allow him to "to take the time to tell [his] story with music."

Dyed admits he is the last person who could have forecasted his travels taking him this far. Before ever honing his skills as a producer and DJ, he started out in Paris as one of the major club promoters in the city.

Believe it or not, it was David Guetta who gave him his break in the industry when he was 17 as a publicist for his club Les Bains Douches. That was around the same time Dyed started seriously buying records and experimenting with DJing. This led to David giving Dyed his own weekly party, which he considers the launching point for his music career.

But despite the massive connection, it was a beginning that could only be described as an uphill climb. The French house scene of the late '90s was dominated—even on an international level—by Cassius, Daft Punk especially, Étienne de Crécy, Air and the "French touch."

With so much of one quality influence prevalent, I'm curious what pointed Dyed in the alternative direction.

"The first time I saw Dan [Ghenacia] play his Kwality party at Batofar. There was this California element in his style. He would keep mixing it in, how you say, unfamiliar ways. Sometimes techno, sometimes disco, sometimes funk, sometimes even Minneapolis sound. His technique, I had never heard anything like this and the way the speakers were too. That system was so important. You could feel it in every part of that dark room. It changed my perception of music."

He never looked back. I suggest that maybe instead of the mainstream pushing him towards the underground, perhaps it was a matter of deep house's counterculture pulling him in. The statement lights the good-natured Dyed up. "Yes," he says. "You can say that!"

I take it one step further by inquiring how he made a name for himself in a bustling megacity such as Paris. Like New York in the US, Paris is one of the largest population centres in Europe. So before ever making an impression on the world scene, what steps did Dyed take to establish his identity at home?

"I just went for it. Not to only push the party anymore, but to be part of it too. To focus on playing. Paris is a destination for this music. People started to tell me, 'You really have something here. You need to follow this.'"

From there it was about making the right links at the right time. The bond forged with Dan may have been the most valuable, who put out Dyed's first release on his former Freak n' Chic label and mentored him. "I was very lucky. After I got residencies and started producing, I was being invited around Europe to play and I'm so grateful."

The initial gigs on the road weren't easy. It was a dream come true for Dyed, make no question. But it wasn't some glamorous, rock-star fantasy like touring is often cracked up to be.

"I had to make a choice, right?" he explains. "I realized this is a job. I can't party every night. Now maybe I pick one night a month to really have fun, but I have to stay focused. How else can I keep up?"

Getting accustomed to entertaining intercontinental audiences also took some getting used to for Dyed. "When I only played in France, I would have all my records with me. I could take them around and I knew what that audience wanted. Then you go to playing Fabric in London or somewhere in Berlin, and it was different. I could never bring enough of them. But I learned what, where, and how to play. I'm comfortable."

Dyed adjusted quickly and with a schedule that rivals anyone in the business, he only wishes he could travel with three or four suitcases to hold all his music.

At least he's got Dan and Shonky by his side. That means the world to him. "It's important to be with friends who can make you laugh when you are traveling. It's fun. It makes this type of life feel… more normal."

And Apollonia is standing strong—2014 may have been their biggest season in Ibiza yet.  They even contributed the Terrace mix to this year's annual ENTER. compilation, a handpicked honour from Richie Hawtin himself. Plus there was a recent Apollonia takeover at DC-10, which drew tremendous praise.

With so much going on both in the group and his solo career, I wonder if Dyed ever feels the need to prioritize one project over the other. But he is quick to point out that they are mutually beneficial. The bigger and better Dyed gets, the broader Apollonia's reach grows.

"This is our baby, you know? We're the same. Through Apollonia we define who we are. And what we do. It all works together."

Dyed has a lot to reflect back on and the boys have much to look forward to around the world, namely an immense international journey to promote their upcoming debut album Tour À Tour. But for this weekend—and hopefully many more in the future—he and Apollonia are all ours in North America.

Connect with Apollonia on SoundCloud
Connect with Dyed Soundorom on Facebook

Get in touch with your Apollonian side:  French Underground Cornerstone David K Drops the Latest on Apollonia
Apollonia Knows How Good They Are, They Just Won't Tell You
Gaiser Likes the Kind of Music That Gives You Goosebumps