AVANT: "A renewed curiosity for revisiting tracks that shaped my sensibilities"
- Editorial Staff
- Dec 9, 2025
- 3 min read
Cologne-based electronic artist AVANT is quickly making waves in the underground scene with his refined and functional sound that straddles melodic house and techno. Blending deep rhythms with captivating melodies, AVANT takes listeners on a sonic journey suspended somewhere between time and space, leaving a lasting emotional imprint. His releases on respected labels such as Siamese and Infinite Depth underscore his commitment to pushing the boundaries of contemporary electronic music. On stage, AVANT creates immersive and intense atmospheres, solidifying his position as an authentic and original voice within the European electronic music landscape.
What inspired you to choose Sascha Funke’s "Mango" for your private edit, and which element of the original track resonated with you the most?
"Mango" hit me long before I ever imagined reworking it — I first heard it in Berlin Calling by Paul Kalkbrenner, and it instantly stayed with me. There’s a very specific emotional temperature in that scene when Sascha Funke plays the track: melancholic but with a lot of energy. That signature synth line felt like a quiet confession on loop, suspended in time and everybody who watched the movie or knows Mango recognizes it immediately. Revisiting it now, I wasn’t trying to reinvent that emotion, just magnify its glow and give it a deeper pulse for today’s dance floor.
Your rework balances the hypnotic warmth of the original with the depth of modern melodic techno. What was the biggest challenge in merging these two sonic worlds?
The original’s strength is restraint — a minimal world where every element has air around it. Today’s melodic techno, on the other hand, tends to be widescreen, saturated, very broad, emotionally pronounced. The biggest challenge was amplifying the emotional weight without muting the simplicity that makes "Mango" so timeless. I had to carve space for modern textures without crowding that iconic, dreamy repetition.
Your sound is often described as a journey through time and space. How did this artistic vision influence your reinterpretation of "Mango"?
My approach was to create a temporal bridge: keeping one foot in the 2008 emotional universe of Berlin Calling and the other in the expanded, atmospheric world I’m shaping now. I like to think of my edits as alternate timelines — the same memory retold under a deeper sky. With "Mango", that meant honoring its innocence while exploring its unspoken depth.
Did you envision a specific setting — an intimate club, a festival stage, or a particular moment of the night — while producing the edit, and how did that shape your production choices?
I made it for that 4:30 a.m. moment when the club is half-dreaming and the crowd is emotionally unlocked. That influenced everything: the sub remains warm rather than aggressive, the progression blooms slowly instead of exploding, and the lead is designed to feel like dawn leaking into a dark room.
Looking ahead, where is the AVANT project evolving sonically? Does this edit signal a new chapter in your artistic direction?
No, the edit reinforces where I already am. AVANT will stay anchored in melodic techno’s emotional depth — but with a renewed curiosity for revisiting tracks that shaped my sensibilities early on. Reworking “Mango” isn’t about chasing trends or reinventing myself; it’s about acknowledging the foundation of my sound and letting those formative influences breathe in a modern context.
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