Rhythmism.comQ&A With Reboot @ Electric Zoo 2010
by rhythmism
Thursday, Aug 5th 2010, 02:58 PM
Germany's leader of "the new sound of Frankfurt", Reboot was discovering electronic music at an age when most other boys were thinking about video games and girls. Drawing diverse influences from jazz to world music and classic house, Reboot has managed to develop a complex techno sound that he calls "poly-rhythmic architecture" but dancefloors around the world simply call dynamite. It is his ever present inquisitive side that pushes him to constantly experiment, feeling just as comfortable behind the decks as he does in the studio or performing live. His studio material has been released on labels like Supplemental Facts, Moon Harbour, Cecille, Renaissance and, of course, Cadenza while, as a DJ, he has played all of the world's temples of techno including Tokyo's Womb, London's Fabric and Frankfurt's Cocoon. Along with some of his Cadenza peers, he is a vital part of Luciano's live experiment Aether, whose futuristic combination of sound and visuals is a perfect representation of Cadenza’s philosophy of combining the sensory with cerebral, audio with emotional.
2010 has, again, marked a big year for Reboot. His debut album on Cadenza entitled Shunyata has been released and is a very accurate representation of him as an artist and DJ, grounded in dancefloor ready rhythms while managing to provide sounds and style's not commonly heard. On Saturday, September 4, 2010 Reboot will be part of the weekend long Electric Zoo festival taking place on New York's Randall's Island Park. Playing the Sunday School Grove area alongside a who's who of the world's techno elite, the event marks Reboot's long awaited return to the Big Apple. In anticipation of the set we caught up with him and asked about the festival, the influence of Sven Väth and the pitfalls of having a job that requires wearing a suit.
In the last couple of years you have stormed onto the electronic music scene with a series of productions and remixes worthy of a seasoned professional. Can you give us a little background of yourself and how you first got into electronic music?
I've been around since I was thirteen years old and first listened to a radioshow hosted by Sven Väth. The music he played got me straight away and I started running to record shops. Maybe a year later I went to the Omen in Frankfurt, Sven`s home base and one of the most amazing clubs ever. After that night it was pretty clear, I wanted to learn how to produce this kind of music. An older friend with production experience showed me the first tricks and I started spending every cent I had on drum machines and synthesizers. I kept on producing over the years but never had the intention to make a living out of it.
I have read that you were working a relatively corporate job for a while before deciding to become a full time musician. What was your day job? And how difficult was the decision to pursue music full time? Was there a specific event that occurred which gave you some peace of mind that what you were doing was the correct decision?
After studying economics I was working as a business consultant for almost ten years. Very corporate – with suit and tie. Making music was just a hobby until then. About 4 years ago I started to give some demos to my friends from BELOW Records and they straight away signed me. From there on it went pretty fast. Just last year I quit the job because it was impossible to do both things equally professional. My family, especially my dad, told me to finally make the step and give it a shot. So here I am.
Looking back on that situation, what advice would you give someone that was in the same position?
Difficult to say what would be the right advice in this kind of situation. For me it was pretty easy, because I knew I could go back to my former job or field if I wouldn’t succeed in music. I had a plan B. In general of course I`d have to say: follow your heart and get rid of the suit.
You seem to be primarily known as a prolific studio musician; however you also have your own distinct DJ style. What sort of satisfaction do you get out of producing original material and how does that differ from the satisfaction that you get from DJing?
You can`t really compare that. Being in the studio is a more focused and concentrated process. There is no direct feedback from a crowd. It`s like being stuck in your own little world. DJing is communicative process with direct reactions from the people. Just sitting in the studio would not satisfy me at all. I need to get out and have fun with the party crowd. I also play a lot of live acts. Doing that is more like a connection between producing and performing. Creating something new on stage, receiving direct feedback is one of the most exciting things.
Your DJ style is now in showcase at the Cadenza residency night at Pacha Ibiza. How has the residency been going? What has been the craziest thing that you have seen taking place on the island so far this summer?
Luciano and the Cadenza crew are hosting the Sunday nights at Pacha and I am more than happy to be part of this. We had an unbelievable start and the Club is rammed every night we play there. The atmosphere, decoration and music make it so special. It is hardly comparable to any other night on the whole island. To me it is the best party series this summer. I've seen a whole lot of crazy shit this summer. But I have to mention the Luciano & the Vagabundos party is may on Ushuaia Beach. Over 5000 people going totally mental. And of course the Cadenza opening party at Pacha. Everybody was wearing make-up and dresses. It was super special!
You have recently released your full length album Shunyata on Cadenza Records. You describe your work as “complex rhythm architecture.” How does this philosophy describe the sound of your album?
Of course “c-r-a” doesn`t describe all the tracks I made, but for the most of them it fits pretty well – especially for the album. It`s more a description of my producing process. First I start building many little rhythm loops and layer them over each other. Some of them you can barely hear. I try to find a way, that you can listen to a track many times and find little details that you haven`t recognized before.
What sort of equipment set up did you use when making the album?
One of the key instruments is my Modular system. I started producing almost every track with some patches I made on it. This thing is like a living organism and you can never really know what it is coming up with next. Also I used my Minimoog and the Elektron Machinedrum a lot. For some of the tracks I recorded some drumming and percussion I played. No Plug-ins, synths and just a couple of Samples.
As many of your peers do, you reside in Germany which happens to be your home country as well. How has the German electronic music scene changed since you first began your foray into it?
I get older – the scene stays the same age. There is always young people following, a very healthy process. Music wise, you constantly find new trends, even if it might mean to step back in time. I find myself playing a lot of really old records at the moment. This dirty US house tunes from the early nineties. Also I have the feeling that today promoters and clubs try to squeeze as many DJ`s as possible into a night. You have to play this 1.5 or 2 hour sets, which I really hate. It`s pretty rare that you can hear a DJ playing for 6-8 hours, taking you on a journey. But basically I think that the electronic music scene is having a nice comeback after a big hype in the early nineties and a long hole till 3-4 years ago.
You’ve played for the BlkMarket party here in NYC – how does the underground vibe in Brooklyn compare to other underground scenes in Berlin or UK or is it all the same once the lights go down?
Regarding the party`s itself, I think it is not that much of a difference. But NYC has this special vibe. Kind of rough and dirty with freaky and arty people that love to party. The scene seems to be fresh and growing and still the events have this underground charm. Like Berlin or the UK 10-15 years ago - especially the BlkMarket events. I always enjoy every second in this amazing city!
In September you will be coming to New York City for the Electric Zoo festival. When I see you on line ups in New York you seem to primarily play in the cities striving underground scene. How will your performance in a festival environment differ from those that you have given to New York audiences in the past?
I always try to prepare myself regarding the size of the venue. So I wouldn't play the same set on a 5000 people stage than in a 300 people club. I guess it`s gonna be a nice mixture of pure party stuff and some deeper tunes. You have my word, that I`ll do my best to make those bootys shake!
What are your top 3 festival survival tips?
- No Drugs
- No Alcohol
- No Sex …… but….. do we really wanna survive???
Saturday & Sunday, September 4-5, 2010
Made Event presents
ELECTRIC ZOO
New York Electronic Music Festival
Randall’s Island Park
Open Air Festival
11am-11pm Each Day, All Ages
Two Day Passes & Single Day Tickets Available
www.myspace.com/reboot
www.MadeEvent.com
www.ElectricZooFestival.com
2010 has, again, marked a big year for Reboot. His debut album on Cadenza entitled Shunyata has been released and is a very accurate representation of him as an artist and DJ, grounded in dancefloor ready rhythms while managing to provide sounds and style's not commonly heard. On Saturday, September 4, 2010 Reboot will be part of the weekend long Electric Zoo festival taking place on New York's Randall's Island Park. Playing the Sunday School Grove area alongside a who's who of the world's techno elite, the event marks Reboot's long awaited return to the Big Apple. In anticipation of the set we caught up with him and asked about the festival, the influence of Sven Väth and the pitfalls of having a job that requires wearing a suit.
In the last couple of years you have stormed onto the electronic music scene with a series of productions and remixes worthy of a seasoned professional. Can you give us a little background of yourself and how you first got into electronic music?
I've been around since I was thirteen years old and first listened to a radioshow hosted by Sven Väth. The music he played got me straight away and I started running to record shops. Maybe a year later I went to the Omen in Frankfurt, Sven`s home base and one of the most amazing clubs ever. After that night it was pretty clear, I wanted to learn how to produce this kind of music. An older friend with production experience showed me the first tricks and I started spending every cent I had on drum machines and synthesizers. I kept on producing over the years but never had the intention to make a living out of it.
I have read that you were working a relatively corporate job for a while before deciding to become a full time musician. What was your day job? And how difficult was the decision to pursue music full time? Was there a specific event that occurred which gave you some peace of mind that what you were doing was the correct decision?
After studying economics I was working as a business consultant for almost ten years. Very corporate – with suit and tie. Making music was just a hobby until then. About 4 years ago I started to give some demos to my friends from BELOW Records and they straight away signed me. From there on it went pretty fast. Just last year I quit the job because it was impossible to do both things equally professional. My family, especially my dad, told me to finally make the step and give it a shot. So here I am.
Looking back on that situation, what advice would you give someone that was in the same position?
Difficult to say what would be the right advice in this kind of situation. For me it was pretty easy, because I knew I could go back to my former job or field if I wouldn’t succeed in music. I had a plan B. In general of course I`d have to say: follow your heart and get rid of the suit.
You seem to be primarily known as a prolific studio musician; however you also have your own distinct DJ style. What sort of satisfaction do you get out of producing original material and how does that differ from the satisfaction that you get from DJing?
You can`t really compare that. Being in the studio is a more focused and concentrated process. There is no direct feedback from a crowd. It`s like being stuck in your own little world. DJing is communicative process with direct reactions from the people. Just sitting in the studio would not satisfy me at all. I need to get out and have fun with the party crowd. I also play a lot of live acts. Doing that is more like a connection between producing and performing. Creating something new on stage, receiving direct feedback is one of the most exciting things.
Your DJ style is now in showcase at the Cadenza residency night at Pacha Ibiza. How has the residency been going? What has been the craziest thing that you have seen taking place on the island so far this summer?
Luciano and the Cadenza crew are hosting the Sunday nights at Pacha and I am more than happy to be part of this. We had an unbelievable start and the Club is rammed every night we play there. The atmosphere, decoration and music make it so special. It is hardly comparable to any other night on the whole island. To me it is the best party series this summer. I've seen a whole lot of crazy shit this summer. But I have to mention the Luciano & the Vagabundos party is may on Ushuaia Beach. Over 5000 people going totally mental. And of course the Cadenza opening party at Pacha. Everybody was wearing make-up and dresses. It was super special!
You have recently released your full length album Shunyata on Cadenza Records. You describe your work as “complex rhythm architecture.” How does this philosophy describe the sound of your album?
Of course “c-r-a” doesn`t describe all the tracks I made, but for the most of them it fits pretty well – especially for the album. It`s more a description of my producing process. First I start building many little rhythm loops and layer them over each other. Some of them you can barely hear. I try to find a way, that you can listen to a track many times and find little details that you haven`t recognized before.
What sort of equipment set up did you use when making the album?
One of the key instruments is my Modular system. I started producing almost every track with some patches I made on it. This thing is like a living organism and you can never really know what it is coming up with next. Also I used my Minimoog and the Elektron Machinedrum a lot. For some of the tracks I recorded some drumming and percussion I played. No Plug-ins, synths and just a couple of Samples.
As many of your peers do, you reside in Germany which happens to be your home country as well. How has the German electronic music scene changed since you first began your foray into it?
I get older – the scene stays the same age. There is always young people following, a very healthy process. Music wise, you constantly find new trends, even if it might mean to step back in time. I find myself playing a lot of really old records at the moment. This dirty US house tunes from the early nineties. Also I have the feeling that today promoters and clubs try to squeeze as many DJ`s as possible into a night. You have to play this 1.5 or 2 hour sets, which I really hate. It`s pretty rare that you can hear a DJ playing for 6-8 hours, taking you on a journey. But basically I think that the electronic music scene is having a nice comeback after a big hype in the early nineties and a long hole till 3-4 years ago.
You’ve played for the BlkMarket party here in NYC – how does the underground vibe in Brooklyn compare to other underground scenes in Berlin or UK or is it all the same once the lights go down?
Regarding the party`s itself, I think it is not that much of a difference. But NYC has this special vibe. Kind of rough and dirty with freaky and arty people that love to party. The scene seems to be fresh and growing and still the events have this underground charm. Like Berlin or the UK 10-15 years ago - especially the BlkMarket events. I always enjoy every second in this amazing city!
In September you will be coming to New York City for the Electric Zoo festival. When I see you on line ups in New York you seem to primarily play in the cities striving underground scene. How will your performance in a festival environment differ from those that you have given to New York audiences in the past?
I always try to prepare myself regarding the size of the venue. So I wouldn't play the same set on a 5000 people stage than in a 300 people club. I guess it`s gonna be a nice mixture of pure party stuff and some deeper tunes. You have my word, that I`ll do my best to make those bootys shake!
What are your top 3 festival survival tips?
- No Drugs
- No Alcohol
- No Sex …… but….. do we really wanna survive???
Saturday & Sunday, September 4-5, 2010
Made Event presents
ELECTRIC ZOO
New York Electronic Music Festival
Randall’s Island Park
Open Air Festival
11am-11pm Each Day, All Ages
Two Day Passes & Single Day Tickets Available
www.myspace.com/reboot
www.MadeEvent.com
www.ElectricZooFestival.com
