Ahead of his gig at the IMS Grand Finale next Friday and the start of his busy 2013 Ibiza season we managed to catch up with superstar DJ / producer Soloun for a quick chat. Heres what he had to say:
Charlie (SP): Hello Solomun. Thank you for taking the time to talk to Soundplate.
Solomun: Hello, you’re welcome!
Charlie (SP): Obviously you have the difficult job of juggling your time between your label ‘Diynamic’, your club ‘Ego’, your radio broadcasting, your DJing and of course your own music production as Solomun. Which of these do you find the most challenging to keep on top of?
Solomun: This is a tough question, because you have to do all those things with your full attention and passion – and if you can’t, you should stop doing it. For sure DJing is a different thing from producing, because you get the direct connection to the people and you know immediately if something is working or not. In the studio it’s completely different. For Diynamic I have to judge new tracks as well as new artists, and you can imagine I’m very happy to not do this alone, but with the whole Diynamic family together.
Charlie (SP): It seems with every production and release that you put your name to, you capture an emotional ‘moment’, something that is often difficult to achieve in dance music. Is this something you go about doing, or is it something that happens naturally with every track you work on?
Solomun: Music is always about moments and moments you remember are very much connected with emotions. I guess it happens quite naturally because in a way it has become part of my musical DNA, to find emotions in music. And I always try to mix things up and take risks – sometimes it works, sometimes not.
Charlie (SP): Does every song you produce resonate with you on a personal level, or do you sometimes write songs purely for the dancefloor?
Solomun: My tracks doesn’t necessarily have to work on a dancefloor, but they always have to reach me on a personal level.
Charlie (SP): There is a pretty era defining shift at Pacha this summer, with Solomun + 1 taking over Sunday residencies. Will this be your primary focus this summer, or will you still be producing as much as you have been?
Solomun: That’s a good question, but I am actually running two residencies in Ibiza this summer, at Pacha and at Sankeys, as well as playing festivals on the weekends so there won’t be time to produce until October at least. So, my primary focus for the summer will be to play and play and play!
Charlie (SP): Obviously Neon Nights will still be running at Sankeys?
Solomun: Yes, that’s really good news. We continue our Neon Night journey at Sankeys. The whole Diynamic family will play there, we will open the newer and bigger white room with a brand new sound system this season. We all are very excited about it and can’t wait!
Charlie (SP): You are also appearing alongside the likes of Scuba and Sven Vath at the IMS Grand Finale at the end of the month. Are you excited about this? There are some great talents on show that weekend.
Solomun: Of course, it’s an honour. You know, last year I came to the Island as a rookie and this year I’m playing the Grand Finale with Sven Väth and others.
Charlie (SP): You were awarded Mixmag’s DJ Of The Year in 2012. It’s an amazing accolade and must feel like one of the pinnacles of your career. How has winning affected you as an artist?
Solomun: Of course this was and still is a big honour, but I seriously hope it didn’t affect me as an artist, no, I’m sure it didn’t. I feel the same motivation since I started to DJ, of course I never expected the success of the last year, but my motivation still is the same. I mean, I don’t wake up or work in the studio or play in the Booth and say to myself: DJ of the year, yeah! I just do what I’m doing. But I am well aware that I’ve gained much more attention since, which can be both good and bad!
Charlie (SP): Via Diynamic, you have put out the likes of Ost & Kjex, David August, Karmon & Adriatique amongst many others. But away from Diynamic are there any artists you’re particularly digging at the moment?
Solomun: I like to concentrate on the artists we already have, for me it just feels better.
Charlie (SP): And similarly which labels are doing it for you? Any up and coming German labels we should know about!?
Solomun: There a so many good labels!
Charlie (SP): Hamburg always seems to have the firmest place in your heart, with your studio being based there as well as your club EGO. Are you a believer in the phrase ‘home is where the heart is’? After extensive touring schedules it must be pretty refreshing going back there.
Solomun: I always have my studio with me, in these modern days you don’t need much for this, but I am hardly ever in Hamburg, so when I am there, I am really happy. But there are so many other nice places where I really feel comfortable, like Ibiza, London or, believe it or not… Dubai.
Charlie (SP): And finally, if you could choose any artist to work with, dead or alive, who would you choose and why?
Solomun: Honestly, that I can work with Roisin Murphy means a lot to me. And the fact that Roisin is coming to my closing at Pacha is really great, because she is only coming to me on Ibiza this summer. Also that I could do a remix for the Foals was a real pleasure for me. Back in the day I desperately wanted to work with Frank Ocean, but I think we were waiting too long with asking him and meanwhile he became too big I think. In any case he didn’t answer me until today. So if you’re reading this Frank: If you need beats and a fat bassline, I’ll be there!
Charlie (SP): Thanks for chatting to us Solomun – and good luck for this summer!
Solomun: Thanks a lot, you’re welcome 🙂
Solomun will play the IMS 2013 Grand Finale Festival @ Dalt Vila on May 24th, Ibiza full line-up and tickets click here.