A chat with Nuage, pecq, BAILE, il:lo and QRTR from House of Youth

In this interview, we sit down with Nuage, pecq, BAILE, il:lo, and QRTR from House of Youth to explore the reinterpretations of Nuage & pecq's track "Night Air." Each artist brings a unique perspective to the remix, expanding the nostalgic essence of the original. From dreamy arpeggios to glitchy club vibes, these remixes breathe new life into the track, creating an atmosphere that feels both familiar and fresh. Join us as we dive into the creative processes, inspirations, and the collaborative spirit that defines these new versions of "Night Air."

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"Night Air" already felt nostalgic; what was it like hearing the reinterpretations from il:lo, QRTR, and BAILE? Did they surprise you in any way?

Nuage: Yeah, it was surprising to hear such different vibes, although it sounds like a wholly natural, organic picture to me. I feel more than confident with it and even more; it seems like it expands the nostalgic feel of the original mix. BAILE had it more structured and glitchy, QRTR’s remix sounds like a perfect club edit, which I have already performed live. The remix from il:lo has a secret vocal part that I didn’t use in the original version. To be honest, this part is my favorite; it dives into that vibe of a summer night, when you want to endlessly enjoy the moment. Generally, the EP sounds like a prologue; I’d say it’s an afterparty.

il:lo's version is filled with lush arpeggios and dreamy soundscapes. How do you think they managed to capture the essence of the original while giving it a new life?

I love their music for their ability to break the boundaries of chill music. It sounds incredibly exciting and energetic, and laid-back at the same time. I think it's magic that only they know how to create. :)

Jakes (pecq): I love that they highlighted different parts of the track from the original - choosing to start with vocals from the end of the original and also used the chorus I wrote, which is where the 'Night Air' lyrics came from but that we never ended up using because it didn’t match the energy quite right. il:lo’s version builds perfectly with these vocals, and it works super well with the impact of the arps and the bass.

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For il:lo, what did you think of the original and what were your initial ideas for the remix?

il:lo: Nuage is one of the artists that we always enjoy listening to, due to the diversity of his always elegant productions. The original track "Night Air" was already one of our favorites before Nuage invited us to remix it. We kept the original pure voice, as well as the airy and captivating synth lead.

We wanted to add elements that reflect our way of producing music: dreamy arpeggios, a deep & grounded bass, and, at the end, some groovy and acid touches.

We really loved the original! The groove of that song and the voice of pecq instantly gave us some ideas and the will to try something on it! Our idea was to use these beautiful elements and try to turn it into a more progressive and electronic track.

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QRTR's remix is quite a departure, leaning into glitch and left-field bass. What do you feel this version brings to the narrative of "Night Air"?

Nuage: I was surprised by the cool little Jungle signature sounds and basses that QRTR used in the track (I actually expected to hear that, haha). Being a jungle addict for 20 years, I can definitely say this remix is a fresh direction; you can easily mix it with 4x4 or garage.

Jakes (pecq): Loved the experimental vibes of this remix - super cinematic and takes you on a totally different journey compared to the original. The vocals are often totally bare, focusing on the texture and the air in them, which is super nice and brings a ‘realness’ that’s often missing in electronic music.

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For QRTR - when working on a remix, do you often try to flip it into something different?

QRTR: Absolutely - for me, that’s the most fun part about remixing another artist’s tune. It’s rare that I use more than a couple elements from the original because I always go in with the intention of finding small moments/particular sounds that inspire me to build a new sonic world around them. For this particular remix, I wanted to take the original’s ethereal quality and push it more into a yearning feeling - so in my mind, that meant a deeper groove with tight bass and drums while still teasing those softer moments in between.

BAILE and Nuage have collaborated before. How did your existing relationship affect the direction BAILE took with the remix? Did you give any input, or did you let him fully reinterpret it?

Nuage: I trust Reed and really love his approach to music and sound design in general. Of course, I had no doubts about the remix. This version is probably similar to what we usually get into with collaborations. Reed kind of strengthened and increased the sound of the track, adding his remarkable basses, glitches, and drums, so a perfect remix was made.

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For BAILE - when sitting down to a remix, what is your approach? Any important things you must do?

BAILE: Usually, with remixes, I focus on a few elements that stand out to me and incorporate them into my reinterpretation. With this one, however, there were too many things I loved, and that led me to use pretty much every element of the original song. In fact, this remix ended up being more of an edit, I think, as opposed to a full-on rework. The vocals are beautiful, and there are so many perfectly executed elements in the original song that I ended up chopping up some of the sounds, adding a new bass and some additional percussion, and rearranging the song slightly. I focused on trying to make a more DJ-friendly version of the original without losing what made that original version so special.

Remixes often add new energy to a track. Was there a specific audience or setting you envisioned for each of these remixes?

Nuage: I played three tracks live, one by one. I asked the remixers for their track stems. It sounds like a full story; it was nice. I think it’s perfect music for a summer festival, something like when the evening meets an early night.

QRTR: I went into producing my remix of “Night Air” imagining it being played in intimate clubs and on sweaty rooftops at sunset.

There's a lot of detail in the production, from airy vocals to the crisp breakbeats. How do you balance creating a nostalgic vibe while keeping things fresh for listeners?

Nuage: Over a decade of work as Nuage, I have slowly developed a signature style (I suppose), from which I don't go too far, especially. I have been using the same elements or samples for a few years, constantly reinterpreting vintage sounds, samples, and synthesizers, and building new techniques of work and new ideas. For me, the music sounds like an endless cloud, a collage. This can be continued again and again. I like to explore, look for samples in unexpected places, and blend genres. It’s difficult to explain; sometimes I sit for a few days for ten hours in a row to find THAT sound that will break and twist everything upside down and give this feeling of excitement. This is a very important feeling to me to keep the freshness of the music I create.

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The original track did incredibly well, with over 400,000 streams. Did the success of "Night Air" impact your approach to releasing these remixes?

Nuage: Definitely yes, although I don’t 100% get the "0% anxiety" album, which includes "Night Air." But this track is one of the strongest on the album, in my opinion. So maybe the number of streams could confirm it… Anyways, you never know how the music works, and I’m just happy the label gave me the opportunity to release all of this music.

What role does collaboration play in your music? Whether it's working with remixers or with each other, what have you found most rewarding about the process?

Nuage: Collaboration is another vision for sure. It’s normal when it turns the direction you can’t even expect. It’s great to work with remixes from musicians working in different genres. Most of all, I like it to be a bit crazy, to build things that people don’t get. Sometimes, after all of this, they're requesting me to make more usual (normal) sounds.

Jakes (pecq): Love collaborating; it brings out new ideas and makes you push yourself and try new things. Pecq produces everything ourselves and also produces other artists, so it was actually so nice to step back and just focus on vocals for this track - love how it turned out.

With the remixes out now, are there other artists you'd love to see take on your work in the future? Who would be your dream collaborator for a remix?

Nuage: I would love to work with Koreless; I'm a long-time follower of his music. I had an evening run playing his catalog, and everything turns so ethereal with those soundscapes. Also, I’d say Barker, Avalon Emerson, Tom VR, Vegyn, to name a few.

Jakes (pecq): Little Dragon.

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What's next for you? Let us know where we can hear some more. :)

Nuage: I have an EP planned in November on a new label from AnjunaDeep called Explorations. Also, I have a remix for Teho, who is an incredible musician, and to say more, I have another little EP on HY. I signed a lot more music for next year, but I won't reveal all the secrets—stay tuned. :)

QRTR: I’m working on a few projects at the moment, primarily my next album. I’m always updating my website with exclusive downloads, blog posts, and merch: www.qrtr.party.

il:lo: On our side, we are entering a big phase of music production and starting to work on what will hopefully be our first album!

BAILE: I’ve got a lot of music set for Slowly rolling out singles leading toward a second album, as well as a few collaborations that I’m really excited about.

Jakes (pecq): Pecq has just released a new indie dance single, “Stronger,” and has an extended edition of our last record, "Red Moon, Rare Night," on the way in November. Nuage and Pecq are working on another collab too, so stay tuned for that.

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Stream / Download

https://idol-io.ffm.to/nightairremixes

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Follow

Nuage: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nuagepage/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nuagespb/ Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/nuagesounds

il:lo: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/illomusic Twitter: https://x.com/il_lomusic Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/illosound/ Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/il-lomusic

QRTR: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/qrtrmusic/ Twitter: https://x.com/qrtrmusicFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/qrtrmusic/ Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/qrtr

BAILE: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bailemusic/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BAILEMUSICNY Twitter: https://twitter.com/BAILEMUSIC Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/bailemusic