Interview for ROVR

Posted: February 19th, 2025 | Author: | Filed under: Interviews English | Tags: , | No Comments »

Finn Johannsen – Artcast 127 & Interview

Posted: February 9th, 2022 | Author: | Filed under: Interviews English | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | No Comments »

Hello Finn, pleasure to speak to you. What did you have for breakfast today and what does an ordinary day your life look like in these times?

I made myself a sandwich with cheese and Salame , with a bit of of French dressing. I did not start baking bread or similar. I am happy with what I can get at the supermarket, and I have plenty around. I am a nocturnal person, my daughter too. But as soon as she is asleep I often watch a movie or a series with my wife and when my wife is asleep as well, I head over to my study to work, listen to music or read. If I have no meetings scheduled the next day I do not have to get up that early so I mostly stay up late. Once I get up I fix myself a small breakfast, read the news and then start working again, correspondence or whatever else needs to be done. I try to have that finished until my wife and daughter come back from work and school, and then we have lunch. Then either work, homework and spending some time together. I did not get infected so far, but I am aware that it will happen eventually. I am not afraid of it and vaccinated, but I try to avoid it as good as I can because I do not want to spread it further. So apart from occasional meetings for work or with friends and getting necessary things for our household I am mostly staying in. I have read Joseph Heller’s Catch 22 yet again, and I agree with its protagonist Yossarian that there are plenty of people out there conspiring to kill me, and I am determined to not let them. To stay fit I use a rowing machine on a daily basis.

Speaking of “these times“, we are now almost two years in this pandemic, clubs open, clubs close, some have to close forever, some are able to survive, but nobody knows yet what price the scene, the clubs have to pay. How have you been keeping up with the ever-changing situation and how do you wish to be supported by the government in “these times“?

It is of course very frustrating. We worked very hard to keep alive, and when we were allowed to open again it felt like a reward for all our efforts. Then after just a few weeks it was all over again, and it was total letdown. I will not complain about the governmental support. It was kind of remarkable how chaotic it was organized though, and in many ways the pandemic also affected the previously indestructible myth of German efficiency very severely, but at least we had support, other countries were not as well off. Generally, I was not as optimistic as others about how the pandemic would progress, but I was very disappointed that this winter turned out to be even worse than the one before, especially because I feel that this situation could have been avoided by more timely and efficient measures. I was sure from the start of the pandemic that clubs would be way down the crisis management priority list, but I get angry when people not do their best to bring this to an end, and if it was only to show solidarity with others more affected by the situation. I was not exactly surprised that parts of our society would only care about their own good, but I was surprised to what extent. What optimism I had when the vaccinations began to roll out faded as soon as I realized that a good and necessary deal of the German population would refuse it. These days, I stick to the actual facts in the news that seem reliable and valid for how things will potentially develop, and I try to keep away from all the opinions flying around that do not help one bit to change this for the better. I do not want to discuss the pandemic anymore with people who mostly only display their own selfishness, or cowardice, or doubt, or fear. To fight a pandemic of this scale is a group effort, and I am really tired at this point of those that do not want to act accordingly. What effects all this will have is still speculation, as we are absolutely not through yet, but I am sure politics and the economies will eventually recover but there will remain a trauma, in terms of both physical and psychological conditions, and not anybody will be able to overcome it so soon. The price to pay? We all will pay a price. But better to pay a price than to die.

How does the uncertainty these days influence your booking behavior for the Paloma?

Well, you make the best of what you can do, and you try to act responsibly. We had to cancel a lot of dates, and when we learnt that we can open again we tried to catch up with all those cancellations first, instead of starting from scratch with everything. But we were expecting to open sooner, and when we could not do that we had to postpone and reschedule whole monthly programs, a process that we are unfortunately in again right now. But we were in constant crisis management mode since March 2020 and after all this time we would surely not give up now if we are not forced to do so. Of course there is also always some level of uncertainty when you book for a club, and now that level was quite enormous, but we are a good team and we prevailed, so far. It is frustrating that we also had to cancel some gigs again for now, but we will try to make them happen at a later point, which will be a challenge too. Other than that you also have to adapt in ways that you were not used to before. For example we priorized DJs that had no other income like a day job or similar, which was not a point before DJs had a regular income from playing out. Or we were very strict to meet all the Corona restrictions at the door, and bookings fell through because the DJs did not have the necessary documents to enter the club, and other DJs were not fully vaccinated or not intending to get vaccinated at all. The majority of DJs understood and respected that we were so strict though, only a minority did not. This also applies to our audience. Most guests were glad that we did our best to make our club as safe as possible, and brought up the patience for all the according door proceedings.

Following the question before, do you think that in general clubs’ bookings have or will change due to the pandemic and do you wish for a renaissance of the local DJs taking over club nights instead of international ones?

There was a divide in DJ culture in terms of fees and gig count before the pandemic, and I have this theory that it will grow. There are top tier DJs that fly around the world and earn silly money, mid tier DJs that can live from DJing, but with a certain level of uncertainty, and low tier DJs that already needed other sources of income before to make a living, with way more uncertainty. Now the low tier DJs switched to other sources of income for good because they had to, more than before. Either they were just starting out to get a reputation, or they were satisfied with just playing out. Of course the current situation is a blow, but they might be able to carry on, even if it requires to start all over again. The top tier DJs either did not interrupt their program anyway during the last two years, or they now benefit from the situation, because most bigger clubs are so in debt since closing that they probably play safe and book only headliners they think will guarantee a full capacity. In this case the mid tier DJs are worse off, because they are caught in the middle. They do not pull enough people to fill the bigger clubs and they are too costly for the smaller clubs. I really hope I am wrong, but as soon as the clubs could reopen last year, you could well observe this pattern. And this of course also applies to these hopes that the local scene will play a more vital role. Doors were open again, and you could often see that DJs were flown in again, the DJ middle class was kind of diminished and some local DJs did not get more than the function of a cheap filler. I do not really think that there will be a renaissance of local DJs. I suppose as soon as bookings can be regular again, most clubs will fall back to old habits, or even worse. Of course there are clubs like Paloma with a limited size and accordingly limited budget, and they will always book local talent because they cannot afford regular and costly travel logistics. But they do not determine the business, and they also might not be able to pay your rent.

When speaking of club culture in the northern hemispheres of Germany people speak of the “three Ps’ – meaning the Pudel club in , Panoramabar and Paloma. In a nutshell, what unites these three nightlife institutions and ideally how can clubs cross-fertilize each other?

I must say that I have not heard of these three P’s in unison before, but I think it is rather flattering. Pudel and Paloma sure are comparable in some ways. Both have a hub function in their local scenes and support a local network and fresh talents, and their musical agenda is similar in terms of quality and content, the size is similar as well, as is the attitude, and both share the same graphic designer, the wonderful Alex Solman. Panoramabar sure is a different and bigger thing, and a whole other status, but I think what unites all three clubs is that they are all very special places. I had memorable nights in all three both as a DJ and as a guest and that is probably the most common denominator. The best way to use similarities is of course to work together, which we do, particularly with Pudel, with which we have regular exchange. But we do not only invite DJs from the Pudel network to Paloma, we also have nights with Panoramabar DJs, regular ones and residents. I have a whole lot of respect for both clubs, each in their own way, and I think we can all benefit from each other, and we do.

Let’s leave the club topic behind a bit. When speaking of you and looking at your vita the word versatile is basically inevitable. You DJ, you run the label Macro with Stefan Goldmann, you do the bookings for the Paloma and clubs, you used to write for various magazines and you worked at famous record store Hard Wax. How have all these different approaches to music helped you to overcome the past months and what’s your preferred field of working?

Well, music is just really very important to me. I listen to music every day, and even more in the last months than usual, which really helped me to stay sane. Everything I do for a living is connected with music, and as you mentioned I do and did a lot of different things. Music just makes me happy, and what makes me even happier is when I am able to spread music that I think is worth more attention than just mine. My preferred field of working is always the one that helps me to achieve that best. DJing was the first and is still vital in that aspect, the label allows me to explore ideas other than just my own, as does the booking. I do not write as much anymore as I did in the past, but if it is a good topic and I can find the time I still enjoy it. I could also support a lot of music at Hard Wax for some years, but I took up booking while I was still working at the store, and I had never done booking before, just getting booked myself, and at some point I realized that I could provide said support more efficiently with the booking, so I decided to leave. But it is all kind of in flux, and always has been. I have been fortunate about opening doors, so there might be another step in the future. But I am really very happy with what I am doing right now.

What two other attributes suit your character and how do they support the before mentioned field of working?

I would say I am curious. I can be very enthusiastic, but I also lose interest quite quickly. I can be quite thorough if I am interested enough. I do not like routine. All of these proved to be quite helpful in terms of creativity.

Coming back to your versatile being, musically you are also quite versatile. Firstly, would you say that musical versatility is something that comes with age as at some point people stop being as stubborn or nerdy? Secondly, what does the first thing you pay attention to when listening to new music and add to your “playlist“?

Hm, I am often suspected of being a nerd, my glasses do not help there, but I do not really feel like one. Of course I am aware that I know way more about music than the average listener, but for me that is a natural process. I just listen to so much music that it would be plain weird if I would not gather some knowledge about it. And I like to learn about the context of what I am hearing, and I can save the information in my memory, which is the same with literature or movies. The versatility sure is a result of both my wide interests, and my longterm occupation with being out to discover. As anybody else, I have some preferences, you can identify them all if you follow me, but I could never stop with what I already knew and then just maintain it. Basically I am open to anything in terms of creativity, if I investigate it and it is not for me I just move on to the next, but so far I never felt like stopping. Maybe that is the stubbornness you were suggesting, in my case. What I pay attention to first while at it is probably ideas, and a an artistic signature. Mostly I am hoping for something completely new to me, sometimes I am content with a fresh approach to things I already know and like.

Have you noticed a change in taste over the pandemic due to the fact that clubs were closed or open for not so long?

My listening behaviour patterns kind of strengthened. Even before the pandemic I listened to less club music, because it was all around me anyway. That kind of music did not quite solely become a commitment connected to work, but it was heading there. I began to reserve my time off work for other music, sounds that do not have to fulfill a purpose of being useful with what I am doing for a living. Apart from checking music styles I had not explored before I am also always willing to revise verdicts I made on some point about music I checked earlier on, or even whole genres. Sometimes you are not in the mood to get it, sometimes you are just ignorant, sometimes it does not feel right at the time. And taste should not be too static, else you just miss out. I do not mind if music clicks with a delay of even years, if it clicks. What I also had to notice is that the older you get the more you look to your past. I revisited some music of my youth, and it still clicked too.

What have been your three favorite musical findings over the past weeks?

1) German trap or drill music is much smarter than I thought. 2) I may read as many books about Krautrock as I can get a hold of, but I will never like the bulk of it more. 3) I will probably never have the patience for ambient music.

What has kept your relationship with electronic music passionate and what was one of the tracks that made you fall for it in the first place?

I love how much music that was created years ago still sounds like the future, and is still being processed. I am convinced at some point it will all implode and make way for something completely unheard of, and I am looking very much forward to completely not getting it. But I will sure try to. As for love at first listening probably I Feel Love by Donna Summer or Das Model by , off the as a kid. Boring as it may be, I am old enough to claim that, though it probably was Popcorn by Hot Butter. Honourable mention: LFO. I used to claim in several heated debates that LFO was the first electronic music that really sounded like the future. I still stand by that.

What’s a musical extravaganza you’d pay for if money was not a thing?

It might be more an availability issue than money, but I would love to dance to Klaus Stockhausen at least one more time, all night long. Paloma would be a fine place for that, but any place would do. He is still the best DJ I ever heard, and I heard many.

Speaking of money, a lot of renowned artists played at the MDLBeast Soundstorm festival in Saudi Arabia a few weeks back. Does money deprave some people’s character that they play for controversial governments or is this simply the price the scene has to pay due to the pandemic development over the past months/ years? What is your opinion on that topic?

I think it is problematic to single out that event as an indicator for all that is wrong in club culture. Of course that festival was quite questionable, but then again so many events are, if you take a closer look. The more money is flying around the more it is likely that the source of the money is questionable. But it is a business. As long as there is a market for it, it will keep happening, and it happened before so many times, out in the open as with that festival, or not. I was surprised by a few names on the lineup, but I think on a certain level there just are some skeletons in the closet everywhere. Not that there are necessarily no or less skeletons on a lower level, mind. I must admit that it does not bother me too much, it is like a parallel universe for me. I know some people from earlier on who achieved that status, and they made their decision for success, and now they have a business to run and the according obligations, and others may need more and more money because they also spend a lot of money, for whatever. Of course this kind of circuit is decadent and the money is obscene, but there are so many alternative ways of doing events. If you feel this is depraved, you may support the other, or do your own. But you will find depraved characters everywhere you go.

Which of your morals could you never throw overboard or are non-negotiable?

I am no saint, and I made my mistakes. But I try to neither hide nor repeat them. But I am really allergic to hypocrisy, especially if it is a strategy.

After so many years in the scene/ business what piece of advice would give to your younger self?

Do what you really want to do, but do never behave like an idiot.

What’s a superpower you wish you had and how would you use it?

I would love to be able to make everything that is fun healthy. I would use it all the time, everywhere, and for everybody.

Original source: https://torturetheartist.net/2022/02/09/artcast-127-interview-finn-johannsen/

Black Moon – Reality (Killing Every…) (Instrumental)

Lord Finesse – Actual Facts (Instrumental)

Diezzle Don & Tha Governer – Hood Thing (Instrumental)

Kool Keith – Sex Style (Instrumental)

Heltah Skeltah – Place To Be (Instrumental)

Supernatural – Buddah Blessed It (Instrumental)

Paul Nice & Joey T. – Born Invincible

Diezzle Don & Tha Governer – So Now You Know (LP Instrumental)

Heltah Skeltah – Da Wiggy (Da Wiggstrumental)

I-Cue – Pass It Around

Group Home – Express (Instrumental)

Cocoa Brovaz – Drama (Instrumental)

Joanna Law – Love Is Not Enough (“We 3” Dub)

Krumb Snatcha – Gettin Closer To God (Instrumental Version)

Big L – Street Struck (Instrumental)

Shabazz The Disciple – Crime Saga Spiritualmental (Death Be The Penalty – The Sequel)

Fat Joe – Firewater (Instrumental Version)

Edo G. – Acting (Instrumental)

Finsta And Bundy – Sunnyside (Instrumental)

Black Moon – I Got Cha Opin (Instrumental)

Diamond & The Psychotic Neurotics – You Can’t (…It Is Real) (Instrumental)

Jeru The Damaja – Come Clean (Instrumental)

Mobb Deep – Extortion (Instrumental)

Biz Markie – Studda Step (Instrumental)

The Nonce – Mix Tapes (Instrumental)

O.C. – My World (Instrumental)

Showbiz & AG – Spit Beats

Mobb Deep – Blood Sport (Instrumental)

Smif-N-Wessun – Bucktown (Instrumental)

Trends Of Culture – Who Got My Back? (Instrumental)

Wisdom – All Star Jam (Instrumental)

Mobb Deep – Animal Instinct (Instrumental)

Rob Swift Feat. Cracker Jax – Nickel And Dime (Instrumental)

Smif-N-Wessun – Let’s Git It On (Instrumental)

Smif-N-Wessun – Wontime (Instrumental)

Major Stress – Stuy Beats (Instrumental)

Goodie Mob – Goodie Bag (Instrumental)

O.G.C. – No Fear (Instrumental)

MC Shan – Shan & The Queens Connect (Instrumental)

Special Ed – Freaky Flow (DJ Premier Remix) (Instrumental)

Heather B. – If Headz Only Knew (Instrumental)

Pizzicato Five – This Year’s Girl #2

CRU – Wreckognize (Instrumental)

– Friendly Pressure (Cool Breeze Instrumental)

China Black – Searching (Heavy Tactic Dub)

Mad Doctor X – Believe In Your Stealth

Jesus Loves You – One On One (Massive Attack Dub)

Bassline Feat. Lorraine Chambers – Back To Bass-ics

Lord Finesse – Hip 2 Da Game (Instrumental)

Edo G. – Dedicated (Instrumental)

Erick Sermon – Welcome (Instrumental)

Smif-N-Wessun – Stand Strong (Instrumental)

Concrete Mob – Boiling Point (Instrumental)

Masta Ace Incorporated – Sittin’ On Chrome (Instrumental)

Group Home – Supa Star (Instrumental)

King Midas Sound – One Ting (Dabrye Remix)

Fresh 4 – Smoke Filled Thoughts

Method Man – All I Need (Razor Sharp Instrumental)

Wu-Tang Clan – Can It Be All So Simple (Instrumental)

K-Otix – 7 MC’s Pt. II (Instrumental)

Lord Finesse – No Gimmicks (Instrumental)

Showbiz & AG – Full Scale Beats

Just Ro – Confusion (Instrumental Version)

The Pharcyde – Y? (Be Like That) (Jay Dee Remix Instrumental)

Ras-T – Ill Nig (Instrumental)

Imam Thug & Tragedy Khadafi – The Bridge 2000 (Instrumental Mix)

Mad Lion – Double Trouble (Remix Instrumental)

Rock The M.C. – Don’t Stop The Hip Hop (Dub Instrumental)

Warren G – I Shot The Sheriff (EPMD Instrumental)

Five Deez – Time Is Night

Paul Nice & Joey T. – Dance Of The Drunken Mantis

Big Willie Smith – Keep It Real…Represent ’96 (Inst.)

Spooky & Billie Ray Martin – Persuasion (Inward Mix)

The Brotherhood – Mad Headz (More Edz Remix) (Instrumental)

Stereo MC’s – What Is Soul (Instrumental)

Dr. Octagon – Earth People (The Earth Planet Mix)

Shabazz The Disciple – Conscious Of Sin Spiritualmental

AZ – Uncut Raw (Instrumental)

Brothers Of The Mind – Rough & Tough (Nitetyme Instrumental)

Big Noyd Feat. Mobb Deep – Recognize & Realize: Part 2 (Instrumental)

Shara Nelson – Inside Out ( Mix)

M People – Search For The Hero (Smith & Mighty Dub)

Leta Davis – Joey’s

KRS-One – Questions & Answers

Mobb Deep – Survival Of The Fittest (Remix Instrumental)

Heather Park – I Miss You b/w Shook Ones

Mobb Deep – Give Up The Goods (Just Step) (Instrumental)

Gabrielle – Because Of You (Delta Dubwize)

Goodie Mob – Soul Food (Album Instrumental)

Ice-T – The Tower (Album Instrumental)

Dan Wicked – Puerto Ricans On The Rise (Original Street Version)

Five Deez – Chilly Most (Instrumental)

Reborn – Right To Be (Epic Mix)

Smith & Mighty – Anyone… (Dub Mix)

Massive Attack – I Against I (Instrumental)

Lenny Dennis – Lovin’ You

LL Cool J – Pink Cookies In A Plastic Bag Getting Crushed By Buildings (Remix Instrumental)

Latin Alliance – Know What I’m Saying ( Instrumental)

Ice-T – New Jack Hustler (Stress Mix)

Chill Rob G – The Power (Instrumental)

Company Flow – Infokill (Instrumental)

Micranots – Exodus (Instrumental)

Vordul Mega – Neva Again (Instrumental)

Mobb Deep – Get Away (Instrumental)

Nick Wiz – Darkside beat 84

Deltron 3030 – Things You Can Do (Instrumental)

Dr. Dooom – I Run Rap

Vakill – Flows U Can’t Imagine (Instrumental)

Nick Wiz – Fall Back

Pete Rock – Walk On By beat

D.I.T.C. – The Enemy (Instrumental)

Showbiz & AG – Time For (Instrumental)

Masters Of Illusion – Back Up Kid

Dr. Dooom – Apartment 223

Kool Keith – Sly We Fly

Showbiz & AG – Stand Strong (Instrumental)

Chubb Rock – The Mind (Instrumental)

Kool Keith – In Your Face

Pudgee – King Of New York (Instrumental)

Lord Finesse & O.C. – Ya Better Recognize (Instrumental)

Ghostface Killah – Camay (Instrumental)

Tragedy Khadafi Feat. Capone – True Confessions

Freestyle Fellowship – Can You Find The Level Of Difficulty In This? (Instrumental)

Showbiz & AG – You Know Now (Instrumental)

Dr. Dooom – Neighbors Next Door

Showbiz & AG – Ain’t No Fun (Instrumental)

Analog Brothers – 2005 (Instrumental)

Mobb Deep – Party Over

Stieber Twins – Hash

Stieber Twins – Fahrenheit 72 (Instrumental)

Dilated Peoples – The Main Event (Instrumental)

Cora E – Next Stop New York (Instrumental)

Stieber Twins – Allein Zu Zweit (Instrumental)

Cora E – Hip Hop Gibt Mir ‘N Titel (Instrumental)

Nick Wiz – Still Low

Mobb Deep – Eye For An Eye (Instrumental)

Kool Keith – Plastic World

Analog Brothers – Analog Annihilator Vrs Silver Surfer (Instrumental)

Mobb Deep – Right Back At You (Instrumental)

GZA – I Gotcha Back (Instrumental)

Showbiz & AG – Check It Out (Instrumental)

Dr. Dooom – Leave Me Alone

Kool Keith – Still The Best

Cora E – Tracks Ohne Refraingesänge (Instrumental)

Lootpack – Lost Art (Instrumental)

Cora E – Lügen… Ihr Kriegt Mich Nie (Instrumental)

Aceyalone – Microphones (Instrumental Version)

Stieber Twins – Tausend MCs (Instrumental)

Asheru And Blue Black – Dear You (Instrumental)

Mobb Deep – Trife Life (Instrumental)

Clipse – Mr. Me Too (Instrumental)

Masta Ace Incorporated – Livonia Ave.

GZA – Cold World (Instrumental)

Mobb Deep – Q.U. Hectic (Instrumental)

7L & Esoteric – Operating Correctly (Instrumental)

Killarmy – Street Monopoly (Instrumental)

Showbiz & AG – Under Pressure (Instrumental)

All Natural – The Return Of The Avenger (Instrumental)

Nick Wiz – The Melody

Masta Ace Incorporated – Bellmont Ave

Foreign Legion – Full-Time B-Boy (Instrumental)

Deltron 3030 – Virus (Instrumental)

Mobb Deep – Where Ya Heart At

The Roots – In The Music (Instrumental)

Masta Ace Incorporated – Pitkin Ave.

7L & Esoteric – Mic Mastery (Instrumental)

Masters Of Illusion – Time 2 Get Right

Masta Ace Incorporated – Sutter Ave.

One Be Lo – Decepticons (Original) (Instrumental)

The Unspoken Heard – Nigga Like Me (Eye Level Instrumental)

Masta Ace Incorporated – Stone Ave.

Lone Catalysts – 3 Yrs (Instrumental)

Mobb Deep – Let A Ho Be A Ho (Instrumental)

Masta Ace – Don’t Understand (Pump It Like This) (Instrumental)

D.I.T.C. – Internationally Known (Instrumental)

Grand Agent – Know The Legend (Instrumental)

Mobb Deep – Adrenaline (Instrumental)

Masta Ace – Good Ol’ Love (Instrumental)

P.O.S. – Crispin Glover (Bonus Instrumental)

Masters Of Illusion – U Want Freestyle?

Lupe Fiasco – Dumb It Down (Instrumental)

Smut Peddlers – That Smut (Instrumental)

DJ DSL – Coming With The Sound

Mobb Deep – Quiet Storm (Instrumental)

Slum Village – Get Dis Money (Instrumental)

XLR8R Podcast 676: Power House (Finn Johannsen & DJ Pete)

Posted: December 29th, 2020 | Author: | Filed under: Interviews English | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | No Comments »
Photo by Laura Marchand

What have you both been up to recently?

Finn: Mostly spending as much time as possible with my wife and daughter, family and friends. I have been constantly DJing and working on a lot of other things for years and years and I used this unexpected time off to take a break, but I am also catching up with all the books and films I gathered for some occasion, and other interests I had to neglect due to too little time or too many distractions. Else I have not played a club gig since March. As I am a seasoned DJ I sometimes wondered how it would feel to retire at some point, and I guess I know now, and I realized that I am not yet ready for it. I still buy as much music as I can still afford, and I do shows and podcasts with it, and I try to be up to date with what is still happening. Generally I try to act as responsible as I can in this situation and make the best of it.

Pete: My girlfriend moved in and we used the unexpected time off to settle down. I am also still working at Hard Wax once a week, and I practice my daily Yoga routines. As far as DJing is concerned, I played a few open air gigs that met the necessary regulations. But only until the beginning of November.

How has lockdown been for you both?

Pete: I could never really develop some kind of lockdown routine. It just felt just too absurd to spend most of your life indoors, in your own space. Like not being able to meet friends where and when you want, to visit a restaurant, cultural activities, and so on. But we try to adapt to it, and make the best of what we can still do.

Finn: A lot of what I have been doing for decades fell apart within a very short time, and that was quite frightening. But Macro, the label I run with Stefan Goldmann, did not stop, and most importantly I did not have much time to brood over the situation as , the club I have been doing the booking for in the past few years, shut down in March and pretty much instantly went into crisis management mode. We organized a successful crowdfunding campaign, a series of exhibitions, a quarantine , fashion items and set up a label, and we are constantly thinking about other ideas to keep the club going and support our network. So thankfully I was quite busy, and I still am. Hopefully this will keep up until things swing back into action, and I kind of ignore the possibility that they might not.

Which artist and/or labels have caught your eye recently?

Finn: I was quite happy with the way UK Garage came back, there is a lot of interesting fresh new stuff on labels like Instinct, Dr. Banana, Vitamin D, and many others. On a disco tip I think Javi Frias, Snips, Very Polish-Cut Outs and the Sound Metaphors camp are doing mighty fine , and in terms of house music I think labels like Must Be On Wax, Blaq Numbers, Random Mind State, or Distant Horizons are well worth checking out. As a quite loyal soul I still cling to artists like , , Kai Alcé, Dave Lee, Hanna, Boo Williams, Pépé Bradock and friends like Dynamo Dreesen, SVN, SW., Fett Burger, Lowtec and the whole Workshop posse, they all keep on delivering. But, as many others, I spend more time with music at home now, and there I am mostly listening to old soul music and new hip hop, and according mentions would definitely blow up this frame.

Pete: I still dig what old friends are doing, like Sleeparchive, , or . I also enjoyed current releases by Ploy, the Zenker Brothers or Leibniz. The recent albums by Autechre and Actress also really blew me away.

With clubs closed, this period has been difficult for DJs. What do you make of the government’s response?

Finn: Well, this period has been difficult for almost anybody. In hindsight a lot of decisions how to handle the pandemic were obviously too late and probably too hesitant. The virus hit hard because practically only few goverments were at least a bit ready and well equipped to handle such a situation, and more often than not they were simply overwhelmed with the quick rise of infections and how it affected the whole system. Some countries were run by incompetent politicians that had no real clue how to answer it, and still have not. The fact that there were so many populists in charge sure did not help either, and that hey had so many supporters that believed them. Rather expectedly the cultural sector was the first to go down, and will probably be the last to come up again. But we are also aware that Germany was not affected as badly as so many other countries. There were fundings and help programs early on, where in a lot of other countries people in creative professions were just left in the cold. But we understand if people in said professions get frustrated with how financial help is distributed, or when they get official advice to work in other fields or to apply for unemployment benefits, because what they have been doing for all their lives is just way down on the priority list. And on top of it there is the threat that many institutions and locations will just vanish, and nobody knows how they ever will be replaced, if at all. It is important to keep all this alive, but it is also important that the ones demanding support step out of their bubble and ask themselves if what they want to keep doing is a potential threat to many others right now. The virus is just very contagious, there is no cure as of yet, and reason and patience are key.

Where and when did you record this mix?

Finn: The mix was recorded live at Paloma on the evening of October 16th this year, using our usual setup of two turntables, a TR-909 drum machine, and a delay unit.

Can you talk about some of the artists that you’ve included?

Pete: A Power House night is a perfect opportunity to play music by artists I have really internalized over the years. With the selection for this set I wanted too express my love for Detroit music, as I often do. But in the process of preparing a Power House set I also often discover certain artists all over again. This time that was the case with Eddie Flashin’ Fowlkes.

Finn: In the past we often dedicated Power House nights to certain topics, but this time I just wanted to play some records that I had not used yet. In my case it turned out to be mostly pumping US 90s house, just because I was in the mood for it. The sound of these records is quite representative for what I play when I opt for that direction, and the overall sound was also more vital than the individual artists. But of course you can hear some people that often pop up in the Power House canon, like Masters at Work, Tony Rodriguez, Eddie Perez, the Melillo brothers, Jason Nevins, Scott Kinchen or Eddie Maduro. Shout out to the family in France for providing a rather obviously fitting intro track, and Hans Nieswandt, who gave the fledgling Paloma imprint a glorious unreleased track from the 90s that is just working hard. As for the outro, you have to keep in mind that Power House nights at Paloma usually go on for eight hours, and the last bit is often reserved for early morning bliss and odd ones out, and here we condensed it a bit. The Blaze acapella is blowing a kiss to our beloved crowd, we indeed were wishing you were there, and the last record is a kind of relief ending, and I cannot tell more about it than that it is a Japanese record I found in a cheapo bin and I loved it ever since.

What made this mix so memorable?

Finn: Playing music together again, and doing it where it all began, and like we always do. Of course we missed our dancers, but it felt good to realize that our dynamics can be activated in any context.

Pete: I wallowed in the memories quite a bit. Our nights together offered so many, and it all came back. Finn is a friend, and a selector capable contantly coming up with musical surprises. We swing each other up. And it felt great being able to use our setup of the delay unit, and mixing my live 909 beats with Finn’s acapellas. That combined makes it even more fun, and I think you can hear that.

Full feature

Theory Therapy 10: Finn Johannsen

Posted: June 23rd, 2020 | Author: | Filed under: Gigs, Interviews English | Tags: , , | No Comments »

How are you today?

I am fine, thank you. My daughter will be home from school soon, and she had a test today, for a cycling license. She was very excited about it and I hope it all went well. Else I am pondering what we will have for lunch today, and I am thinking about fresh ideas to save Paloma, the club I am booking here in . Later my wife will be back from work and we will have some time together before I will meet a good friend, and I am thankful that such simple things are possible again. But right now I am listening to music and reading the news.

Can you tell us a little bit about the mix? What were you feeling when you made it?

I was actually playing two gigs in and in March when the virus basically took my whole life apart back home on the other end of the world, which was very surreal and confusing.

Finn at Sydney Harbour in March, following his last gig in Australia with DJ Sprinkles.
Finn at Sydney Harbour in March, following his last gig in Australia with DJ Sprinkles.

I always loved playing this kind of sound, but a main reason to fully indulge in it again was my closing set at Inner Varnika two years ago where I ended the festival on this tip, and the result was a beautiful and lasting memory for me, and apparently many others. So there was a connection that came to my mind when you asked me. That, plus I feel too uncomfortable at the moment playing a club set like nothing happened. 

What I felt while actually mixing it? Gratitude for all the good times I had, the good music I found on the way, and the fine people I could share it with. I was feeling a bit hopeful too.  

Where did you record the mix?

At home, on a bright morning last Monday.

What would be the ideal setting to listen to the mix?

I really had none particular in mind. I am honestly not sure how the situation affects the way people listen to music, or if that has even changed. Ideally, it stills works in various settings, and it may succeed in making them more enjoyable.

Are there any tracks you’ve used in the mix that are special or significant to you?

Rather expectedly I love all the tracks I used, but being a bit older I always loved Paul Rutherford, and I realised I never had the opportunity to include this record of him crooning about the moon. So thank you!

What’s on the cards for 2020?

I was at the movies in 1992, watching “Sneakers”, and when every member of the team was asked to make a request in return for the decryption chip, Whistler said, “I want peace on earth and goodwill toward men.” That’s all I ask, too.

Interview and tracklist

Black Seeds – Cool Me Down

Epo – Koino Hito Hira

Natalie Williams – This Girl

Lindy Layton – Wait For Love

Keni Burke – Risin‘ To The Top

Lisa Stansfield – Never, Never Gonna Give You Up

Cheyenne – No Number 1

YBU – Soul Magic

Nikke Nicole – I Believe

Paul D.C. – Unofficial Business

Paul Rutherford – That Moon

Marvellous Marvin – What‘s Going On

Kyoko Koizumi – Yo-Ru

Loose Ends – Love‘s Got Me

Temper Temper – Talk Much

Salt-N-Pepa – Express Yourself

Marissa – Love Is Just A Game

Taz: über DSL

Posted: June 11th, 2018 | Author: | Filed under: Interviews Deutsch | Tags: , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Der Wiener DJ, Produzent und Grafiker Stefan Biedermann alias DJ Super
Leiwand oder auch Danube Super Leiwand, kurz DSL, ist ein Phänomen. Er
war österreichischer Mix-Champion, mit Scratch-Gastauftritten in den
Charts bei Falco und und überregional einflussreicher -DJ
bei der Sendung „Dope Beats and Tribe Vibes“ im ORF. DSL gibt selten
Interviews und seine Diskografie ist übersichtlich: Ein Album, einige
Singles und Remixe, deren hohe Qualität ein Verlangen nach mehr
auslöste, – leider vergeblich. So sind es vor allem seine Engagements in
den Clubs, die die Legende von DSL fortgeschrieben haben. DJs mit
einem Repertoire aus HipHop, Reggae und Rare gibt es viele, aber
der Flow von DSL ist und bleibt stilprägend. Inzwischen ist DSL auch als
Grafiker renommiert. Aus Anlass der Veröffentlichung des von DSL
designten aktuellen WM-Spielplans haben wir einige Freundinnen,
Weggefährten und Bewunderer gebeten, das Wesen von DSL in Worte zu
fassen.

„Kennengelernt habe ich Stefan 1988 beim „New Music Seminar“ in New
York. Er hatte mit Dr. Moreau’s Creatures – zusammen mit Peter Kruder,
Sugar B, Rodney Hunter und Oliver Kartak, dort einen Auftritt. Das war
eine frühe Wiener HipHop-Crew, die hatten damals einen Hit und wurden
eingeladen, den live in New York zu spielen. DSL war ca. 18, ich
Mitte 20. Er hatte Mitte Achtziger schon aufgelegt und bei DJ-Battles
mitgemacht. Das lief in in Großraumdiskotheken. Ich mochte seine
unglaublich präzise Art aufzulegen. Er hat Turntablism als einer der
ersten in Wien verstanden. Da waren die meisten noch rockistisch
orientiert mit Nick Cave und so. HipHop wurde, wenn überhaupt, dann
höchstens auf LPs wahrgenommen, Stefan mischte mit Maxisingles. Das war
rebellisch, er hat HipHop als Kunstform verstanden, die Instrumentals
geliebt, fast mehr als die Vocal-Tracks. Ich bekam dann von Werner Geyer
ein wöchentliches 15-Minuten Fenster für HipHop in der „Musicbox“ beim
ORF-Radio und fragte Stefan, ob er die Mixes machen will. Das war Beginn
von „Dope Beats and Tribe Vibes“, einer HipHop.Sendung, die es immer
noch gibt. Stefan hat eine sehr musikalische Ader. Sein Gespür für
Timing ist grandios. Der Vater war Orchestermusiker und von dem hat er
wohl ein sehr gutes Gehör geerbt. Er ist jetzt Grafiker und lebt –
frisch verheiratet – wieder in Wien. Die Club- und Musikszene in Wien
hat keiner so geprägt wie er. Den Funk hat er in unsere Sendung
gebracht. Es hat mich sehr geprägt mit ihm zu arbeiten und ich habe
extrem viel von ihm gelernt.“

Katharina Weingartner, Autorin und Filmemacherin, Wien

„Anfang der Neunziger teilten DSL und ich uns den Freitag in dem
kleinen, aber immer vollen Wiener „-Club“. Einen Freitag er, den
nächsten ich. Arbeitszeit für uns DJs war von 22.00 Uhr bis 6.00 Uhr.
Wenn es voll war, ging es manchmal auch bis Mittags. DSL besuchte mich
an seinen arbeitsfreien Freitagen regelmäßig, nachdem der letzte Tropfen
in den Bars der Nachbarschaft geflossen war, kam er beschwingt hinter
das DJ-Pult und fragte mich, was ich im Moment an neuen Doubles
(Dupletten) habe. Im HipHop steigert der versierte DJ die Dramaturgie,
indem er mit zwei Kopien der selben Platte, – eine Instrumental-Version,
eine Vocal-Version – , den Track mit der Technik von Scratching in
kleinste Einzelteile zerlegt und damit die Crowd auf dem Dancefloor zur
kollektiven Ekstase bringt. DSL konnte man mit zwei Platten so lange
alleine lassen, dass sich ein Frühstück locker ausging und ich mir dann
nach einer Stunde die völlig durchgedrehte Crowd wieder abholen musste.
Dass er die ganze Zeit den selben Song spielte, checkte keiner.“

Peter Kruder, G-Stone Recordings, Wien

„Bevor DSL in den Neunzigern im Hamburger Golden Pudel Club aufzulegen
begann, gab es dort bereits zwei Plattenspieler, der zweite wurde aber
nie benutzt. DSL war der Erste, den ich dort mit zwei Plattenspielern so
virtuos habe auflegen hören, dass ich schier gebannt war. Damals waren
tatsächlich schon renommierte DJs im Pudel zu Gast oder legten
regelmäßig auf, jedoch gefühlt angeknüpft am vermeintlichen, – ich sags
ungern-, Trash-Pudel-Style. DSL kam und scratchte Soulplatten, oder war
es HipHop? Was waren das für Beats! Für ihn selbstverständlich und
extrem locker: das Doppeln und die Arbeit mit der Endlosrille – ein
einfacher Trick, wir Hamburger kamen aus dem Staunen nicht heraus.
Zauberei! Leiwand! Dazu die Optik: Schlaksige Körperlichkeit aus Mensch
und Turntables, Beine, Arme, Schallplatten, Hände und Regler, alles
durcheinander gewirbelt und dabei Musik herstellend, dann auf direktem
Weg zurück damit in diesen langen Körper. Whoosh! Bald hatte ich diverse
Gelegenheiten, höchstselbst mit ihm und seinem musikalischen Body
aufzulegen. Ich hatte die Deckel der Plattenspieler nicht beiseite
gelegt, sondern sie als Schutz vor Blicken extra hochgeklappt, um mich
dahinter zu verbarrikadieren. DSL: Bitte übernehmen Sie.

Myriam Brüger, djmelanie,

„Kaum volljährig und frisch nach Bayern gezogen, war die ab 1990 im ORF
ausgestrahlte Radiosendung „Dope Beats and Tribe Vibes“ Auftakt und
Höhepunkt meines Ausgehwochenendes. Oft hörte ich sie auf der Fahrt in
den Club und verharrte bis zum letzten Ton im Autositz. Der
redaktionelle Teil beleuchtete mittels Interviews und Reportagen direkt
aus den USA zunächst die aktuellen, damals rasanten Neuerungen im HipHop
und ordnete diese auch kulturell und soziopolitisch ein, bevor zum
Finale DSL, damals im deutschsprachigen Radio wohl einzigartig, einen
durchgehenden Mix spielte. Moderationsinhalt und der sehr eigene Duktus
zwischen Slang und Feuilleton prägten mir ein, dass die
unterschiedlichen Lebensumstände dem Fan das direkte Kopieren der
US-Vorbilder verbieten. DSL unterstrich diesen Eindruck akustisch mit
einem damals schon eigenen Stil und seinem Signatur-Trick, das selbe
Stück auf beiden Plattenspielern minimal zeitversetzt zu spielen und so
einen verwaschenen Flanger-Effekt zu simulieren. Als ich DSL dann später
an unserem mittlerweile gemeinsamen Wohnort kennen lernen und
live hören konnte, verstand ich auch, wie persönlich sein Stil und wie
musikalisch sein Leben ist; im Umgang eher bescheiden und etwas
introvertiert, aber mit einem feinen, trockenen Schmäh und unbändigem
Enthusiasmus ausgestattet, ist Stefan kein DJ, der mit seinen
meisterlichen, technischen Fähigkeiten eitel protzend Musikstücke
zerschreddert oder das Publikum mit schalem Hit-Potpourri ködert.
Sondern er zieht einen mit seiner originellen Auswahl und weichen,
fließenden Übergängen in die Strömung. Ebenso individuell vermengt er
HipHop-Kultur mit seiner anderen Leidenschaft, dem Fußball: Angefangen
mit seiner Ode an Toni Polster, später als Präsident unseres
vielköpfigen, regelmäßig im Vereinsheim spielenden DJ Kollektivs „St.
Pauli Sound Supporters“, für das er auch alle Flyer gestaltete und
dessen Banner der Steh-Fan auch bei jedem Spiel prominent in der Kurve
platzierte, bis jetzt zu den einzigartigen, zunächst aus Spaß für das
gemeinsame Schauen in relativ kleiner Freundesrunde entworfenen
Turnierplänen. Kurzum: super-leiwand DJ, ur-ur-leiwand als Typ.“

Constantin Groll, Word&Sound Vertrieb, Hamburg

„Vor fast 30 Jahren standen wir hinter dem DJ-Pult der Disko im Wiener
Volksgarten, tranken was, rauchten und lauschten der Musik, als ich
unvermittelt ohnmächtig wurde, zu Boden ging und auf dem besten Wege
war, mir den Hinterkopf volle Kanne an der Thekenkante anzuschlagen.
Glücklicherweise war Stefan geistesgegenwärtig, wie sonst auch, fing
mich heldenhaft auf – man könnte auch sagen, ich sank in seine Arme –
und rettete mich. Das hinterließ einen bleibenden Eindruck. Abgesehen
davon hat er mich musikalisch sehr beeinflusst. Er brachte mir die
Instrumentals auf den Maxis näher, deren reduzierte Beats und Grooves
waren fortan mein Ding. Und auf den New Yorker Produzent Mark The 45
King wäre ich ohne ihn auch nicht gekommen. DSL ist sehr groß, sehr
verschmitzt, sehr begabt und ich muss ihn unbedingt wieder mal auflegen
hören!“

DJ Electric Indigo, Berlin

„DSL ist der DJ, der mir die schönsten Party-Nächte geschenkt hat. Er
hat die seltene Gabe, Menschen mit Musik überglücklich zu machen – wie
oft bin ich selig im ersten Morgenlicht nach Hause gewankt! Zum
erstenmal erlebt habe ich DSL in Hamburg Ende Achtziger auf einem
Openair-Soundclash an der Elbe – damals noch mit seinem Kollegen Sugar
B, und ich erinnere mich, dass wir da schon alle unseren Augen nicht
trauten über diesen langen Lulatsch an den Plattentellern. Später im
Pudel, hat Stefan meist im Sitzen aufgelegt, weil er sonst mit dem Kopf
durch die Decke gegangen wäre, und im Laufe der Nacht dann seine
mitgebrachten Stullen ausgepackt.“

Marga Glanz, Groove City Record Store-Inhaberin, Hamburg

„Von keinem anderen Künstler sind mir im Lauf der Jahre so viele Platten
abhanden gekommen, abgeschnackt oder stibitzt worden, wie von Wiens
allerfeinstem DJ DSL. Dies beweist zweierlei: Zum einen die turmhohe
Qualität seiner Produktionen, die rechtschaffene Tänzer zu spontanen,
aber irgendwo auch ehrenhaften Ganoven werden lässt, sobald der DJ nicht
genau aufpasst: Zum anderen die latenten Beschaffungsschwierigkeiten,
die mit seinen Platten stets verbunden waren. DSL-Vinyl war schwer zu
kriegen, kleine Auflagen auf Obskuro-Labels, echte, wirkmächtige
Fetische eben, denen ich immer noch nachflenne. Immerhin habe ich noch
das von ihm designte Sankt-Pauli-T-Shirt.“

DJ Hans Nieswandt,

Ich hatte gerade meine Teenagerzeit als Mod und Atrium-DJ abgestreift
und beim Wiener Plattenladen Dum Dum Records neues, Aufregendes
entdeckt, da hörte man von den Brüdern Biedermann: Stefan Biedermann
wurde zweimal in Folge DMC-Weltmeister, damit war die Legende geboren.
Danke, lieber DSL für deine Pionierarbeit!

Erdem Tunakan, Cheap Records, Wien

„Als ich Stefan das erste mal sah, stand er an einem Flipper im
legendären U4 Club in Wien. Er trug damals eine unglaublich stylische
Haarsträhne, die aus einem keck in den Nacken geschobenen Basecap
hervorquoll. Mir wurde er als der beste DJ Wiens vorgestellt. Was mir
sofort auffiel, war ein Move, den er mit seiner Hand machte, während er
den Flipper bearbeitete. In regelmäßigen Aufständen wische er seine
Fingerspitzen an seinem Hemd ab! Profimove! Dass er das auch beim
Scratchen machte, fiel mir erst später bei einem Auftritt mit den
Moreau’s auf. Ich hab mir diesen Finger-Move dann selbst angewöhnt und
mach ihn bis heute beim Auflegen!“

DJ Patrick Pulsinger, Wien

„What a Great Happiness, DSL hat es wieder getan und den ultimativen
WM-Spielplan entworfen. Das ist wohl seine größte Tat nach dem Remix von
„Happy Bear“ und seinem „Der Mond“-Remix für Rocko Schamoni. Stefan, wir
vom Hund am Hafen vermissen dich und deinen HipHop für Erwachsene sehr,
konnten aber deiner in Wien-lässt-sich-in-Schönheit-Sterben-Sehnsucht
keine Hamburgensie entgegensetzen, die dich zum Bleiben veranlasst
hätte. Ohne Dein Deejaying ist HipHop nie wieder wie vorher, nicht so
elegant und anmutig in seiner reinen Form.

Ralf Köster, Golden Pudel Club-Mitbetreiber, Hamburg

Protokolle Finn Johannsen und Julian Weber

Taz 06/18

Platten packen mit Finn Johannsen

Posted: March 2nd, 2018 | Author: | Filed under: Interviews Deutsch | Tags: , , , , , , , , | No Comments »

Finn, wann und wo wirst du das nächste Mal auflegen?
Das ist nächste Woche (Ende Dezember), da feiern wir zwei Jahre Druffalo in der Bar. Und zehn Jahre Druffalo insgesamt, aber das feiern wir schon das ganze Jahr lang. Wir machen das so ein bisschen wie am Anfang, denn Kummi und ich spielen 70er-Jahre-Disco auf dem oberen Floor. Da kommen aber auch recht viele Rare-Soul-Fans, um bei uns zu tanzen, weil sie Disco für sich entdecken. Für die gibt’s dann den unteren Floor.

Hast du dich schon auf den Abend vorbereitet?
Dieses Mal habe ich sogar schon komplett gepackt. Über Weihnachten fahre ich nach und komme erst kurz davor wieder, das wäre sonst zu hektisch geworden. Da habe ich jetzt die Tage einfach einen freien Abend genutzt und Platten rausgestellt und gepackt. Den Stapel noch schnell in den Trolley gerammt und ich könnte loslegen.

Reicht denn da überhaupt eine Tasche?
Ok, vielleicht werden es auch zwei. Bei so einer Disco-Nacht kannst du nicht die ganze Zeit nur ein Tempo spielen, das geht einfach nicht. Theoretisch ist es möglich, macht aber nicht viel Spaß. Deshalb habe ich in solchen Fällen immer noch eine zweite Tasche mit so langsameren Sachen dabei. Gerade bei so einem Discoabend muss das Ende eben emotional sein – und möglichst alle müssen weinen.

Kam das schon häufiger bei euren Partys vor?
Sehr oft sogar! Wir haben mit der Musik schon gestandene Männer zu Tränen gerührt.

Finn Johannsen

Wieviel Auftritte hast du derzeit ca. pro Monat?
Das sind etwa drei bis vier.

Packst du dafür jedes mal neu oder bleiben schonmal alte Platten im Case?
Meistens packe ich komplett neu. Eine Ausnahme sind die Residencies, weil wir da halt schon einen bestimmten Sound spielen, ohne aber immer das gleiche Set zu spielen. Wir machen da ja nicht nur Disco, sondern auch mal Garage und so. Da achte ich aber auch darauf, dass ich mich nicht zu sehr wiederhole. Es gibt natürlich so ein paar Druffalo-Hits. Und bei der „Power House“-Reihe mache ich das eigentlich genauso. Ich habe so viele Platten in der Richtung, da muss ich mich nicht wiederholen. Da stellt man sich ja auch jeweils neu auf den anderen DJ ein. Für die Club-Gigs an sich packe ich aber wirklich immer komplett neu. Zum einen weil ich Routine hasse, das macht mich wahnsinnig. Und ich bin kein Touring-DJ und zwischen den Auftritten immer wieder zu Hause.

Gibt es aber dennoch so zwei, drei Platten, die du häufiger dabei hast?
Bei den Discoabenden muss ich auf jeden Fall eine Chic-Platte dabei haben. Für den Schluss gibt’s auch so ein paar Favoriten. Zum Beispiel „Touch Me In The Morning“ von Marlena Shaw. Und so eine richtig klassische Druffalo-Platte ist auch Larson – „Lotta Love“. Beim House und Techno ist das zum Beispiel „Reasons To Be Dismal“ von den Foremost Poets, die habe ich wirklich oft dabei, so eine alte Nu .

Wie lange brauchst du in der Regel, um Platten zu packen?
Das hat sich über die Jahre total geändert. Ich lege ja jetzt schon seit dreißig Jahren auf. Früher hatte ich immer die gleiche Grundprämisse: Was würde ich selbst gerne hören, wenn ich heute in den Club gehen würde? Früher habe ich dann aber immer viel zu viel mitgenommen, weil ich damals aber auch viel mehr improvisiert habe.

Was genau meinst du mit improvisiert?
Ich habe einfach losgelegt, eine Platte nach der anderen gegriffen, dann hat sich das von alleine ergeben. Da habe ich auch viel mehr stilistische Sprünge gemacht. Aber irgendwann wurde mir das dann zu viel, das alles mitzuschleppen und bekam so meine Rückenprobleme. Das hat mich dann auch irgendwann gelangweilt. Denn wenn man auf zu viele Sachen reagieren kann, verliert man irgendwann den Fokus. Ich konnte das sehr gut, sehr eklektisch und offen, aber dann bin ich dazu übergangen, eher thematisch aufzulegen.

Finn Johannsen

Was sich in den letzten Jahren ja auch in deinen Mixen widergepiegelt hat. Man merkt, dass du dich gerne an Themen, Stilen und Genres abarbeitest.
Ja, auf jeden Fall. Ich habe ganz oft so einen Quartalsfimmel, wo ich gerade Spaß daran habe, etwas wieder oder auch neu zu entdecken. Und das nutze ich auch für Gigs, wenn es geht. Ich bereite mich inzwischen auf jeden Fall sehr genau vor. Einfach aus dem Grund, dass ich durch die ganzen Jobs und meine Familie kaum Zeit habe. Und da bin ich dann dazu übergangen, mir das insofern leichter zu machen, dass ich recherchiere, wo spiele ich, was ist das für ein Club, was läuft da normalerweise für Musik, was sind das für DJs mit denen ich auflege. Das lasse ich auch gerne mal meinen Booker fragen, was möchten die, was haben die von mir gehört, was sie toll fanden.

Führt diese genaue Vorbereitung und diese Abkehr vom eklektischen Auflegen dazu, dass du schneller packst? Weil du genauer weißt, wo du in deiner Sammlung gucken musst – und nicht nochmal alles durchgehst.
Nee, eigentlich nicht. Verschiedene Stile erfordern einfach verschiedene Arten der Vorbereitung. Es hat schon seinen Grund, dass auf vielen Discoplatten die BPM-Zahl steht. Das Live-Drumming ist da auf jeden Fall ein Faktor. Ich packe Disco zum Beispiel schon sehr strikt nach Tempo. Von da aus geht es dann um Harmonien oder Texte, die zueinander passen. Das ist eine andere Art von Vorbereitung.

Ich arbeite auch bei der Musik immer an recht vielen Dingen gleichzeitig, habe so vier bis fünf Stapel rumstehen, für bestimmte Auftritte oder manchmal auch Mixe. Die bestücke ich so nach und nach, das kann auch schon mal mehrere Wochen dauern. Wenn ich abends mal ein paar Stunden Zeit habe, wühle ich mich durch meine Sammlung, so macht mir das am meisten Spaß.

Machst du das bei anderen Platten auch, die BPMs drauf schreiben?
Ich spiele schon ewig Disco, das höre ich recht schnell raus. Die stehen nicht im Regal vorsortiert, aber wenn ich eine rausziehe, dann weiß ich das schon ungefähr einzuschätzen. Bei House-Sets ist das eigentlich überhaupt kein Faktor. Ich mag das, wenn man Sachen verknüpft, die sich gegenseitig als Referenz bedingen. Beim Reggae zum Beispiel das Original und dann die Version dazu, das kann man bei House auch machen. Also zum Beispiel einen Vocal-Mix mit einem Dub-Mix. Oder Cover-Versionen, einfach Tracks, die die gleichen Samples haben. Ich mag das, weil man da so kleine Botschaften verpacken kann. Ich kaufe die Platten nicht gezielt danach, das sind eher so Zufallsfunde, wenn ich so durch die Regale gehe. Das mag ich so daran, dieses Beschäftigen mit der eigenen Sammlung. Read the rest of this entry »

A guide to Wild Pitch

Posted: February 14th, 2018 | Author: | Filed under: Reviews, Texts English | Tags: , , , , , , , , | No Comments »

‘s already had the credentials to be responsible for a lasting sound revolution in club music when he, together with Earl “Spanky” Smith Jr., and Herbert “Herb J” Jackson as Phuture, tweaked the knobs of the Roland TB-303 and came up with the squelching sounds that defined acid house. But regular visits to the seminal parties put on by Bobby Konders and Greg Day in early 90s New York City inspired him to reinvent himself once again, and again with lasting consequences. The Wild Pitch parties consisted of several rooms with different musical agendas between reggae, disco, hip hop, house and techno. Pierre’s idea was to gather the diverse styles played into one track, but by applying a structure that stepped away from the traditions of club music functionality. Over the course of tracks often hitting or passing the 10 minute mark, he opted for a gradual introduction of a track’s key elements. Starting with the kick drum, every further sound was slowly and patiently layered onto another on a rolling , heaping up the intensity step by step until a climactic release. This may not read as being revolutionary, but it was executed so skillfully that it shook up the foundations of house, introducing a level of upbuilding tension and a hypnotic quality that was yet unheard of. And it also led to Pierre becoming one the most in-demand remixers in the years to come. Here is a guide to some classics and overlooked gems that defined wild pitch.

Photon Inc. Feat. Paula Brion – Generate Power (Wild Pitch Mix) (Strictly Rhythm, 1991)

The ground zero of the genre, and all the key elements are already there: the waddling groove, the standing strings, the stab repetition, the signalling vocal samples. The upbuilding structure was not as refined yet, but the intensity level sure was. This track literally ran over house music in its release year, and Pierre obviously noticed that he was onto something.

DJ Pierre – Muzik (The Tribal Wild Pitch Mix) (Strictly Rhythm, 1992)

DJ Pierre often said in interviews that wild pitch was inspired by his own DJing preferences of sneaking in elements of other tracks in long blends. „Muzik“ is a perfect example for that. Just check how its elements fade in and out, are repeated, modulated, replaced, continued and layered. It is a master class in structure.

Joint Venture – Master Blaster (Turn It Up) (Strictly Rhythm, 1992)

Divided in four parts segued into another and add up to 15 breathtaking minutes, this track tore through dancefloors with a massive boom still seeking comparison. Yet it is actually clocking at 120 bpm, proving that pace does not equal heaviness. And it builds and builds. Someplace else, Chez Damier and were taking notes.

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Finn Johannsen – Interview for Mondo Magazine

Posted: March 8th, 2017 | Author: | Filed under: Interviews English | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | No Comments »

First thing club in , what made the place magical and what made you follow Klaus Stockhausen, and his way of DJing?

There were different things falling into place then. I was always interested in club culture and music, but pre-internet you could mostly only read about legendary clubs and its resident DJs. When I first went to Front in 1987 I was 18 years old, and up to then I never heard a DJ who could really mix. Klaus Stockhausen played there since 1983, several times a week, and he had built up a very loyal crowd. The club itself was a raw basement, there was not much to distract from the music, apart from the hedonistic dancers. The place was very intense, and Stockhausen as well as his protegé and successor Boris Dlugosch were incredibly good. Of course you tend to be sentimental about times and places that intiated you into something, but I still have not experienced anything close, both in terms of clubs and DJing. Of course it also helped that those years saw very crucial developments in club music. When I started going there it was the end of that transitional period between Disco and House, which was extremely exciting. And in the following years I frequently went there that excitement persisted. Those were the blueprint years for everything we still dance to now, and I had the privilege to experience it right on the floor. And I learnt a lot of things that I still use.

How did you become part of Hard Wax, was it hard to get that job?

No. Seven years ago all my freelance activities and the according deadlines began to collide with being a father. My wife suggested some more steady work to complement and that I could ask for a job at the store, as I was a very regular customer anyway. Coincidentally Achim Brandenburg aka quit working there at that time and they were thinking about asking me to replace him. So within a short time I sat down with the owner Mark Ernestus and the store manager Michael Hain and got the job.

I know you like to write about music, but why do you hate to write reviews?

I actually do not hate writing reviews at all. But after doing that for several years at magazine I felt I was increasingly running out of words to accurately describe the music I was given the task to review, and I think keeping a fresh perspective is mandatory in that aspect. But more importantly writing reviews does not work too well with running a label yourself, and working at Hard Wax. On the one hand I wanted to avoid allegations of being biased, on the other hand I had to keep potential implications of my writing commitments out of my other work. So I began to lay my focus on features and interviews, mostly from a historical perspective. I am not afraid of discourse and speaking my mind on certain topics if I feel it is necessary, but I am very cautious to remain objective.

Can you tell us what is Druffalo?

Druffalo is a semi-anonymous collective of six seasoned DJs and writers living in , and , and was founded in 2007. It used to be a rather notorious web fanzine celebrating aspects of culture we felt were worth celebrating, and we were pretty merciless in pointing out aspects of culture we felt were not worth celebrating at all. The web magazine is defunct for a while now, as at some point the server we were running on mysteriously disconnected us and we thought it was a good statement to just disappear. The whole archive is backed up though, so nobody should feel too safe. Attached to it was a DJ collective called the Druffalo Hit Squad, consisting of the same six editors and likeminded guests. We did an influential mix series that is archived on Mixcloud, and we were constantly throwing parties that were pretty anarchic. Since the end of 2015 we took up a bi-monthly residency at the club Bar in Berlin, where we mostly define our idea of a modern Soul allnighter, using our vast archive of Disco, Soul and Garage House records. But there are also plans to return to the eclecticism of former years.

Do you think your Macro label is becoming a genre in itself, like RE-GRM, ECM, L.I.E.S., or Blackest Ever Black?

No, I do not think so, nor were Stefan Goldmann and me ever interested in establishing a certain trademark label sound that we have to fulfill with every release. We are more interested in working with producers that have developed their own signature sound, as long as it fits in with our own preferences. Our idea of running a label is very open, it is only determined by what we are interested in, and we are both very different individuals. We only release what we both agree on and that, combined with the consistent collaboration with our designer Hau, resulted in a certain coherence, although our back catalogue is rather diverse. We were also always aiming for the long run, and we both feel that you only can achieve that with a healthy amount of leeway and fresh ideas. Of course it is also important to have an identity, but we much prefer that to be based on reliable quality than sound aesthetics that create or reflect trends but are likely to end up as mere expectations. I do not think we are really comparable to the labels you mentioned, too. We had some archival releases, and we might have influenced some musical developments, but neither are essential to what we do.

Interveiw by Damir Plicanic for Mondo Magazine 03/17

Interview – Tim Lawrence

Posted: February 6th, 2017 | Author: | Filed under: Interviews English | Tags: , , , , , , , , | No Comments »

Photo: Katja Ruge

You published your first book „Love Saves The Day“ in 2003, and although there had been plenty of literature on the topic of the classic Disco era of the 70s in New York City, it still stood out. What led you to write it?

I don’t know if that much had been written. Albert Goldman’s book „Disco“ had come out in 1979 and contains a small amount of information on David Mancuso’s private party, the Loft, and the Sanctuary, the discotheque where the pioneering Francis Grasso DJed, but it’s main focus is on the midtown discotheque Studio 54. In 1997 Anthony Haden-Guest published „The Last Party“, but that was mainly about Studio 54 and was largely concerned with celebrity culture. Both had a completely difficult reading of disco to the one I developed in “Love Saves the Day”, which focused on the influence of DJs on the rise of dance culture and what came to be known as Disco. I thought they missed the underlying dynamic of what made the culture so exciting.

Is it true that „Loves Saves The Day“ originally started out as an introductory chapter of a book about House Music?

Yes, that is true. The book about House Music was supposed to start in mid-1980s and then move on to New York City and the beginnings of UK Rave culture. I was born in 1967, so for me Disco was the music I liked when I was a kid, because the music reached its commercial peak in 1977/78. By the time I was in my 20s I was ready for something completely different and that came in the form of House Music, thus the original idea for the book. But I ended up interviewing David Mancuso early into my research, even though he was a relatively unknown figure at the time, and when he suggested that the history should begin with the Loft in 1970 I asked other interviewees, including house legends Tony Humphries, Frankie Knuckles and David Morales, if they’d heard of David and the Loft. They all replied that the Loft had been a transformational experience and so I quickly came to understand that the history of underground dance culture—a culture that ended up inspiring Disco—had yet to be narrated. Initially I thought I’d write a chapter about the 1970s but by the time I’d written 500 pages I’d only reached the end of 1979, so that turned out to be a book in itself. I just became fascinated by the way in which the communication between the person selecting the records and the dancing crowd introduced an entirely different form of musicianship to the world.

This marked the beginnings of contemporary DJ culture and it amounted to a form of democratic music-making that was firmly rooted in the counterculture, or the social forces that were unfolding in the US of that era. Before the beginning the 1970s DJs were required to “kill the dance floor” with a slow song every five or six records in order to persuade dancers to buy a drink. But when Mancuso and Grasso started playing at the beginning of 1970 they played to dancers who were rooted in the culture of gay liberation, civil rights, feminism, experimentation with LSD, and the anti-war movement. Grasso was already playing at the Sanctuary in the late 1960s and told me it was quite boring, but when the Sancutary became the first public discotheque to welcome gay men onto the dance floor at the beginning of 1970 the dancing became much more energetic and Grasso decided to try to maintain the intensity by inventing the technique of mixing two records together. Mancuso, meanwhile, started to hold dance parties in his downtown loft on Valentine’s Day 1970 and gave the party the name “Love Saves the Day”, which referenced universal love and the acid trip. Rather than mix records together, Mancuso took his dancers on a transformational journey through the juxtaposition of sound.

There is a direct lineage from the early days of The Loft through to New York dane venues such as the Paradise Garage, because the Garage owner Michael Brody and his resident DJ Larry Levan were Loft regular. The influence extends to the origins of House Music, because Robert Williams attended the Loft before he opened the Warehouse in Chicago, where he employed Frankie Knuckles to DJ, and the coinage House Music first referred to the music Knuckles would play at the Warehouse. Knuckles was also a Loft regular. So in many paths led back to the Loft. Everything seemed to be connected.

Were the interviewees in „Love Saves The Day“ waiting to tell their story?

Yes, because up to then it had not really been told, even if their cultural influence in the 70s turned out to be enormous. By the time I got home after that first with David Mancuso word there were five messages from people he knew and who were ready to talk on my answer machine—so it seems as though he trusted me and that there was a desire for this untold story to be told. One of the messages was from the DJ Steve D’Acquisto, who introduced me to Francis Grasso, and so things unfolded from there. This all took place in 1997, so a couple of years, I believe, before Bill Brewster and Frank Broughton started to track down David and Francis for their book „Last Night A DJ Saved My Life“.

Did you feel it was important to emphasize the political aspects of Disco?

I would say they emphasised themselves because Disco was so obviously political. The backlash against Disco peaked with the Disco Demolition night at a baseball game in Chicago’s Comiskey Park on July 12th 1979, where a local DJ asked the audience to bring Disco records and then blew them up in the middle of the baseball double-header. It amounted to a Mid-Western backlash against the multicultural and polysexual coalition that underpinned disco culture and I’ve argued that in many respects we can track the rise of Donald Trump (and before him Ronald Reagan) to this moment. Disco became one of the first scapegoats for the decline of industrial culture in the United States and Trump appealed to the same disenfranchised and discontented demographic. I’m always interested in the correlation between music scenes and the wider culture in which they occur. So “Love Saves the Day” was about more than Disco, even if Disco was one of its central concerns. It’s important to remember that Disco music didn’t emerge as a genre until 1974, so the first for years of the book analyse a period when the culture was fermenting but didn’t have a name or a settled sound. It’s also important to note the version of disco depicted in „Saturday Night Fever“ had very little to do with the kind of culture that was still taking place in downtown New York, and by the end of 1978 downtown DJs were also becoming tired of commercial disco. The quality of the music had declined and it was time for something new. But the downtown expression of the culture survived the backlash. Read the rest of this entry »

Interview – Tim Lawrence

Posted: February 6th, 2017 | Author: | Filed under: Interviews Deutsch | Tags: , , , , , , , | No Comments »

Photo: Katja Ruge

Als Dein erstes Buch Loves Saves The Day erschien, gab es schon mehrere Bücher über die klassische Ära Disco-Musik der 70er in New York, aber es stach hervor. Was bewog Dich, es zu schreiben?

Disco von Albert Goldman erschien 1979, aber es handelte vornehmlich vom Club Studio 54. Es gab darin eine ziemlich rassistische Referenz über David Mancusos Club The Loft und flüchtige Erwähnungen eines weiteren DJ-Pioniers, Francis Grasso. Zudem schrieb Anthony Haden-Guest The Last Party, aber darin ging es auch hauptsächlich um das Studio 54 und deren Celebrity-Kultur. Beide hatten ein anderes Interesse an Nightlife-Kultur, und das hatte nichts mit DJs zu tun, und ich dachte, dass sie an der eigentlichen Dynamik vorbeigingen, die Partys so interessant macht.

Stimmt es, dass Loves Saves The Day ursprünglich als Einleitungskapitel eines Buches über House-Musik gedacht war?

Ja, das stimmt. Das Buch über House sollte in Mitte der 80er einsetzen und dann zum New York der späten 80er übergehen, und von dort zu den Anfängen der englischen Rave-Kultur. Ich bin 1967 geboren, für mich war Disco also Musik, die ich zu ihrem Gipfel 1977/78 als Kind gemocht hatte. Als ich wirklich anfing, mich für Musik zu interessieren ging ich aus und interessierte mich für House. Aber ich interviewte für das Projekt DJs wie Tony Humphries, Frankie Knuckles, oder David Morales, und sie alle erwähnten einen anderen DJ als großen Einfluss, und das war David Mancuso. Also traf ich mich mit ihm und er riet mir, nicht nur mit Disco anzufangen, sondern mit der Zeit davor, den frühen 70ern. Zuerst behagte mir die Idee nicht, aber als Journalist erkannte ich, dass da eine Story war. Und es ist auch wichtiger Teil von Nachforschungen, den Ursprüngen nachzuspüren, und ich sah mich immer zwischen dem Journalismus und dem akademischen Betrieb. Also vergrub ich mich in das Thema für die Einleitung, und 500 Seiten später war ich im Jahr 1979 angelangt, und beendete ein völlig anderes Buch. Ich erkannte sehr früh, dass die wichtigste Entwicklung in dieser Kultur stattfand, als die Kommunikation zwischen DJ und tanzendem Publikum einen völlig neuen Umgang mit der Musik einführte. Und es war auch Teil der Gegenkultur, eng mit den sozialen Kräften verbunden, die in den USA dieser Ära am Werk waren: die Schwulenbewegung, Bürger- und Frauenrechte, LSD-Experimente, und die Anti-Kriegsbewegung.

Hatten die Interviewten des Buches schon darauf gewartet, ihre Geschichte erzählen zu können?

Ja, denn bis dahin wurde ihre Geschichte nicht wirklich erzählt, auch wenn ihr kultureller Einfluss in den 70ern enorm war. Als ich nach dem ersten mit David Mancuso nach Hause kam, hatte sich schnell herumgesprochen, dass man mir trauen konnte, und ich hatte einige Nachrichten von seinen Freunden auf dem Band, unter anderem vom DJ Steve D’Acquisto, der mich wiederum Francis Grasso vorstellte, und dann ging es von dort weiter. Das alles geschah ab 1997, bevor einige von ihnen mit Bill Brewster und Frank Broughton für ihr Buch Last Night A DJ Saved My Life sprachen. Als Mancuso und Grasso Anfang der 70er anfingen aufzulegen, gab es einen demografischen Wandel auf den Tanzflächen, und beide legten den Grundstein für das, was wir heute unter DJ-Kultur verstehen. Grasso war z. B. der Stamm-DJ des Sanctuary, das bis Ende der 60er eine heterosexuelle Diskothek war, und dann die erste, die Schwule einließ. In den 60ern musste der DJ ab und zu die Tanzfläche abwürgen, damit die Bar ihren Umsatz machen konnte. Aber dann wurde irgendwann so frenetisch getanzt, dass Grasso diese Intensität hochhalten wollte, und dafür erfand er die Technik des Mixens von zwei Platten. Die Herangehensweise von Mancuso war hingegen, als musikalischer Gastgeber einer Privatveranstaltung zu fungieren, in seinem eigenen Loft, ausgestattet mit einer hochwertigen Hifi-Anlage, und seine Gäste auf eine musikalische Reise zu schicken. Und seine erste Party fand am Valentinstag 1970 statt, unter dem Motto „Love Saves The Day“. Es führt eine direkte Linie vom frühen Loft zu anderen New Yorker Clubs wie der Paradise Garage, deren Besitzer Michael Brody und Stamm-DJ Larry Levan regelmäßige Gäste waren. Auch Robert Williams ging dorthin, was ihn dazu bewog, das Warehouse in Chicago zu eröffnen, in dem Frankie Knuckles als DJ die Grundfesten von House errichtete. Alle Wege führten zurück zum Loft, es war alles verbunden.

War es Dir ein Anliegen, die politischen Aspekte von Disco hervorzuheben?

Absolut. Die Reaktion gegen Disco fand ihren Höhepunkt in der Disco Demolition Night bei einem Baseball-Match im Comiskey Park-Stadion in Chicago am 12. Juli 1979. Ein lokaler -DJ hatte dazu aufgefordert, Disco-Platten mitzubringen und jagte sie dann zwischen zwei Spielen in die Luft. Es war eine Gegenreaktion im Mittleren Westen. Ich würde argumentieren, dass die Wahl Donald Trumps zum US-Präsidenten dort begann. Es ist die gleiche Zusammensetzung und Grundstimmung einer Bevölkerungsgruppe, die sich sich ökonomisch abgehängt fühlte, und Disco-Kultur wurde zum Sündenbock für den Verfall der Industrie. Ich interessiere mich immer für die Korrelation zwischen einer Mikrokultur und der Makrokultur, in der sie erfahren wird. In diesem Buch ging es um mehr als nur Disco. Disco-Musik definiert als solche gab es erst ab 1974, es gab also schon vier Jahre davor, in denen all diese Entwicklungen stattfanden.

Hattest Du während des Schreibens den Musiker Arthur Russell schon als Schlüsselfigur ausgemacht, an dem sich die Verbindungen dieser Entwicklungen aufzeigen ließen? Er wurde dann ja der Mittelpunkt Deines nächsten Buches Hold On To Your Dreams.

Definitiv. Während der Gegenreaktion wurde es offensichtlich, dass sich die Disco-Szene, wie sie im Film Saturday Night Fever dargestellt wurde, weit von ihren Ursprüngen entfernt hatte. Sie explodierte zu einem Lebensstil, und selbst Disco DJs hatten es satt. Die Qualität der Musik hatte stark abgenommen und es war an der Zeit für etwas Neues. Steve D’Acquisto stand Arthur Russell sehr nahe und schlug mir vor, ein Buch über ihn zu schreiben. Mir wurde klar, dass ich nicht wie automatisiert Chronologie und Themen abarbeiten wollte. Mein Lektor war zuerst besorgt, dass sich nicht genug Leute für Russell interessieren würden, denn seine Musik wurde zwar noch gespielt und gehört, aber nach seinem Tod 1992 verschwand er als Person aus der öffentlichen Wahrnehmung. Aber 2003 schrieb David Toop einen langen Text über ihn in der Zeitschrift Wire, da zwei posthume Veröffentlichungen bevorstanden, und das Interesse lebte wieder auf und machte das Buch möglich. Natürlich war er ein interessante Person, aber ich hatte mich nie wirklich für die Gattung der Biografie interessiert. Ich interessiere mich für Szenen, die nach dem Mitwirkungsprinzip funktionieren. Arthur Russell hatte sich aber immer für Kollaborationen begeistern können, und die sozialen Erfahrungen, die durch Musik ermöglicht werden, und er war von sich aus offen für verschiedene Arten von Musik. Daher wurde er zu dieser Schlüsselfigur, die sich durch verschiedene Szenen von Downtown New York bewegte, wie etwa Orchestrale Musik, Punk, dann Disco und Hip Hop sowie Folk und Dub. Und er bewegte sich nicht der Reihe nach, und wechselte eine Szene durch eine andere aus, er machte es ohne Priorisierung und ohne hierarchisches Denken. Er wollte, dass die Szenen eine simultane Konversation haben, und er war sehr mobil. Read the rest of this entry »

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