Henry Saiz is an an artist who transcends trend and formulato create a musical language that can be difficult todescribe, but simple to enjoy.And enjoyed it certainly has been, as despite being on thecusp of releasing his debut artist album, Henry’s first officialsingle release was back in 2006 and he’s been honing hiscraft and building a loyal fan base ever since. Starting hisjourney with some of the best underground labels in Spain,the Madrid-native Henry soon attracted the attention of UKgiants such as Renaissance, Global Underground andBedrock. “My first vinyl releases were special moments forme, when DJ’s you’ve admired your whole life support yourmusic, it’s a big feeling. To then go on tours to places suchas Asia, Australia and South America, and realize just howmuch the music I’d made was a part of so many people, it’shard to explain just how amazing that was – and still is!”Accolades have also followed releases, his own labelNatura Sonoris won ‘Best Label’ of 2011 by DeejayMagazine and his standout remix of Guy J’s ‘Lamur’ broughthim his first “Essential New Tune” from Radio 1’s Pete Tong.He was also chosen to follow in the path of dance musicelite when invited to mix his own CD compilation for theprestigious Balance series (also in 2011), a process inwhich he utilised vinyl, cassette, reel-to-reel tapes and over100 field recordings that he’d recorded as a pre-teen –many still regard the mix to be the finest the label hasreleased so far.It’s this level of approach, exploration and confidence-in-hisown-ideas that sets Henry Saiz a part amongst many of hispeers, as the man who spent his childhood absorbing earlyKubrick soundtracks explains, “My influences are prettydiverse, taking me all the way from Italo Disco to Black Metal.From Abba to Aphex Twin, Vangelis and Pink Floyd (viaDetroit) – I believe that electronic music can, and should,have a message. T he infinite palate of sounds and texturesgive the power to evoke much more complex feelings andmindscapes than the traditional pop-rock instruments – thefact that you can dance to it in a club doesn’t mean it can’ttransmit a message (and a thrill) to the listener on manylevels.”All of this becomes more apparent as you get to know Henry, with the Spaniard holding literature, visual art, filmsand documentaries amongst his most treasuredinspirations. A huge fan of the works of David FosterWallace and Salvador Dali, it’s Saiz’ open-minded approachto influence and his background in sound design, workingon T V shows, documentaries and commercials, that give hisproductions the rich cinematic moments and deepatmospherics that are often found. As Saiz explains, “sounddesign is always a big factor in my music, I love to addsampled soundscapes to my music – it allows me to explorethe visual and psychedelic aspects of electronic music thatis so important to me.”It’s this area that feels more apparent than ever on Henry’sdebut LP, the suggestively titled ‘Reality Is For T hose WhoAre Not Strong Enough To Confront T heir Dreams’. T heembodiment of 2-years of production and recording, thealbum features 17-tracks over an extended listen toimmerse the listener in a journey through Henry’s owninterpretation of electronica – a listen that is likely tosurprise both his existing fans and the new onesdiscovering him for the first time.Packed with melodic-hypnotic house, analogue techno andretro-futuristic pop, it’s as much an exploration in sound as itis a deep, and highly rewarding, listen. Written and partlyrecordedamongst a volcanic backdrop in a remote part ofLanzarote, Henry’s connection with nature and hissurroundings plays a huge role in the album’s sonics.It’s credit to Henry for challenging himself on so many levels,and the rewards could well be all the richer for it, but as heapproaches this big step in his career, as he says himself,“the only thing I was focussed on during the composition ofthe album was to create the most honest album I could. Bymixing all my influences, I just let my mind flow in the studioand these are the results – I strived to create somethingoriginal and special. At the end of the day it’s all about thefeelings you get when listening to music, the places it cantake you, the thoughts, memories and emotions that canshake your brain… I hope others can feel that too.”And with that, sit back, press play and immerse yourself inthe sound of Henry Saiz.
