Dera Meelan on Collaborating with Deadforest and Finding Beauty in Minimalism
Not every artist’s journey starts with a Nintendo device, but for Dera Meelan, it was the spark that lit a fire. Born to Kurdish parents who arrived in New Zealand as refugees, Dera grew up surrounded by the sounds of traditional Kurdish music, radio hip-hop, and stories of resilience. From experimenting on handheld consoles to producing award-winning tracks, his music is now a dynamic blend of influences—from icy grime synths to the deep grooves of jungle, garage, and Y2K rap aesthetics. His latest single, Luggage, captures this evolution perfectly. A UK garage-inspired track that’s both minimal and powerful, it pairs Dera’s signature dissonant chords with razor-sharp bars from longtime collaborator Deadforest. In this interview, Dera opens up about his creative process, the joy of collaboration, and his love of industrial foley sounds. He also shares what it means to stay authentic in a world of oversaturation—and why simplicity is key in a noisy world.
Can you tell us where you are in the world? What do you love about that place?
Home is Auckland, New Zealand. There is a lot to love about this place, mainly that we're so small but take in a wide influence from essentially every country in the world. It's a real melting pot of many cultures and backgrounds, so there is a lot to learn with every person you meet. With that said, we're small and far away from the rest of the world that there's a very visible ceiling to a lot of things. That could be good or bad depending on how you look at it!
You’re promoting your latest single, Luggage. What does it represent for you at this point in your life?
Luggage is a timestamp of a few sounds and influences I'm enjoying right now, mainly out of the UK Garage scene. I've found myself taking away elements and letting things ride out more and have been enjoying doing so. I've always loved combining influences and seeing what comes of it—sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.
The single features Deadforest. Can you tell us a little bit about how this collaboration came about?
Deadforest and I have worked very closely for the past 6 years now, so there's almost no thought even put into the workflow at this stage as it's second nature. We're both constantly listening out for new textures, ideas, and things we can incorporate into our music in an interesting way.
When you work on new music, do you have a ritual or a routine? Tell us about your creative process.
I'd say that my routine is that there is no routine in a sense. I spend a few days in the studio every week and have done so for the past 5 years, so it's more a case of just creating and reviewing what I like from the pile I end up with periodically. Every track sort of starts and ends in different ways.
What’s the most unusual sound you’ve ever incorporated into one of your productions?
I always love using random foley sounds as snares, mainly industrial metal-sounding clanks—any weird noise, really. This goes for any drums. I think there's music everywhere if you just keep an ear out for it.
What advice would you give yourself if you were starting today? Or what advice would you give to a young musician starting today?
I think to just stick to your guns and make what you truly like. It can feel overwhelming trying to win the engagement war, so as long as you make something unique, it'll eventually find its way through the cracks.
In a world of oversaturation and everyone having the same tools and access to the internet, it can cancel itself out and feel overwhelming. So, just be you, do what you like, and eventually, it will work out.
What’s the first significant piece of gear you owned? Tell us what it represents for you.
What actually got me started with production was this old program you could download on the DS store called Rytmik for the 3DS. It was essentially a dumbed-down DAW with all sorts of sounds, pretty in-depth too. That was my gateway into music. I would love to find my old 3DS and get back into it.
What was the last track by another artist you were obsessed with?
Nova by Burial & Four Tet. There's really not much to the track, but the atmosphere and soundscape just draw you in. I heard it playing at a record store out in town and I Shazammed it. I was really surprised to see Burial's name after so many years and was pleasantly surprised.
The main sample chop, the piano or whatever it is, is so addictive. Love the simplicity of the track. Makes 5 minutes feel like 1.
What do you have coming up in the next few months? Feel free to plug anything!
I will be releasing constantly, so keep an ear out and check out my music if you haven't already—I’d appreciate it!
Cover credit: Dera Meelan
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