The class must go – hand in hand – with the quality of sound. These are the values you don’t compromise, especially when the goal is to deliver as well-curated, selected and timeless electronic music. That’s also the attitude Setaoc Mass – a British producer, DJ and founder of the SK_eleven label – is well known for. The way he pays attention to details, as well as he treats the artist’s consistency as a priority, has earned him immense respect and appreciation in the world of electronic music.
It’s no surprise then that Setaoc was chosen as the Friday’s headliner at Muse Festival 2025. Agata Omelańska spoke with the artist about his impressions of the event, the importance of selecting music for his performances, and the inspiration behind his latest EP, “Where The Rainbow Begins,” released this June.
Agata Omelańska: Hey Sam, it was a pleasure to hear you at Muse Festival in Gdańsk, and it’s even bigger to have the opportunity to ask you some questions. Let’s start with the most up—to-date topic: how was the festival? Did you like it, what did you expect from the venue and what did you base your selection for your Muse set on?
Setaoc Mass: Hey! Thanks for having me here. The festival was perfect – I really enjoyed the venue, the crowd was perfect and also the sound was amazing. It’s the most important part, I felt very connected.
You mentioned that it was the second time you were playing in a church – such an amazing experience, for both you as an artist and us – as dancers. Hope you felt the energy of the crowd and it made your performance unforgettable!
Yes it was, I recall only one other time in my career – in 2018 or 19, with Jeff Mills.
I’m really happy that you gave a chance to a small, very new and very DIY festival. How, from an artist’s perspective, do you perceive this kind of event?
The festival already felt nice and established, with a great, friendly team and organization.
What’s the biggest and the smallest festival you’ve ever played at? What kind of experiences did that give you?
It’s hard for me to judge on numbers – I’m very bad at calculating how big a crowd is – but for sure I played some big stages in my career. And whether big or small, I always try to deliver my sound.
What’s the key you’re using while digging and what kind of music attracts you immediately? Is there any genre that inspires you most? Or when do you feel that you’ve found „The Track” that needs to find its place in your sets / podcasts?
I’m searching for new music everyday, sometimes too much. For me it’s always about the actual sound of the production first, if the quality of the mixdown isn’t right, it’s already not a track for me.
Next would be the ideas, I’m generally drawn to bleepy, driving but not harsh tracks. There are a lot of criteria a track has to go through before I say: “Okay, this is for me”.
Is there any artist / project, whose music you choose for your sets? If yes, do you remember when you heard it for the first time?
There are a lot of artists these days, but a label or project, which I’m drawn to lately, is Primordial State. It’s a relatively new label from Markus Suckut and Sven Eickhoff. The whole aesthetic of this label – from music to artwork – really speaks to me.
And speaking about your own productions – you’ve just released your new EP, „Where The Rainbow Begins”, on your label, SK_eleven. What’s the story behind this EP? What was the main inspiration and how did you translate it into the language of music?
I think there are many subliminal messages in my titles and music, and also ones which have no sense, but just sound good. For this EP, it’s mainly about my move to Portugal with my wife, starting something new and also living in the sun, hence my dog got a title “Sundogs” which is also a phenomenon in photography, which I found out later. Overall when I make an EP, I almost stitch it together with similar tracks or tracks which work together, something more melancholic on the b-sides and more upbeat on the a-side.
https://skeleven.bandcamp.com/album/where-the-rainbow-begins
As the SK_eleven boss, you’re responsible for releases for artists such as: Arkan, BLANKA, Phil Berg, Rene Wise, Ignez, just to name a few… What a goldmine, congratulations! Who are you most proud of and – in your opinion – whose career is about to bloom at the fullest soon?
I really put a lot of effort into the curation of the label. I want to see people working hard, pushing the sound forward and it’s someone who I want to invest in, musically and personally. Everyone on the label has a big space in my heart and I’m thankful they trust me and I trust them.
I always make sure I don’t see a “shift” in their sound, someone who will change direction in 2-3 years. I want the label to go down in history as one of the legendary techno labels and it already feels like it’s on that path. I can’t favour any of the artists, they are all unique and all very talented.
Maybe I didn’t underline that enough, but I keep my fingers crossed for every single artist here, as their music suits my personal taste a lot! Okay, the last one, inspiration-related question: Who or what is your muse? Not only in terms of music, but speaking about the whole life – people, places, activities, ideas…?
My wife is always supporting me, my dog as well. I generally feel very connected to music the most when I am at home and in my studio. Small breaks to nature also really help. My vision for inspiration definitely changed over the years, and I’m very satisfied with how life has evolved.
Thank you so much for the interview and your amazing set at Muse Festival! Wishing you all the best and can’t wait to see & hear you in Poland again.