IN CONVERSATION WITH UNER

Interview by Samo Šajn

UNER is a Spanish DJ and producer known for his emotional and powerful electronic music. After five years working on his NIN3S project, he’s back with a new album called CONTICINIUM. Blending styles like techno and breakbeat, it’s his most personal work yet and shows how much he’s grown as an artist.

CONTICINIUM is described as a deeply personal journey. Can you walk us through the emotional or personal experiences that shaped this album?

This album was born in silence, in those "sacred" hours where ego and expectations fade, and only truth remains. CONTICINIUM is the Latin word for that moment when the world holds its breath. After years of creating conceptually with NIN3S, I needed to return to a vulnerable, visceral space. Every note reflects something I lived, feared, or overcame. I wasn't making an album; I was healing from life's challenges. The studio became a sanctuary to feel, and emotional improvisations became compositions. Music translated silence into meaning, mapping out an internal journey of conflict, surrender, clarity, and rebirth. "CONTICINIUM" is me reclaiming my identity as an artist and a whole human being.   

After five years focusing on NIN3S, what drew you back to releasing under UNER, and why now?

The silence finally spoke. UNER was healing and learning to breathe again. NIN3S provided emotional tools to dive deeper, but the dancefloor's pulse remained. The world craves authenticity, and UNER has something to say again, not to entertain, but to awaken. UNER had to disappear to rediscover his true self. Stepping away reinvented the intention, and now feels right because people are ready to listen beyond the algorithm, craving truth and connection. It's not a comeback; it's a resurrection.   

You've described the album as a 'statement', what message or feeling do you hope listeners take away from it?

That vulnerability is power, complexity is beautiful, and you can dance and cry simultaneously. This album is a mirror for anyone who's felt disconnected from themselves, their purpose, or their art. I hope people experience it with their hearts and that it becomes a soundtrack for healing. It says: you are not alone in your darkness; there is beauty in staying, clarity after chaos, and music from the soul is a way home.   

CONTICINIUM spans techno, IDM, breakbeat, and even neo-trance. How did you approach blending these styles while keeping the album cohesive?

By forgetting the rules. Genres are like colors, secondary to emotion. I treated it like a film score, where each piece served the emotional arc. Styles were chosen for the story, not for being cool or current. We're in a post-genre era where feeling matters more than labels. Cohesion comes from intention, sound design, harmonic language, recurrent themes, and emotional motifs. The story defines the tracks.   

Your background in classical piano is well-known. How did that foundation influence the composition and sound design on this record?

This foundation is in every breath of this album. Classical music taught me dynamics, silence, restraint, and how to move an ocean with a single note. The piano is the "ghost" behind every chord progression, teaching me to trust nuance and see frequencies as feelings. Sound design is about emotional resonance, not just technicality. I focus on emotion, not BPMs or drops. It influences how I build each piece, from subtle counterpoints to chords that feel like old memories. I approach sound design like orchestration, considering timbre and which sonic color moves a moment forward. Classical music gave me that depth.   

The technical execution of CONTICINIUM is meticulous. From stereo imaging to emotional EQ sculpting. What was your biggest challenge during the production process?

To stay out of my own way and let go of perfectionism. That was the biggest challenge. I spent months fine-tuning details, but feeling trumps flawlessness; magic lives in the cracks. I pushed myself technically, wanting the listener to feel space, depth, and movement. Stereo imaging and EQ served the emotional narrative. The hardest part was knowing when a track was "done," but I learned to let go and trust my gut. The technical challenge became listening to instincts, not headphones.   

Let's talk about the single Temporal Entanglement. Why did you choose it as a preview for the album, and what role does it play in the full narrative?

Temporal Entanglement is a crucial piece of CONTICINIUM. It represents awakening, clarity, and time collapsing. I chose it as a single because it reflects the album's emotional complexity – it's both danceable and reflective. It's where past and future merge, and you confront who you've been and might become. Narratively, it's the moment to face your shadow and embrace contradiction.   

Looking back at your journey from tracks like Pallene to now, how would you say your sound and your sense of self have evolved?

Pallene was me searching, and CONTICINIUM is me returning. I see a younger self finding a language for unlived emotions. There was beauty in that innocence, but I was still learning. Now, I seek truth, not validation. The music needs to be "mine," not perfect. Emotional clarity is stronger now. I know who I am and what I'm not. This album is the result of unlearning, re-learning, and burning down what no longer served me, leading to rebirth. That's soul evolution.   

If CONTICINIUM is a rebirth, what comes next? Where do you see your artistry heading?

Into the unknown, fearlessly (with moments of fear!). This is a process of integration: dissolving lines between UNER and NIN3S, club and concert hall, composer and DJ. The future is about transformative experiences, not just releases. I want to collaborate more with other artists, orchestras, and visual storytellers, always from a place of truth, seeking legacy over hype. What's next is deeper vulnerability and bolder risks: expansion inwards, not upwards.