So many years ago, creating a space of belonging, of freedom to be and express yourself, celebrating music in such an ecstatic way with the long opening hours. It is not a party night; it is an almost open-end experience forgetting about time and the outside world. This was and is a big difference compared to other clubs. It was also the base for these special experiences between the DJs and the crowd. The energy that results out of that… in the end its many factors coming together. There is no formula. Also, the reason why there is no second place like that.
The ‘Fusion’ title seems essential to understand the chore of it: a smoothly blended mix of your DNA. Could you talk about that?
The name “Fusion” connects and unites all those different tracks and styles. They are like pieces of a big colourful puzzle that create a total work of art in the end. My DNA, like you well said. 100% To give you an insight. When we, within the team, listened to those 24 tracks from the album for the first time it was in one go. And it took so long. It is so many tracks, that we knew we have to think about a different way to introduce all those tracks to the listeners. All at once is overwhelming. So therefore those 3 ”introduction EPs” do not totally overload everyone but still find a good way to share my vision…
You are also famous for your long DJ-sets. They require variations and constant changes. What’s the concept beyond that?
I would say its each time a result of all my experiences in life until this respective moment. A long set gives me more freedom to try things out and see where they might bring me. I get to know the crowd and the energy in the room. I have more time to sense everything. I direct the energy in the room but at the same time I am a part of it and it guides me to sometimes unexpected places which I couldn´t have planned before. Never ever. At this point I achieve this feeling in shorter or regular long sets too. I guess it comes down to “practicing” it for so many years. A friend who is meditating for years told me once that she just falls or tumbles into deep meditation after only a few moments due to her long years of practice. This reminded me of that. In the past, it took me a bit to reach this mental state while playing. Nowadays I just glide into it within a few moments.
Could you talk about “Figure”, your record label? How was it born?
Like many labels back then, it was only for my productions in the beginning. I needed a fresh start. Before I was part of a label group in which I had invested a lot of music, time, and money but it got insolvent and I lost a lot of what I had back then. I didn’t want this to happen again and be free to make my own decisions and be independent. At one point I started to release friends’ music on the label and it started from there and evolved over all the years constantly. It’s a place for evolving artists and changing constellations. It´s a snapshot in time, of where we are at musically. Only in a small frame and for the music.
2023 has just started. Even though you are an icon in the music industry, someone who ‘made it’; what are your goals for the future? What advice would you give to a young artist that wants to start a career as a musician?
For 2023 I want to have a good time releasing the album and hopefully bring some joy into people’s lives with those tracks. I want a year back to normal touring life in which our world can hopefully recover fully from this pandemic, and I want to stick to my resolution to keep the balance between touring and producing. I am honoured that you say that, but I have never seen myself as an icon. I am part of our scene for very different reasons than fame. I do fulfil the producer side for my innermost because this is just what I exist of, and I fulfil the DJ part to share my music, and my visions and create beautiful moments for the people around me and myself through music. That I managed to make this into a living is sometimes still unbelievable for me, and I consider myself very lucky that it worked out well till now.
Pieces of Advice for young artists might be that they need to prepare for constant learning, evolving, changing, and finding their own style and way. Not following others but learning to listen to their own inner guidance.
What should we expect next from you in terms of releases, dates etc?
There is one more, very exciting new project coming up this year. I cant tell yet. Only so far. It will have a new name and combine both my passions into one. You need to stay tuned ;)