Hypnotic days
Markus Schulz, one of the most acclaimed international DJs, is hitting town to present one of his characteristic energetic sets
For trance music fans worldwide there can be fewer names that are bigger than the German-American DJ and producer Markus Schulz. The good news for Indian Electronic dance music (EDM) fans is that the 40-year-old Miami, US, resident, known to many fans as the “unicorn slayer", will be appearing in India for a series of shows as part of the event Vh1 Supersonic Club Nights. He has already performed in Mumbai, Hyderabad and Pune and is scheduled to perform in Gurgaon, near Delhi, on 3 May.
Known for his high-octane shows, Schulz’s repertoire is a fusion of trance, progressive and house music. He has also garnered a reputation as the host of the popular weekly radio show, Global DJ Broadcast, whose listenership runs into the millions. Juggling many roles, Schulz also finds time to run his own record label, Coldharbour Recordings (named after Schulz’s former production base in Coldharbour Lane in London, UK), and his artiste management company, Schulz Music Group (SMG). His critically acclaimed albums include Do You Dream? and Scream. Schulz also holds the enviable record of being voted America’s best DJ for 2012-13 by readers of DJ Times magazine. Schulz spoke to us ahead of his show in the Capital. Edited excerpts:
Why did you become a DJ and a music producer? Were there any particular artistes who inspired you?
Well…my father was a musician, so while growing up there was always music around. Then I just kind of started experimenting with some equipment, but it wasn’t until I started hearing stories about Larry Levan and Danny Tenaglia (legendary New York DJs from the late 1970s and early 1980s) that things really started coming together. I think musically that era challenged me and I always tried to make music that fit in that era, but it wasn’t until I became a resident DJ and started playing every night that my music really kind of took shape.
You have your own radio show, ‘Global DJ Broadcast’. How do you approach the show as compared to making and producing music?
I used to listen to the radio when I was a kid. Growing up I had a very hard childhood (he emigrated to the US with his family when he was 13 and initially did not speak English), so I used to listen to the radio all the time and that’s what got me through. My radio show is like me giving back to the people out there who are having a hard time, and inspiring them with music, like I was. For me, a radio show has always been something that I wanted to do since I was little.
There was a time when radio was important for musicians to gain exposure and generate sales. Traditional radio has now been largely replaced by the Internet. How has this affected music and electronic music in particular?
Well you know what…when I was starting out, the Internet and radio were the same thing, because every radio station was streaming online. I remember all the blogs and the forums…whenever a DJ would play somewhere or was live on the radio it was heard internationally on the Internet. I think, especially for trance, the radio and the Internet have kind of been going side by side.
You founded Coldharbour Recordings. What criteria are important when you are signing an artiste?
I am always looking for the anti-trance trance, not your typical trance that you hear that just sounds like everything else. I am always looking for something interesting, a little darker, a little bit more thought-provoking, and at the same time I am looking for stuff that sounds amazing in a stadium or even in a small club. I think Coldharbour has a very distinctive sound or soul. So I am always looking for tracks that have that soul and it doesn’t matter if it is 132 beats per minute (bpm) and trance-led or it is 128 bpm and a little bit more techy. So it’s that soul; it’s hard to describe. You know it when you hear it. And yes, that’s what I am looking for.
How did you come to be known as the “unicorn slayer"?
That’s a question that I get a lot. I figured out that a couple of years ago somebody had tweeted that trance music is rainbows and unicorns. And somebody tweeted that if trance is rainbows and unicorns, then Markus Schulz is the unicorn slayer and then I retweeted that. Then it just kind of caught fire from there. Now, people are wearing T-shirts and holding up flags. It’s kind of funny because even my mother has a
unicorn-slayer T-shirt now.
Like other parts of the world, electronic music, especially EDM, is gaining popularity in India. Even the Bollywood film industry has cottoned on to it. What are some of the pitfalls that artistes and promoters should watch out for?
Especially for promoters, I know that one thing right now is that there is a big disconnect about what’s happening on radio and live shows. There are people who have No.1 songs on the radio, but don’t sell tickets and can’t fill up venues. I think the biggest thing right now for the promoter is that he needs to understand who sells tickets and who doesn’t. There is a big difference between the live experience (and records) and there are many producers who have got big records and they have to learn how to DJ in order to go on tour. Without being too controversial, many of them are not very good DJs and they just play the best tracks from the top 10 and that kind of takes away from the art of deejaying. There are some people who are just hyped. Eventually, many of them find their footing and become good contributors to the scene. But there are a lot of guys who may have learnt how to deejay just six months ago, and you just put them on stage in front of 20,000 people and they don’t know what they are doing. They just play a pre-recorded set. So I think it is okay as long as people understand true art and respect the artistes that have kind of paved the way for a lot of these people.
Marcus Schulz will perform on 3 May, 8pm, at i-Kandy, Le Méridien, Gurgaon. For details, visit www.gosupersonic.in/
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