Innellea Teases Drum & Bass Diversion After Major Success with ‘The Belonging’ Album [INTERVIEW]

Innellea is on fire at the moment, touring the world with his new album and literally bringing fans to tears with his emotive live set.

And this is only the beginning, according to the talented German artist, who skyrocketed into the electronic music scene back in 2016. Exron Music had the chance to interview Innellea while attending the monumental Drumcode takeover at Drumsheds in London last weekend on Saturday, March 9. We met with Michael Miethig, lovingly referred to as “Michi” by his fans and friends, on the third floor of the hotly-tipped venue – a 15,000-attendee space that was once an IKEA furniture store in Tottenham, London. When we walked into the green room, we first noticed that the artist was surrounded by family who flew to the city just to watch him perform. Innellea took the stage alongside dance music’s top techno contenders for a marathon of music lasting nearly 12 hours. The music producer was clearly encompassed with love during his performance, not only by his parents who joined him on stage at the end but also by the thousands who flooded the crowd during his set. When asked how it felt to be included on Drumcode’s heavy-hitter lineup for the event, Michael noted it was a “huge honor” to be playing alongside Adam Beyer and several other techno giants.

The Innellea project began as a duo in 2016, consisting of Michael and his former bandmate Daniel who chose to leave the project in 2020 after battling health issues that became exacerbated through touring. In a previous interview, Michael asserted that they parted on good terms despite him taking on a majority of the work at the end. To Exron, he admitted that it was a “tough time because [Daniel] got sick,” adding that he felt his former co-producer was not quite “living for the dream” that he wanted “so badly.” “It was better to go separate paths. But we’re still in contact. Daniel is the best man in the world, I love him and have a huge appreciation for him,” he explained.

Techno has infiltrated the mainstream scene over the last several years. Even hard techno has crept its way from the Berlin underground to major festival lineups, ie. artists like 999999999 and I Hate Models headlining large-scale events worldwide. With the harder stuff starting to captivate audiences, we were keen to hear what enraptured Innellea about the melodic side of the genre. “I think I started with a lot more melodic songs when I first stepped into the melodic techno scene. And now, I’ve kinda evolved myself and tried to find my own kind of sound.” Michael noted that hard techno plays a “huge role” in the current state of the union and though he “has it in mind”, he wants to be able to “feel his music” aligns with his ever-evolving vision.

On February 9, 2024, Innellea shared his latest album, ‘The Belonging.’ The 15-track LP takes fans on a sonic journey without conforming to any guidelines regarding genre specificity. In fact, to the surprise of many, Michael even collaborated with English rapper Flowdan for a grime track entitled, “Forward Forever.” The release might even be, in our humble opinion, the biggest banger on the record. “I discovered Flowdan before he got this crazy hype. I heard his voice at this festival where a trap artist mixed his acapella of Welcome to London with another trap beat.” Innellea remembered thinking, “Oh my god what’s this voice, it’s incredible!” before reaching out to the Grime MC to work together.

‘The Belonging’ songs are chock-full of emotion, to the point where the artist has left crowds of people in tears while performing. Michael says he is “so, so thankful” for the positive reaction thus far. He expressed true gratitude toward his listeners who he says have “followed him on a musical journey” over the last near-decade. “It’s a different kind of style that I’m taking with my album. They trust me in my musical journey because I’m jumping from drum & bass to hip hop, to techno to melodic techno to a ballad where I’m singing.” Michael added that he is “blown away” by their dedication. “I can do it all in the show and it works. It really reflects my emotions into the crowd’s emotions, and transversely.” In addition to the single with Flowdan, The Belonging’ is bursting with other high-level collaborations, including the likes of Camelphat, Monolink, Colyn, and more. Michael noted that “friendship” is the biggest determining factor on who he’s hitting the studio with. “I appreciate the artistic approach of Monolink, I love his voice, great human being too,” he gushed.

With his bold choice to dip into other genres in a largely melodic techno piece of work, we wondered how Innellea has found a balance between exploring creatively while simultaneously maintaining his artistic integrity. “In this album, I would say that I just focus on my feelings and I trusted them. I was really just enjoying the process of creating.” Michael confesses that there was a time when he “struggled a lot” when creating his album. “I was thinking and overthinking and comparing myself to trends,” he explained, again noting the current hard techno takeover. “But then I just realized it’s about feelings and if people enjoy it, they really enjoy it. And even if not, it’s still a picture that I draw with my feelings.”

In conjunction with the album release, Innellea recently hit the road on an international live tour, bringing along a hefty rider of equipment to some of the world’s most prominent venues. We asked for a rundown on his setup, to which he admitted that “playing live is always difficult because you never know how to structure it all.” However, Michael found his “balance” in having parts where he can “improvise 100%,” and others that might remain more consistent throughout the show. “I have a drum machine Roland TR-8S, one midi keyboard that I’m triggering the Arturia Microfreak with, knobs for midi effects. I have a sub 37 but preferably the MatrixBrute from Arturia that I play basslines with, and I have another large MIDI keyboard where I play “Forward Forever” and some other parts. The drum pad I have is a Roland. I have my main MIDI controller from Yaeltex, it’s a brand from Argentina and it’s customized. You have a toolkit thing where you can customize it. It’s really cool and not so expensive. Highly recommend it.”

Innellea first incorporated live elements into their set back in 2018 when they were still a duo. The pair’s live debut took place at Fusion Festival, an event at a former military airport called Müritz Airpark in Lärz, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. “I was with Daniel and it was the first live gig we ever had. I was so nervous, I went to the toilet before like 10 times. I was really shaking,” he recalled. “It was a huge crowd, 10,000 people. We had never played a crowd that big. Michael explained that Fusion festival is “the thing” and a major milestone for German artists. “That was our first achievement with a very primetime slot at sunset. It was really crazy.”

When asked if he has any advice for artists looking to add live play into their sets, he noted: “I think it really depends on your style. If you’re a hard techno artist it’s easier to play live with loop. If you’re a melodic techno artist with a big arrangement and having these kind of buildups and stuff I think you have to accept that not everything is live 100%. I think in the end just accept what you are and then kind of try to find the best way for yourself that isn’t getting boring.”

Innellea reflected on the start of his career and was able to pinpoint when he first felt “ready” to release his music to the world. “I think the first releases as Innellea were in 2016. He admitted that “the very first two records were maybe not as well-produced” as he and Daniel would’ve liked, but he also noted that he feels it was important to just go ahead and put something out. To newer artists he suggests that although “patience is key, overthinking” is not the best. Instead he says “just go out and do it and get feedback. Nobody really knows what I released in 2016. It’s nice to see an artist’s career evolution and growth.”

Michael married his long-time girlfriend Julia in 2023, for whom he showed major gratitude during our chat, especially now that his career has reached new heights. “She really inspires me a lot, first of all, because she is always with me. She always has my back, even if I’m stressed and not the perfect me. On the other side, it’s a good balance in my life. Innellea explained that he met Julia “outside of the music scene” five years ago, and she does a lot to keep him “grounded.” He revealed that the single “So Far So Near” on the album was his “first-ever love song written,” and dedicated to Julia. “It’s about a person who is not that near, but is always with you.”

Innellea learned a major lesson with ‘The Belonging’ album – “having fun, enjoying making music and not following trends.” And he plans to continue to do so, as he so nonchalantly added at the end of our chat: “Who knows what’s next for me…maybe drum & bass!”