Meet the DIRTY MIND MUSIC team!

Our radio DIRTY MIND MUSIC celebrates its 5th birthday this summer, so its time that you meet the core team behind it:

City I live in:
Berlin -  an exciting city! Not only because there is so much happening, but also because of its crazy history. You still feel it everywhere and it only happened a few decades ago.

What I love about DIRTY MIND MUSIC:
That we can reach electronic music lovers all over the world! We have listeners in 100 different countries, including South Africa, Bermuda, Colombia, Peru, China, Thailand, New Zealand, Russia, Saudi Arabia – amazing what technology can make happen today. I mean, this is the true spirit of House Music: no boundaries - everybody is welcome! And when we get from these listeners a nice feedback, then we know why we are doing the radio.

How DIRTY MIND MUSIC started:
I could not find a radio station, which constantly plays good and interesting house music. So I created my own station as a very ambitious hobby project. Our radio is made out of passion for electronic music. I am glad that lot of people with different skills support my idea.

Best place in Berlin for partying?
Definitely Berghain! As I am a house music lover I prefer the Panorama Bar, the house floor above the main hall. Its very hard to get into the club that is why the crowd inside is so special. Panorama Bar has no Go Go Dancers or any fancy stuff, just this raw architecture and a massive PA. And when its already morning or during the day and the light jockey opens the blinds for a few seconds, the crowd explodes because of the sunlight hitting their moving bodies. Wow!

City I live in:
Berlin. The city of music, culture, art, nature, endless club nights and everything in between! Even though Berlin is a huge cosmopolitan city, it is so relaxed and laidback. Home <3

What I love about DIRTY MIND MUSIC:
The fact that DMM plays killer tracks one after the other. The majority of the tracks we play are first heard at a party or in a DJ mix from our favorite DJs. We fall in love with the tracks, find them, buy them and add them to our radio. Every track has a little story. It is nice way to remember those moments again.

How DIRTY MIND MUSIC changed after I participated:
I joined DMM officially in 2010. Back then we played lot of progressive and vocal house. It was very nice and sweet, but we needed a fresh kick! I'm a girl who prefers tech house, techno, minimal, pumping beats and fat bass, so I guess this was the time when DMMs music style changed towards the techy side.

Best place for partying outside Berlin?
IBIZA!! The paradise on earth! You have the best clubs with unbelievable soundsystems, best DJs, like-minded people and the great athmosphere. You have the sun, sea & beach! You have daytime parties and you can go loco during the night. Ibiza is the mecca for electronic music lovers, when you come to the island you can really feel the energy! :) You have to experience this!

City I live in:
Nuremberg (Germany), the city with the famous Christmas market and the spicy gingerbread :-)

What I love about DIRTY MIND MUSIC:
The radio is supporting me in my daily life whenever I need it. With DIRTY MIND MUSIC working, running, cleaning or cooking is more fun. It cheers me up when I am down and calms me down when I need to relax. Sometimes it makes me dancing, sometimes it makes me dreaming...

The idea behind my DIRTY MIND characters:
As the main visual for the radio Joe wanted to create an artificial DIRTY MIND landscape with characters. Together we came up with the idea that I design certain characters, which represent our best friends and our pets. We also have the staff in it like Ulla, the cool cat Mr. Blackie, myself and of course Joe, who is also in the logo of DIRTY MIND MUSIC. The two silhouettes behind him in the logo represent his supporters, who stand behind him. As you can see, the DIRTY MIND WORLD is very unique and personal!

House Music...
sounds better with Joe ;-)

City I live in:
I live in a town called Esslingen near Motorcity Stuttgart. Smaller than Stuttgart, but all you need is a bit peace in your home without all that noise.

What I love about DIRTY MIND MUSIC:
I like the freshness and familiarity of DMM. There are so many DJs, who live for their sets and music - and in DMM they find a home sweet home.

A good DJ mix in my oppinion?
There's no guidance for a good DJ mix. Some people like it hot from the first minute, some need a structure form from easy to party. Every set has it's secret, which has to be found by the audience.

What am I currently busy with:
After years of having the plan in my head my partner in crime Patrick Vano and me started our own label TONSPORT MUSIC. Somewhere between dirty House, grooving Techhouse tunes and a bit of Techno we will offer a plattform for good music. Namedropping is not our aim, we just wanna make the people dance!

City I live in:
Blackie City (I think some ugly humans call it also „Berlin“)

What I love about DIRTY MIND MUSIC:
The stop button, so I can finally get my 18 hours beauty sleep!

DJs I would like to hear in a DIRTY MIND MIX:
Deadmau5, Loco Mice, Daft Skunk, Milk & Sugar, Swedish Mouse Mafia and Felix Da Housecat.

How it feels to make a career from an injured Amsterdam street cat to a superstar in posh Berlin district Prenzlauer Berg:
Pawsome!


Feel free to come and say hello if you spot one of us, we love to get in touch with music lovers!


Blog article © DIRTY MIND MUSIC for blog.dirtymindmusic.com

Interview: Manuel De La Mare / 303lovers radio show (Italy)

Manuel De La Mare is a DJ & producer from Italy and owner of the labels “303lovers” and “Hotfingers”. He is regularly presenting the “303lovers radio show”, which is often showcased on our internet radio DIRTY MIND MUSIC. Besides this, Manuel did our 4 years anniversary mix in summer 2012. A lot of reasons to get him and his work to know better…

First, as always, describe yourself in 3 words:
Music lover, cat lover, art lover

Tell us about the concept of your 303lovers radio show and how the idea started.
303lovers has always had a very own music view as a label and we wanted with our radio show to be able to share the music we prefer with a larger audience, giving also the possibility to our artists and djs we love to play their music outside the club. This also let us playing a bit a different music from what is our normal dj set, in the radio we do not have to make people dance, so we can take a different way and usually play more rich in music elements.

How do you choose the DJs for the show?
It represents our taste for music and it evolves continuously. We are happy to host djs we respect and maybe we never had the pleasure to meet personally or to dance to their music in a club.

Tell us more about the 303lovers record label.
It is our fifth anniversary, and we spent last years trying to deliver good solid techno and house music. I think we are having a second born now, we started again focusing a lot on what we do as a label, maybe last couple of years we travelled too much and we left a bit the label aside. So I can say the best is yet to come with a lot of new music we are working on at the moment in the studio with Luigi Rocca.

Besides the radio show and the label, what are you busy with at the moment?
We are going to run our own parties! It is the thing we are most busy with at the moment! We are putting a lot of work into it, the first party will be at Plan B, London,  and we are planning already to be present at some big festival for the next summer season.

Please write spontaneously a short comment for each of the following terms:
Ibiza: Beautiful sea, incredible nightclubs in one place, the most beautiful island for all party ppl and music lovers
Berlin: It is still an unknown territory for me
Best club: M2 Seoul, Space Miami, Space Ibiza, Ministry Of Sound London, the list could be very long
House Music 2013: Would love to listen something more innovative, not stuck to the same loops and samples
Winter: I love snow and ski, so it is an amazing season


More information about Manuel De La Mare and 303lovers:
www.manueldelamare.com
www.facebook.com/303loversofficial


Interview by Joe Landen

More interviews here!

Interview: Paul Hazendonk (Netherlands)

Today we present a new interview on our House Music blog. Paul Hazendonk, Dutch DJ & Producer, tells us more about his new album, his company "Manual Music" and Furrr & Hazendonk.

First, as always, describe yourself in 3 words:
Tall, Skinny, Funlovin'

You’ve just released your album “Sound Shifting: Versatility", we have listened and it makes us curious where you get your inspiration from and what was your goal to create a compilation album like this?
There are actually no deep thoughts behind creating this compilation album. It’s basically a collection of tracks and sounds that shows what you can expect when you see me perform as a DJ. So if you’ve never see me perform before, you will know how it sounds after listening to this double CD ☺

As the subtitle "Versatility" says your album is versatile. This is also clearly seen in the different styles of music per CD. You called CD 1 Body and CD 2 Mind, why did you choose for this? Does it have a special meaning for you? 
I’ve always been a little bit schizophrenic when it comes to music haha. A lot of people seem to enjoy categorizing music into boxes and put a label on it, I‘m not like that. For me there are only two kinds of music: the music I like and the music I dislike. For this compilation I could narrow it down to the music I’m playing during my DJ sets only, however it would still be a big problem to jam all the tracks on one CD without letting it sound messy. So I’ve decided to make it a double CD with ‘Body’ stands for as more easy going funk fuelled stuff, and ‘Mind’ stands for the more intelligent melodic stuff.

You have your own multi-faceted music company "Manual Music" with a few sublabels. Can you tell us more about it? 
I used to work at the Basic Beat record company (and record store) in Rotterdam, where I’ve run a techno label called ‘Technique’. At some point I’ve got some very interesting demos which I desperately wanted to release, but simply didn’t fit in the sound for Technique. So I decided to start a sublabel called Manual Music, this was back in 2005. The first release ‘Robotfood’ by Petter became an instant classic and soon after that Manual Music became the main label I’ve started to work on. After many years at Basic Beat I’ve left the company in 2009, taking Manual Music with me and next to that I adopted the name for my company, simply calling it ‘Manual Music’. Nowadays my company has six in-house labels, takes care of the distribution for dozens of other labels, we have our own publishing fund, managing some artists and we are hosting events (beach parties, areas). We also used to run our own bookings agency ‘Manual Bookings’ but decided to stop that part of the company, due to time pressure issues (you can’t do it all!)

In 2009 you also started to produce and perform together with Raymond "Qbical" van Baal under the name Furrr & Hazendonk. How did you two come to the idea to work together? And where are you guys working on right now? 
We know each other for quite some years now, Raymond is also recording under the name ‘Qbical’ and is a regular artist for the Manual Music label. The sound of us both Qbical and my solo stuff stands on itself, but we both have big interest in other music too. So we decided to start a project together a little bit less serious, 100% focussed on the dancefloor and fully focussed on having fun. Getting a break from all the purists whining and moaning that’s going on. We’re having great fun playing together and our productions seems to find their way to the right labels and deejays too, as we are working with labels such as Diynamic, Neurotraxx, Einmusika, Little Mountain / This Is, SK Supreme, Witty Tunes etc.

You have been producing music for over 10 years now, what were the high and lowlights of your career so far?
I’ve been DJ-ing for over 10 years, but didn’t start producing until approx 7 years ago. I’m still mainly a DJ who started producing music because at a certain point you had to get your name out there to get more exposure and keep the number of gigs on a solid level. In the early years I’ve got gigs because people liked me as a DJ, nowadays you get them because they know your label and your productions. I do understand it from a marketing point of view, but still think that a good producer is not necessarily a good DJ and vice versa. I’ve had many gigs I consider highlights. Playing for infamous venues and organisations such as Awakenings, Dance Valley, Paradiso, Melkweg, Nighttown, Las Palmas, Studio 80 and Doornroosje in The Netherlands are things you can only dream about when you’re just starting out. I feel blessed to have been able to visit and play in many different countries and get the experience in the scenes and cultures there. Lowlights? Yeah of course there are always those gigs where there are hardly any people, or people that come and ask for R&B music... Then you know you are in the wrong place ☺

Can you tell us where you see yourself in 10 years?
I hope I’m still actively working in the music industry in some kind of form, maybe as a DJ/producer, but maybe behind the scenes. I’m not the kinda person who has a year-to-year planning to be honest. I used to plan ahead a lot, but when my father died one day without warning I realised that it’s better to capture the moment and don’t worry too much about what the future will bring...

What are you working on right now?
I’m currently working on a solo remix for a new Giorgos Gatzigristos release which will be released on Eelke Kleijn’s Outside The Box label. Just finished up on a new release I’m doing together with Luke Mandala on my Stolen Moments label + there are two releases coming up on big (German and Dutch) labels, but I can’t mention it yet (aaarrgggh!). On one of these releases I work together with Tundra. With Furrr & Hazendonk we are currently wrapping up remixes for Strom Recordings (James Nidecker’s label) and Jeroenski (for our own Melomane label). Our new single on Melomane is coming up too, which will include remixes by Love Girls and Leonardo Gonnelli. I’m doing a monthly solo show on Proton Radio called ‘Hazendonk FM’ + together with Robin (Cinematique) and Qbical/Furrr I’m hosting the monthly Manual Movement radio show on XT3 Radio. Next to that I’m running my Manual Music company on a day-to-day basis and looking forward to playing at numerous clubs, beach parties and festivals this summer, including my debut in Canada which I’m very much looking forward to!

Please write spontaneously a short comment for each of the following terms:
Rotterdam: great city, but the nightlife is not what is used to be
Berlin: Walhalla
Ibiza: Never been there, for some reason it doesn't really attract me (does that make me an outcast? :))
Best Club: Trouw Amsterdam
Best Festival: 5 Days Off + Awakenings Festival


More information about Paul Hazendonk:
www.paulhazendonk.nl


Interview by Joe Landen

More interviews here!

Interview: The Man With No Shadow (Netherlands)

The Man With No Shadow (in Dutch: De Man Zonder Schaduw ) – a shady name for a respectable DJ! We take a closer look at one of Holland's best DJs and talk about his unique style, Sensation White and his party row Gasten Zonder Grenzen (GZG):

First, as always, describe yourself in 3 words:
Well, okay... let’s say intense, creative and straightforward.

How did your DJ career start and what was the key for your success?
My career started with a lot of partying, then organizing parties myself and after that playing at those parties myself. The GZG parties were the first that got really serious. I think the key for my success was a basic one, I managed to share my love for the music and the scene through organizing and playing. In other words, I had my own platform and a sense for the crowd.

Your DJ sets are always very special. How would you describe your own style?
First of all, thanks! I spend a lot of time to get my sets unique and special but it’s also important for me that it’s effective. I like to get the party going, but I also love the intelligent twist. Musically, I think I combine the power of techno with the magical moment. But, there’s a lot to do before I get where I want!

What is your setup when you are deejaying? Do you use Records, CDs, Laptop, Software, Effects? Why?
Right now, I use two CD players and a mixer. I focus on record choice, mixing and the crowd. That’s already three things and that’s enough for me when playing.

You have also played at Sensation White. How is it to perform in front of thousands of white dressed party people?
Ah the Sensation thing, you’re not the first that’s asking me about it. Some weeks ago somebody said on national radio that I was Mr. White, Sensation’s white faced resident. Since then I get a lot of questions about it, but to be honest, I don’t know. I always play in the Deluxe areas, so if you ask me how it is to perform for thousands of white people.. I wouldn’t know ;-)

I understand :-) Then tell us more about your great party row GZG – Gasten Zonder Grenzen.
This has been an interesting year for GZG. After seven years we have grown in popularity and size and I am so happy to see that we managed to keep the vibe at our parties that sets us apart. Actually, it seems as if it’s only getting better and that inspires us to stay true to our roots. Our Zomerpark festival in June is a good example, we’re planning a lot of crazy stuff, but the basic principle of ‘One Day, One Stage, One Festival’ stays the same.. it’s going to be really special.

Please write spontaneously a short comment for each of the following terms:
Amsterdam: “we’ve only just started”
Berlin: “sleep is commercial”
Ibiza: “get me over guys”
Best Club: Berghain
Best Recordlabel: Cocoon


More information about The Man With No Shadow:
www.themanwithnoshadow.com
www.facebook.com/demanzonderschaduw


Interview by Joe Landen

More interviews here!

Summer Jobs in Ibiza - Tips from an Expert

Many young people, who love electronic music, dream of having a seasonal job in Ibiza. I talked to my friend Jörg, he is German and he is working for over 10 years every summer in the NEW GARDEN bar in Playa d'en Bossa. There he is responsible for selling club tickets. Jörg is a true Ibiza expert and is answering the most important questions about summer jobs on the White Isle:

Is it easy to find a seasonal job in Ibiza?
Yes! There are many possibilities: working in a hotel, restaurant, bar or club, making promotion for parties, selling club tickets, etc.

How do I get a job in Ibiza?
The easiest way is to fly to the island before the season really starts. So come beginning of May and just ask for jobs, where you want to work.

What about the languages?
A lot of people who start to work here can not speak Spanish. Of course with Spanish your life is easier in Ibiza, but it is also a good chance to learn the language. So be open minded and interested. Ibiza is a tourist island, the more languages you speak the better. Besides Spanish the main languages are English, German and Italian.

How are the working conditions?
Most of the jobs are during the evening and night, so it might be you work from around 8 pm to 4 am (or later) every day. The season only lasts about 4 months, so usually you work this period and without any day off! With a normal holiday job you will not get rich here, but most likely you come here for sun, fun and meeting cool people, instead of money making. You have here the beaches and the parties next to your work, so it can be very exhausting, but for sure it is a once in a lifetime experience. Do not expect all the time holiday, it can be a hard job. And the coolest job ever. If you like electronic music Ibiza is your paradise. Many workers return every season to the island.

Where do I live?
If you are working for a hotel then most likely you will get a room there. Otherwise you have to take care about this yourself! The housing situation in Ibiza is not the best. If you can share a room with someone else you have to pay around 200 - 300 EUR a month. If you want the room for yourself it will be around 400 EUR. An own apartment costs 1200 - 1600 EUR a month!

Can I come to Ibiza without money? I will earn money there.
Be aware you have to come to Ibiza in May, but most likely you start to earn money beginning of June, when the main season starts. Most likely you get your monthly wage end of the month. So you have to live the first 2 months from your savings! When you rent a room or apartment the landlord wants a deposit (around 2 months rent) and the first rent.

Do I have free entry to the clubs?
If you are selling club tickets or promoting parties you will get a certain kind of identity card, which allows you to enter the clubs for free. This saves you a lot of money during the season! The club entry is usually around 30 - 70 EUR a night.


Interview by Joe Landen

More interviews here!

Interview: Katherine (Whirlingturban, Bali)

Today is the start of a new series here on our House Music blog. I want to introduce you to very interesting fans of our internet radio. Like Katherine, a fashion designer, who worked in New York and for the entertainment industry in Hollywood. Now she is in Bali, creating Bombshell Dresses & Pinup Couture. Let's have a closer look:

First, as always,
describe yourself in 3 words:
Manic Dress Nun

Katherine, you are a fashion designer focusing on Vintage Style Dresses. How did your career start?
Actually, I started designing for myself and sewing as a teenager because I grew up in a (real) cowboy town where I couldn’t buy the clothes I wanted. I fled the cowboy town at 18 and worked as a designer’s assistant in San Francisco during the great days of Gay Liberation and the birth of club culture, before the plague, then thru the formative years of punk; another great time to be in San Francisco.
In the 80’s, I went to Manhattan - still my favorite U.S. city - and worked as a patternmaker and designer on Seventh Avenue and for an Upper East Side boutique that made leather clothing for celebrities.

Then you moved to L.A. and created also costumes for Hollywood’s entertainment industry. For example Uma Thurman and Salma Hayek wore creations from your studio.
That was immense fun since, in Hollywood, money is no object; the object is bringing something from the imagination into reality in the most perfect and gasp-inducing manner possible. The greatest garment craftspeople in Europe are in Haute Couture. In the U.S., they are in Hollywood - the pinnacle of the craft is there and it’s a very satisfying and exciting way to work.

Now you are in Bali with your company “Whirlingturban - Bombshell Dresses & Pinup Couture”. How did you end up there and what are you doing exactly? 
I seem to have about a ten year attention span with cities. I came to Bali on a month long vacation between movie projects when I lived in L.A. and within a week I knew I wanted to have a life here. I had already done the best cities in the U.S., with L.A., as a city, being a disappointment after being spoiled by the cultural choices and brilliant minds in New York.

Bali is a crafty-person’s Disneyland, so the creative possibilities seduced me. Also the entire sense of reality is radically different here on the most fundamental level. The chance to expose myself to a culture and worldview that would challenge my entire concept of the nature of existence was something I was ready for and could not resist.

I moved to Bali to make clothes but my first entrepreneurial idea did not work out. I ran out of money and for a year, as I scavenged any work I could find, I spent night after night for hours on ebay, looking at what kinds of clothing sold well. I found that vintage Hawaiian dresses went for great prices on ebay and wondered how a flawless reproduction would be received. I made a reproduction Hawaiian dress that I felt had everything the originals had except the age. To my delight, I found a home selling to vintage dress collectors and eventually moved away from ebay to my own website, Whirlingturban.com.

What is fascinating you about the fashion of the 40's and 50's?  
These two decades call to designers repeatedly. I don’t believe that you can find a single season of fashion where some element from one of these two decades isn’t stir fried into the mix somewhere because these were just incredible decades for fashion. Also, both of these decades emphasize, in different ways, the extreme feminine figure and “X” shape with width at the hips and shoulders or bust and narrowness at the waist. That balance is appealing to the eye and the sense of aesthetics, sexy and so primal that it will never lose its appeal as long as humans maintain an interest in reproducing.
In addition, riffing on these two decades lends a peppering of tongue-in-cheek kitsch/camp that is essential in what appeals to me, my customers and fellow vintage enthusiasts.

Who are your customers and for what occasions do they buy your dresses? 
Besides the above aesthetic point of view and taste that I share with my customers, more than 90% of Whirlingturban customers are either artists by profession or are deeply involved in the arts. They tend to have curves and they like to be noticed. Virtually all Whirlingturban dresses are purchased for a specific event at which the woman wishes to make a strong artistic and erotic statement. Today more than half the dresses we make at Whirlingturban are for alternative brides.

I know you are a fan of our radio station DIRTY MIND MUSIC. How did you find us and why do you like us?
Since fleeing the cowboy town in which I grew up I’ve been an addict of urban culture. Little did I know when I moved to Bali that I would be isolating myself from the urban culture I love. I thought I was moving to an international artist’s colony but I find myself back in a small town. I love what I do here creatively and am I’m devoted to it. But I miss urban culture acutely.

I stumbled across Dirty Mind Music while searching for house music on the internet and it was love at first listen. There is NOTHING else like it. I sit in my little tiki hut on a tiny island in the Indian Ocean and urban culture at its finest visits and minsters to me. My mind teleports to Berlin where it communes with gourmet beats and kindred spirits.  I LOVE Dirty Mind Music!

More information about Katherine & Whirlingturban:
www.whirlingturban.com

Interview by Joe Landen

More interviews here!

Interview: Bas Engels (Shoeless, The Netherlands)

One of the coolest party rows in Amsterdam is "Shoeless", a clubbing experience without shoes. We talked with the man, who brings the living room atmosphere in the clubs, about crazy ideas, Berlin and the Nachtlab project.

First, as always, describe yourself in 3 words:
Entrepreneur, positive and social.

Bas, you are the creator of the famous “Shoeless” parties in Amsterdam. I have to say, I am a big fan! How did you come up with the idea and how did the party row develop?
Thanks man! To tell you the truth it all began as a joke a few years ago. A few friends and me always love to party on bare feet, even on outdoor festivals. Several times we said to each other one day we will organize a bare feet party and so it was. The first edition wasn’t a commercial party, only friends and no entrance fee. I think the reason why a lot of people like the party is because it still has the same vibe for years, with friends for friends, like an afterhour.

Beginning of April Shoeless goes for the first time abroad. Your party will be in Berlin. Why did you choose the German capital?
First of all because of our friends there, after years of visiting Berlin frequently I met a lot of very nice people. A lot of them also come often to Amsterdam and to Shoeless as well. This is why we recently organized a Shoeless bus trip from Berlin to an edition in Amsterdam, which was really cool. You can see a small registration here. Logically a real edition couldn’t stay behind.

Tell us more about Shoeless Berlin in Club Ritter Butzke. What can people expect?
A unique atmosphere, because everybody feels like home without shoes, crazy people, really nice DJ’s from Amsterdam and Berlin and a Ritter Butzke, like you have never seen before!

When not organizing parties you are working for “Nachtlab”. What exactly is this and what is your mission?
Nachtlab is big building in Amsterdam were young and leading companies, musicians and artists operating in nightlife can rent cheap working space. Instead of being subsidised by the government like other incubator buildings I combine forces and organize events all together to keep the rent low.

Please write spontaneously a short comment for each of the following terms:
Amsterdam: Really blooming at the moment
Rotterdam: A city in The Netherlands were they play terrible soccer
Ibiza: You always need a holiday after you had a holiday in Ibiza
Best DJ / Producer: Dixon
Best Club: At the moment Club Trouw in Amsterdam is really cool
Best Festival: Shoeless Open Air of course ;-)

More information about Bas Engels & Shoeless:
www.shoeless.nl

Shoeless Party in Berlin at Club Ritter Butzke
Saturday 9. April 2011 from 11:00 pm to Sunday 10:00 am
Facebook Event
www.ritterbutzke.de


Interview by Joe Landen

More interviews here!

Interview: Funkerman (Netherlands)

Funkerman is a well known House Music DJ & producer from the Netherlands. He has commercial success, but always remains true to himself. His DJ sets are pure energy and he is always a welcome guest when it comes to our DIRTY MIND MIX Show. This is Funkerman:

First, as always, describe yourself in 3 words:
Impulsive, control freak, workaholic

How did your DJ and Producer career start and how did it develop?
I started out being a music lover at a very young age and discovered turntablism at the age of 13. It was love at first sight! My first time DJ-ing was at a club in my hometown, I had a residency there for eleven years. In 2004 I started a label called Flamingo Recordings. One year later my International DJ career started to grow and now we are here. 2011 will be a fresh year for me with a lot of new stuff coming up.

That sounds great! What are you busy with at the moment?
I just rebuilt our studio together with my good friend Raf. We are producing a lot of different stuff at the moment and for other artists as well. Besides that we are planning a new Funkerman album. We have a lot of great tracks that might be good enough, it’s again another sound than people would expect from me. So check out my website www.funkerman.com for updates.

You are one of the few artists, who knows, how to make good commercial and underground House Music. How do you find the right balance between success and being a cool underground DJ? 
When something turns out to be a commercial success I am totally fine with that. As long as I make music with the right intentions.There is some good stuff around and I guess lots of artists try to make great music but some are just on the hunt for fame. People will feel the difference, no matter how hard the industry tries to make you believe something else.

What is your setup when you are deejaying? Do you use Records, CDs, Laptop, Software, Effects? Why?
I always try to work as simple and creative as possible on stage. 4 CD players and 1 mixer with effects are just perfect for me. The equipment is so good nowadays, that I can change arrangements and add effects with the CD players and right mixer. I recently moved all my records to my office and that reminded me again of how heavy that shit was and that I was dragging all these records around for years and years. Now I have all my music on two memory sticks ☺

I lived myself several years in the Netherlands. How do you explain that this tiny country is one of the driving forces in House & Techno? And why are the people so crazy about it? 
I think the fact that house music started here in the late 80’s and became one of the most important music genres in the Netherlands. Besides that, there are a lot of Dutch DJ’s with an international career with lots of followers worldwide. I guess that makes Holland one of the biggest electronic dance music capitals in the world.

Please write spontaneously a short comment for each of the following terms:
Amsterdam: Oosterhout ☺
Berlin: Techno capital of the world
Miami: Sunshine and Music
Best Club: Sandwich
Best Festival: All the festivals where I’ve been invited to play ☺


More information about Funkerman:
www.funkerman.com

Interview by Joe Landen

More interviews here!

Interview: We Are E Artist Management (Amsterdam)

We Are E is a well-known artist management located in Amsterdam, representing a lot of interesting Dutch artists like Rauwkost, Daniel Sanchez, Oliver Weiter, Johanna Mercker, Joey Daniel and Arjuna Schiks. They are just celebrating their 2nd anniversary, time to take a closer look! An Interview with Kelly Peelen:

First, as always, describe yourself in 3 words:
Driven, self-opinionated and curious

Now congratulations to We Are E! You are just celebrating the 2nd birthday! Tell us, how did everything start?
Pieter Ridder started Squz Agency back in 2008 and started to represent the Dutch techno prodigy duo Rauwkost and some other artists.
In the same period Frenk Wiersma and Tjeerd Bijnsdorp (Evotions) were looking for new experiences in the dance industry and Rauwkost’s success got them in contact with Pieter and eventually We Are E was born. As usually start-ups mean lots of things to be done and therefore I joined them shortly after.

How did We Are E develop in the two years?
Well we started as a small agency with both young promising and a bit more arrived successful artists. In two years I can really say we as agency as well as our artists all have grown a lot!
We spent the last two years building on a solid foundation for the brand and our artists by organizing regular parties, unique photo shoots and videos and the use of social media.
This also resulted in the fact that successful artist like Darko Esser and young talented artists like El Mundo & Satori and Bas Amro joined our agency recently.
Fundamentally and personally for me nothing really changed/improved although things got easier due to the combination of the hard labour Pieter and I put in and better contacts we have nowadays.
For example on the phone it doesn’t take as much introduction as it used to be two years ago because people start to recognize us as an agency.
Current projects include setting up a label and releasing records. So there is plenty of more to come in the near future so stay tuned…

Nice! So how do you select new artists you want to manage? What qualities must they have?
Based on the popular and well-known X-Factor We Are E searches for their own unique E-Factor which is also indescribable but fairly recognisable when an artist is talented.
As an agency we find it important that an artist adds value to our little corner of the world called Dance music. We organise this by shifting emphasis between for example producing and releasing records or hosting their personal events. What ever suits them best.

Describe your functions at We Are E.
Fortunately there’s hardly a dull moment in the music industry and therefore my working day or week is hardly ever the same. Bookings take up quite a large proportion of my time so does the day-to-day management and the communication with the artists. Getting in touch with them especially on Monday or Thursday can sometimes be a mission impossible! ☺
Besides that I’m responsible for the promotion of the We Are E Brand and our artists, so you can say I’m looking for new opportunities to promote both of them on a daily basis.
On a periodic basis I do organise our two-monthly We Are E party in Studio 80 in Amsterdam.
As mentioned above I recently started to assist Frenk Wiersma from Evotions with our upcoming label called “We Are EP”.

Soon the electronic music festival season starts in the Netherlands. Which are your favourite festivals and why?
For sure my Dutch festival favourites include Source Festival and Costa del Sol!
Source Festival has a great musical program, but also pays a lot of attention to different types of art like photography, theatre acts, live paintings and has really cool decorations.
Costa Del Sol shares these kinds of art but most of all is a festival, which has a really great vibe and loads of pretty people!
Going abroad I absolutely love NACHT DIGITAL near the east German Border for basically everything that little charming festival has to offer!

Please write spontaneously a short comment for each of the following terms:
Amsterdam: ♥
Rotterdam: cold city
Social Media: I like!
Loveparade: terrible what happened last year…
Best Club: Trouw Amsterdam
Best DJ / Producer: Marcus Worgull / Apparat


More information about We Are E: 
www.wearee.nl
www.facebook.com/wearee
www.soundcloud.com/we-are-e

We Are E is celebrating the 2nd anniversary on 4th February in Club Studio 80 in Amsterdam!


Interview by Joe Landen

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Interview: Vladimir Corbin (Beatmarket, Stuttgart)

Vladimir Corbin lives in the South of Germany. He is our new mix resident, presenting regularly a fine DJ set on our DIRTY MIND MIX Show. Time to get to know Vlado better!

First, as always, describe yourself in 3 words:
Dirty Minded Musician!

We met first time around the year 2000 in Stuttgart/Germany. I was the webdesigner of "M1 The Club" and you worked for “Sub Culture”, an important nightlife magazine. What happened from then until now?
Oh my god! So much happened in the past years. I quitted publishing Sub Culture in 2008. From 2002 on I published the Sub Culture Magazine by myself and after long 11 years in a magazine office I decided to change some things and so I took all my concentration on my music and events like "Tonsport". I found my love in spinning vinyls in 2000 and producing tracks, but it took a long time releasing my first tracks on different labels. I worked together with great artists like Dapayk, Kolombo, Deepchild, Ante Perry and others. Now I am running my booking agency Beatmarket and also work for sceen.fm, WeSC and in the background of a record label. You see, a lot of things happened ;-)

Tell us more about the Beatmarket:
Beatmarket is my booking agency with great artists like Kolombo, LouLou Players, Alma Gold & Citizen Black, founded in the beginning of this year.

What is your setup when you are deejaying? Do you use Records, CDs, Laptop, Software, Effects? Why?
My big love for years was spinning vinyls but with the beginning of longer travels I changed to CDs. It’s much more easy to travel with a small bag than with 30 kilos of vinyls and sometimes I hear my back saying “thank you”. For me playing music is like a hand trade and so there is no controller or software giving me a hand.
The most used setup is a Pioneer DJM 1.000 and two Pioneer CD-J 2.000 together with my Philipps hdd120 mp3 recorder.

We really like the track selection of your mixes on our internet radio. Describe your style, how do you select the tracks and what is your source for good music? 
Thank you! I’m listening to a lot of music to find the tracks for my mixes. In getting promo tracks, listening to soundcloud and different platforms,  it takes a lot of time but work will be done. My style is somewhere between dirty, groovy deep house and some catchy techhouse. The most important substance of good music is a groove and some melodies that causes a grin on your face. I love to see happy people on the dancefloor!

Do you use social media for self-promotion?
I think these days it’s nearly impossible to promote yourself as a music artist without being a part of the most used social platforms. So yes, I use them and share my music and news.

Please write spontaneously a short comment for each of the following terms:
Stuttgart: Sound City Stuttgart
Ibiza: nice isle ;-)
Amsterdam: wooooha, such a wonderful city
Loveparade: For me the Loveparade died in the moment when it moved from Kurfürstendamm (Street in Berlin and first route of the parade. JOE)
Best Club: Colibri, Stuttgart
Best House DJ / producer: one of the best sets I’ve ever heard was the set Jesse Rose played during my Tonsport event in Colibri, Stuttgart on 07.07.2007 and he’s also a great producer.

Which question you were never asked in an interview, but you would love to answer? (you can also answer if you like, now is your chance :-)
I have never been asked: why the hell are you not moving from your little hometown Esslingen (near Stuttgart) to a bigger city?
Everyone who loves the familiar feeling in such small cities knows what I would lose in doing that. My family lives here, all my friends and I know every damn corner and street in this town. Why should I move in a big city to be among all the foreign people?


More information about Vladimir Corbin: 
www.vladimircorbin.com

Interview by Joe Landen

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Interview: Aga Heller (Supraton, Hamburg)

Today we start with the first interview on our House Music blog. We are happy, we could win for this a real nightlife pro and multi-talent, who supported our internet radio right from the start in 2008: Aga Heller. He lives in Hamburg and is one of the most important persons in the electronic music biz from Germany.

First, as always, describe yourself in 3 words:
Hahahaha! Ok, let me try… “Attractive, successful, generous” – Hope you agree! ;o)

Of course :-)  We met first time around the year 2000 in Stuttgart/Germany. I was the webdesigner of the famous M1 Club and you did the bookings for this and other clubs with M1_Bookings. What happened from then until now?
I sold my share of M1_Bookings at the end of 2001 and moved to Hamburg, where I started to work for Warner Music as a product manager. I was responsible for dance compilations there. A year later I left Warner Music already and joined the dance department at edel music AG, where I took care of marketing and A&R management. After a few years at edel music I decided to relaunch Supraton, my own agency – and I am quite happy, how it went. We represent some quite popular DJs and producers exclusively, like The Shapeshifters, Ian Carey, DBN, Michael Gray, Marco Lys, Nalin & Kane and several more.
And not to forget about my “hobby”: I used to work for different radio stations as a presenter and editor within the last 15 years, too. Since three years I run the “Bacardi B-Live Radio Show” on Radio sunshine live (a national radio station in Germany), which is the most successful dance music radio show in Germany with more than 200.000 listeners every week.

Yes, you are definitely one of the most important persons in the electronic music biz. Party promoter, club manager, A&R, marketing manager, artist manager, DJ, producer, radio presenter... you did so many things. What do you like the most and do you wish sometimes to have just an ordinary nine to five job?
I definitely wish to have just an ordinary nine to five job sometimes! Would be nice to have some more free time! My day in the office (or studio) starts at nine in the morning – and it usually ends late in the evening or even at night. But I love what I do. There’s actually nothing I like most, I love all the parts of my job in general – except of accounting, controlling, etc. ;-)

What is for you the best club and who is the best House Music DJ / producer at the moment?
That’s a hard question. I had the luck to see a lot of great clubs worldwide. I would not say there’s one club, that’s the best one, but I would say there are a few massive clubs that I really like: Fabric (London), Berghain (Berlin), Zouk (Singapore), Space (Miami), Amnesia (Ibiza). And I will always love the old M1_The Club in Stuttgart. Had a great time there… :-)
About DJs: My all-time favourite DJs are Deep Dish and first of all Danny Tenaglia, of course. A shame Deep Dish split a few years ago. But they are legends. And Danny Tenaglia is the “DJ of the DJs” – never ever will forget his 24 hour sets at Space Ibiza or Space Miami.

Please write spontaneously a short comment for each of the following terms:
Hamburg: wet and cold – but home!
Ibiza: I like!
Berlin: Crazy parties!
Miami: Titts and beaches - overrated!
Loveparade: Ouch…


More information about Aga Heller:
www.agaheller.com
agaheller.supraton.eu
www.bacardiblive.de

Interview by Joe Landen

More interviews here!

About Joe and his house music internet radio

After allowing radio stations to wear his nerves over too many years, Joe Landen in summer 2008 decided to set up his own station. This resulted in DIRTY MIND MUSIC – a free Internet radio station dedicated solely to the best of electronic music, or more precisely: to house music.

Joe runs the Internet radio as an ambitious hobby project, supported by many friends, DJs and artist managements. His regular occupation actually is that of designer. But his taste in music is now spreading across the entire globe at an incredible pace with the aid of Internet radio provider "live356". "I have a broadcasting package with webspace at a really fair price, which I am able to feed with audio content from my laptop at home," Joe explains. "Live365 takes care of the technology and the community, I arrange the radio programme".

And he does so with success: Listeners give DIRTY MIND MUSIC a score of 9 from 10 points. After only 3 months, the radio was already ranked 5th amongst 115 house stations on live365. After 11 months, it reached position no 2 of meanwhile 121 stations, making DIRTY MIND MUSIC one of the top newcomers on live365. And all without any budget for advertising.

The radio starts to get attention in the music biz: in january 2010 the exclusive mix from DJ Martial White becomes featured mix on mixcloud. From march to october 2010 DIRTY MIND MUSIC is the only featured station in the house sector of the live365 website.

And where are the roots of this success? Well, of course in the music selection. "There are many radio stations and house music stations, but I have not once come across one that plays only the best house music on a consistent basis. Of course they all claim to do so, but seriously, if you have a listen to a house station, the first song might be quite good, but the quality deteriorates with the second or third at the latest, it becomes too commercial, too uncool or even leaves the house genre entirely. We play the full range of house: vocal, uplifting, progressive, minimal etc. And only songs at a high artistic level, not simply boom boom." That appeals to people, not only the in-scene crowd, but also listeners whose taste is "ordinary" music and perhaps for the first time learn what house music really is – and that it definitely does not include Scooter.

Joe has been part of the electronic-music scene since the early 90s and has been able to establish many contacts over the years of which he now benefits. "Many DJs, record labels and artist managements supply me with the latest music productions and above all with DJ mixes. Every week we have a new “Dirty Mind Mix” in our programme, by well-known artists such as Nic Fanciulli, Moguai, Thomas Schumacher, Seamus Haji, Miss Nine, D.O.N.S., Michael Gray, Funkstar de Luxe or by newcomers whom we want to give an opportunity to present their sound to an international audience perhaps for the first time. That's why you will even hear DJs like Roy Malakian from Lebanon on our radio station. Most of the contacts with newcomers I get on parties or via social media."

And where does Joe get his musical inspiration? "I visit a lot of parties, so I know exactly what's going on, what's a success and where the trends are heading." Further huge sources of inspiration are Ibiza, the Miami Winter Music Conference or the Amsterdam Dance Event. And these days, of course, the Internet. "I remember some years ago I still had to trek to the record store and laboriously search for the latest vinyls and then spent expensive money buying the entire record that only included one good song." These days, of course, you buy individual songs on download portals, here they are easy to find and the sales rankings indicate what's particularly appealing to the crowds. Moreover, famous DJs publish their current top 10 here. These days you also find an increasing number of brand new DJ mixes on the Internet, by famous artists, including the so-called "tracklist", a list of the songs played. "All these are the sources from which I then select the absolutely best, not driven by any commercial interests. And I don't forget the roots of the music either and also play one or the other classic".

And of course an uncommon website is a must: dirtymindmusic.com not only allows you to switch on the radio, but also offers background information. The online landscape with the funny characters has a special charm, and what's best is: the more listener records are established, the more elements and creatures are added. "Therefore the website is in a growth process just like my radio station."

And what keeps him on going? “House music is constantly changing, it is a very exciting field! The music gives me so much strength and always cheers me up! It's absolutely fantastic to get nice feedback for what you do from listeners around the globe. And it also combines with design, another big part of me. I live in the right time to afford such a project and to reach the whole world, I see it as a privilege to be able to express myself this way”.

Joe is German. At the age of 6 he started to record own funny shows on a tape deck. His favourite band that time is Depeche Mode, the synthy & sample heroes of the 80s. When he was a teenager he published an humorous newspaper at school called “The Miami News”. After getting a video camera he founded the “CTV” video crew with friends. They were a regional success and built up a huge fan base with their comedy, Youtube unfortunately did not yet exist. When he was 18 he discovered his love for electronic music and started to collect party flyers. He established an international network of flyer collectors. For his communication design studies he moved to Stuttgart and began to deejay, produce, and organise parties. He became well-known with his final year project called "The Flyer Phenomenon" (www.flyerz.de), a website which is all about the subject matter of flyers. As a graphic and webdesigner he set up the TWINPIX design studio (www.twinpix.de), which has a number of customers from the nightlife scene. In 2006 he was offered the opportunity to spend six months in Amsterdam, fell in love with the city and shortly afterwards emigrated. Joe founded DIRTY MIND MUSIC as a side-project and worked as a webdesigner in an advertising agency. 2009 he got to know his big Finnish love Ulla at the legendary Voltt festival. From now on Ulla takes care about the radio social networks and is scouting for new tracks and mixes. In summer 2010 the two decided to move from A to B, from Amsterdam to Berlin.

Looking at DIRTY MIND MUSIC it becomes evident that to Joe house music is a passion. His mission:
"We just want to be the best house radio on this planet".