With the release of his next release on Dazante, Dirk takes some time out to chat with us about his work on the Elysium EP which you can pre-order now on Beatport: https://www.beatport.com/release/elysium/2973720

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Hi Dirk, thanks for chatting to us today. How are you getting on? What are you doing to keep busy in these times? 

Hey there! Right now you are reaching me during my vacation – normally I would have been in Belize now…but due to corona travel restrictions I am travellng across Germany and finding spots I never heard of.
Just before the break I finished 2 new EPs and did some livestreams and of course promo work for my upcoming Release. I do a lot more production work now, but less digging for new music to be honest…It always saddens me to find new awesome music to dance to and can not play it in a club…
 

You have been running Durch Die Nacht for a few years now, can you tell us a bit about the party ethos and scene in Cologne? 

In Cologne we have a few Promoters who run party nights in different clubs. Unlike most cities most Cologne´s clubs do not run their own nights only, but give most nights to different promoters.
So you have a lot of variety in one club. Even at Odonien it can happen, you have a Reggae or Goa Night at some dates.
Most Techno or House Promoters have a certain DJ Crews like us or “Freunde legen auf” or “Rheinrhythmik” or “WIR Schwestern”, just to name a few and are kind of connected to each other, and share same values, which makes it easy for members of one crew to play at other crew´s nights or team up for bigger events, which is pretty cool.
We also host a monthly radio show on 674fm, where we invite local producers.

You have another EP forthcoming on Dantze entitled ‘Elysium’. How did your connection with Dantze start? 

I have known Niconé already for a while through shared afterhours and some crazy nights and always liked his imprint Dantze, what he established together with Philip Bader, and set my goal to release there. When I finished my first EP “Morgens in Odonien”, I sent it over to Alex and he immediately loved it and wanted to sign it. So, the connection began, and I think my style suits this label very well.

The EP is a reflection of your travels, can you tell us a little more about the ideas behind the tracks? 

I didn´t plan to produce an EP like this in advance, but this idea came a while after my travels to Costa Rica and Maldives. I gathered so many impressions there and took some audio recordings especially in Tortuguero, where I lived in a hut without any windows in the middle of the jungle. And when I listened to that voice of a baby sloth, the idea of building a track around it arose in my mind.
So I recreated my feelings about Tamarindo and the Maldives and gave it an expression as well.
 

What kind of studio set up are you typically producing your tracks with? 

Normally I start playing around with my Arturia Drumbrute until I find some nice rhythms for percs, or I shape a Bassline with my u-he DIVA. It often happens, that I recreate the Drumbrute pattern in Ableton Live, but then only leave the rhythm part, and replace the sounds with a new programmed Drum Rack consisting of some cut and shaped drum samples I found. I really enjoy digging for drum samples, I can mould into something fresh Can do it for hours.
Second Synth I use a lot is the Arturia Prophet V. I must admit, I only use Softsynths, because for me, they do everything I need.
 

Anything else in the pipeline for the next months? 

Yeah, I just finished two more EPs, but didn´t have them signed yet. First one is more reduced to gritty percs and classic house stuff, second one I was inspired by a frenchy vibe and went more into a dreamy direction with epic synth soundscapes. Still pondering, where I will send them.
 

What is your ideal setting to DJ in? 

I really love to play into sunrise in an Open Air Location. Nothing beats that feeling!
 

Last of all, one track that helps you unwind after a long day…

Puh, one track is hard….right now it is “Me Auld Flower – Down the Bunny Trail”.
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