Patrik and Milo’s DJ careers individually started taking a turn at the same time – Patrik was playing local while Milo was going international. Their separate journeys crossed in LA when Patrik opened for Milo (Milo’s first LA show) and in the same weekend (September 2016) SBCLTR hosted one of the most memorable parties that is still talked about today (SBCLTR’s Dusty Decompression). Milo claims he smiles ear to ear when he thinks about that weekend. Their relationship only grew from there and now they are embarking to Dubai to share a stage together on April 21 (both first time Dubai debut) hosted by Kaynouna at the Secret Garden, Jumeriah Creekside Hotel.

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Milo Häfliger to Patrik Khach:

MH: In my eyes, SBCLTR is something stunningly beautiful that I’ve never seen before. Can you tell me more about it?

PK: SBCLTR is a community of creatives sticking together to bring the true essence of being a human being on this planet. Love, share, create and educate others artistically with passion. We pass around our positivity to create a comfort zone for the new comers to build confidence in their trade so they can unleash their true talent. We focus mainly on music, but have incorporated art, food, fashion, and other artistic elements to our outlet.

MH: You keep on telling me that you love most to play in the desert. Why are so affected by the playa?

PK: I love to play in the desert because it was a turning point on how I perceived my music career. I was a resident DJ at the best night club in Los Angeles and that is all I knew. Dark rooms, flashy lights, and lasers with a bumping sound system delivering music to thousands of people. One night after a gig, Goldcap invited me out to one of his earlier desert gatherings and I grabbed my friends and drove out into the Mojave in the dark. We went through an adventure trying to find this location in the middle of nowhere. With all the twists and turns and following a map and getting lost multiple times we ended up at the location and it was so simple yet so beautiful. There were about 30 people getting down to some of the best sounding music I have heard in my life. The raw nature of emptiness in the dust brings out an indescribable beauty. He opened my eyes to the beauty of intimate vibes and no distractions with lights and lasers and flashing things. I love to play in the desert because you have no boundaries. You can do as you please and it fits. For the duration of your set you can create magic and everyone’s energy gets affected. You feel the aura of people and it’s breathtaking.

MH: Is there anyone that impresses you at the moment?

PK: In the music world, I am truly impressed by my brothers Ali Farahani, Sarkis Mikael, and Heibert Sarian. These guys are an inspiration to me and feed my creativity when I need it most. All talented musicians and amazing people all around. So many great things are happening right now that will be revealed soon. Ali and Sarkis with their productions and Heibert with his voice. I have never felt my ear drums rattle the way Heibert holds the note. Truly magical.

MH: What projects are you most excited about right now?

PK: The project I am most excited about now is running Pipe & Pochet with Ali Farahani. This is the label we created and manage together. Giving artists an opportunity to stand out and excel brings such joy to our hearts. In the music industry, there are levels of happiness you receive when you accomplish things. Paving the road for others has brought us the most smiles into the P&P family.

MH: For those who have no idea what organic deep techno sounds like, is there a track that could serve as an introduction?

PK: There has been so much intertwining of genres. I stopped labeling things and I just let my ears be the judge. Some tracks that have touched me personally this year are:

Niyaz – Iman (Estray Deep Root Edit)

Lemurian – 222 (San Miguel’s 999 Remix)

Ali Farahani – Persian Dream (Ali’s 2017 Remix)

Armen Miran – Nani Jan (Original Mix)

MH: One of your main approaches as a DJ is to educate the audience. Does the environment you are playing in make this goal easy to achieve?

PK: My goal will always be to educate with music and be educated by music. In my opinion that is the best way to teach and learn. With SBCLTR we have control over creating an environment. We have yet to use the same location twice. As a DJ, you only have control over the sound environment. That’s when you tap into your library and curate your set to send off the right feelings to the listeners. That in its own will build an environment. Being a great DJ is not about how much you can make people dance, but how you manipulate with music to create an explosion of beautiful energy. That’s how I look at it.

MH: I totally fell in love with the Armenian community in LA. And I think that your attitude, your ideology influence your music a lot. Can you see any cultural differences regarding perception/understanding of music?

PK: Our Armenian community is very family oriented. Matches the message of our music entirely. I believe we can influence and be influenced in many ways. It doesn’t matter where you are from to appreciate new things as long as you are willing to learn. Close your eyes and open your arms and see how many new things will come your way. There is a universal way of understanding and that is using your senses. As Armenian, we like to magnify every sense. That’s why when you feel the love, you really really feel it.

Patrik Khach to Milo Häfliger:

PK: I have funny stories about what I wanted to be when I grew up. What profession did you want to pursue as a child? Has it influenced your music?

MH: As a child I always wanted to be a doctor to be able to help people. I always dreamed about being part of “Médecins sans Frontières” [Doctors without Borders] working in sectors particularly badly affected by the global crisis. I think this dream also influenced my way of DJ’ing as I consider music one of the rare ways to make the world a better place.

PK: Many of us are not full time musicians. For example, I am also an accountant. Do you have any other career paths you follow?

MH: At the moment, I’m doing my Master’s Degree in Sports, French and Philosophy in order to become a teacher. I love to work with children but I’m more and more hesitant about being part of a school system that is not built on human values, but rather only on academic principles. Well, I’ll see what life finally has in store for me, no matter which adventurous route I take.

PK: Traveling the world, you must eat some of the most diverse food there is. Where and what is the best meal you have ate and when are we going together?

MH: True. I love to eat and travelling the world is wonderful to explore new food. Hmm, good question. The plate your mum prepared for me was super delicious! The best chef I’ve probably ever had is my girlfriend. Incredibly good! So, just come visit me, mi casa es tu casa.

PK: You are one of five boys in the family. How do your brothers influence you and the decisions you make with your musical career? Can we look forward to the Hafliger 5 coming soon?

MH: I guess you’d rather get to see the Haefliger 5 on the football pitch than behind the decks [laughs]. They influence me a lot as family is very important to me. We always used to be a truly committed team. They are one of the reasons I always try not to tour 4 weekends a month to see them quite often.

PK: What is your next step in your musical career? Any big events or projects coming up?

MH: At the moment, my friend from Berlin and I are working on a project that combines electronic music with the music played eternally by everyone’s chakras. We strongly believe that this combination represents a potential at a spiritual, emotional and, above all, human level. We try to share our ideology with the world and try to rise the essence of our heartfelt desire which is awareness, consciousness, purity, truth, love and feeling. More details will follow soon. I’m focusing on my own music production too and I can’t wait to present the results as soon as possible.

PK: Who impresses you now? Break down for me your favorite labels and artists we should look out for?

MH: Satori and Be Svendsen both impress me a lot at the moment. Not only their work, but also their way of being is wonderful. An artist that always get me crying and smiling at the same time is Olafùr Arnalds. His music allows one to float into spheres beyond time and space. My favorite labels for now are Underyourskin Records and Sol Selectas. They haven’t chosen the easy way (which is quite uncommon in the music scene nowadays) and always stick to their philosophy.