BEHIND THE DECKS: MIT HELIOGRAPH
In the interview: Heliograph
TABLE OF CONTENTS
About Heliograph
beyerdynamic Blog: How did you come together, and when did you realise Heliograph was becoming more than a side project?
Heliograph: We’ve always believed music has the power to make people feel a little lighter and happier. Heliograph is our way of sharing that feeling – creating moments where people can let go, connect and leave with a smile.
We’re Frederik and Jens, the two people behind Heliograph.
We met at Producer Lab, hosted by Smukfest, while working on our own projects. Over the following year, the music and our friendship grew into something neither of us could have created alone.
“Helio” refers to the sun, and a heliograph is an old instrument used to communicate by reflecting sunlight. That’s what we want to do with our music – reflect warmth and positive energy.
As more people connected with the music and the vision behind it, Heliograph became the musical identity we wanted to build our future around.
beyerdynamic Blog: What drew you to Afro House before it became as widespread as it is today?
Heliograph: The combination of rhythm, emotion and atmosphere. Afro House feels energetic without being aggressive: the drums create movement, while the melodies and vocals carry the emotion. It’s the songwriting of pop meeting the energy of electronic music.
It never felt like choosing a trend, but like discovering a musical language that suited the records we wanted to make.
Quick Fire Section
Favorite track for opening: Usually something unreleased of ours. Otherwise, HUGEL – “Party Started”
Go-to peak time track: Our “Samba” – it’s recognisable and always gets an instant reaction.
Most underrated track: One of the unreleased tracks or remixes on our laptops.
Headphones: On-Ear or Over-Ear? On-ear – the perfect balance between isolation and feeling the atmosphere in the booth. That’s why the beyerdynamic DJ 300 PRO X fits our workflow so well.
Analog or digital? Digital for flexibility.
Three words that describe you as a DJ: Rhythmic. Nostalgic. Emotional.
Quick Fire Section
Favorite track for opening:
Usually something unreleased of ours. Otherwise, HUGEL – “Party Started”
Go-to peak time track:
Our “Samba” – it’s recognisable and always gets an instant reaction.
Most underrated track:
One of the unreleased tracks or remixes on our laptops.
Headphones: On-Ear or Over-Ear?
On-ear – the perfect balance between isolation and feeling the atmosphere in the booth. That’s why the beyerdynamic DJ 300 PRO X fits our workflow so well.
Analog or digital?
Digital for flexibility.
Three words that describe you as a DJ:
Rhythmic. Nostalgic. Emotional.
Musical Identity
beyerdynamic Blog: How would you describe your sound? What makes it unique?
Heliograph: Warm, melodic and rhythm-driven electronic music, rooted in percussion-driven house with elements of melodic house, indie dance and pop.
Every track needs a groove that makes your body move and an emotional element that stays with you – a vocal, a piano progression or a synth melody.
Ultimately, we want our music to work during a sunset, inside a packed club and in someone’s headphones the next morning.
beyerdynamic Blog: Avicii is a major inspiration, yet your sound is rooted in percussion rhythms. How do you authentically bring those worlds together?
Heliograph: Avicii gave us the courage to create electronic music with a real song at its core. We let the rhythm drive the track while the melody tells the story – and every drum, vocal and instrument has to serve the emotion of the record.
beyerdynamic Blog: How do you decide which existing song has the potential to pass through the Heliograph filter?
Heliograph: There has to be an emotional connection first. We choose songs where the vocal or melody already creates a strong feeling, but where we can imagine a completely different rhythmic world around it.
Duo-Dynamics: Two behind the decks
beyerdynamic Blog: How do you share control during a set?
Heliograph: Intuitively. After more than 17 years of DJing, we build a folder of tracks we love and decide in the moment where to take the set, based on the crowd in front of us.
One of us mixes while the other reads the room, works with effects or looks for the next record.
We mostly communicate through eye contact and body language. And it takes trust to let the other person make an unexpected decision – and then turn it into something memorable together.
beyerdynamic Blog: So, DJing as a duo can also have enormous potential. What can a DJ duo do that a solo DJ can’t?
Heliograph: Two perspectives and twice the energy.
One can focus on the technical side while the other connects with the audience. It also creates spontaneity:
Jens might play something Frederik would never have chosen – and that surprise can change the set in the best way.
The audience feels that chemistry too.
beyerdynamic Blog: What have you learnt from one another?
Heliograph: One of us focuses on the details, the other trusts instinct. We’ve learnt when to perfect something and when to stop overthinking – and that a strong idea gets even stronger when we both feel ownership of it.
Club vs. Studio: Vom Workflow to the Dancefloor
beyerdynamic Blog: How does your production process work?
Heliograph: It changes from track to track. Sometimes we build everything from scratch together; other times, one of us brings in a demo, or a vocalist from abroad sends us a topline.
Above all, every track needs its own identity. A technically great production isn’t enough – it has to create a moment people remember.
beyerdynamic Blog: What role do good headphones play in your daily work?
Heliograph: For us, a massive one.
In the studio, headphones reveal the smallest details in the low end, percussion, vocals and stereo image – even when we’re travelling. That’s why we love our beyerdynamic studio headphones.
“Behind the decks, clarity and isolation are everything: in loud clubs, we need to hear our cue signal immediately. The DJ 300 PRO X gives us exactly that and stays comfortable during long sets – you can feel the quality in both the sound and the materials.”
beyerdynamic Blog: Do you have a ritual before a gig?
Heliograph: We update our playlists but avoid planning every transition – we prepare possibilities, not a fixed journey.
Before we play, we check the setting: Who’s arriving? What did the previous DJ play? Is the room ready to dance, or do we need to build the energy patiently?
Then we share a few laughs, test our DJ 300 PRO headphones and remind each other to enjoy the moment. The best sets happen when you’re well prepared but completely present.
Equipment: Setup and Gear Talk
beyerdynamic Blog: How has your setup changed over the years?
Heliograph: Mostly because our needs have changed. Our setup has become more streamlined, so we can react quickly and stay connected with the crowd.
Our studio and DJ workflows are also closely connected now: we can create an edit during the week and test it live a few days later.
beyerdynamic Blog: Which tools are indispensable to you in this context?
Heliograph: Reliable CDJs and a mixer, well-organised music libraries and headphones we can trust completely.
“Clubs and booth monitors change, but your headphones remain your constant reference.”
beyerdynamic Blog: What must reliable DJ headphones offer?
Heliograph: Clear, powerful sound in loud environments, so we can distinguish kick, bassline and timing instantly. Excellent isolation, so you don’t have to turn up the volume and tire your ears. And they need to be comfortable, durable and easy to use with one ear while cueing. The DJ 300 PRO X combines all of that.
Gig Expriences and Stories
beyerdynamic Blog: What was your most unforgettable gig?
Heliograph: Our Heliograph debut at Smukfest. The festival already meant a lot to us, and presenting Heliograph there made everything feel real.
Watching people connect with something that had started as an idea in the studio, we briefly stopped thinking about the next transition and simply appreciated how far we’d come.
beyerdynamic Blog: That sounds wonderful. And on the other hand, what was the most unusual event you’ve ever played at?
Heliograph: At a festival last year, a cloudburst hit just before our set. When we walked on stage, there were three people in a tent with a capacity of 1,500–2,000.
We played as if the tent were full and gave everything we had. 45 minutes later, it was packed.
That set reminded us that every crowd deserves your full commitment, no matter its size. If you believe in what you’re doing and stay patient, incredible things can happen.
beyerdynamic Blog: When does a dance floor really feel right?
Heliograph: When people stop overthinking and become part of the same moment – connected to the music and the people around them.
It doesn’t take thousands of people. Sometimes it’s a small room locked into the groove, trusting the journey instead of expecting a drop every thirty seconds.
Once that trust is there, you can take the audience somewhere unexpected. That’s when DJing becomes truly exciting.
Tips and Inspiration
beyerdynamic Blog: What makes a good DJ set, and what three tips would you give aspiring DJs?
Heliograph: A great set has direction, personality and awareness – a journey that constantly responds to the people in front of you.
Our three biggest tips are:
1. Know your music. Not just the drop – learn the intros, outros and breakdowns. The better you know your tracks, the more freedom you have.
2. Watch the audience more than the screen. Waveforms won’t tell you how the room is feeling.
3. Create contrast. A peak only feels powerful if you’ve created space before it. Let the music breathe.
beyerdynamic Blog: Which decision shaped your path the most, and what would you do differently?
Heliograph: Fully committing to the sound that felt authentic to us instead of what we thought others expected. Once we defined Heliograph as its own universe, every decision became clearer.
We still have a lot to learn and never want to get too comfortable – our mindset is to improve every day while staying true to who we are.
Looking back, we’d have trusted that instinct earlier. Real progress begins when you’re clear about what you want to represent, instead of waiting for permission.
Future and Trends
beyerdynamic Blog: Which developments in DJ culture excite you, and which trends are underestimated?
Heliograph: We love how quickly DJs can test new productions and edits. At the same time, curation matters more than ever: with endless music available, your selection defines your identity.
And longer sets are underrated. Unlike short social media clips, they let DJs build trust, introduce unfamiliar music and create a deeper emotional journey.
beyerdynamic Blog: Which musical movements sound like the future to you?
Heliograph: The space where house, percussion-driven grooves, indie dance, melodic electronic music and strong songwriting meet. The future will be less about genres and more about artists building their own worlds – with music that feels real rather than technically flawless but emotionally anonymous.
beyerdynamic Blog: Which track best describes your current state of mind?
Heliograph: Not one specific track, but the music we’re creating right now: slightly deeper and more indie-inspired, while holding onto the warmth, rhythm and emotion that define us.
It still feels like we’re only getting started – we’re releasing more music than ever, developing our live shows and working on our very first album.
Heliograph started with a simple belief: that music can bring people together and leave them feeling a little lighter. That’s what it has done for us – and we want to pass that feeling on.
beyerdynamic Blog: Thank you, Heliograph, for giving us an insight into your work as a duo, from the first track in the studio to the stage. See you on the dancefloor!
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