The Plug
Spotlight: Selected Techno Works, your latest album, tries to summarise over a decade of music. Why was 2011 the time to release this collection?
“I had a few situations in clubs were people came up to me and said things like ‘you're a great DJ, do you have any records out'. I'd say ‘yes, quite a lot actually', and it made me realise the people inside clubs change very quickly.
“So I thought I'd put together my best known tracks and personal favourites, for people who don't know me. I have released tons of records, hundreds probably, so I don't think it's easy for people to listen through all of them to find the best- there's too much.”
Sifting through all your work must have been quite a task then?
“Oh, man. It was really difficult; I still like most of my tunes! Finally it came down to a few I really love, like Lamakova, and the big hits like Sussholz, Doppelwhipper, and
Ihre Personliche Glucksmelodie. I also spent a lot of time watching my You Tube clips, and looking at how many views each had, and I asked a few friends, of course.”
The bonus disc is full of ambient work that's quite old now. Do you still make that kind of music, if so why not use more current tracks?
“I just thought it would make a nice little goodie for people. I really love that ambient album, but never knew how to release it. This was a good opportunity. In terms of what I'm doing at the
moment, it's more pop than anything else, and certainly very little techno. After 16 years or so I feel I need a little break. Not completely, just produce and play less.”
So what's the pop music all about?
“It's really guitar based, with some acoustic elements. Alice, who is here with me now, she is a great singer, and has released some of her own, fantastic productions as Alice
Rose. Together we're a great songwriting and production team I think, we haven't put anything out yet though.”
The Issues
In Selected's sleeve notes you comment about crowds inside clubs changing quickly. Is techno only aimed at people of a certain age?
“Not especially age. People come to techno and party, I think it's a phase, or period in your life when you're dancing and experiencing. It's a special feeling when you're ‘on techno', you know.
It's a lifestyle too, and a lifestyle more for younger people I think.”
Apart from the crowd, what else has changed since you emerged?
“Ah, I don't know. It's the zeitgeist I guess. When I came to techno in 1995, though I had listened to it before this was the first great year for me, it was a totally different time. In Berlin the
border had just come down, and everybody had the feeling things were getting better- it was a really positive breakthrough, and the music was the same; new, fresh, expanding, peaceful, euphoric…
“That was the energy techno came from in the past. Now it's different, we have one crisis after another, so people just want safety, and a secure life. They don't want such hard, fast music anymore. It's getting much calmer, more harmless, which is good in some ways, but then I think it's a little bit boring.”
The business side of things is in constant flux too. How are things at Basmati, your own label?
“Well, I had a dream for a long time about having my own label. I was participating with Karmarouge but it was not mine. Now Basmati is my own, except for the business side, but all the art
decisions are in my hands.
“So the releases are music I totally love, you know. And the artwork is amazing, which is by Alice Rose. I don't care so much how many we sell, it's so much fun to run. I think we're doing OK though, you know, it's difficult to sell 1,000 records these days and we often do more than that, which is great.
“Looking to the future I have a series of releases lined up for the summer, called the Live Series. These are tracks, like Doppelwhipper, that just happened when I was playing live. I started them in the studio, then something completely different to what I was expecting happened when I played them out. Then I recorded that in the studio, live on machines. So there's maybe six, or seven, or eight tracks there.”
It all sounds like you're very busy. Have you found the time to make any other plans?
“No, that's pretty much it music wise. What I am doing though is looking for an old house, close to Berlin. I have found an old train station, so I am thinking maybe I can buy that. It's beautiful,
and the tracks that run through it are closed now, so it's very calm around there.
“Sometimes tourists use the tracks still, running these bicycle type things on them, which is quite funny. But overall it's perfect, around 60 kilometres south of central Berlin, so it's really in the middle of all this wonderful countryside. I'm thinking of starting like a commune, you know, so people can live there with me- I wouldn't want to do it alone.”
