What started as a collection of conceptually connected tracks gradually evolved into something altogether more personal, shaped by an extended creative retreat in the Tyrolean Alps, his relationship with self-doubt and a growing desire to embrace the imperfections that make music inherently human.
The album also marks a significant evolution for the Dutch-Indonesian producer, DJ and multi-instrumentalist, with Budakid bringing his own voice more prominently into his music while drawing on decades of experience spanning drums, piano, synthesis and visual design. Against a backdrop of rapid technological change, that search for a deeper human connection became increasingly central to the record’s identity.
With Dreams Stretched Beyond now out on his own Flores label, we caught up with Budakid to explore how Alpine solitude influenced its cinematic world, why distance can be just as important as focus, the unexpected impact of AI on his creative philosophy, and how finally completing his debut album has opened up an entirely new world of possibilities.
You describe ‘Dreams Stretched Beyond’ as an album in the truest sense rather than simply a collection of tracks. When did you realise you were making a complete body of work rather than individual releases?
I noticed whilst within the creative process itself. Over the last 10 years, I’ve tried several times to intentionally write an album, but none of these processes succeeded in a full LP. I felt most of the time a bit afraid and too insecure, I also had many doubts about what it could be.
This album came together along the way instead of being intentionally an album. My original idea was to make a triptych EP of 6 conceptually connected tracks. But the coherence between these tracks and the overall process started to grow more on to me. It started to become more of a personal journey, a process that pulled me into new directions. Which resulted in ‘Dreams Stretched Beyond’.
Spending almost two years in the Tyrol sounds like a complete change of pace. How did this environment inspire or find its way into the music?
This period of time allowed me to dive more deep into my own microcosmos. It felt sometimes like a philosophical break. The environment made me feel small but a hundred percent alive, in the moment. Sometimes while I was hiking I thought; Am I dreaming? Is this real? I did feel a certain calmness in myself that I didn’t experience before. Detached from big city things, unconscious distortions and cultural trends. I had to reflect on things myself, alone, with all the tools and knowledge I’ve learned over the last 30+ years. No distractions, no influences and no judgements. It felt almost like a two year creative retreat.
The album has a distinctly cinematic quality. Do you tend to visualise places, colours or stories while composing or does that imagery only emerge afterwards?
It’s funny that you ask. I graduated as a graphic designer. To combine visuals and sound was something that came naturally to me. Back in the day, I tried to translate videos or pictures into soundtracks. Music for me sometimes has this “fading away” factor, which fascinates me. When this feeling boils up it mostly comes together with an imaginary visual scenery. In this album I had similar approaches. “Igls” for example I created while I was staring at the shadow play of some mountain peaks of the Igls area in Tirol while writing the melody that fitted for me.
Budakid
You have said in the past that creativity comes in waves and that sometimes you have to step away from music entirely to refuel. Looking back at ‘Dreams Stretched Beyond’, can you actually hear where those pauses happened or did the breaks make the album feel more cohesive in the end?
Controlling artistic creativity can sometimes impossible for me. It comes like the sea, it’s like ebb and flow. Sometimes it works like a motivation when I step away and dive into other things, for example more technical parts of production, cleaning up my studio or even something like a deep-dive into how to make Kimchi. The contradiction is, when I do something totally different – musical ideas boil up again.
Whenever I take a break it gives me sometimes a rational and different perspective on the ideas I’ve got laying on the table. I see this also as a part of the creative process, but not very noticeable. I think distance is as important as focus.
As a drummer first, rhythm has always been central to your music. On this record, however, melody and atmosphere seem to take an even more prominent role. Did your writing process change because of that?
I started to play the drums when I was a kid, but by the age of 12, I became curious about pitched instruments like keyboards and pianos. My writing process hasn’t really changed. I usually start a new song with a beat, a jam on the piano or a coincidence that happens when I’m experimenting.
Each start gives me a different result. Some tracks evolve to be more atmospheric, some more rhythmic and some a little more experimental. My mood and emotional state are important factors. here are As some melodies can have a much bigger impact in certain mood states than others.
Budakid
Many electronic artists rely heavily on software, yet you’ve spoken about building your music from real instruments and synths. Which piece of hardware became indispensable during the making of this album and why?
The microphone. I never used to trust myself singing, until I suffered a light depression caused by the rapid approach of AI. I was looking for something I could add to my musical stories, something more human. Idon’t seemyself as an educated or talented singer but the beauty of the imperfections did transfer the message in the way I wanted to express myself.
I’ve read that you have had to overcome a degree of self-doubt in the past when it comes to your music. Has making Dreams Stretched Beyond changed your relationship with self-doubt or is that something you think every artist simply learns to live alongside?
It hasn’t improved my self-doubt but it has helped me understand certain personal struggles, motivations and philosophies. My music is my personal diary. Opening my thoughts and dreams up to the world feels like going naked, like I have nowhere to hide. So I’ve stretched these dreams beyond my own comfort zone. Hence the title of this LP ‘Dreams Stretched Beyond’.
Tracks like Igls and Dream Atlas feel almost geographical. Do the track titles usually come before the music or do they emerge once the atmosphere is already there?
The track titles mostly come after I created a draft or track. They refer to that specific moment of time, inspiration or the creative processes I was going through. Sometimes when I listen back to tracks such as Igls I can reconnect with the vibe I had in that time. It’s like watching old video tapes you’ve got and get this feeling of nostalgia.
Budakid
There’s a real balance throughout the album between music that’s contemplative enough for headphones but still capable of working on a dancefloor. Is finding that middle ground something you consciously strive for?
No, It’s not something I consciously strive for. Perhaps subconciously – but it’s not done on purpose. In the mixing and writing process, I switch switch through speakers, headphones and even phone speakers. Whenever I feel like a mix gets a bit boring or a bit too repetitive – I try to get the attention with soft earcandy sounds or bolder sound design.
Your productions are incredibly detailed, yet they never feel overcrowded. How difficult is it knowing when to stop adding layers and leave space for the listener?
It’s extremely difficult. Some tracks or processes really take months if not years. For example Endless was one of those tracks that seemed… Endless. It lay on the shelf for over 2 years. The technical limit of a “full” layered mix restricts me in a way. I try to produce my songs in a more minimal and efficient way, like a band, using only a few instruments. Whenever I feel like I am coming towards the end I try to capture the track as an audio portrait and let it be how it has grown. There’s always a “what if I do this, or that…” but that’s an infinite spiral. Sometimes I remind myself of a wise saying of an old fellow; Creators are like trees, you just have to drop your leaves and grow further. Don’t look back. Just move forward.
Budakid
Dreams Stretched Beyond has a warmth that contrasts with much of today’s pristine electronic production. Were you deliberately chasing imperfections and texture in the music?
Yes, I totally did. Because music is human to me, it also needs its artifacts. Imperfections are something that really excite and sometimes even inspire me. It sometimes really brings character and soul to a track or production. The introduction of AI motivated me even more to embrace these imperfections. Everything can be prompted nowadays in a perfect shaped thing, but the imperfections is something that makes us human.
Every producer has one moment during an album where everything suddenly clicks. Was there one track that became the turning point and made you realise the direction the rest of the record needed to take?
I think Endless and Tannenheim were the tracks that moved me towards the full body LP. These two journeys contain both an important story to me. Even when they’re style wise a bit different to each other, they were created within the same mind set and timeframe. Together they were turning into the fundament of it all. In general I didn’t really have a direction in sound, it was more of an overall philosophy that made me create.
Now that you’ve finally completed what many fans see as your defining statement, do you feel a sense of closure or has finishing this album opened the door to a completely new creative chapter?
It’s given confidence with who I am as an artist. A chapter of my life and a project 2 years in the making. as I discovered how beautiful this creative path could be. It’s opened up a new world of possibilities. Writing your first album is daunting, Now I have even more freedom to think wider and bigger. I can’t wait to dive in the studio again.
Budakid – Dreams Stretched Beyond is out now on his Flores label. Grab it on Beatport HERE.
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