Tipped as One’s To Watch in 2022 by Radio 1’s Dance team Danny Howard, Sarah Story and Pete Tong, Maur continues to gather the attention and respect of the leading industry heavyweights. You can download/stream their latest single here: https://bfan.link/my-love-%3C3.
Dan Clare and Dylan May, both respected DJs before the Maur project, joined forces to create the vibrant sounds they are notorious for playing out. With a string of high-energy, melodic hits in 2020 for labels such as ViVA, W&O Street Tracks, and CR2, their breakthrough track ‘Set You Free,’ released via Sola, propelled them to the number one spot on Beatport for four weeks and became one of the best selling tracks on Beatport in 2020.
From here, Maur has been on an upward trajectory. They were hailed as one of Tomorrowland’s artists to watch and followed up with two massive releases, ‘Deep Inside’ and a collaboration with Tech House power duo Solardo with ‘Power’. Both tracks have amassed nearly 30 million streams on Spotify alone and an incredible 83 BBC Radio 1 plays.
Their latest release, “My Love”, sees Dan and Dylan rejoin trusty London-based singer/songwriter Faber as they combine for another larger-than-life club record on Solardo’s Sola imprint. We caught up with Maur to talk about “My Love”, how the duo work, their advice for other artists and much more:
Hey guys, thanks for joining us. Tell us about how you got together and what influences the Maur sound.
Hey! We were both doing things individually in the scene and were introduced through a mutual friend. We get asked a lot about the Maur sound, and it’s really been born out of our love for both rave music and synth-wave-inspired films/games etc. I think you can really hear those influences in our sound.
You link up with Faber again for your latest release. What can you tell us about “My Love”?
My Love feels like a return to what gave us our break in 2020. Its 90s rave vocals over our Maur arps are very similar to Set You Free. Feels like a bit of a full-circle moment.
You’ve had some largely impressive releases on Sola. What’s the secret? Everything you release on the label seems to be massive and well-received.
Thanks! Yes, it’s been crazy to see some of the numbers these tracks have done on Spotify. I guess it’s a mix of amazing DJ/radio support and knowing what works on the vocal side of things. I think our songwriting is one of our strong points!
Your use of vocals in your work is particularly powerful. How do you like to integrate vocals into your work, and how do you go about selecting an artist to work with?
It’s really important that we use songwriters who know house music. It tends to make the whole process flow easier if they understand the vibe and the purpose of the music. We have now worked with Faber 5-6 times, as the connection is really strong.
Tough question, but what’s your favourite release to date, and why?
That’s a hard one. I’d say possibly Set You Free. It was a breakthrough moment for us. It was also weird releasing a club track & having a Beatport number 1 when clubs weren’t really open (2020!).
How do you guys like to work typically? Does anyone have a particular role/skillset, or are you both hands-on through the process?
Dylan is more on the sound design, mixing and production side. Dan is more on the songwriting side. We work together throughout the whole process, though, to make sure we are both on board with the outcome.
What one piece of advice would you offer anyone struggling to ‘find’ their sound?
It’s very difficult to get a unique sound these days. I guess learn more about the sound design stage. Follow lots of tutorials on how to create your favourite sounds and synths and then tweak them to work for you. Even your favourite producers are still using tutorials and learning every time they make a track.
What releases and gigs are coming up that you’d like to shout about?
We have been working with Simon Doty on a big track that’s due in early 2024. We also join him for his show in London next month. We have some big tracks that we are saving for next summer, too, including one with a huge sample!
Maur’s “My Love” feat. Faber is available to download/stream now via Sola Records.
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