From childhood piano lessons shaped by Mozart and film scores to late-’90s trance obsession and spinning on Technics 1200s as a teenager, Verbala’s journey into dance music has always been rooted in emotion. In this interview, the San Francisco-based DJ and producer reflects on the cinematic influences behind his sound, the power of texture and space in electronic music, and why melody must move him before anything else. He opens up about his latest release “Nami,” the balance between club functionality and introspective storytelling, and how he blends classical sensibilities with modern electronic production to create music that feels both ethereal and deeply human.
HMWL – How did your journey into dance music begin, and what first drew you into the scene?
Verbala – I’ve always gravitated towards emotive music. I grew up listening to a lot of classical composers from my mom and dad’s influence. Lots of Mozart, Chopin, John Williams. When I was 5 I started playing piano and was introduced to the concept of sampling and looping when I was 14. I always had an affinity to synthesizers for their “otherworldly” sound. In retrospect i think the syncopation of dance music has been really therapeutic, as weird as that may sound haha. When I was 15 I discovered trance and became obsessed. Ended up buying my first pair of technics 1200s and started my dj career then. Being that young and into club music in the US at that time (1999-2000) was sort of funny. Dance music was looked at very differently than it is today. It was “weird” back then to be into this “strange music”. My parents used to have to accompany me to the clubs when I would spin out because I was under 21. But I loved it and my parents were both very supportive – I’ve been doing it ever since. Around the age of 16 is when I first got into the production side of music. After falling in love with DJing, I wanted to be able to create my own productions and the rest is history. I suppose I should mention that over the years as I’ve gotten older the tempo has slowed down from 140bpm back then, to now 120ish haha. But the core of the emotional music I look at the same way.
HMWL – Which artists or sounds have had the biggest influence on your musical style?
Verbala – I’m heavily influenced by the cinematic side of electronic music. Artists like Nora En Pure and Sultan + Shepard are North Stars because they balance club energy with musicality. I also pull a lot of inspiration from modern classical and film scores, anything that uses a piano to tell a story.
HMWL – When starting a new track, what usually comes first for you, melody, groove, texture, or emotion?
Verbala – Emotion is always the foundation. I usually start at the piano or ad-libs to create an atmosphere. I’ll noodle around on a chord progression for hours. Then work a melody or topline in- if a melody doesn’t make me feel something in its rawest form, no amount of groove or texture will save it. Once the emotional core is there, I build the “ethereal” textures around it to give it space to breathe.
HMWL – What was the creative inspiration and mindset behind your upcoming release Nami?
Verbala – Nami (Japanese for “Wave”) was inspired by the idea of fluid motion. I wanted to create something that felt like a tide coming in- gentle at first, but carrying a weight and power. The mindset was “cinematic tension”; I wanted the listener to feel like they were suspended in a moment right before a breakthrough.
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HMWL – How do organic textures and subtle momentum play a role in shaping your sound?
Verbala – I’m obsessed with “the space between the notes.” I use a ton of organic textures and ad libs- foley, field recordings, and analog noise that i’ve recorded over the years on my phone to make the digital environment feel more organic and have more depth. I’m terrible with lyrics and honestly I think there’s a lot of power in just the texture of the human voice without lyrics. The idea of meaning without lyrics is really powerful to me (this is something I learned from Paul Van Dyk circa 2000). Also, momentum isn’t always about a heavy kick and sharp percussion; it’s about the arrangement, and the way the synths, strings and delays interact with one another to keep the track leaning forward and interesting without feeling stale.
HMWL – What processors, plugins, or pieces of gear do you find yourself using most in your productions?
Verbala – The spitfire labs library is my go-to for pianos; it captures the soul of the instrument I grew up playing. I also rely heavily on Soundtoys for saturation and character and u-he Diva for lush, cinematic pads. Hardware-wise, I still love the tactile feel of gear but t found early on that I work best in the box so I try and limit hardware these days. Otherwise I just end up fiddling with knobs and filter sweeps and not focusing on the arrangement.I find that hardware is really easy for me to get distracted with. So I am usually happy with just my midi piano and plugins.
HMWL – How does your approach change when producing club-focused tracks versus more melodic or introspective ones?
Verbala – For club tracks, I work from the bottom up- focusing on impact of the low end and ensuring the tune is dance floor ready- meaning structure that DJs and labels like Purified or Colorize look for. For my more chill songs like “In Time”, I prioritize the atmosphere and gentle timbre of the sounds I’m using-, regardless of “DJ friendly” constraints.
HMWL – How do you know when a track feels finished and ready for release?
Verbala – It’s a gut feeling. A song for me is finished when I can listen to it from start to finish without my “engineer brain” interrupting to fix the mix, sound selection, transitions etc.. If I can get lost in the song as a listener and enjoy the melody without too much thought I think, it’s ready for the world. A lot of the times this doesn’t happen. I shelf thousands of tunes a year that don’t make the cut.
HMWL – What have you been working on recently in the studio?
Verbala – I’ve been exploring softer, more “chill” melodic sounds recently. Following the success of “Warming” and “In Time” on SiriusXM Chill, I’m looking at how to maintain that ethereal and classical mixture to radio songs while adding more grit and energy for my dance floor tracks – which work best for my live sets in San Francisco.
HMWL – What can listeners expect from you next, release-wise, in the coming months?
Verbala – Beyond Nami, I have a few more releases on the horizon with a special 3-track EP on Purified and a follow up to “In Time”, called “Strip Away” on Lilly Era. Really excited for these tunes. Also, I’m always working on building out and tweaking my live set that will really showcase the “Verbala” sound in a club environment- bringing that cinematic, piano-led energy to the dancefloor… and of course lots of adlibs.. always!
Verbala’s latest release Nami is available to stream/buy now!