Innēr Sense.
Music that carries a story.
Filip and Nino on People Can Fly, the freedom of Innēr Circle Recordings and the film project All I Need Is You.
Filip & Nino
A track without a classic break, a vocal that found its shape through a few cuts, and a song they kept returning to for years. Innēr Sense connect studio work with the feeling they want to pass on to people. Across five answers, Filip and Nino discuss music, their own platform, and how All I Need Is You grew into a meeting of electronic music, film and solidarity.
Innēr Sense is the Belgrade electronic duo of Filip and Nino. Alongside production and DJ sets, they are developing the Innēr Circle platform and its label, Innēr Circle Recordings.
Driving from start to finish
What was the first idea that set “Acid 303” in motion?
At the time, we wanted a track with a different kind of arrangement, without a classic break. So in the studio, we built it to keep driving from start to finish.
After testing it a few times, we sent it to Joris Voorn, who first played it on his "Trip to Galaxy" show on A State of Trance. Later, he played it at Awakenings with fireworks going off, and the reaction was incredible. Not long after, it was released on Spectrum NL.
A voice, a lift, a moment
What feeling did you want to capture in “People Can Fly”?
It came together pretty quickly in the studio. We originally wanted a longer vocal running through the track, and the voice you hear is actually Filip's! It wasn't quite working as we'd imagined, so after a few cuts, we were left with just "people can fly".
We wanted something energetic that would lift the atmosphere in the room. There's no classic break; we kept the pads and a long, uplifting build all the way to the drop.
When we saw Tiësto playing it at the Pyramids of Giza, spreading his arms to "people can fly", it captured exactly the feeling we'd hoped for. Everything came together in that moment, and the track really gained momentum afterwards.
It's also going to feature in a short film by a team from Melbourne, Australia. It's lovely to see it finding its way into different places.
Having our own label gives us the freedom to shape the whole campaign ourselves.
The first track opens the story
When putting together an Innēr Frequencies mix, how do you decide which track should open it?
You've actually reminded us of this at a good time! To be honest, we took a little pause from the regular mixes while exploring a new sound for the radio, and other things on the business side needed our attention. But we'd really love to return to it and develop it into a proper Innēr Frequencies radio show.
For me, the first and last tracks in a one-hour mix are especially important because they open and close the story. The opening track might be the most important of all. I like something with an unusual, interesting intro that catches the listener's attention and gives them a feeling, right from the start, that there's something worth staying for.
The freedom of their own platform
What does releasing through Innēr Circle Recordings allow you to do differently compared to releasing on other labels?
Very interesting question. Innēr Circle is a wider platform, and Innēr Circle Recordings is one part of that vision. We also want to develop a radio show, podcasts and masterclasses, with our own events in the near future.
Having our own label gives us the freedom to shape the whole campaign ourselves. Especially when you're starting out, every release helps people understand your story. It's a way to educate our audience about the music we love, the music we play and the music we want to release on Innēr Circle Recordings.
It also gives us room to bring our own passion and ideas into a business we've been part of for a long time. We love releasing on other labels too! Having our own is another way to express ourselves, with the music always being our final stamp.
There's a practical side as well. Running our own promo pool lets us see which artists are listening to and downloading the music, where it's being played and which charts it's reaching. We can also build more direct relationships with Beatport, Volumo and other platforms for selling and streaming music.
We're really happy to have that freedom and to share our music in our own way.
Listen before it gets too loud
How did the idea come about to combine music and film in “All I Need Is You”, and what story did you want to tell?
We made the track almost three years ago. It stayed on a hard drive for a long time because we weren't quite sure what to do with it. Our sound had moved in a faster direction, but we always came back to this track. It felt special to us.
In the meantime, cancer affected our families, and we wanted to dedicate the song to our mothers, our parents and people affected by the disease.
The idea then grew into making a music video. Once we brought in the filmmaking team, we created the whole idea together, and it became something much bigger than we'd first imagined.
The message we wanted to share was about prevention: taking action before it gets too loud. We wanted the music and film to carry the message "Listen Before It Gets Too Loud".
The premiere took place at Cineplexx cinema, with support from the Swedish Embassy in Serbia and many others. Funds were raised for the Milica Women's Center, and the full video is available to watch on YouTube.
Innēr Sense
Interview by email · Editorial and image art direction: SCENE:ID. Courtesy of Innēr Sense · Marko Edge