Name: Malin Linnéa
Nationality: Swedish
Occupation: DJ, producer, vocalist
Current Release: Malin Linnéa's Fate & Fiction EP is out via Sonido Profundo.
Recommendations: I have some reluctance answering this question as I think me and all my producer friends all have plug-ins we never use but purchased because someone said it was great in some interview. Sometimes I think having too many plug-ins or gear can be a hindrance because you have too many options. Nowadays we have so many amazing stock plug-ins within Ableton itself. And with a few samples you can manipulate them and get really interesting sounds.
However if I had to say something I would of course pick my mic to record vocals. Plug-ins wise I like Soundtoys and Kramer Tape for more character and an analogue feel.

If you enjoyed this Malin Linnéa interview and would like to stay up to date on her music and live dates, follow her on Instagram, Facebook, twitter, and Soundcloud.



The views of society towards technology are subject to constant change. How would you describe yours?

I think we want technology to save us time. But lately I feel like it’s also taking a lot of it.

I guess this is why they call the attention economy. Today you can’t even buy a face cream online without the brand trying to make you create an account, offer you a personalised test for your skin type plus to subscribe to their newsletter. This is not necessarily bad per se of course but all combined we have too many things constantly asking for our attention.

I did a silent retreat for 10 days a while back and I realised I was very happy without my phone. The issue is you need it to do almost everything these days.

What were your very first steps in music like and how would you rate the gains made through experience - can one train/learn being an artist/producer?

I think anyone can learn anything. In contrast to my slight complaint in my answer to your previous question (lol) I think the positive side of technology is that it’s very democratic.

I studied music production at Point Blank in London but if you’re focused and dedicated you can learn yourself off YouTube these days. I wish I'd had that opportunity at age 14!

Making music, in the beginning, is often playful and then becomes increasingly professionalised. How important is playfulness for you today and if it is important, how do, concretely, you retain it?  

For me I think it has been more of an exercise in learning that not everyone has to like what I do. I used to be very sensitive to criticism when it came to my first mixes and productions.

This is the worst place to be as an artist - when you try to please everyone. Even if you were to make the most amazing piece of music there will still be people who won’t like it.

Late producer SOPHIE said: “You have the possibility with electronic music to generate any texture, and any sound. So why would any musician want to limit themselves?” What's your take on that and the relevance of limitations in your set-up and process?

I think people primarily limit themselves because they are scared of taking risks. There are way too many producers out there who make music that sounds like everybody else.

SOPHIE was an amazing producer and it’s such a loss to the music community that she is no longer here.

From the earliest sketches to the finished piece, what does your current production workflow/process look like?

I can’t really say I have a structured workflow. But something that I think everyone does as part of the process is to play your tracks out, and in the more settings the better.

I used to always say that I hated long breaks but when I for the first time played ‘Orb’ out for Warung Tour in Paraguay I realised I had to loop the break to have more time. You always have a lot of realisations when you play your track on a big stage, you just hear things differently.



I’m thinking about self-releasing my next EP because usually if you release on a label you have to wait so long that by the time your tracks come out there are so many things you would have liked to change.

If you could make a wish for the future directly to a product developer at a Hard- or Software company – what are developments in tools/instruments you would like to see and hear?  

How to remove excess information. For example, that notification asking me to check into my flight is useful but do I really need to be reminded to download an app for my electric toothbrush?

I think in the future we will be more focused on saving our peace and headspace. We don’t need more stuff, we need less.