Ten years have passed since Belgium’s Maxime Merkpoel launched his Stereoclip project and started turning heads within the dance music space. But with a decade of ups, down and musical reverie also comes reflection and inner conversation, of deconstructing past events and accepting the blur and general chaos between the past and the present. Looking within has ever been vital to becoming a better version of one’s self, and that’s exactly where his third album comes in.


Listen to Stereoclip – Echoes

Colored by nostalgia, hope and honesty, ‘Echoes’ reflects on ten years of frustration and joy, headaches and abandonment, accomplishments and determination, love and hate, and travels and encounters. With singles such as ‘Moonlight Drive’, ‘Sunset Drive’ and ‘Inner City Angels’ taking a leading role, the ten-track album mirrors the drive to look beyond the limits, all the while demonstrating the impeccable inter-song synergy the world has come to expect from every Stereoclip product.

Producer and DJ from Belgium, you’ve been producing deep house music for a while now, but how were your beginnings, when did it all start?

Music started for me 13 years ago, I was passionate about hiphop music, so it all started for me making beats on fl studio. After I went to Berlin with friends who were into techno and house I completely fell in love with this nightlife experience. When I got back to Brussels I started to try doing house music with what I learned in hiphop so it gave tracks like an easy field…

You also studied graphism, how do you correlate it to the music that you’re currently doing?

For sure it helps me to stay aware of the importance of having nice visuals. In another way those kind of studies also pushed me to open my mind about the creative process, to not put any boundaries on how I can make music.

Congratulations on your new album “Echoes”, a reflection of your 10 years as a producer and 3rd album you have done so far! In your own words, out of the 10 tracks , which is the one you love the most and how would you describe the creative process?

‘Moonlight Drive’ is for now my favourite of the album. The creation started with the idea of a chill version of ‘Sunset Drive’ but we went completely somewhere else but still kept this piano progression vibe. I composed the piano progression with my friend Fibian Fiorini, a great piano player. I still have a lot of feelings when I listen to this chords progression.
My friend Kid Creme came in and added those crazy drums again.

How is your composing process from start to finish?

It never stopped for many years, each track I made influenced the next I would do. I try to keep my eyes and my ears open to capture everything I can.

Practically, I am used to start with a groove and jamming around, finding the hook of the track to build around and finishing by the structure of the track.

In your video clip inner-city angels, you show a friend group’s adventure, what role friendship plays in your music?

Friendship and love help me reach a higher level of production for my music, it helps me to be more clever, it’s pretty much de foundation of my life.

What are some of the records that never leave your bag?

Shakedown – A Night Kid Creme remix / Noctural Animal – Dim Kelly / all my tracks that i am playing in my sets / Gheist – Frequent Tendencies / Burial / Moderat

What are you listening to currently?

French hip hop 😀

Brussels has emerged as one of the music capitals of the last ten years. How would you define Belgian music compared to other countries?

For now there are some nice projects, I see a lot of vinyl shops opening and there are few cool new clubs. There’s a nice boom, really nice to see these expansions.

Brussels is still a small city so everyone knows each other, with covid I saw a nice cohesion between all the cultural actors. But I guess it is the same like everywhere else right now..

What are your favorite synthesizers, both hardware and software you are currently using?

The Juno 60 definitely. In vst I love the nexus, sylenth and all the new arturia is basically what I’m using.

Finally, what would be the consecration of your career?

To be able to enjoy traveling, experience meeting new people, have time for myself while doing what I love most in life ?.

What does balance mean to you?

Balance is a tool that you can use to find your inner peace.

Interviewer : Joiah Luminosa & Thelma Pailhoux—Talamandier