Name: Mila Stern
Nationality: German
Occupation: DJ, producer
Current release: Mila Stern's Five Finger EP is out via Kiosk ID. Pre-order it on vinyl here. There is also a Youtube playlist available which covers the full EP with all remixes.

If this Mila Stern interview piqued your interest, visit her on Instagram, Facebook, and Soundcloud.



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

My view towards technology itself is fundamentally a very positive one. It has the potential to break existing power structures, enabling dreams of a better society and make the world a better place.

However, it depends on the people using it and how it is used - my view on society is maybe not the most optimistic - technology is also used to oppress people.

But there is still some hope, I think.

What are currently your creative goals and how are technologies helping you reach them?

I’ve been a DJ for 15 years now but began producing music only a few years ago. At the moment I just want to make music that feels good in my DJ sets - so the music I produce is very functional. It’s supposed to make people dance. But it’s supposed to make people dance to music fitting my aesthetics.

I love unorthodox sounds and fringe soundscapes. There are easier ways to bring people on a dance floor than by using these sounds that seems harsh or dark. But I love it when my audience and I are captured by these sounds and create one of these special moments together.

Without technology I wouldn’t be able to make music. I don’t even know what I would do then. I probably wouldn’t be fulfilled and simply depressed.

How and for what reasons has your music set-up evolved over the years and what are currently some of the most important pieces of gear and software for you?

So far I have worked in my 30 sqm apartment using my computer with Ableton Live, a very few third party plug ins and headphones.

I recently moved into a studio. Since it’s a shared one I only have limited time there but I can use some of the gear. It sounds so simple but even the possibility to produce in a studio with proper monitors in a room with good sound makes the biggest difference. Now I can also begin to use physical machines if I want to. Let’s see how that affects my creative process.

My most important gear so far have been Ableton Live, Max for Live, and Wifi for Youtube tutorials. Until now I used Hifiman Sundara headphones for producing and I think I will still use them for some tasks.

Have there been technologies which have profoundly influenced, changed or questioned the way you make music?

With every new tool my whole work flow is changing. I was even scared of Max for Live because it felt like opening pandora’s box.

Working with Ableton is still overwhelming for me. I saw a masterclass by Aera and he uses many MFL devices in his productions. To see his examples, how he uses them and the way he talked about it took away my fear and I began using a few devices more while I was working on Five Finger Discount.

Especially the Mono Poly Steparp by cello - which is a mix between an arp and a step sequencer that can do crazy stuff for your melodies in a very funny way.

I probably will never create my own MFL device since I’m not the nerd who wants to know exactly how a device works but I love to play around with these devices created by others and I love the idea of this open MFL playground.

From my point of view, the three key factors which have driven music technology over the past decades are mobility, affordability, and (easy) usability. How important are these for your own work – and did I miss any?

I totally agree and they are essential for my work. I never could have started producing music if it wouldn’t be possible to get decent sound results out of a very basic bedroom producer setup that “only” costs me a few hundred Euros. (I know that even these few hundred Euros aren’t affordable for everyone and that I’m privileged I can afford these.)

I’m touring a lot so I also want to build a mini setup which is for on the road to work at least on basic ideas. I guess everything I have to do before is to clean up my MacBook to be honest.

As mentioned before I’m not a crazy nerd who wants to understand how exactly every tool I use works. I think this mindset wouldn't have been possible some years ago for producers.

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 agree with SOPHIE - electronic music has endless possibilities. And I would love to be one of these musicians who are able to work without limitations as SOPHIE was.

But I’m easily overwhelmed by limitless options. When I’m standing in a supermarket, really hungry, it happens that I’m going back home without buying anything because there were too many options and I end up going to bed hungry and frustrated. This also happens to me when I start to work on something new without limiting myself.

I learned to accept that I’m just not one of these musicians and that limiting myself is liberating for me and enhances my creativity.

The choice in creative tools can be overwhelming. Are there ways to deal with- and embrace this wealth and channel it to support your creative goals?

I’m very economical / sparing with using new tools or devices (see above). When I have a new plugin for example I use it a lot while working on a certain track.

That doesn’t mean that I use it for every istument or that I know everything about this tool after finishing a track. But I can probably tell you every new device I got at every track I made.

The sound sculpting capacities of current music technology are remarkable. So is the abundance of high-quality and ready-to-use samples. Which of these do you prefer and what does your process of working with them look like?

I use a mixture of sounds I make with a vst synth and samples that are theoretically ready-to-use but I usually change them with effects like corpus.

In many of our 15 Questions interviews, artists have emphasised the happy accidents as a result of human imperfections and unreliable machines. What's your view on this and how does an element of surprise enter your productions?

Since I only used plug ins recently I can't rely on unreliable machines. Yet, the sound I want to create lives from imperfect sounds. The solution to create these happy accidents for me is randomization using LFOs.

Another way for me to artificially create these happy accidents is willingly not to do what feels logical but purposeful choose another sound or melody or rhythm or what ever.

To some, the advent of AI and 'intelligent' composing tools offers potential for machines to contribute to the creative process. What are your hopes, fears, expectations and possible concrete plans in this regard?

My views towards technology as described in the beginning also apply to AI. I’m a bit scared of it because it has so much potential to be used in great ways but people are using AI and it depends on the people.

I remixed an AI just recently by the way. It was a crazy project and I’m really happy to be part of it. Johannes Motschmann is a composer in the field of electroacoustic music and algorithmic composition. His album AION 2 is based on his composition AION for artificial intelligence and ensemble, which was written for the Ensemble Modern. It premiered at Alte Oper Frankfurt.

[Read our Johannes Motschmann interview about AI]

Together with Thomas Hummel who is an IT specialist, Johannes developed an artificial intelligence in the Südwestrundfunk experimental studio that not only produces coherent pieces of music, but is also able to create music that can convey emotions. Compositions created with the help of this software can be heard on AION 2.

Passages from the original live recording of the concert have been used and rearranged while keeping the original compositional idea intact. The electro-acoustic trio by Johannes also played some elements for the project. This project sounded so interesting to me. I couldn’t say no to remix one of the tracks of AION 2.

When I met Johannes he told me he would be happy about a remix that doesn’t intellectualise the music and works in one of my sets. I chose the track “Rupture” and made a very danceable version. The remix EP came out digitally and on Vinyl and all the remixers are FLINTA* producers.



Also the visualisers for the tracks were created with the help of AI. I think the whole project is a great example of the potential of AI.

If you could make a wish for the future – what are developments in tools/instruments you would like to see and hear?  

As we discussed before accessibility for tools and instruments to create music already got so much better. But I think there is still room to improve.

In the perfect world everyone who wants to make music and use tools would have the possibility to do so.