Category: Interviews

 

 

 

hello Robin. nice to have you for our small interview which is accompanied with an exclusive mix. Let‘s start with your childhood and youth. Where were you born and grew up? When did you get in touch with music the first time? What kind of music did you enjoy being a teenage boy? When did you discover techno?

I grew up in a very small village on the outskirts of Brussels. I was literally surrounded by cows, fields and had one bus a day to go to the nearest city. That was until I hit the age of 15 and both my grandfathers died in the same summer. My parents decided to move near Aalst in order to take care of their mothers who were left all by themselves. You could say I spent the bigger part of my adolescent years in Aalst. I had an amazing and careless youth on which I reflect in a melancholic way. Music has always been a pretty big part of my life. I remember my dad playing the piano for me and my sister when we were kids. He also owned a collection of “strange” synthesizer music which he played during weekends. I didn’t get that kind of music back then and laughed at him. Nowadays the bigger part of this collection is at my place. At the age of about 7 years old I started to take music theory classes and learned how to play xylophone, marimba, timpani, drums and so on for the following 8 years. It was my dream to become a professional percussionist. All of this determined my taste in music in a very wide variety, but it would be a shame not to mention the tons of skate videos I watched when I was a teenager. I got to know the best rock, metal, rnb, hip hop, electronic music etc. through those videos. From The Strokes to Jedi Mind tricks, my 250MB mp3 was something else. My interest for techno is something that evolved along my interest for electronic music in general. Later on I noticed there are a lot of drummers/percussionists who got into techno and it makes kind of sense because you basically do the same thing on another level. By experimenting with rhythms, sounds and textures you create a certain kind of groove and this why I love the genre so much.

 

 

Your career started with the release of “Next Of Kin” on Black Sun Records in 2016, an album. Usually young artists have to release several EPs before they find a label that “risks” an album release. How came it up to this? Did you try to release EPs before it or was it your wish to start with the album? How did you get in touch with the label? Afterwards you also released EPs e.g. on labels like Planet Rhythm, Stockholm Ltd. and Sonntag Morgen. Is your process for producing an album different from the one for EPs? How does it look like? With which elements do you start the production and what are your inspirations?

I didn’t approach it as an album really, so I consider it more like a kind of “double EP” personally. It’s a compilation of my first steps into making techno. Literally the first techno tracks I ever made using the old faithful Korg Electribe EMX-1 and a MicroKorg alongside Ableton. I sent my demo tracks to a handful of labels including Black Sun and got immediate response, resulting in “the album”. I was super excited because Black Sun is a label that kickstarted a lot of careers (e.g. Sunil Sharpe, Blawan, AnD,…) and it matched my envision for what I had in mind with “Phara”. The labelmanager and head of Ready Made Distribution, Tony, who is pretty known in the Berlin scene appeared to be a very nice guy and gave me the opportunity to get an unknown person’s music out in the form of “an album”. I didn’t know, but later on he told me that Silent Servant took care of the artwork which was the icing on the cake.

 

 

Apropos productions. You just delivered a remix for Border One‘s EP on Escapism. Do you enjoy working on stuff initially created by someone else? How do you start with remixing? Is/are there any artist/s you would like to make a remix for? Any specific things about the one for BO?

Remixing is one of the hardest things to do for me, that’s why I don’t remix everything. I have to hear in which direction my remix would be going when listening to it from the first time. The main goal is to have fun in the studio and not to force out a “product” that frustrated you most of the time. I generally work a lot longer on a remix than I do on my “own tracks”. I’ve always loved Steven’s productions and even collaborated with him in the past for Rapid Eye Movement so I knew chances were pretty high I was going to like it.

 

 

You perform under the moniker Phara. What does it mean? How did you find it?

Named after the most hideous sweatshirt I ever bought in my life. A gold Pharaoh, that was printed all over the sleaves and body. Really gangsta. It was laying on the floor when Black Sun reminded me for the 5th time they needed a name to put on the record. Still don’t know what came to mind when I ordered it, but luckily never wore it.

 

Above I already mentioned Border One. Since recently you both were announced to join the Voltage Festival agency. I guess you weren’t a stranger to the Voltage family? What is your connection with the festival and what can we expect from it?

Parallel Circuit who started Voltage Festival was the first to contact me and to guide me into the scene. It came to Steven’s (PC) ears I was going to release on Black Sun, so he approached me with the question to join the project as an artist. Voltage already existed before I started to make music under the Phara moniker, but you can say they were there from day 1 for me. All of the artists at Voltage grew alongside each other with a different sound, different methods, styles and identities, though still with a like-minded attitude and vision on music. With the Voltage record label, which launched last summer, it took things to another level. If everything goes well, I’ll be having an appearance on it with a full EP to be released this year of which I’m very excited.

 

 

Belgium. For me it is one of the countries were Electronic Body Music was born (Front 242 etc) that had a big influence on the European techno. But there is also a nice “modern” techno scene. What do you think about the New Beat /EBM scene and its influence? How would you describe the scene and situation of electronic music in Belgium nowadays?

Those were the days where Belgium flourished I guess. Our country had its own musical identity and people from all over Europe came here to party 5 days straight in subwoofered Volkswagen Golf cars. Sadly enough I can’t talk from experience, but I must have watched every documentary concerning New Beat and early 90’s Belgian rave by now. The musical relevance and influence Belgium has/had on electronic is incredible. For such a small country you can state we delivered a sure amount of musical heritage throughout the years. In the end a lot of clubs lost the fight with police and the epic era of Belgian nightlife came to an end. Something we recognize nowadays with the pretty recent “temporary” closing of Kompass in Ghent because of a drug casualty. It’s kind of sad how Belgian politics approach these kinds of issues when you compare it to other countries or progressive cities like Amsterdam or Berlin who acknowledge these kinds of subjects and don’t want to hide them by running away or closing them down like it never happened. Nonetheless our shitty nightlife politics, there are a lot of good things happening in Belgium. Everyone knows the big female techno giants, but there’s a lot of fresh talent, ready to be discovered in here. It may sound a little patriotic, but I genuinely hope Belgium will once again get a sound and color of its own but we’re heading for the right direction. In terms of clubbing or festivals there are C12 in Brussels and Voltage Festival who in my opinion don’t follow the herd, but try to book new refreshing things with a strong focus on quality and not quantity. Something we don’t take for granted anymore here.

 

 

Talking about old and influential music. Please name 10 tracks/records (of any genre) that had a big impact on your music taste. Why are they important for you?

In random order. …

01. Murders by John Frusciante
Catching rails and grinding curbs with an invisible deck. Legendary ‘Girl – Yeah right’ intro.

02. Disco Rout by Legowelt
One of my first loves and all time hero producer.

03. Asphyx by Sterac
Couldn’t have a favourites list without including anything from Steve Rachmad.

04. Idioteque by Radio Head
Classic that still give me the shivers everytime.

05. Narc by Interpol
15 years old and one of my first discoveries as a picky teenager.

06. Turbine by Clarence G
Those drums

07. Clouds by Gaussian Curve
If I would marry someday, one of these tracks would be the first dance. Amazing (and probably my favorite) album in this world.

08. Flesh by A Split Second
Considered to be the first new beat record ever made by slowing it down by playing it at 33 RPM. Classic.

09. Our Darkness by Anne Clark
There has to be passion.

10. All Along The Watchtower by Jimi Hendrix
Almost – Greg Lutzka. Used to bingewatch skatevideos at that time.

 

 

We met at Arena last year. How do you prepare your set for a night? Do you follow strictly an idea while playing or do you let it flow? What is important at a club for you to have a good night?

I’m a “let it flow” type of guy. I don’t prepare much, but I make sure I know my music when I play and in which kind of situations it can be used. With nowadays technology it’s very easy for dj’s to download a bunch of tracks and play them all along without any feeling. If you know your tracks and when to make a move throughout the entire set, magical things can happen. That’s what I like about playing records instead of CDJ’s; they make me lazy without wanting or knowing it. Record players keep me connected and focused. I’m sure possibilities are endless with CDJ’s and I saw people like Setaoc Mass really juggling with it, but I don’t feel attracted to it that much. I could name a few criteria to have a good gig like a nice sound system, great lighting and so on, but one of the things I like the most is a booth close to the crowd and not on a silly stage with flashy lights on top of you. I don’t look up at the crowd that often, because it makes me a little bit uncomfortable, but I can assure you that one of the best feelings you can experience as a dj is to feel the atmosphere from an energetic crowd crawling on top of you. You connect in a different way.

 

 

Following the question above: do you have some favorite clubs? Some where you wanna play? Please tell us some funny or extreme experiences during your tours?

I still am at the beginning of my career, but I’ve already met so many great people and visited great places because of what I love to do. And for that I am super grateful. We’ll see which places or people I encounter along the road. I don’t know if I can already laugh at the situation that you’re about to hear, but in some kind of way I think it was funny. Murphy’s law at its best. I was invited by the Oecus guys to play at About Blank in Berlin last year. For starters I overslept, missed my flight and had to book an 8 hour train ride to Berlin next to some crying baby. With a slightly negative mindset and a head ache, I arrived in sunny Berlin and met up with some friends. About a week before my girlfriend decided to join us because we hadn’t seen our friends in Berlin for a long time now. She booked a flight, but since it was this last minute she had to get a connection flight in Stuttgart. In the meanwhile I joined my friends for dinner on a terrace, was having a drink and a laugh until my girlfriend called with the message her connection flight got cancelled because of a bad storm. She got stuck in Stuttgart for the night, crying over the phone because she was looking so much forward to see everyone and to have a good time. (Note: she barely cries, but when she does, my heart always shatters in 10 000 pieces, it’s the worst). Slightly depressed, but dazed by my friends’ comforting wines I arrived at About Blank. Didn’t play very well which fed my negative spiral, so I called it a night right after my set. The day after I was planning on meeting up with some friends at Tempelhofer so I took a shower and prepared to leave. All set, I took my bag, looked for my wallet, kept on looking, but eventually never found it. I realized that I had lost it or it got stolen, which meant I got stuck in Berlin without any money, passport, etc. Belgian embassy was closed during the weekend so I couldn’t get a passport to fly back to Belgium. Fed up with everything I decided to buy another train ticket from Berlin to Belgium to leave the next day. The same evening I went out for a drink, got some shots because wine didn’t do the job anymore and walked into a very intimate concert of a wave performance by Laura Krieg. I bought her cassette instantly and it still is one of my current favorites one year later. She appeared to be completely unknown, but she could easily be on a Minimal Wave compilation. After another 8 hour train ride I arrived back home the next day.

 

 

Producing & DJing.. for many artists it is difficult to make a living from the money earn that way. Are you a full-time artist or do you also work in a “normal” profession? What was your dream job while being a little kid?

I always dreamt about a career in music when I was a kid. Back then my main focus was to be a professional percussionist, but along the way the dream about making a career in electronic music surfaced from time to time as well. To this day it still is a dream, but I don’t always dare to say it out loud. I keep on doing what I do with more passion and devotion than ever. I just let it happen. I believe that when you’re chasing a career or money in a subject like music you could get into a loop, full of pressure and forced ideas which aren’t fruitful for any creative mindset.

 

 

Already coming to an end. Let us know some of your future plans. What’s coming next? Any nice releases scheduled? Or special performances?

2019 was a pretty calm year when it came to releases. I released the Velvet V. EP on Planet Rhythm which did quite a lot for me frankly. I received so many great reactions to that EP. 2020 will look a little bit busier, starting with my debut on Eartoground February 1st and lots will follow after that. I’m very much looking forward to what this year is going to bring.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

hi Nico, very cool to have you for this short interview. Let’s start with a little introduction by yourself. Where were you born and raised? How was your childhood and youth? When did you discover your love for music and which kind of music did you listen to when you were a teenager/tween?

Thx for having me. I will turn this year 40 years old and was born and raised in the former GDR. In a small city next to the Baltic Sea. My family was a typical socialist family – there was no time for music. It was all about work and work for community. In the end of the 90thies I discovered punk and skin music. Counterculture by itself. And the same time techno reached my heart – time of MAYDAY and underground raves.

 

 

I guess it is not a secret that you are gay as you organize queer parties. So we would like to know a little bit about your personal situation at home with parents and relatives, your hometown, your outing etc. Was it difficult for you? What are your experiences with friends, relatives etc when you came out?

We can make it short – in my hometown was no gay culture or life. There was nothing to discover, so I traveled as often i could to Berlin to express myself. It was amazing. My hometown was a neo-nazi area, my struggle was different. But my parents were very open minded. I had never any problems with them about being gay – I never had a coming out, cause I don’t want to write myself like a stranger. And i will coming out, when my straight friends are coming out as well: so let’s talk about sex and not about my coming out. I become a queer skin.

 

 

As mentioned above you are the promoter of a queer party series. It’s called “DURCH” and the current Berlin editions are taking place at “Zur Klappe”. When did you get the idea of running our own party? Could you please describe the concept of it? Have you changed anything since you started it? Are there any DJs who play regularly / residents? What kind(s) of music do you have at “DURCH”? What are the criterias you use for selecting the venue for a party (I remember that the first instalment took place at Untertage)?

I started this party with Martin 2,5 years ago at SchwuZ. The idea was to bring the music and party there, where the party mostly started – at the toilets. That’s still our concept. Even Martin is not part of this anymore. After SchwuZ we tried Untertage, cause fetish and sex is part of our concept and the venue fits us well. After a break we decided to move to Zur Klappe, cause it’s a old public toilet. A old gay cruising spot. DURCH becomes resident party at Zur Klapoe and we are happy about cause it combines all what we like: dark underground techno sex toilets.

DURCH stands for hard techno and it’s fluids developments – I like elements from ghetto, which and scouse house as well. We are happy about our residential DJs like Kandy K in Tel Aviv, Luca Eck, Sh Se (before TLV now Berlin) and Dj Hobby (Zur Klappe).

 

 

Berlin has one of the biggest queer communities and also a vital gay nightlife. What makes Berlin so special/interesting regarding nightlife (queer and in general)? How important is the gay scene for the music scene in general? Which queer parties impress you and influenced your own idea?

Berlin is still living from the vibe from the early 90thies. Everything is possible as long as u believing in it and if there some crazy heads around u. Everybody is talking about the dying nightlife, but there are small unique space like KAKE, build up by queer expats. That’s still the Berlin vibe from the 90thies. And for sure every techno party in Berlin is in somehow in queer party, at least a gay party. ??

The former HOMOPATIK – now Buttons Impressed me most. It’s my home, my castle, my love.

 

 

After running several instalments in Berlin you brought “DURCH” also to Israel and have more plans. Could you please tell us something about this? How did you come up with this “export” idea? What did you already do and what are your plans? Do you cooperate with other promoters/parties there? Anything different to the Berlin concept?

DURCH is now running events in Berlin und Tel Aviv. The Tel Aviv idea came after my uncountable visits there. I having lot of friends there and felling part of this city. We were talking a lot of what is missing there: queer community events and underground parties. Last year in September I moved there for three month and we organized some community events like queer art exhibition or bondage workshop or a queer bdsm show. But still DURCH like to celebrate techno parties we organized a real underground rave and a queer techno show at Alphabet Club. DURCH TLV was born and working now by its own: next underground rave is at the 21.2. w/ Luca Eck, Dj Hyperdrive, Kandy K and Aba Karish – underground location.

 

 

Beside organizing parties you also work(ed) as bouncer etc. in clubs like Berghain, Griessmuehle and ://about blank. When did you start working in clubs? What did/do you do there? How is/was it to work there as a queer? Any negative experience? How important are queer doormen for a club? Why are they necessary (having latest homophobic attacks in Berlin & other cities in mind)?

I started many years ago … doing security for small punk-rock or techno shows. I was studying and needed the money. I did and doing everything: greeting, doing rounds, Awerness, medical help and social work. In the same way having good experience, u get negatives once’s. From seeing/feeling somebody is dying or was raped up to invitations to marriages. It’s crazy.

I would say it’s important to make the marginalized people at door visible. We need more queer people at the door but in the same way more women* or people of color and many more marginalized people as well. I’m very privileged even as a queer person, cause I can choose to show my queerness or not.

 

 

On instagram you have some photo series (https://instagram.com/durch.party). Please tell us something about them. Are these pictures made for DURCH? What‘s the concept? Who are the photographers and models?

We did once this “instagram armpits exhibition” – all pics (90) were sended by Berlin queers or I did them by myself. The idea was: „it’s time to leave the shelter. It’s time to express urself in the way u are. in the way how u showing ur armpits, u open urself for the view and the person in front of u – u starting to get vulnerable. attachable. but u aren’t. cause we are many. and u are beautiful. 1312 – stonewall was a riot.” It’s mostly about to make people visable. And to great a counterculture. It’s not about likes. It’s about us and our bodies, fetish or desire. Mostly all models are friends or know persons. Same with the photographer.

 

 

We on NovaFuture are music freaks and we are always interested to which music other people listen. So could you please name 10 favourite tracks/records (no matter which style) and tell us why they are important for you?

01. Jung Kaputt Spart Altersheime by Bärchen und die Milchbubis
best punk ever

02. Not In Love by Crystal Castles
cause I fall in love

03. ….. by Dritte Wahl
punk rock who socialized me

04. Stumme Menschen by Feine Sahne Fischfilet
Friends running a band

05. Lebkuchenmann by Georgette Dee
it’s deep meaning German Chanson and I like it deep

06. No Regrets by HO99O9
best band ever

07. Navy Blue by John Roberts
best ketamine music, brought stability in my life

08. Subzero by Ben Klock
makes me feel 17 again

09. Mekong Delta by Len Faki
it’s part of my oldschool berghain which was never exciting (only in my mind)

10. Cold Fusion by The Advent & Industrislyzer
that’s my techno background.

 

 

When we as music lovers interview other music lovers, we often just talk about the music and forget that people perhaps also have other hobbies/interests. So we would like to know if you also do some other stuff in your spare time to relax…beside music related issues.

I’m trying to read as much as I can or to travel around the world. Photography and art is something I’m very into it. And I like the opera and theater.

 

 

It’s already the end of our small interview so let’s talk about your future and what’s coming next. Any special news about “DURCH”?

Friday – 7.2. next DURCH at Zur Klappe. (see our feature). DURCH starts Art and a bigger cooperation in Berlin – but the Rest is top secret right now.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hello Sheldon. Nice to have you for our little interview series. We are also looking forward to our exclusive mix that accompanies this feature. So let‘s start with the very beginning. Where were you born and raised? How was your youth? What kind of music did you listen during that the time (being a teenager discovering his first music / records)?

Hey Jürgen. Thanks for inviting me. I’m from the Northern regions of Ontario, Canada. My father was a miner working at a uranium plant in Elliot Lake. Hidden by nature and surrounding lakes, it was a great place to live during my early youth. I’m still glowing from the mild radiation haha. Like an normal pre-teen during the 80’s radio era, I guess I was pretty much in to various styles of music. Mainly synth pop, punk rock.

 

 

You came from Canada to Germany in 2003. What was your reason to move overseas? Why at that time? Do you still go back regularly? What are the main differences between/ of living in Canada and Germany?

Needed a change of scenery. Music allowed me that opportunity to see and experience the world.

 

 

Your main artist name is Sid Le Rock but you also have several other aliases like Gringo Grinder and Pan/Tone. When did you set them up?And when do you use which one? What is the music style of each?

I’m a gemini, so the aliases fit my multi personal agenda. Pan/Tone was my earliest project. My high musical output at the time required that I create these aliases just to keep up.

 

 

The first time I realized your existence was with your debut release of “Written In Lipstick” on Ladomat2000 which was a sublabel of Mute Germany in some ways at that time. Could you please tell us something about this time and your start? How did you get in touch with Lado? Did you realize that it was the German dependence of a legendary label with bands like Depeche Mode, Movy, Nick Cave, Erasure etc? After that you had several labels to put out your Sid LeRock stuff e.g. T.Raumschmiere’s Shitkatapult. How did that happen? What was the main differences between these labels? For some special releases you also run a label by yourself, “Cereal/Killers”. How was it being on the opposite side and doing that work? Did you like it?

I was a long time fan and collector of Ladomat’s early releases, so yes I am quite aware of its legendary status. It was always my dream to release music with them.

I simply mailed Ladomat a cd demo, because that’s was we did back in the early 2000’s. They liked what I sent in and we signed a 2 album deal. The label unfortunately folded after the release of my 2nd album – Keep It Simple, Stupid. Same financial pressure of the time the happened to many great labels due to the collapse of record distribution companies.

It came as a relief that my own musical existence was not in jeopardy when I signed my 3rd album with Shitkatapult. T.Raumschmiere and I had been friends since we both meet in the beginning of our music careers, so it felt naturally to do something on his label.

 

 

During the Lado time you made a few remixes for label mates like Commercial Breakup. Later you also were in charge of a remix for Mute’s flagship Depeche Mode. Is it different – perhaps difficult – for you to work with stuff of other people (compared to own productions)? How do you start your own stuff and how do you get into the creation of a remix? Depeche Mode are known for being very progressive regarding remixers & remixes – always looking for something new and upcoming. Do you know how it happened that you became one of them? Did the remix help spreading your name and ideas?

It usually depends on the original song. If there’s key components in the track that may be useful, then this aids me in the rework of the track. If the song lacks ideas or just ain’t my thing, I skip it. In the case with my remix for Depeche Mode, Daniel Miller’s label manager contacted me at the time. He said that Daniel has been following my music and would like to hire me for a remix. I was thrilled at the opportunity, of course, but was bummed out that the track didn’t…lets say motivate. I worked through it and managed to come up with two remix versions. Happily, both were accepted. Did it help spread my name? maybe it brought me a new fan-base, Maybe it didn’t. It was pre-social media, so it’s hard to say.

 

 

Many artists complain that a music career nowadays is more based on image, instagram pictures etc than good music. You are already part of the game for more than 15 years. Do you feel a change? What is different? What do you think about social media? At the beginning of the digital revolution a lot of people said it will become better and easier for every artist. No labels, no agencies, no bad contracts etc. As said above you were mostly signed to a label. Do you think labels are still necessary? Any suggestions for young artists how to start?

Yes there is a major difference in how it has changed. It’s not really about the music, more so about your abilities as a social influencer., but be aware that that does not mean innovator. People often confuse the two. My only advise is do your own thing, have your own voice and stick to what makes you feel fulfilled creative wise.

 

 

Back to your work. You also play live from time to time but not very often. Is there a reason for it? How do you decide when it is time to play live or perhaps “just” to spin some records? Which equipment do you use live and how does a live gig look like?

I still perform live and enjoy it but you’re correct, I much prefer to dj these days. It’s much more open and allows me to take a break from my own production. Offers ideas, play longer and nowadays, a lot of venues lack to space for equipment

 

 

The initial reason for this interview was the release of your current album “Scenic Route” on Hafendisko. Please tell us something about the content. What inspired you? Which topics are assimilated? How did you produce it?

My longtime girlfriend, family and friends inspired me. It came to me as a collision of all my life experiences – discipline, humility, ego, maturity that processed this new album.

 

 

Coming closer to the end of the interview I would like to know a little bit about music you like. Could you please name 10 records/tracks that are important to you and also why?

simple. I listen to good music that fits its maker.

 

 

Already the last question… it is about your plans and your future. What’s coming next? Some interesting projects in the pipeline? Nice gigs you are booked for?

Re-release & re-edits of my personal favourites from my Pan/Tone & Sid Le Rock back catalogue is underway. Beyond that, wherever the wind blows, I go against it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hi Dennis. Nice to meet you virtually for this small interview. Let‘s start at the very beginning. Where were you born and grew up? What kind of music did you enjoy in your teenager years?

Thanks for having me, it’s always a pleasure to work with you and the novafuture blog.

I was born and raised in a smaller city near Tübingen in South Germany.

When i was four years old i started playing drums and created my own style of punk/metal music. Later my two siblings influenced me into the punk scene. At a young age i already started to visit some festivals and concerts.

 

 

Assuming that you cannot live from the earnings you get with music, what’s your profession? Or do you study (what?)? What are your spare time activities/hobbies/interests beside making music?

I’m working as a event technician so its kinda familiar with the clubbing scene. I’m spending a lot of time with my friends cause this is a really important thing for myself and of course my music.

 

 

You have 3 EPs out on Codec992, Schizophrenia Crew (now Antagonist Field) and Lebendig. How do you select the labels for your stuff? Are your tracks nearly finished and then got signed by the labels or do you produce on request? If they sign existing tracks are these tracks some kind of demos where some changes are needed or finished ones? Are labels nowadays really necessary to release own stuff digitally? What is the role of a label now – what’s the advantage released on labels instead of doing it yourself?

I always have a bunch of tracks to go. Sometimes i produce on request so i can create an exact mix between my style and the label himself. I think a track is never completely finished. You can always make the track better or change some things on it. I do not think that you need a label to bring your stuff to the audience.

If u have a label to release your work you definitely can reach more people but for me the important thing is to reach the right people. It doesn’t matter how much, it depends on who and why.

 

 

Let‘s go deeper into your production process. Where does your inspiration for a new piece of music come from? How do you start to work on a new track? What are the next steps til your track is finished? You use vocals in some of your tracks. Where do you find the samples or singers?

My inspiration comes from listening to a track, trying to get into the producer’s mind, but ultimately not getting what he wants to say. It sound strange but that’s the actual thing that gives me the punch to create something new.

For me the leading thing of a production is to bring over a message. A message with which the listener can do whatever he wants. Every track from myself has a different effect to every single person so everyone can create his own picture of it.

I generally start with an idea that I have recorded on my iphone, and try to implement it as well as possible. In most cases the finished product is no longer comparable to the idea I had at the beginning. All vocals I used In my own productions are self-recordings. Except the LOVE IS JUST A WORD project. These vocals are made by a very talented girl from Stuttgart called LENA BEE.

The track with luca was a very spontaneous one. I posted a melodic idea I had on my instagram and he instantly texted me that I should send it to him, he wanted to sing over it. I thought yeah it could be nice with some german wave vocals and its also a good thing to create a mixture between my perspective of ,,wave’’ and his special part for it. I love him, he’s my favourite secco-boy!

 

 

Your music style is a mixture of EBM-ish tunes and techno. What is your personal connection with EBM and Industrial music – music that is based in the 70ies and 80ies with strong comeback in the last months?

For me it’s the perfect mix between the roughness of punk and techno. I’m really into music that isn’t well known. For me music doesn’t have to be big or famous. It has to be understandable.

 

 

You come from the southern Germany. Could you please give us a short overview how you see the scene there? Where do you go for party etc?

The main techno scene is really hyped there at the moment but for me I cant really cope with the popular scene. When I go for party I mostly go to LEHMANN CLUB or visit the BASISLAGER events in Stuttgart. Hopefully ill be back in Stuttgart soon but for now I will focus on my start here in Berlin.

 

 

You already played live e.g. at Synoid / Griessmühle. How do you prepare the sets on the technical side and also personally?

I didn’t prepared any special things for this gig, because I knew that the audience was really open minded and ready for everything. I really enjoyed it there and I can say that I’ll be back in berlin very soon!

 

 

Please name 5 techno and 5 EBM records that are essential for you and tell us why.

We have so much good music out there and I can’t decide witch ones speaks to me the most but here are three of my all time favs at the moment.

01. Limelight Roles by Habits Of Hate
02. Variant by These Hidden Hands feat. Lucrecia Dalt
03. Die Konsequenz ist Logisch by Rosa Nebel

 

 

You are a young guy, a digital native so please let us know what you think about the twist between analog fetischist and modern DJ using digital technology.

ANALOG is the opposite of ANA sagte die Wahrheit!

 

 

Yes we are already at the end of the interview. So please share your future plans with us! What’s coming next?

I don’t want to say to much but there are big pans for the future!

I have a side project which is called “FEIND” for some Noise/Experimental stuff.

Hopefully I’ll have some free time in 2020 for some productions or maybe some performances. I’m also looking forward to my lebendig-family, we had a really nice year together and we don’t stop!

Let’s see what the other half of the year will bring over.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

hi Martin. Nice to have you for a „Music & Interview“ feature. Let’s talk about you, your DJ career under the moniker Invia, your crew Voitax and the life in general starting at the very beginning. Where were you born and where did you grow up? How was your youth? What kind of music did you listen to when you were a teenager etc.?

Hi Jürgen. Thank you for the invitation to do the mix and this interview. I was born in 1987 in Thuringia and grew up in a small town near Erfurt. I was introduced to music pretty early on – my mom happened to be the music teacher at the elementary school that I was attending. She also enrolled me at a music school, where I learned drums and piano. I quit music school after only a few years – something I know really regret. Around the 2000s I came in touch with electronic music. Initially it was all pretty random stuff, mostly through videos on MTV and VIVA. However, after a while I got really into it and started watching the HR3 Clubnight shows on the weekends and got deeper and deeper into the scene. My older friends supplied me with mixtapes – those were heavily influenced by House and hard Techno (still called Schranz at this time). When I turned 16, after I had already attended some Techno parties, I finally bought my first records and turntables and started practicing mixing.

Five tracks/records that had a major impact on me and led me to electronic music:

01. Sandstorm by Darude
02. Silverscreen by Felix da Housecat
03. Emerge by Fischerspooner
04. La La Land by Green Velvet
05. 1982 by Miss Kittin & The Hacker

 

 

Can you tell us more about your home town? How is your relationship to it nowadays? How is/was the techno scene there?

My hometown was in a rural area, pretty much in the middle of the “Thüringer Becken”. It was basically the perfect place for a happy childhood, but once you get older it becomes pretty boring there, there wasn’t really anything to do as a teenager. But to this day I still enjoy going back there to see my old friends and family. Sometimes it’s nice to leave the stressful life in Berlin and breath some fresh air back in your hometown. The Techno scene in Thuringia, however, was pretty big around the 90s and 2000s. There was a good party somewhere nearly every weekend, sometimes legal, sometimes illegal, in old warehouses or industrial buildings, clubs, or just outside. We had great DJs from Germany and abroad coming to these parties, so they drew quite big crowds with people sometimes travelling far, even from other states. I used to put on some illegal open-air raves with some friends throughout the years and got involved in some clubs, for example the WolkeZwo4, which sadly had to close a few years ago. Today the scene is much smaller. There are still some clubs and collectives who put in a lot of effort, but it is not comparable to the 90s and 2000s.

 

 

You studied musicology in Giessen. Did you already graduate? What is your daily job? In 2013 you moved to Berlin. What was your reason for it? What about your spare time? Do you have any other hobbies? Tell us something about your non-music life please.

I moved to Giessen in 2008 to study musicology. After my graduation in 2013 I changed location to Berlin for an internship at Groove Magazine. It was a really nice time that I remember fondly, in which I learned a lot and got to meet a lot of great artists. But when the internship finished, it was not as easy to find a job in the music industry as I had hoped. After a year of worked all kinds of random jobs and gigs to keep myself afloat, I decided to study social work. Since my graduation I have been working as a social pedagogue at an elementary school, which I do not regret at all. If I have any spare time between work at the school, my work for Voitax and making music, I usually go play table tennis or fishing. Especially fishing is a great way to counter stress at work.

 

 

You play under the moniker Invia these days but you had another DJ name in the past. How would you describe your style today and in the past? What was the reason for renaming? What are your inspirations in general?

After I started DJing in 2003 I had to decide on a DJ name for a DJ contest. I didn’t have much time to think and from then to 2016 I performed as Ebi. From Schranz to House and other styles of Techno I basically played whatever I liked. But eventually I got really tired of that name and I felt like it was time for something new. Since my involvement with Voitax, I have been performing under the name Invia. I still like all kinds of electronic music and my sets reflect that. It depends on when and where I am playing, but in general you can expect anything from Techno, dubby, broken and moody tracks to Acid and Electro. I am very inspired by partying as a clubber myself and the musical exchange with my friends.

 

 

As mentioned you are part of the Voitax crew. So let’s talk about it. When was the label founded and what was the intention? When did you join them? What’s your task? In the past the records were hand-stamped and you didn’t announce the producer behind it. Later the optical appearance changed and you used colored photos with a strong relationship to the artistS who were part of an exhibition during your Asia tour. What kind of image you guys want to create for the label?

The label was founded by one of our partners, Benjamin, back in 2012/2013. Our paths crossed the first time on one of the Open Airs I was organizing around 2006 in Thuringia. We’ve hit it off straight away and basically have been friends ever since our early teenage years. Back in 2012 I wasn’t part of the label yet and it was only until two years later, when Benjamin moved back to Berlin, that the rest of us got involved. Christoph and I joined forces and the three of us started running the label together. We were motivated to turn this platform into something special, gathered lots of ideas, met plenty of new people, visualized future collaborations and projects and the whole thing became more professional with every year that passed. I wouldn’t say that I am playing a very specific role as all of us like to work collectively on every aspect of our label. Our work goes hand in hand, and we update each other daily about what’s going on. Of course, everyone got their specific tasks to deal with, but we regularly sit down, talk about ideas, potential projects, issues that need to be solved and so on before we turn things into action. We very much rely on each other within the label and are basically best friends outside of it – that generally makes things a lot easier.

 

 

Last year the Voitax crew made an Asia trip for several gigs. Can you tell us something about the trip? How does it happen?

I can’t say much about it in detail because I couldn’t be part of the Asia tour last year due to work related reasons. I know Benjamin, Christoph and the guys shared an amazing experience together that can all be read in the Asia Tour Story on our website – definitely worth a read!

 

 

At the moment there are no releases by yourself. Are you into production or are you interested in djing only? Do you work on some stuff? If yes, please tell us something about it – how your working process looks like, what inspires you, which equipment you play around etc.

Really, I have been into producing for as long as I have been into DJing. If I remember correctly, I started making beats in Fruity Loops even before I started DJing. At some point I got a Groovebox by Korg, which I later sold to buy a better Laptop. Basically, I had been producing with Ableton only for ten years, but only occasionally. Sadly, I never had enough time to arrange any of my thousands of unfinished projects on my hard drive to a level that I was truly happy with and would have felt comfortable releasing. But since around two years I am finally spending more time on producing and my studio is growing again. By now I only use Ableton for recording and adding effects. The sounds are almost exclusively analogue. My two Elektron machines are the centre of my setup. I make my drums and percussion with the Analog Rytm, I also use it for sampling and resampling its internal tracks. Most of my synth sounds like pads and leads come from the Analog Four, which also triggers a semi modular system, where I usually create basslines and experimental sounds. Lastly, I have some effect pedals and another Korg synthesizer.

 

 

Since a few years there is a “little” dispute about DJ equipment: does a good DJ have to spin vinyl or is it ok to learn it with digital equipment. What do you prefer? What’s your equipment? Do you see any quality differences between vinyl DJs and digital DJs?

I am getting really tired of this discussion. In the end, the result is what matters, and the result is all about the music and selection. You can be amazing at mixing, but if your selection does not fit the vibe, your set is not going to sound interesting. I find it much more appealing to here a transition that might not be technically perfect, but the DJ still tells a story with the selection and draws the audience into it. I personally prefer Vinyl, because this is what I started with and I find it nicer to dig through a crate of records than to scroll through digital files. At home I mix with vinyl on a pair of 1210s and an Allen & Heath mixer, this is also how I made the mix for this feature. When I’m playing at a club, I do use digital files on an USB occasionally to play unreleased tracks or stuff that I couldn’t find on vinyl. When it comes to quality, I think there are advantages and disadvantages on both sides. Vinyl sounds a bit more charming with its crackles and its warm, full sound, it has nice haptics, the covers look great, and you can easily see how much is left of a track. However, it could be possible to face slightly irregular playback speeds, feedback due to insufficient isolation of the booth is also pretty common. And of course, the needles must be in good condition to really enjoy playing. If you play digitally, you have none of these problems. At most clubs though, the sound engineers put in a lot of effort, which is why I’m still sticking to vinyl.

 

 

Let us know something about your favourite music nowadays. Could you please name 5 techno tracks/records that you love and regularly listen to? Please also tell us why they are important for you.

Not easy. I bought a lot of records in the last weeks from all kinds of genres, hard to decide on only a few. The ones below represent my current taste in electronic music quite well and I really enjoy playing them at the moment. They are in alphabetical order, since I value them all the same.

01. Another Day by Clouds [Headstrong]
02. Bay Of Sampieri by Cyan85 [Voitax]
03. Reversing Into Tomorrow by O/V/R [Downwards]
04. Adequate Force by Stenny [Ilian Tape]
05. From Sorrow To Darkness by Trudge [10 Pills Mate]

 

 

We are already at the end of our small interview. What‘s coming next? Any nice gigs? Other plans?

First of all, I am very excited for my holidays, which I will spend at the Algarve. I can finally relax, go swimming and get some sun. When I’m back I will go to Nachtdigital before everyday life kicks back in. I will also spend more time in my studio to finalize some tracks. On the 21st of August I will play at the Killekill Summercamp at Griessmühle. Other than that, there will be a few more interesting releases on Voitax, but I won’t give away too much about them yet 😉

Thank you for this – hopefully interesting – exchange and have fun with my mix!