We were in conversation with the artist duo "Aline Umber" and found out how they met and created such a signature sound from live performances to DJ sets.

WESH: Aline Brooklyn & Aman Umber aka Aline Umber, how did you meet?

ALINE UMBER: Our adventure started in 2020. We met in Paris after respectively moving back from NYC and London. Aline mentioned running a small festival in South of France called ‘Imagine’. I decided to go and heard him play for the first time. It was a musical crush. We connected straight away and started to make music together a few months later. Three years later we are touring the world together and playing under the name "Aline Umber" - the combination of our artist names. 

WESH: Who are your biggest musical influences, and how have you shaped your sound?

ALINE UMBER: It's a difficult question to answer because our musical influences are constantly evolving. Artists like Kraftwerk, Moby, or Daft Punk who inspired us by creating music that had never been made before, explored new concepts and collaborated with musicians from other musical universes. Cobblestone Jazz or D.O.P are major influences and inspiration when building our live sets. Sometimes it comes down to just one particular vinyl, one track, or a single set that can completely reshape our sound for years after discovering it, rather than an individual artist.

WESH: Can you walk us through your typical creative process when starting a new track?

ALINE UMBER: We have different ways to explore and execute new ideas. Sometimes we take inspiration from an event happening around us. For our track ‘Bazen’ on Aline Umber's album part I. we joined forces and music inspiration with our friend O.bee to fundraise for the terrible earthquakes in Turkey by creating a track together. Sometimes we use film samples or get creative with WhatsApp voice notes that are meaningful nonsense recordings. Aman is more focused on melodic elements, the bass, and the pads while Aline will be more on the machine's side. We are so lucky to share the same passion with complimentary skills so we can create music together. 

WESH: What challenges have you faced as an emerging music producer, and how have you overcome them?

ALINE UMBER: The main challenge is to be able to show our music to the world. In today’s industry, we need to be present during parties. You meet a lot of people and connect with producers, promoters, and other artists to show them your music and aim to make them play your tracks. Social Media is necessary for today's business, even though it is not our favorite part ;) but if you want to make a living of what you love, you need to stay active and connect with your community and followers. 

WESH: Have you collaborated with other artists or producers? If so, how has collaboration influenced your work?

ALINE UMBER: Collaboration between artists is what we are focusing on the most. Aline Umber (Live) is based on the idea of collaboration. We perform differently in each city/country and play with local musicians to create a unique music experience. It gives us the chance to connect with musicians from any genre, different stories and backgrounds and it is one of the most interesting, educating and exciting parts of this project. 

This year we produced a lot with our brother Maxime dB who is a part of our label Airfunk records, a place where we can be creative and combine groovy sexy music, and pop music with our signature sounds. Stay tuned, we have exciting upcoming  collabs in 2024.

WESH: How would you describe your signature sound, and what elements do you believe make your music unique?

ALINE UMBER: We focus on keeping an analog texture to our sound thanks to the 90s drum machines. To keep a natural humanised feeling playing our bass-lines and synth without too much timing processing. Playing synth and sometimes drum machines the same way we would play acoustic instruments in a band. Sexy & groovy vocals, you will always spot in our tracks. 

WESH: Are there any trends or developments in the music industry that particularly excite or concern you?

ALINE UMBER: It's a very interesting time for music, everything is possible. Especially with the electronic genre, you have so much variety. House, Electro, Techno, Minimal or breakbeat can all be played in one set or even in a track, there are no rules, no boundaries. We constantly push eclecticism and contrast like our friends Tomas Station, O.bee, Mayell or Maxime dB.

WESH: Can you share any details about upcoming projects or collaborations you're currently working on?

ALINE UMBER: There will be a lot of exciting things coming up next year. We are working on the second part of the album "Aline Umber Party II". Constantly developing our sounds on Airfunk Records and collaborating with artists like O.Bee, Krol, Djulz, Poggio and many more.

WESH: We are thrilled to have you as part of WESH's 1-anniversary celebration. How do you see WESH x ALINE UMBER as a collaboration?

ALINE UMBER: WESH is such an inspiring place. The curation and community that come with the store is something unique. The values resonate with us: supporting and creating together with emerging artists. Wesh offers many interesting options for DJs to have a visual signature as well as a sound signature, working only with  confidential designers. It's incredible to see a place with such an impact in different fields and we are happy to be part of their journey.