We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Valentin Correa Mallmann a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Valentin, so happy to have you with us today. You are such a creative person, but have you ever had any sort of creativity block along the way? If so, can you talk to us about how you overcame or beat it?
When I hit a creativity block, I often travel, change genre, or even switch rooms. I record new sounds on the road, then bring them back and dive into my home studio refreshed. I also take pauses, immersing myself in music I love to unpack what resonates and feed it into my own sound identity. In my studio work I often improvise live with guitar or synth for about an hour, then pause and return with fresh ears to arrange and mix. Collaborating with artists can work as well. For example, when collaborating with Salgado on our track “Miami”, we shared one laptop, and passed it around to bounce ideas fluidly without getting possessive and maintaining momentum.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I produce and mix music ranging from Latin rock to house. What I enjoy the most is using music to decorate time. That idea is what brought me to work in sound design and scoring too. It feels really special to spend time building a track in my studio and then later play it out in a DJ set or live show, making people feel what I felt when creating it. I also love merging different music worlds and finding connections between them. I enjoy DJing in places like coffee shops during the day, festivals in the desert, bars, and house parties. My project Vantin is releasing deep and progressive house with labels like Anadigma Records. I’m playing a show on August 15th at Nublu in New York with Hal0 station, a DJ and event collective I co run in LA. along DJ’s like Dec0da, Salgado and Midnight Electra. The night will start with live funk bands before we take over with our electronic sets.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
One of the most impactful things I’ve learned is how to hear rejection without taking it personally. When a label passes on a track, it can be tough, but I try to take the feedback and use it as motivation to keep going. If you’re willing to fail at something a bunch of times, eventually preparation will meet opportunity. Another big one is learning how to work with people. Music is super social and you often spend hours in a room with others, so having respect and giving space when collaborating is key. The third one is understanding that music has so many roles and genres and that can feel overwhelming at the beginning. Exploring your sound identity and trying everything is super useful, especially if you’re just starting out.
Alright, so before we go we want to ask you to take a moment to reflect and share what you think you would do if you somehow knew you only had a decade of life left?
If I only had a decade left to live I’d spend it traveling, getting to know different cultures and being in nature around the world while playing and making music. I’d want to collaborate with as many people as possible and learn through those shared moments. I’d try to visit all continents and make an album inspired by each one. That way I’d leave behind a sort of musical diary of the places, people, and feelings I got to experience.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://vantinmusic.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/valencorree/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/valentin-correa-a89b36209/
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/vantinmusic
- Other: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2NhHw4kVaLv7vgRYQmxgtr
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