Saturday Night Session 012: Toby Green talks tuning out of external pressures and tuning into his love for dance music
Few moments are more sacred than the reprieve Saturday night provides from the daily grind of school and work. Its importance is meant to be emphasized, and thus, a feature dedicated to “doing the night right” was born. Saturday Night Sessions are set around energizing mixes meant to get the party started. New or old, each episode has one cornerstone thing in similarity: they serve as the perfect backdrop for the weekend pregame.
Toby Green has hit 100 million streams by the age of 22, and the Danish producer is only getting started. Many artists early on in their careers are evolving and trying to define a signature style. Green’s releases are united by their infectious energy and ability to lure everyone to the dance floor, and labels spanning from Dim Mak to Spinnin’ Records have taken notice. Influenced by acts like The Chemical Brothers and The Prodigy, Green describes his style as ‘Stadium Rave.’
According to him, this means, “The ‘stadium rave’ sound is really just me going back to making music for me, drawing inspiration from all the sounds that have made me go ‘Oh damn, that’s sick’ throughout my life.” He continues, “When I was a kid, my older brother introduced me to acts like The Prodigy, Chemical Brothers etc. but it wasn’t until recently that I realized how big of a role that sound has played in my life. I grew up on a mix of Euro dance (Special D is still the GOAT for me) and UK rave music. The ‘stadium rave’ sound is definitely a homage to my musical upbringing.”
In addition to his brother introducing some of his favorite musical influences to him, Green recalls his father as the one who really ignited his love of music. His 2018 release “Ready” is a collaboration with his father, and he considers the track a ‘coming of age’ for him musically. 2019 will be a year of filtering out the noise and external pressures that the industry can put on an up and coming producer while he focuses in on the music itself.
Green speaks about the challenges of being a full time producer, stating, “I think you can very easily get stuck in your own little echo chamber and forget what it’s all about.” He continues, “It’s easy to forget your physical as well as mental health and get hung up on superficial things that don’t matter. I think some kind of accountability is crucial to living this life; doing it with or for someone, with a purpose other than what’s measurable or countable is what keeps you going in the long run. But then again, I am only 22 – I might find a new truth as I age, but for now this will do.”
Green’s Saturday Night Session is the perfect hour long mix to get a hectic night started, and as he puts it, hopefully it is the kind of mix that gets fans ready for “hopefully the night where you fall in love with dance music all over again.” His Saturday Night Session does just this, so take a ride through his own releases and a high energy track list to keep the party going.
_______________________________________________________________________
You recently dubbed your musical style, ‘stadium rave,’ and you said you have been inspired by the 90s rave scene. Can you tell us more about this?
I think the biggest mistake I made in the beginning of my career was trying too hard to be credible instead of just making music I thought was cool.
The ‘stadium rave’ sound is really just me going back to making music for me, drawing inspiration from all the sounds that have made me go “Oh damn, that’s sick” throughout my life. When I was a kid, my older brother introduced me to acts like The Prodigy, Chemical Brothers etc. but it wasn’t until recently that I realized how big of a role that sound has played in my life. I grew up on a mix of Euro dance (Special D is still the GOAT for me) and UK rave music. The ‘stadium rave’ sound is definitely a homage to my musical upbringing.
Is there a specific artist you are most eager to collaborate with?
I would love to do a record with CID. I think he is really one of the most interesting dance artists out there, and I love just about everything he puts out. Congrats on your Grammy nomination, man.
Do you have a specific release that is the favorite you have ever produced?
“Ready” is very special to me. It’s a collaboration with my father, who was the person to introduce me to music in the first place, and I feel like it encapsulates most of my musical upbringing in a single record. It is very much a full circle kind of thing to me. A “coming of age” record, if you will.
When you aren’t producing music, what are you normally up to?
If I am not in the studio, I am probably at the gym or drinking coffee while having deep existential discussions with my buddy Mike Hawkins. This guy drives me nuts on a daily basis, but I always leave more enlightened. Love you, dude.
Where do you draw your creative inspiration from? Other music? The outdoors? A night out?
While other music definitely sparks concrete ideas for new records, it’s usually the experiences unrelated to music that gives me the creative spark to create new material. I’ve found that a few days in the studio, a few days off usually yields better (and more) music than the typical 24/7 grind mentality. I am very fast in the studio, but the inspiration has to be there.
What is the best and worst thing about this career path and being a music producer?
I absolutely love creating, and much more than a few days without making music makes me absolutely crazy. I am super grateful for being able to make a living off music, but it’s not always as easy as it may seem.
As a full time producer, I think you can very easily get stuck in your own little echo chamber and forget what it’s all about. It’s easy to forget your physical as well as mental health and get hung up on superficial things that don’t matter. I think some kind of accountability is crucial to living this life; doing it with or for someone, with a purpose other than what’s measurable or countable is what keeps you going in the long run. But then again, I am only 22 – I might find a new truth as I age, but for now this will do.
What kind of a Saturday Night will your mix get us ready for?
Hopefully the night where you fall in love with dance music all over again.