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Martin Eyerer: Berlin, Minimal and 20 Years of Djing “My parents weren’t really aware that music was going to be my business as I did educational things when I was young as well. When I was DJing at night I’d be going to High School during the day and later went to university to study law. So all looked fine. But when I stopped my studies right before the final exam - as I hadn’t had enough time to study, they were shocked.” 20 years after he started his DJing career, Stuttgart based producer Martin Eyerer remains at the top of his game, running his ubercool electro-tech label Kling Klong and releasing a string of remixes and productions that have made him one of Germany’s best known international DJs. Also just about to release his debut album Word Of Mouth, he’s come a long way since dropping out of Uni, though he’s the first to admit his parents supported him as he dived into music full time. The first time I did a TV interview was the moment they believed it could become a business that works,” says Martin, “For many years my mother would ask me how it was all going and still be sceptical but in the last two or three years she’s seen how much I’ve been travelling and stopped asking.”
Skrufff (Jonty Skrufff): You’ve been DJing for 20 years, releasing records for more than a few: why have you waited until now to release an album?
Martin Eyerer: “When I started DJing I didn’t think about producing at all, it was 1986 and DJ/producers didn’t really exist then. I got really involved in the whole acid house hype then techno and it wasn’t until 1993 that I met some guys and started producing with them, to release my first records. I started with engineers then gradually became more involved in the production process reading loads of manuals and spending lots of money building my own studio. My first self-produced record appeared on Commander Tom’s label Noom Records in 2001 then over the next few years I worked on improving my skills and trying to find my own sound. And of course a lot happened musically, my DJ style changed from UK trance to progressive house then back more to where I started: techno and finally minimal techno. Of course this process also shaped the way I was producing and I really feel in the last two years I’ve arrived, in quality and style terms, where I wanted to go. I’ve also done many collaborations with friends in my studio, such as Oliver Koletzki, Namito, Oliver Klein, Gui Boratto, Toni Rios or Chopstick plus a few Martin Eyerer singles and remixes and finally reached a point where I felt it was the right time to do an album. This was last year.” Skrufff: What is it about doing an album that makes it more significant than releasing a string of singles? Martin Eyerer: “Firstly a single comes and goes quite quickly. These days everything moves so fast - a track is played and after 3 or 4 weeks it’s said to be old. I think this has to do with the innumerable amount of releases every week. So if you do an album it gets more attention and stays around longer I feel. A good artist album or also a compilation as well is always worth it taking it out and listening again - even after a few years. Secondly, on an album you can show your versatility and work much better as it makes a huge difference if a listener gets one record of you and 2 months later the next than having the possibility of putting 10 tracks or more compact on the market. It defines much more what you are doing as an artist.” Skrufff: Your press releases stresses ‘No excursions into avant-garde sounds, no 10 minute minimal loops’: what do you make of the minimal trend of the last few years: has it now run its course? Martin Eyerer: “These days everything is called minimal. Actually the real minimal is to be found in a few very small and special clubs but the rest is a mixture of different styles like house, techno and minimal. There are artists sitting in front of a computer running Ableton live - which is a great tool without a doubt - and putting a few loops together and selling it as their album. The press release was just meant to emphasise that my album’s not like that and includes quite a variety and versatility on it - production and style wise. The minimal sound has run its course, yes, actually several years ago, but
but the development of it and the mixture of styles influenced by minimal is full on. At the end of the day it depends on people’s own self definitions of their style; some even call 130bpm techno minimal.” Skrufff: Why did minimal become so popular in Germany? What was the link? Martin Eyerer: “I think one of the main reasons is that Berlin is such a melting pot. Minimal didn’t come from there but the city’s atmosphere, with its crazy clubs and cultural mix helped it grow and become a scene. More and more people making electronic music moved there and that’s also why it got bigger and bigger, particularly as more and more international players came over. Frankfurt and Cologne have also been significant, Frankfurt on the techno side and Cologne more on the avant-garde side.” Skrufff: An interview I found said you (incorrectly) lived in Berlin- your publicist was shocked: why haven’t you moved to Berlin? Martin Eyerer: “Berlin is great and I love being there, I have many friends and I play 3 or 4 times a year. You can also meet everyone there and every day there are parties but all these factors make it dangerous. You waste too much time meeting and hanging around with people, going to parties and whatever. So after being a few days in Berlin I always like coming back to Stuttgart. In Stuttgart are only a few really international successful DJs, so I am one of the most important there, which sometimes can be helpful. Also the quality of life in Stuttgart is really very high, it’s a rich but not too big place. If I would move to Berlin my lifestyle would be dramatically different. There are so many successful DJs and producers that it’s impossible keeping the overview. And that’s one reason why no one gets paid properly in Berlin for DJing. Actually I thought about moving there a few years ago but as I said I’m happy I decided against it in the end.” Skrufff: It’s 18 years since the Berlin Wall game down: did you visit Berlin in the days immediately after it happened? Martin Eyerer: “I had the luck to visit Berlin even before the Wall came down and of course I visited that city many times after. It was very interesting to see what was going on in the eastern part of Germany and when the borders were opened it was like an initial lightning for a process that made the city into what it is today; a huge melting pot that’s very open to everyone and everything. The real scene is located in the former East part of Berlin, if you’re there you have a feeling that the city is still kind of separated: The rich and posh west part and the cool, artistic east part.” Skrufff: you’re very, very tied up in the music business: what’s your assessment of it’s health now? Martin Eyerer: “I think the scene generally is in a good shape. Of course there are a few who have seen better times, but this is all connected to the digital revolution. And revolution is what it is. Most DJs are going digital, though some try to stick with vinyl. I understand because I have 60,000 in my home but I also think you can’t stop progress and if you try to, you lose. Of course we are not yet at a stage where paid downloads replace the income by vinyl but it’s getting better and better. There are still some people buying and playing vinyl of course, but I personally think the market will shrink until it’s very small serving just a few vinyl freaks. But I don’t think it will die. I also still use a tape machine from Studer to master records in my studio and tapes died many years ago. By the way, no one could stop that either. As long as people are into music and pay for it, the medium they get it on doesn’t matter.” Skrufff: how important is cracking the UK market compared to Germany? Martin Eyerer: “Talking about electronic music, especially in Germany, the UK market is really unimportant. One example: I was sitting with Oliver Koletzki in my studio the other day telling him that John Digweed is playing our record and he turned around said ‘who’s John Digweed?’ And he wasn’t joking. That says a lot. There are a few people targeting of the UK market - like me - understanding that internationally it’s still very important, much more so than the German market in many countries. But I also can feel a change. I think the German scene is becoming more and more important. Language is also an issue. For years people from all over the world have been reading English dance magazines whereas in Germany not at all. We have our own very strong titles, so people here just read those. German producers don’t look at markets generally, they just do what they think is good. Which can also be an advantage.”
Skrufff: Before you got into DJing, did you have any specific career plans? Martin Eyerer: “I studied law and in the past I’d always say I never wanted to make a living from DJing and producing as it wasn’t a proper business. But I must say I’m very happy with the path I chose.” Skrufff: How has becoming a father changed your attitude to music- and to life? Martin Eyerer: “Having kids changed by attitude in general and my day to day lifestyle of course. Kids bring another meaning to your life, though to music nothing really changed at all. Specifically, I now try to get home as fast as possible after gigs rather than spending a whole day in a hotel, or a few days when I’m abroad. Sometimes now I fly back immediately in the morning after a gig to have more time at home. Otherwise this job would be hard to combine with family life. But with a proper planning you can make it.” Skrufff: Will you be encouraging your children to be musicians, DJs or artists? Martin Eyerer: “I will support them in whatever they want to do. I will definitely not push them so anything else. If they decide they want to become like me, I’ll support but also try to persuade them to finish school first and to maybe get a profession. It’s wiser to have something to fall back on.”
becoming the same like me I will support them but also taking care that they first finish school and a profession or studies. It’s just better for one self to have something in the back. Martin Eyerer: Word Of Mouth is out now on Kling Klong Records. http://www.klingklong.com http://www.myspace.com/martineyerer Interview by Jonty Skrufff (Skrufff.com) Subscribe to Skrufff music newsletter at www.skrufff.com
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