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Mike Dehnert — the next guest at Reflection
Интервью · 13.12.2009
By 44100Hz
The December Reflection party will be the last club event of the season for Shanti, whose dancefloor won't resume its work until February. So that there are enough impressions to last the whole dark and cold January, the organisers have prepared a powerful final chord. It will be a performance by Mike Dehnert. A native of Berlin, Mike is a consistent adept of minimalism. In his own sound he combines contemporary tech-house with elements of pedigree old-school techno, the music of the heyday of the legendary Berlin club Tresor.
44100Hz: Mike, you started writing music many years ago and began straight away with techno. Was this genre your first musical love? Tell us how you came to compose music yourself?
M.D.
: Like most producers, I couldn't find music that would satisfy me as a listener. The mainstream playing all around was just awful! The only way out was to compose such music myself. Techno is the main love, but not the only one — I like house and all sorts of crazy jazz.
44100Hz: You spent a lot of time abroad. Why did you decide to leave Germany? Did you work on music during your travels?
M.D.
: In reality I spent only a year travelling. I got into university, but the studies began in 12 months, and I had to spend that time somehow usefully. So I bought a one-way ticket and set off on a round-the-world trip with stops in Asia, Australia, the USA… You couldn't find a better way to spend the time! But I didn't work on music then, I mostly hung out and moved from city to city.
44100Hz: What was your most vivid impression during this period?
M.D.
: The realisation that the earth is round! Some people understand this from birth, but I needed to travel around the globe in one direction to get it. I stopped in New Zealand, then there was Los Angeles, and in the end I found myself back home. And all that time I was moving in one direction!
44100Hz: You had a long pause in releases before you opened the label Fachwerk and began releasing under your own name. Was there a transition between your old project MuMu and what came out later as Mike Dehnert?
M.D.
: It was an evolution. Although the pause wasn't really all that long — during that time I was putting out promo records, «white-labels», and the MuMu project was also part of that story.
44100Hz: Berlin is often called the techno capital of the world. Do you agree with that? How would you describe the modern Berlin scene?
M.D.
: Yes, I agree with that, but it doesn't mean that Berlin is the only place where there's techno. There are masses of cities in the world with a rich techno scene and interesting musicians. The main thing Berlin has right now is a developed infrastructure. There are excellent clubs here, and generally a lot is done for artists, which is why many musicians move here to live.
44100Hz: How can you explain the explosion of techno in Germany? Nowadays, at the word «techno», what comes to mind isn't Detroit but rather Berlin and Cologne. Why did this happen?
M.D.
: To tell the truth, I have no ideas on that score!
44100Hz: You're one of those making the «new Tresor», reviving the legendary Berlin club. Tell us more about your work in this field?
M.D.
: I simply play music there as a resident DJ. In fact, that's the main thing for a club. Resident DJs are the ones who serve as the guarantee that good music will always play in the club, and therefore that the venue will thrive.
44100Hz: Tell us about the concept of your live performance. Do you play live the tracks that can be heard on your releases, or do you improvise on stage? What software and hardware do you use?
M.D.
: Live, I never play what I release on records. These are two completely different stories — creatively and technically. I record tracks on analogue machines, but live I play everything exclusively «from digital». What exactly I use for that is a trade secret… For concerts I prepare some rhythmic parts, but the greater part of a live performance is improvisation. The creativity happens right there at the party, before the audience's eyes.
Reflection
19 December
Shanti
Live: Mike Dehnert (DE)
Djs: Genie Korch, Magic B