From his early days inspired by acts like Klaas and Martin Garrix to his current obsession with hyper-charged techno, Michael Roman has become a dynamic force in electronic music. With a career spanning over 15 years, the producer has cultivated a signature sound defined by relentless energy, pulsing drops, and an unshakable passion for the craft. Since debuting in 2020, he’s steadily built a global fanbase drawn to his anthemic style and nonstop output. Now, hot off a bold collaboration with DJ Klaas a reimagining of Soft Cell’s classic ‘Tainted Love’. Michael sits down with us to reflect on this new remix, his journey, and where he’s headed next.
Stream ‘Tainted Love’ and read our interview with Michael below:
Hey Michael Roman, welcome to YourEDM! We’re so happy to have you 🙂
Let’s talk about your forthcoming single ‘Tainted Love’ with legendary German producer and DJ Klaas. What inspired this collaboration and what was the production process like? Did you follow a particular structure or did you have a more organic approach?
We have known Klaas for a long time and have collaborated more than once, so this single was not the first for us. I really like modern trends that are aimed at reviving old singles from the 70s, 80s and 90s. Klaas is also working in this direction, so our thoughts converged and we decided to do something together and something big. We had a choice of 7-8 singles that we would like to rework, so we decided to stick with ‘Tainted Love’.
Do you have any funny, strange or memorable experiences from the studio while working on the track that you’d like to share?
Honestly, I can’t remember anything like that. After all, we are adults and we approach business like professionals. I guess I can tell you that for a long time, we doubted which single to make, there were about 7 options for which we wanted to make a cover version. Klaas prefers tracks from the 70s and 80s, but I like tracks from the more modern 90s and 2000s. I had to put a little pressure on Klaas’s decision, but he agreed. It’s funny that Marilyn Manson‘s single is also a cover of the 1965 single by Edward C. Cobb, meaning we took into account the preferences of both me and Klaas.
The original version of ‘Tainted Love’ has been sampled and remixed countless times. What made you decide to take on remixing a track that’s had such a massive global appeal and impact on the music industry?
I don’t think there are many singles in the style in which we made this track. We have a fairly fast style, as a rule, everyone did slower singles. That is, it is not peculiar to this track, which makes it unique. Therefore, we are confident in the success of this composition.
What’s in your toolkit? Share the gear, gadgets, or software you can’t create without.
I use studio equipment: UAD Apollo X8, Manley Vari Mu Compressor/Limiter, SSL Fusion, Monitors Genelec 8350A and Auratone 5C, AMD Ryzen 9 5950X 16-Core Processor 3.70GHz I’m always developing in the same way, and every quarter I add something new to my studio.
What do you think is the recipe for a great song?
You just have to love what you do! I really like making music, that’s enough, I think. Sooner or later, you will succeed.
How has your creative process or perspective shifted since you started your journey?
I don’t think so, no matter how funny it sounds. Only the people around us and the equipment in the studio have changed. I’ve made more professional friends, and my studio has become bigger and more professional. All this has given me experience, but the process is the same, I also love writing music and developing in engineering.
Who’s an emerging artist you think deserves more recognition right now?
I would single out three, lately I like what they do: Killian K, B3nte, Braaheim
Which song, album or playlist do you never get sick of no matter how many times you listen to it?
I really like Timmy Trumpet for everything he does. I can listen to Klaas in the same way, I’ve been listening to him since the 2000s, when he was just starting out, he’s a man I respect very much. They are different artists, but I like both of them.
What do you have in the pipeline for the near future? Are there any projects, releases or performances fans should keep an eye out for?
Performances are not planned, I am a person who likes to sit alone in the studio more, so I try to avoid performances, although I understand that this is necessary and I will do it, I will definitely report it on my social networks. I will have a lot of releases, almost every week I will release something, follow my social networks and streams!
