Introduction:
Based near Bari in the south of Italy, Gianluca Caiati aka Kaiser started making his first steps in 2007 by practicing on old turntables, mixing house, classic, disco, funky and electronic music.
Introduced to the international scene since the very young age of 18, Kaiser started to make his own music and during the years he has released his productions for such labels like Planet Rhythm, Animal Farm, Konflkt, Quant, End Of Dayz, made of CONCRETE, with great results and feedbacks by international artists who regularly play his music.
Moreover, he is working for great clubs around the Italy and for best places in the EU techno scene and also, has shared the major club console with the best international artists.
In the mid of 2018 Kaiser starts his own imprint “K S R” where the meeting of his multi-faceted art takes shape.
Of course, he is always working and looking forward on new discographic productions and most of all improving himself to reach new goals.
Introduction:
Fiedel – Berghain resident, Ostgut Ton artist, founder of FiedelOne & FiedelTwo …
Artwork for the feature and mix is based on a photo by Paul Krause
Interview:
Hi Fiedel. Great to have you for our “Music & Interview” series including an exclusive mix. We met each other at Berghain over 10 years ago. For me you were always the underrated Berghain resident – first the people asked “who is Fiedel”, later they focused on Ben Klock and the two Marcels. But let’s start at the very beginning of your music life. What kind of music did you like when you were a teenager and discovered music as a hobby? How did you start with djing and producing? Was there a special event that convinced you to start with it? Did you have bands or other projects before being Fiedel?
In my teenage years, which was in the mid and late 1980s, I was into Hip Hop (Mantronix, Egyptian Lover, Ice T, N.W.A.), Synth Pop (Kraftwerk, Depeche Mode, Off, Yello) and various kinds of Dance Music that were produced in the studio, using samples and loops (Bomb The Bass, MARRS, S-Express, Technotronic) and whatever Acid and House Music came to my ears ( Tyree, Farley Jackmaster Funk, Lil Louis, Phuture, Mr. Lee).
I grew up in Eastern Germany and I used to listen to the radio a lot (Monika Dietl’s Heartbeats Per Minute, Hey Music, Maxistunde, Duett – Musik für den Recorder) and I recorded tracks I liked on tape, because records weren’t available.
Eventually I started playing those tapes at school parties, sometimes together with friends. After the wall came down, I started buying and playing records. At Hard Wax I met DJ Niplz, who invited me to play at a the queer Monday night event at Subversiv he organized with some friends. This became my first public gig playing records. In my hometown we used to throw parties as a small collective and Shed was part of it back then.
The first proper gear I used when I met Erik „Errorsmith“ through Niplz. They were producing a track together for a Bunker compilation. That was 1994. I was impressed by the way Erik tuned his analog synthesizers. Cables came out of the devices and were connected to some electronic circuits hanging in the air. We started to jam with his stuff. I thought the music was good and I definitely wanted to play it out. We released our first record in February 1996.
(Fiedel Promo Pic 1 by Danny Croucher)
As mentioned above you are resident at Berlin’s most famous techno club Berghain. Please tell us how this happened. How did the situation/relationship change over these many years? What’s special for you when you play there?
I used towork at Hard Wax together with Cora S. She played at Ostgut already and she proposed me to them, because they were kind of looking for DJs. They liked it and that’s how it started. I play there regularly since Summer 2000. Marcel Dettmann, nd Baumecker, Boris and Nick Höppner were also playing there at that time.
When Ostgut had to close, everybody was kind of sad, but a new venue was found soon. I saw it a couple of times, way before it opened. I was asked for some technical solutions, for instance how to rig the light above the Berghain floor, because I have a degree in Theatre and Entertainment Engineering and could apply my expertise that way.
When the venue first opened in September 2004, there was only the new Panorama Bar, and all the regulars were playing there. My first gig at the actual Berghain floor was the incredible b2b closing with Marcel Dettmann at NYE the same year.
It was quite tough for the club in the beginning, I remember. But with excellent bookings and the rising interest of the younger crowd for Techno it became the famous place it is now. I saw one of my all-time heroes, Egyptian Lover, for the first time there, when he played at Panorama Bar in 2006, probably his first gig in Germany.
The whole DJ thing developed into a big business over the years and Berghain also became more complex and more professional. My gigs at Berghain are still very special to me. Taking the fact that I play there for about 14 years by now, I have to re-invent myself all the time to stay fresh. Part of it is to explore all the other floors the venue has to offer. Last year I played House at Panorama Bar, which I didn’t do for a long time, a Bass set at the new floor Säule and an Ambient closing for NYE at Halle, which is opened only for special occasions.
(Fiedel Promo Pic 2 by Paul Krause)
At the beginning of 2018 you also started a residency at Khidi in Tbilisi, one of the important clubs outside of Europe. Another one is Bassiani. A few weeks ago there were police razzias at Bassiani and another club, so both had to close temporarily. This led to demonstrations and protests in front of the Georgian parliament. Khidi supported the actions and took part in the demonstrations (read here and here on Resident Advisor). But back to you. Who had the idea for your residency and how did they/you get in contact? When did you travel to Georgia the first time? Many DJs going to Khidi and Bassiani were flashed and liked it very much. How was your first DJ experience there? What do you think about the situation in Georgia? What about the country?
My first gig at Khidi was in May last year. And yes, I was flashed. The venue is amazing and the energy on the dancefloor was the kind I felt back in the 1990s: raw and genuine. In Summer last year the promoters asked me, if would like to become a resident there. And of course I wanted to!
I like Georgia a lot. The people there are generally friendly and I enjoy their hospitality. The country itself is in the process of opening up towards the rest of the world, especially towards Europe. There are still traditional elements in culture and politics that will work against it, but I guess that is quite normal in such a process. I also link the recent events to this. Hence it was very important that the nightlife community in Tblissi presented unity and went on demonstrating for their future. Khidi even closed their doors to show solidarity with the otherclubs and took part in the protests with their artists.
End of August I will play on the Khidi stage at Echowaves Festival in Anakli on the Black Sea shore and also for Khidi season opening after the Summer break in September.
(Fiedel Khidi residency announcement)
You are responsible for the latest instalment of the famous mix series from Berghain. How did you select the tracks and work on it in general? Did you need a lot of time for preparation? What are the main differences when you prepare for a recorded mix and a club DJ set?
The preparation of the Berghain mix took a few months. There were many things that we needed to pay attention for, like the production plan for the 12“ that came out along with the mix, licensing issues and more general questions.
When collecting the music, I had a special vibe in mind that represents my very own Fiedel-style: a good portion of funkiness, a bit of roughness and the inclusion of various styles. So I approached artists I liked for their music. I chose older tracks that represented my musical history, new tracks that I played out recently and also unreleased material. Some of the artists had tracks that I wanted right away and some especially made tracks for that purpose. Step by step I had a nice selection to choose from. First task was to get the Berghain 08 E.P. together. On this 12″ I wanted to create a balance between female and male artists, and so I chose two female artists to be the first tracks on each side. Plus, all of the 4 tracks needed to be featured in the mix.
For the mix itself I realised my early idea: since it is a club related mix series, why not record it live at a Klubnacht? I wanted to take the audience on a little journey and try to give them a little taste of the dancefloor. Since the format has changed from a CD to a downloadable podcast that also could be streamed, the only limitation was the filesize. Given that information I knew, that the mix could be about 2 hours long. Enough time to tell a little story. That story was important to me, because people would listen to it everywhere but in the club. So I tried to keep it interesting for the listener and yet danceable.
(mix “Berghain 08” by Fiedel)
The mix was for sure not the first recording for the Berghain’s inhouse label Ostgut Ton. You released there the EP „Substance B“ and contributed to 4 samplers/compilations. Was it a natural step for you to release for the Berghain label being resident at their club or was it necessary to convince you? How did you work with label guys on a release? Did you produce on request or did you have a bunch of finished tracks and you just selected the ones best fitting?
In the past I did tracks and if I thought they might fit to the label, I sent them in, so they could decide wheater they take it or not. That was also the case with “Substance B”. They found it fitting to the label and so they released it.
(the29nov video of “Track 432”, taken from O-TON 102)
One of your latest releases is the track „Troll Bait” on the second Seelen compilation. Could you please tell us something about that track and the compilation? How did you get in touch with Janein, one of the guys behind the Seelen label? You also played at their record release party for Seelen.001 in Leipzig earlier this year. How was it?
I met Jan at Sation Endlos a couple of years ago. This was a nice litte world of it’s own like in a fairytale. We stayed in contact and he asked me if I would like to contribute a track to the first compilation, but I had no time for it, because I was preparing the Berghain mix back then. It worked out though for the second compilation. When I heard the tracks of the first edition I immediately liked it. A very diverse techno compilation, which incorporated a quite spooky touch. That mood gave me inspiration for my track “Troll Bait”. The party at IFZ was great. I liked the location and the flexibility of the crowd. I play in Leipzig for over 20 years every now and then, and is always nice to be back in that wonderful city.
(full stream of “Troll Bait” by Fiedel, taken from “SEELEN.002”)
Together with Errorsmith’s Erik Wiegand you release under the moniker „Messe der Meister von Morgen“. How do you work together? Who is responsible for which part? How looks the production process? What are main differences between working on your solo stuff and on tracks together with Erik? Which equipment do you use (solo & on collaborations)? You also contributed to the Kilekill „Megahits III“ with a MMM track. How did this happen? What is your connection to Killekill?
Me and Errorsmith do music together since 1995. As MMM we are selfreleasing artists to keep the most freedom and control about what and when to release. This is the first time we gave an original track to a another label. I know Nico from Killekill quite a while and he is a big MMM fan. He was looking for tracks for his new compilation which featured some really good and not necessarily mainstream artists in the past. Our track “Infinity Crash” with its rather dark mood fitted perfectly to this compilation. In production we don’t have a fixed set-up that we work with. Most of the times our tracks start with just a tiny piece of an idea, a melody, a sample, a beat, and we develop the track around it. Sometimes we have loops that we jam live and we do a studio version of it later on, like it happened with “Nous Sommes MMM”.
(stream of “Syncro” by MMM)
You also run the two labels FiedelOne and FiedelTwo. FiedelOne is for your solo stuff and FiedelTwo for collaborations in different ways – like the „Appendix“ release with many tracks you used for the Berghain mix. How do you decide if a solo track is more fitting on Ostgut Ton record or for FiedelOne? Or will you release on FiedelOne again (the last one was released in 2015)? What about the collaborations on FiedelTwo or the track selection for this label? How comes it to these gettogethers with other artists? o you just create something new and then decide to release it there or is it more a „let‘s make a new FiedelTwo record? What do you think about label work in general (organising a pressing, doing promotion etc)? Do you like being a „label boss“? Is it difficult for you to “survive“ nowadays when a record is out-of-fashion one month after his release?
Ostgut Ton released only one 12″ along with the Berghain mix and the tracks were already selected for that. So I released some of the new tracks on FiedelTwo. I think, we have kind of a collaboration here, in terms of creating together a special flavour for the mix.
You can imagine all different types of collaboration on FiedelTwo, doing remixes, working on a track together, or adding ideas to tracks. I am looking for music that I can relate to and don’t go for the big names. FiedelOne it is more my own little world, with the freedom to do what I want.
(Fiedel Promo Pic 4 by Danny Croucher)
As we know you are also involved in organising the event series „Wax Treament“ that is strongly connected with the record store Hardwax. Please tell us something about your involvement.
I am part of the small team that organizes Wax Treatment since 2009. I am also responsible for the Killasan sound system since it came to Berlin in 2001 and do the sound engineering at events. This sound system is the trade mark of our Wax Treatment series. It is a Jamaican style sound system which comes originally from Japan. It has a powerful bass section and we usually set it up as a wall of sound, because this is the way they do it in Jamaica ever since. It looks and feels best that way and our guests are facing the speakers rather than the DJ. Wax Treatment features bass heavy music like Reggae, Dancehall, UK Funky, Dubstep or Drum’n’Bass. Two years ago we found a new home base for our quarterly events at Grießmühle.
(Killasan sound system)
In your eyes you are a DJ with a diverse repertoire. Could you please name 10 records that are very important for you (and your musical development) and why they are?
Let’s take my alltime top ten here as featured in a mix on Soundcloud (see below).
01. Bug In A Bass Bin by Innerzone Orchestra
I love Jazz and this is a wonderful combination of loops and jazzy elements.
02. Blackout (Phase I) by Lil Louis
My favourite when I was a teenager. So powerful and ahead of time. I still play it.
03. Sonar 123 by Anthony “Shake” Shakir
One of the most beautiful spacey Techno tracks by my favourite electronic producer.
04. What’s On A Moog’s Mind? by Redshape
Pure analog synth power. The youngest entry into this list.
05. Altered States (Southside Terrace) by Ron Trent
Is it House or is it Techno? It doesn’t matter.
06. Un, Deux, Trois by Idol Making
A rough and funky track from early Detroit. Just like I love it.
07. Alleys Of Your Mind by Cybotron
I love the vibe of this superb mixture between Electro and Techno.
08. Mentok 1 by LFO
This reminds me on my rave experiences in the early 1990s.
09. High Energy (Instrumental Dub) by Evelyn Thomas
High Energy is Disco in beast mode. Very driving track from this genre.
10. Ghetto Blues by Ghetto Brothers
Funky breaks in fine Detroit style.
(Fiedel’s all time favourites in a mix)
Oh already 1 or 2 questions over the limit but for sure we have to ask you what’s coming next… What are your (near) future plans? an album on Ostgut Ton?
Right now I work on different projects, prepare events or develop ideas also for a live set and for DJing, but most of them are not ready yet to talk about.
Some music will come out later this year, so keep an eye and an ear open. For now I would leave you with my/our recent appearances on the following compilations, all released in June:
– MMM „Infinity Crash“ on Killekill Megahits III
– Fiedel „Doors To Manual“ on Night Slugs Allstars X
– Fiedel „Troll Bait“ on Seelen.002
You can catch some sound here at the following events in the near future:
10.08. Ostgut Ton Nacht at S舫le/Berghain, Berlin, DE ・ Bass Set
19.08. Wax Treatment at Grieﾟm・le, Berlin, DE ・ Killasan
25.08. Khidi Stage @ Echowaves Festival, Anakli, GE ・ Techno Set
31.08.-02.09. Killasan @ Carhartt booth at Bread & Butter, Berlin, DE
09.09. Dance Is Ancient ・ performance at the Museum of Contemporary Arts, Porto, PT
14.09. Season Opening, Khidi, Tbilisi, GE ・ Techno Set
22.09. Klubnacht at Berghain, Berlin, DE ・ Techno Set
Tracklist of Exclusive Mix:
01. Velocette – Bell Du Jour
02. Forest Drive West – Show Them
03. Andy Mac – Asteroid Belts
04. DJ 3000 – Prawler. Motech 004
05. Rose & Ulysse – Mother Earth (Philippe Petit Remix)
06. Sugar Experiment Station – No Wonder She Hates You
07. Four Tet – Jupiters (Happa Remix)
08. Ennio – Giza
09. DBX – Losing Control (Ritchie Hawtin Remix)
10. DBX – Beat Phreak
11. Purveyors Of Fine Funk – This Is A Track
12. Bastien Carrara – The One (Drums Mix)
13. Gladkazuka – Futuro Caos
14. The Untouchables – Yeah C’mon
15. Gerd – Freedom
16. Mike Dunn – Set Me Free
17. Robert Hood – Untitled
18. Shake – Simpatico
About the concept:
Here is the forty-ninth instalment of our series “abc plays xyz”.
The idea behind it is to ask some DJs/mixing artists if they have an artist or label in mind that they love and would like to use for a mix.
So the approach of each mix is clear: the choosen DJ/mixing artist makes a selection of tracks produced by one artist (and her/his monikers) or released on a label (and its sublabels) and creates a nice mix from it.
About Dug Techno:
Dug Techno was born of the desire to discover & play timeless 12″s. As many as possible, which is why I sell vinyl for a living. First at Phonica & Kristina Records, then at Berlin’s recordsale.de. I literally have ~3.000 new records per day to choose from and have been surrounded by fresh inspiration for years now thanks to working in music shops. I carry this with me into sets and reflect these influences into the diverse range of parties & performances I have organised or been a part of over the best part of a decade in London.
I believe progress and evolution are at the heart of Techno and the best is yet to come. But only through the modification, enhancement & subversion of Techno’s tropes can the genre’s boundaries be pushed out further into the unknown. Thus: with knowledge of the past we must strive forward to create anew!
About Jeff Mills:
Jeff Mills is considered to be one of the most brilliant DJ’s and producer of techno in the World.
He is the most recognised representative figure of the Detroit Techno scene, where he began his career as a DJ on the WDRQ radio in 1984.
He created the collective “Underground Resistance” alongside “Mad Mike Banks”, which became a reference in the electro sphere.
In 1992, Jeff Mills created his own label “Axis”, allowing him to keep his artistic independence and produce his own timeless electronic music compositions, inspired of science fiction.
While he performs as a DJ all over the world, averaging 100 dates in a year, Jeff Mills’ artistic career goes much further than simply techno music.
For over a decade, he has transcended disciplines with a large number of collaborations in contemporary art.
Jeff Mills is involved in numerous projects at this moment in time, and is forever evolving and recreating his individual artistic performances, within and beyond any given boundaries.
taken from Triangle website
Listen & Download:
“Dug Techno plays Jeff Mills” (download coming soon)
Dug Techno About His Choice:
Aged 33 Jeffery Eugene Mills inaugurated the Purpose Maker series. This label covers the fierce tribal funk of his early years, is home to The Bells and the stylistic focal point for my mix.
The EPs on this imprint can be testing if listened to from front to back – but they were not made for that. Instead, they’re the ultimate DJ tools. If you’ve never heard The Wizard in action, there’s only one thing to say: no one does it like Jeff! A man(-machine) so technically & creatively adept he drives crowds to elation with 909 solos and 3-layered mixes that undermine any notion of predictability thus allowing you to truly get lost in waves of raw rhythms.
This mix is my distillation of that spirit, composed with Mills’ records only, 3x Technics & a Xone:92. I like to think of it as A Firework Display In Reverse.
The man is a living legend and I suspect one day his drum machines will leave the planet returning The Wizard to the rings of Saturn, where meteorites clash & clash against each other to form rhythms we could never imagine as Jeff rides out to infinity in a locked groove of cosmic proportions.
Jeff, if you’re reading this: you’re my hero!
Tracklist:
00. A Jeff Mills Quote
01. Millsart – Untitled
02. X-103 – Thera
03. Jeff Mills – Glen21 *
04. Jeff Mills – Striping Effect
05. Jeff Mills – Utopia
06. Millsart – Steps To Enchantment (Stringent)
07. Jeff Mills – Late Night (Mills Mix)
08. Jeff Mills – L8
09. Jeff Mills – Cubango
10. Jeff Mills – The Bells (Deconstruction)
11. Jeff Mills – In The Bush
12. Jeff Mills – Yamato
13. Jeff Mills – Automatic
14. Jeff Mills – Casa
15. Jeff Mills – Ride The Rhythm
16. Jeff Mills – Reverting
17. Jeff Mills – Alarms (First Mix)
18. Jeff Mills – Black Is The Number
19. Jeff Mills – Avenger
20. DJ Hell – Allerseelen (Jeff Mills Remix)
21. Jeff Mills – Sweet Scent Of Fear
22. Jeff Mills – The Fly Guy
23. Jeff Mills – Bellson
24. Jeff Mills – If (We)
25. Millsart – Gamma Player
26. Final Cut presents True Faith – Take Me Away
27. Jeff Mills – Basic Human Design *
Introduction:
Inland aka Ed Davenport is a British DJ and Producer based in Berlin. A long-term love affair with intelligent, hypnotic and ecstatic shades of House and Techno led to his first releases in 2006. More than 10 years on Ed continues to pour his heart into what he does best; producing records, DJing and performing live, and running his Counterchange label.
As Inland, his output stands for purist, atmospheric club music with weight and soul; its feet firmly planted on the dancefloor, while its head scans the outer-limits for more experimental formations. The outcome is modernist electronic music that manifests itself as Techno. He performs Live and DJs in clubs worldwide playing surging, visceral selections new and old. Inland productions have surfaced on Berlin’s Ostgut Ton, Counterchange, Function’s Infrastructure New York imprint and Boddika’s respected UK bastion Nonplus+.
Productions under his real name focus of deeper, hypnotic house, euphoric late night moments and melodic minimalism. Releases like his acclaimed ‘Silver Walks’ EP on Mano Le Tough, Baikal and The Drifter’s Maeve label, or the extensive 2 x 12” ‘Festnetz’ for Adriatique’s Siamese label only solidify Ed’s skills at constructing timeless, harmonically addictive club outings at slower tempos.
Introduction:
Oliver Deutschmann, founder of the labels Vidab and GKNSTR, who plays irregularly at Berghain
Interview:
Hello Oliver, it was cool to meet you again at your Berghain a few weeks ago – a real pleasure to listen to your powerful set. So we are happy to have you for our „Music & Interview“ series. Let‘s start at the very beginning of music life. What kind of music did you listen to when you were a teenager discovering music as a hobby/love? When did you start the first time to spin some vinyls? What was your reason to start with playing records to an audience and producing own stuff? Any other projects like being in a band etc before that?
Thanks a lot! I listened to a lot of Hard Rock, all kinds of Metal and Hardcore as a teenager. We also organized parties where I was responsible for the music. So first I was a more a ‚Rock‘ Dj. On those parties I Played stuff like RATM, Tool, Ignite, Pennywise, Slayer and so on. I started then to go to Techno Parties around my hometown in South Germany. Sometimes we drove to the Omen club in Frankfurt to see Sven Väth at his friday’s parties. I became a Techno DJ a bit after I moved to Berlin in 1998. Producing my own stuff was just a normal development for me then. I started with a Korg ESX 1 Sampler. Even did my first Live sets only with that little machine.
(Oliver Deutschmann Promo Pic 1)
You played very often at Berghain. You also played there a few weeks ago. What is special for you playing at this club many clubbers speak about? What was your relationship to the crew in the past? What changed over the years? Any other clubs you like because of some special experiences there? You also play some festivals this summer e.g. Her Damit Festival (you also contributed for their first EP). How do you prepare a set for a club night and what’s different if you prepare something for a festival? Please also tell us some of your strangest experiences being a DJ?
It’s always special because its just still the best club in the world for me. They are simply professional on all levels. Plus the crowd, who can be super enthusiastic and willing to rave. There are a lot of other clubs or promoters around the world I really like of course. UKW Kraftwerk in Rostock, Rottweiler Bar in Gothenburg, Forum in Bielefeld, the Überhaus crew in Beirut for example. It’s just too many to mention. And, I never prepare for a gig. I only know 5 minutes before my sets what will be my first track. Strangest experience? I had a lot. Good and bad ones. But one time a guy offered me a blowjob while playing. On a 2 meter high stage with no curtain hanging from the booth table. Not really discret, haha.I found this really funny. Gig was amazing though!
(Oliver Deutschmann Promo Pic 2)
One of my first records you were involved was Gowentgone, your project with Stephan Hill released on your label Vidab. What was initial moment to create this project and found the label? How did you work together? Which equipment did you use? The latest Gowentgone release listed on discogs was released in 2010. Is that project finished?
We created vidab because no label wanted to release our gowentgone tracks. It was really frustrating trying to get into that business as producers. So we decided to set up our own label. We asked some friends to give us their music, did some kind of application with artwork, music, our ideas and sent it to Kompakt. Luckily Michael Mayer loved the stuff and so we signed a distribution deal with them. Finally we were able to release our and our friend’s music. Best decision ever. And a big thank you to all the labels that didn’t give us a chance. Without you this would have never happened! We used mainly Korg hardware to do our gowentgone stuff. Our track ‚Love & Respect’ that was sold very good got finished in three hours. That shows that you just need a good idea to do a great track. Which or how much expensive equipment you use is secondary. And btw, we just released a remix for Faltin a few weeks ago on the vidab X series. You can definitely find it on discogs now.
(the29nov video for Oliver Deutschmann’s “Darkness Falls”, Vidab 2013)
Vidab and the sublabel Falkplatz was also one of the first labels for Ed Davenport – with a housy sound. He also released there an EP called “Inland”, a name he used later for his techno moniker (first record “EP X” on Vidab too). You also produced a few EPs together. How did you discover Ed in the first place and what was the reason for signing him on your label(s)? What was the difference between working with Ed and working with Stephan on a record? Did you use similar equipment? Was it a total different way of producing?
I met Ed around 10 years ago when he moved to Berlin. He did a remix for my second Ep on Konsequenz that I did with Koljah. We got friends and met in our studios from time to time. Ed is a great guy, a very good friend and an amazing producer. All these criteria led to all those releases. I’m happy that I had the chance to release his first Inland stuff on Falkplatz and vidab. And he definitely gets now the attention he deserves for that project. With Stephan the production process went a lot faster because the gowentgone stuff is so simple, but effective. With Ed I set a bit longer on each track, diving a bit more into the production process. I like both ways of being creative. Using your instinct and also being analytical in the production process is very important in my opinion
(the29nov video for Ed Davenport’s “Living Rooms”, Slim Audio 2012)
On Vidab you also released our album “Out Of The Dark”. How do you work on an album? Is it something like a collection of lose club tracks just tied together? Or do you follow a concept? Is the composing process different? As we know this is your only album. Any reasons for that? Is it easier to produce a solo record or do it together with guys like Stephan and Ed? What about the process and the equipment?
I wanted to release another album since quiet a time now. But I didn’t feel pretty inspired to do one. Don’t know if it should be a couple of clubtracks or something more arty. I wanted to release a bunch of good Eps on good labels before I do one again. So, now could be the time to work on that. Let’s see.
(Oliver Deutschmann Promo Pic 3)
Besides Vidab you also run the label GKNSTR where you release under the alias Orion. Why did you set up a new label? What does it mean for you running an own label? Who is Oliver Deutschmann and who is Orion? What characteristics make them different?
GKNSTR I set up just because I wanted to try out something new. Releasing stuff from known producers under unknown project names. Focussing on the music only. Worked pretty well. Especially with Cadency (Hector Oaks) or Hysh (Niereich). Orion i created to do more deeper stuff. Just to unbind from my Deutschmann productions. I’m producing so many different stuff that it is just impossible to release everything under one name. And of course it is also refreshing for myself to create new projects and to surprise people.
(full stream of “Warehouse” by Cadency, GKNSTR 2016)
On GKNSTR there is an unofficial remix of Depeche Mode’s “I Feel Loved” made by you. Why did you use this track for re-editing (not a hit like “Enjoy The Silence”)? What role plays/played this band in your life? What are your musical influences?
I have different vocal samples from Depeche Mode. The ones for ‚I feel loved‘ just touched me the most so I started to build a track around them. I am a big Depeche Mode fan since ‚People are Peole‘. My ,mother bought me the 7“ single back then. Unfortunately I lost it in a moving years back. My influences go back long. Used to sit in my uncles room as a little kid listening to his vinyl collection. Pink Floyd, The Who, Deep Purple, Neue Deutsche Welle and so on.
(Oliver Deutschmann’s remix of Depeche Mode’s “I Feel Loved”, GKNSTR 2015)
Apropros remixing. There are several Oliver Deutschmann remixes? What are criterias to agree on making a remix? Do you enjoy creating a new version of an existing track or is it something you have to do because it is part of the business/scene?
I have to like the original track. That’s it. Then I do it. And, yes, mostly I enjoy to do it. Depends on the samples I get. When the samples sound good and there is, for example, progression in the synth samples it’s pretty easy.
(Oliver Deutschmann Promo Pic 4)
Some releases that also got our attention are the 4 Archive EPs and the mix CD “Futureworld” on Slim Audio – incl. a movie by the29nov films. Slim Audio was a label started by Slim Magazine. Unfortunately not much information about the label and the magazine can be found – also the movie is not available anymore because their website is down. So could you please tell us something about it? How was it to work on releases with such a label (owned by a magazine)? The EPs were named „Archive“, so these tracks existed on your drive already for a while? Are you someone who produce a lot of stuff that never get released building large archives of tracks?
The magazine isnt existing anymore. The label is. I’m running it with James Blonde, who is also doing the Sweatlodge Agency. But I use this only for my own material now. Doing nearly no promotion. I’m only sending the promos out from my own mail account. Its just pretty easy to release my stuff there. Its digital only, I also do the mastering on my own. The artwork photos are shot by my daughter. So we have the full control about everything. Absolutely no compromises to do. I love that. And yes, I do tons of loops and tracks. Most of them will never get released. Some of them on the next Archives, maybe!
(the29nov trailer for “Futureworld”, Slim Audio 2012)
We mentioned the video crew the29nov films above (and already used some of their videos for this feature). They made some videos for your tracks. More and more such crews popped up in the last months/years. What do you think about making videos for techno? Are they helpful while promoting a release? Nice gimmick? Had MTV (and music videos) an large impact on you in the 80ies and 90ies?
I was a big fan of MTV and Viva in the 90ies. So, of course this had a big impact on me. And I always appreciate it a lot when somebody does a video for one of my tracks. Especially the 29nov guys. They are really talented I think. And yes, I think it helps a lot to promote a track or an Ep if you have a cool video.
Your latest release was on Mote-Evolver, the label run by techno pioneer Luke Slater. Tell us please something about this release. How did you get in touch with Luke to get these tracks released? 3 of 4 tracks have strong vocal samples. So how did you produce the EP and where did you find samples like this?
Luke wrote me and asked if I could imagine to release an Ep on Mote-Evolver. No question! I sent him some stuff and he chose 4 tracks. Everything went super easy. The vocals I sampled from youtube. I think I took them from motovation speakers, buddist nuns and priests or so. Cant really remember as I sample so many vocals from there. All those tracks I produced in the first half of 2017. It was a real productive time for me as it was clear that I will move out of Berlin in august and have to give up my studio there. So, I worked like crazy to have a lot of finished tracks before my moving.
(snippets of Oliver Deutschmann’s EP “Lost In A Loop”, Mote-Evolver 2018)
You released on several label – some run by yourself. How do you select a label for your stuff?
Well, mostly I got asked and if I like the guys behind it and the label I do it. Most important thing for me is to work with people I like, with people that are kinda easy going. Just like me.
YWe are aleady at the end of our small interview feature. For sure we have to ask you what’s coming next… Any special gig? New records? What are your future plan?
Playing Shanghai and Bejing the first time in august. Looking forward to ‚Her Damit‘ in september of course. Also my new project S.M.O.D. is going pretty well with upcoming an Ep on Second State. And I still wanna do another album if I find inspiration for that.
