Illenium Has Taken Melodic Bass to a Lofty Place

New York City – When it comes to the frenzied world of bass music, there’s no denying that names like Excision, 12th Planet and Snails quickly come to mind. With their sub-flexing barrage of booming sounds, they all fill up festival tents with legions of headbanging kids.

But like other genres, bass has begun to evolve and a whole new realm of sounds has emerged. Melodic bass, which brings prettier sounds to heavier music, has taken hold within the electronic-music community and Nick Miller (aka Illenium) has become a major practitioner.

Cut from the cloth of festival-ready melodicism – think Adventure Club or Seven Lions – the Denver-based Illenium has managed to separate himself from the pack. His captivating, emotionally charged productions come to life as part of his immersive live performances, which most recently included multiple sold-out shows at San Francisco's Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, New York City's Terminal 5 and Chicago’s Aragon Ballroom.

The story of Illenium began with the first electronic event he attended – Bassnectar at Colorado’s iconic Red Rocks Amphitheatre in 2011. It was that experience of Bassnectar’s overwhelming production, matched with his uber-passionate fanbase, that pushed Miller into taking a deep-dive into Ableton Live the very next day.

Originally from San Francisco, Miller moved to Denver where he continued to hone his craft, finding his production niche with an overtly melodic style of bass music. Additionally, he soon delivered a bevy of captivating remixes of ODESZA, Galantis, Kaskade, and Niykee Heaton, all of which began to take the EDM blogosphere by storm. Eventually in 2013, Illenium released his eponymous, debut EP.

With his refreshing style of production, Miller continued to win fans as one of EDM’s more promising talents, hitting club and festival stages across North America. But it was his 2016 debut album, Ashes, on his newly launched label Kasaya Recordings, that catapulted him fully into the spotlight.

As his popularity spiked and his resources improved, Miller re-evaluated his approach to performance. After years of DJing via the more traditional Pioneer CDJ set-up, Miller stepped up his live experience by incorporating keyboards, drum pads, and cutting-edge lighting and visuals – as well as mixing live.

In 2017, he followed his debut album strongly with Awake, a sophomore effort that solidified his spot as one of electronic music's true elites. Then, in 2018, he released a string of singles, including compelling collabs

“Don’t Give Up On Me” with Kill The Noise and Mako and “Gold (Stupid Love)” with Excision, all of which lead into his sellout Awake 2.0 tour.

In mid-2018, Miller posted an open letter to fans, revealing a battle with substance abuse that included a 2012 heroin overdose. The EDM world would find out that music did indeed save his life, with music production helping his ongoing recovery. As he opened up about his experience, Illenium dropped the emotional single, "Take You Down," which, he says, was inspired by his journey through addiction.

In what was easily the biggest year of his career, Illenium in 2018 also released another collab single (“God Damnit” with Call Me Karizma) and a remix (of Halsey’s “Without Me”) before hitting the road. When the tour hit NYC, DJ Times made the trip to Manhattan’s Terminal 5 to witness the first night of three dates at the cavernous venue. After delivering a satisfying, bass-booming performance that left the crowd spent, Miller had another reveal – his 2019 return to NYC would be a performance at the one and only Madison Square Garden – details TBA. Big news, indeed.

Here’s our interview with Nick Miller aka Illenium:

DJ Times: Unlike most producers, your artistic beginnings served as much more than a creative hobby. You learned to make music while trying to conquer addiction. Tell us about your earliest stages as a producer.

Miller: I wasn't very good when I first got into producing. I learned mostly from YouTube tutorials and a lot of trial-and-error, but I kept at it. Even though I wasn't super-happy with my sound in the beginning, it was a way for me to channel my emotions and to keep busy with something productive. Had I not found that outlet, I think I would have spent my time in a lot less healthy ways.

DJ Times: It was a Bassnectar show at Red Rocks near Denver that really opened your eyes to the world of electronic music, correct? What about that show made its mark on you?

Miller: Bassnectar dropping “Butterfly” that night was the first time an electronic track really resonated with me. That song has so much vulnerability that I connected and related to it. It's what gave me the push to try producing music of my own.

DJ Times: Who are some of your musical influences?

Miller: In the early days, it was a lot of Bassnectar and Skrillex until I discovered more melodic artists like Porter Robinson, ODESZA, and Adventure Club. Now it's branched out into everything from Blink-182 to Senses Fail to Bon Iver.

DJ Times: What is it that made you fall in love with emotional and melodic bass music?

Miller: Music for me is a way to process emotion and melodic bass fits so well with that. The genre has so much versatility – I've pretty much heard songs from all across the emotional spectrum within the category. There's a freedom and vulnerability that other genres don't always have.

DJ Times: What advice do you have for upcoming producers looking to establish themselves within the electronic scene?

Miller: The advice I'd give is to be prepared to make terrible music for awhile. There really aren't any shortcuts that won't end up hurting you in the long run. Every producer starts from a place of knowing nothing.

DJ Times: You've come quite a long way since “Drop Our Hearts” and your “Risen” EP. In your mind, how has your sound evolved over the past five years?

Miller: It's changed a lot. In the beginning, I mostly stuck to the dance realm, but recently I've tried incorporating elements that you wouldn't typically hear in electronic music. It’s everything from aspects of old rock songs that I enjoyed growing up to mixing in newer type sounds from artists like Linkin Park and nothing,nowhere.

DJ Times: Fast-forward a bit, and here you are on the road showcasing your sophomore album, Awake. And this tour features live performances, mostly featuring your original music. How has this tour been treating you?

Miller: This was my first tour with a live band and we expanded it even more for the “Awake 2.0” shows by adding a full-kit drummer and another guitar player. I couldn't be happier with the reception these shows have received.

DJ Times: Was there any pressure creating Awake after your debut album Ashes made its mark? Or was the artistic process just a little clearer this time around?

Miller: A little bit of both. There was definitely pressure to create something just as successful as Ashes, but most of that pressure came internally from me. The first album gave me a lot of confidence that the direction I was taking with my music was the right one, so that helped alleviate some of the stress.

DJ Times: If you had to pick one, what would you say is your favorite track of the album?

Miller: I think at one point in time every track on that album has been my favorite, but my current picks would probably be “Crawl Outta Love,” “Fractures,” and “Leaving.” Those three songs probably represent the general feeling of the album the best.

DJ Times: "Where'd U Go" with Said The Sky [aka Trevor Christensen] has been a fan favorite since its release. Tell us a little about your relationship and what's it like collaborating with him?

Miller: I met Trevor through a mutual friend and we immediately hit it off and ended up living together. He has a much more technical and music-theory background than I do, but our creative processes complement each other really well. He's given a lot of input on a bunch of my songs, and I do the same for him. We're always bouncing ideas off one another and creating together.

DJ Times: Speaking of fans, Illenials have become one of the most passionate fanbases in all of electronic dance music. How does it feel to have a community of such devoted fans?

Miller: I'm absolutely humbled by it. The Illenials community is so positive and welcoming it makes me proud to have them as my fanbase. They truly are a family and treat each other as such.

DJ Times: These days it seems that your fanbase has nearly reached the same tier as Bassnectar’s – and he’s the artist who inspired you to dive into production in the first place. Pretty wild, right?

Miller: I have some of the most dedicated fans and it's crazy to see how much the base has grown over the past couple years. Music is such an important part of my life and I'm blessed to have the opportunity to share it with so many people.

DJ Times: Walk us through a studio session with Illenium.

Miller: It depends on the song. Usually, I like to start with a melody, guitar riff or vocal that I can listen to on-repeat right off the bat. Then, I'll build off that and keep adding elements to flesh out the whole thing. Most of my studio sessions are looping a track over and over while I work on it and make adjustments.

DJ Times: When you’re in a creative mode, how do you find new ways to make melodies?

Miller: Typically, there are other things happening in a song that lend to the main melody, and it's almost like the melody presents itself. It's kind of a meditative process where eventually what fits will appear as long as I keep working and don't try to force it.

DJ Times: When writer's block strikes, how do you clear your head and move forward artistically?

Miller: I'll listen to other music, especially non-electronic genres. I'll also work on other parts of a song, such as mixing, if I'm having trouble deciding where to go with it. I try to spend time producing every day and having a routine is a good way to keep ideas flowing.

DJ Times: In the studio, what gear and programs do you use?

Miller: In the studio, I use Ableton Live, an Akai [MPK49] 49-key keyboard, lots of guitars, and a ton of VSTs – [Xfer Records’] Serum, [Spectrasonics’] Omnisphere, and [Native Instruments’] Kontakt, among others.

DJ Times: And onstage?

Miller: Some of the gear I use onstage are the DJ TechTools Midi Fighter 3D and the DJ TechTools Midi Fighter Twister, two Roland SPD-SX drum pads – one acts as a "brain" for my Roland PD-8 V-Pads – and a Native Instruments keyboard. I then run everything through a UAD audio rack and use Ableton Live on my laptops.

DJ Times: You’ve really redefined live-show performances in the world of electronic music. For DJs who may not know, tell us the advantages and disadvantages of playing live music on a nightly basis.

Miller: A lot more can go wrong during a live show, but that's also what makes it so beautiful. Sometimes those imperfections are what make every night different and authentic. I love playing with a live band and being able to feed off each other's energy. It's an awesome experience playing night after night with the same people and dialing everything in as a group.

DJ Times: As opposed to a traditional DJ set, you're giving fans much more of an experience with these performances. Was that the goal when you first decided to incorporate in your shows the drum-pad set up?

Miller: I'm always looking for ways to add more to my sets and the drum pad was sort of the first step in transitioning to more of a live show. I use a lot of organic elements in my productions, so it made sense to add them to the performance side as well.

DJ Times: Selling out shows in San Francisco, New York City and Chicago on consecutive nights during this tour is a pretty impressive accomplishment. What would you say is the most surreal moment of your career so far?

Miller: Selling out my first headline show at Red Rocks in Colorado was a huge accomplishment for me and totally surreal. That was the venue where I first fell in love with electronic music, and to have my family, best friends, and all my fans there was a moment I won't ever forget.

DJ Times: After such a big year, what can fans expect from Illenium in 2019?

Miller: A bunch of new music and working on a new show that I can’t wait for everyone to see.

By Brian Bonavoglia