Inside Talal’s Delta EP and the Methods Behind His Sets
Talal steps into a new chapter on White Rose Records with Delta and Thrilla, a focused two track release which dropped on December 26. The EP builds on the direction he has been carving across labels like Renaissance and Spectrum and shows a clear attention to detail in how each idea develops. The title track moves with a steady sense of control while Thrilla leans into a brighter progression.
Snag The Release Right Here
The interview that follows gives a practical look at how he prepares for sets and how he approaches the balance between structure and flexibility. He talks through rest, catalog planning and the way he studies each environment before making decisions in the booth. His answers outline a workflow shaped by patience, intention and long term consistency.
Delta lands at a time when Talal has been expanding his output across different stages and cities. The release serves as a snapshot of where his sound is right now and the interview adds context to the methods that guide him from preparation to performance.
INTERVIEW With Talal
Do you ever think of DJing as something ritualistic or sacred, or does that language feel too heavy for you?
For me it is probably slightly too heavy, however I do my best to prepare and to ensure that I have good unreleased or scheduled to be released items to use so that the audience is sure to hear somethings they have never heard before, so hopefully that makes things more worthwhile and less repetitive for them.
Figuring out the right time to try different music material tends to be the part that requires some patience and attention.
Has there ever been a night where the energy in the room felt bigger than music, something shared or even spiritual?
I’ve played some larger events in New Zealand, Cyprus, North America, Ibiza and France.
However my first time playing at the Family Piknik festival in South France I was a bit nervous and was talking with some people in the area before my set. The reception of the set was perhaps the most engaged audience I had ever experienced and I used more of my own tracks than ever before. In the peak of things I saw this person waving to me and smiling, ironically it was the same person I was speaking to a few hours earlier in the area saying I was nervous to.
I received some nice messages especially from a local photographer after she said something like (I am not quoting 100 percent here) ‘people sometimes think that we in France are not very emotional but when we like something we really respond’ she had very nice words, it was great.
What do you think people are looking for when they come out to dance, escapism, connection, catharsis?
I think different age groups are there for different reasons and stages in life, but if one delivers something worthwhile it should hopefully be worthwhile to all the different reasons people decided to step out.
I think the same goes for music genres, if it’s good music it should go beyond one audience. But also at times things can be unexpectedly better than you would anticipate for reasons not entirely known.
Do you have any personal rituals before a set, during, or after, that help you tap into the right headspace?
Probably the two most important things I have found for myself are to be well rested and not out late or busy before, and to try to prepare for different stages or contexts.
The worst is to be tired and to not have prepared a good range of materials. If people are making the effort to attend, then you should meet that effort with good preparation. I try to consider how the music catalog could fit the venue or setting and to also be prepared for momentum to go in an unexpected direction.
How do you see your role in shaping collective energy during a set?
I think one needs to pay attention to the audience and the setting, and then work from that in a direction.
There are many great songs and productions, however sometimes they aren’t the right item for a specific context. I think having a patience and a good feel for where things are in terms of the narrative, early, mid or late or closing has a lot of relevance on the timing of music.
Have you ever witnessed something on a dancefloor that made you see DJing differently?
Perhaps it is less see than feel.
A good experience or event you will find the crew and staff are happy and treated well and commensurately the audience is also more comfortable. I always try to take some time to at least greet and thank or talk to some of the people who are working endless hours behind an event on the day, and after. If they feel mistreated after all the hard work then that discontent will impact things, so it’s important to take care of those people.
When you look back at your most powerful nights behind the decks, what do they have in common?
It helps to prepare music with an idea of the venue, setting or context, to be well rested and to do your best to take care of the event staff before, during and after.
With those in order, things can deliver nicely. By preparing and reviewing one’s catalog of music, you can have a rough idea for various stages or phases of the event or mood, and this also reflects some patience to move in pace with the room or crowd. Probably the closest thing to this is understanding what gears in a manual stick shift car to engage for specific turns in the road.
