CMC & Silenta on choosing creativity, their Roca Records imprint and what goes into their music-making [interview]

We sat down with CMC & Silenta, a dynamic producer and DJ duo from Freiburg who have mastered the fusion of hip-hop, funk, and electronic club sounds. Composed of Thilo Perach (Silenta) and Christoph Crone (CMC), the duo has gained international recognition for their unique sound, which blends organic grooves with electronic precision. With collaborations involving major artists like Bootsy Collins and Chali 2na, as well as numerous releases and remixes, CMC & Silenta continue to push musical boundaries. Their passion for creativity and community is evident through their work at Kulbar Kulturbahnhof, a creative platform they founded. This interview provides insights into their creative process, collaborations, and future projects.

Listen to ‘You Make Me Feel’ while reading this interview: 

Set the tone for us. Why the arts?

CMC & Silenta: We have never been able to do much with the norms and rules of society that try to categorize you. As children, we learned to play musical instruments, we skateboarded, but we also knitted and sewed. We’ve always been creative.

CMC: My first MK 1210 brought me into record stores, to new music that nobody knew yet. That’s how my love of club music came about. Silenta is the younger brother of my best friend; we spent our youth together, so to speak. He had built a studio in the basement and started producing downbeat.

Silenta: We also produced our first track together. Through the many good mashup vinyls released in the early 2000s and our love for funk, hip-hop, and soul, a few good ideas for mashups were born in the club, which became our first record together.

Which comes first when you’re producing – the sound or the idea?

CMC & Silenta: One way or another, with “You Make Me Feel” we wanted to make a house track. In the studio, we came up with this piano hook, then we turned up the speed. It usually starts with a sound idea; everything else comes by itself. When we’re making something, we try to capture as many ideas as possible. In the second step, we make a rough arrangement and see what we can fit in where. In between, it’s always important to keep an eye on the sound so that it sounds good in the end.

Does your material feature any collaborations?

CMC & Silenta: Yes, we worked with an incredibly great and talented singer from our hometown on the last few songs. Terra Diamond is just fantastic; she just doesn’t have enough time to hang out with us in the studio. As a producer team, we always have to collaborate when we need a vocal, which is why we like remixing so much.

What’s on your current playlist?

CMC & Silenta: Krafty Kuts, Marten Hørger, Charli 2na, Easy Freak, Chase & Status, Wizzkid, Oktober London, L.A.B., Stick Figure, Muadeep, Re:um, and many more.

Tell us about the chemistry you have with your fans on stage.

CMC & Silenta: It’s important for us to celebrate with the fans. As a DJ, you learn to soak up the vibes of the audience, read their mood, and spend a great evening with them. I think people notice when you’re up there and having a lot of fun. It spills over, and everyone goes home with a smile.

What techniques do you experiment with to get your original sound?

CMC & Silenta: It’s always different because we make so many different tracks. But in a way, we have a certain approach to shaping individual sounds with different plugins the way we like them. We also like to be inspired by other artists and producers with whom we are in constant exchange. We live and work in an artist house with various studios and ateliers where a permanent flow of inspiration takes place.

Take us through a day in the recording studio.

CMC: The day usually starts with a coffee and a chat with the other artists from the house in our shared kitchen. Then it’s off to the studio where, depending on what’s on the agenda, I either mix sound, finish things off, or create something new together with Silenta. When creativity is in full swing, time flies. Sometimes we forget to eat. We usually have a falafel around the corner and then go straight back to the studio. Sometimes we work late into the night.

Was there a specific moment in your life where you thought, “this is what I want to do”?

CMC & Silenta: After we had finished the first release and were looking for a label, a friend suggested that we simply release the music ourselves. “Here is the contact to my distributor!” It soon became clear: this is it!

What do you keep close by while you’re playing a set?

CMC & Silenta: Water, some vinyl for emergencies, a backup, and a toothbrush.

Any emerging artists on your radar?

CMC & Silenta: Paul Brenning, Fire at Will, The Crux, Tina Tokio, Muadeep, The Niceguys.

What gets your creative juices flowing?

CMC & Silenta: Enough sleep, good food!

CMC: A bit of yoga and a walk with my dog Leo.

Take us through your collection of gear, tech, or software that accompanies your creative expression.

CMC & Silenta: We work with Ableton, midi keys, and we have a lot of plugins from Universal Audio and Native Instruments. We like to work with self-recorded percussions and sounds—we have a lot of them. We used to record more other musicians, but that has changed due to time constraints. Silenta still has a saxophone, and I like to play a bit of bass, although we usually use the bass sounds from the plugins. We have Genelec speakers and a UAD Apollo Twin.

Any side projects you’re working on?

CMC: I am working with a colleague on a project that’s not easy to describe. We mix funk, disco, and Caribbean music with vocals in Black Forest dialect.

How have you refined your craft since you entered the industry?

CMC & Silenta: By constantly working and, of course, by exchanging ideas with other musicians and producers. It’s great that so many producers share their knowledge, and you can find so much on YouTube these days!

Breakdown the news for us: what can we expect from you this year?

CMC & Silenta: On our label Roca Records, we will release about 7-8 songs from CMC & Silenta this year, including some remixes, among others from Fire at Will and The Crux. We are preparing for the 15th anniversary of our artist house and are currently rebuilding our studio. If everything goes as planned, we will be back on club tour at the end of the year.

Famous last words?

CMC & Silenta: Music is the universal language that unites us all.

Follow CMC & Silenta:

Website – Spotify –  Instagram – Soundcloud – YouTube – X – Facebook