Music Is 4 Lovers catch up with NenaHalena following the release of ‘Own The Fire (Lit Mix)’ on One Tribe with AMÉMÉ

NenaHalena, welcome to Music Is 4 Lovers! What have you been up to recently?

Thank you MI4L  :). Recently my days have been primarily studio based. The last few weeks, I’ve been enjoying a super creative spell generating new ideas and musical themes. In addition to getting tracks finished and out, I like to have a pot of ideas to reach into when new opportunities arise such as collaborations, vocalists or remixes. I like a no-agenda creative space, it’s a really fun place to generate from.

Your new single, ‘Own The Fire’ with AMÉMÉ is out now on One Tribe Records. Tell us about the release and what it was like to collab with AMÉMÉ?

‘Own The Fire (Lit Mix)’ is to a massive degree due to Ameme’s love of the original version. Back in 2020 it was released thanks to Jonas Rathman’s Elements Imprint; however, there was a certain other global release that week which, unfortunately dwarfed all other music releases, Covid-19! As a result, the track (like many many others) simply sunk into obscurity. Fast forward a couple of years and AMÉMÉ asked me for a ‘Vocal Tool’ that he could use to intro his set at Burning Man’s Robot Heart. We ultimately went steps further and created a fairly epic intro to grab his audience. It felt really good hearing the vocal in-play again; so good, that naturally the intention to dedicate a full new version was created. In terms of the collaboration process, I would say it was easy and natural. Ameme is an infectious and positive vibe bringer, and it really didn’t take long to catch the new direction. Once that was established the track kind of wrote itself!

We’d love to know more about your background and when your love for Afro-House first began.

Wow, okay, Are you sitting comfortably, then we’ll begin! I can consciously trace this back to 1992! There was a record called ‘Give It Up’ by ‘The Goodmen’ and one of the mixes (‘Batucada Refrescante’) started with a long Rio Carnival Style Samba intro (I believe sampled from Sergio Mendez). I was fascinated by it, and got to know it beat for beat. Also, I could have had the main groove on repeat as the soundtrack to my life. Another track, ‘20Hz’ by Capricorn, just grabbed me and wouldn’t let go. It was this same massive Samba pushing sound I was drawn to.

In my early 20s, I was given the opportunity to study under various Brazilian Samba leaders to learn their techniques and rhythms. In return, I would pass them along into my local community. Before I knew it, I was leading a Samba Band of my own! These rhythms speak to my ancestral core. At Circa 2015, having been applying this rhythmical DNA to my various musical guises of house an techno, a great friend of mine called Akil Varinda was playing my music at an afterparty. I think some of the tracks were from people called Black Coffee and Hyenah, something like that! The rawness and humanitarian feel of the music resonated with me. Later that weekend, myself and Akil locked ourselves in my studio in London and wrote the track ‘La Ka Ruba’; in a flash of inspirational magic, this track was born, as was NenaHalena. This is where I draw on my history of Afro-Brazlian percussion and fuse with my journey through house and techno.

As an artist from the UK, what’s it like to tour your sound across different countries?

Satisfying! If there’s one thing that transcends borders, it’s music. Of course not everything translates full, but on the whole, rhythm make you move and melody moves you. Seeing people on completely different sides of the globe reacting to music they’ve no yet heard gives me a huge sense of satisfaction.

Why do you think it’s important to discover new music from different cultures?

It’s been said that the further apart in the gene pool people are when they procreate, the more beautiful the person that is born; I believe this about music, cross-pollination keeps things fresh and attractive, it evolves. We all know how in-breading negatively affects bloodlines, a bad copy of a bad copy makes a bad copy.

How do you incorporate live music into your productions?

It all comes back to my days in Samba, it’s efficient for me to hit record and play in rhythms, even more so now that I incorporate the Roland Hand Drum (HPD20). This means I have a human interface to digital sounds. I can get a feel and dynamic which would otherwise take a long time to program or in some cases not even achieved. Sample packs are of course effective, but abundant and available to all. This way, I retain a sense of individuality.

Do you have any projects planned for the rest of 2024 that you can share with us?

I’ve got lots bubbling away, over the coming weeks I have the following slated:

I have an Indian flavoured remix called ‘Saathi Re’ for Aatma (Release day 8th March), this one is quite the fusion of cultures. A sweet Indian vocal, Indian and Middle Eastern drums sound with an Afro House feel arranged like progressive house journey.

I’m also excited about an upcoming remix for Yulia Niko taken from her new album coming soon on Armada This track is called ‘Exito Feat. Sil Romero’. Expect this mid April.

Also, in May there will be collaboration with DJ Chus featuring a musical performance from ÂMIRIÂ. I’m not going to say exactly what but, it has links to Miguel Puente, Todd Terry and Guinness!

Listen to ‘Own The Fire (Lit Mix)’ HERE