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At Loopmasters, we work with a wide variety of labels in addition to making our own sounds. One of the things we like best about working with top sample labels is that each one has something different to offer. Konturi is one great example, being a boutique label with a particular bent towards analogue gear. With Konturi, it's all about texture, with meticulously designed blends of analogue tone, but with modern twists over the top.

It's label head Petar Atmadzhov who brings the analogue obsession to the Konturi repertoire. With packs like Organic Drums and Analog Sequences 4, you know you're in the centre of Techno Town, and with Petar's penchant for synths, he's also used to cooking up patches for synths like Serum, Moog Sub 37 and Arturia's CS-80.

We caught up with Petar to learn more about what influenced his old-meets-new sonic aesthetic, and to get a rounder picture of how he approaches music and art in his own life. Oh, and to find out more about that tasty analogue gear!…

What were some early influences that shaped your sound?

Discovering Boards of Canada and James Holden in my teens shaped my love for noisy textures and melancholic sequences.

How has the music industry changed since you started, in terms of opportunity and challenges?

When I started making music around 2007/2008, there were no affordable analog synths on the market, and plugins were quite expensive too. Now every major synth brand has a budget synth or a whole line of entry gear, you can also buy decent plugins for dirt cheap and some high end software is offered as a rent-to-own. This gives an opportunity to a lot of people to start a music career. While this does mean a massive competition, I enjoy the feeling of keeping it up and making an effort for every release of mine to be the highest possible quality.

What's the one piece of vintage audio gear you couldn't live without?

That must be the Roland RE-201 Space Echo. I actually sold mine last year after it broke down for the third time in ten years… and deeply regret my decision... Hopefully I'll be able to buy another one.

Is there a hardware synth or effect that you would love to have but haven't been able to own yet?

I'd love to be able to afford the Moog One one day. For me, it's the ultimate analogue synth!

Do you have any rituals or routines that help keep you productive or creative? Do you draw inspiration from outside music?

I have a few routines that help me stay away from burnouts and keeps me productive. I enjoy a daily quick walk midday by the river in my home town Plovdiv, which is the oldest continuously inhabited city in Europe, and a beautiful and calm place to live. Staying close to nature on a daily basis is very refreshing for me. For creativity, I draw inspiration from literature, cinema and photography. I read every night before going to bed, and watch a movie or TV series before that. Occasionally, I like to shoot expired analog films with my vintage Nikon film camera, I'm not very good at that, but it's a nice hobby to have and stay creative.

What’s one piece of industry advice you’d give up-and-coming artists?

Start small, have a few tools available, but learn them, learn them well.

Check out some professional presets and dive deep into how every sound was crafted. Once you really know how to create and process a decent sound with basic tools you can start experimenting, expanding your plugin/analog collection and shaping your own sound.