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Interview with Markus Schulz |
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Written by Joe Dirosa
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Markus Schulz
Its a pleasure to be doing this interview.. I've listened to your new
album Without You Near a couples times since I got it.. Its pretty
incredible piece to add to my music collection in as it begins with a
softer trance feel that is very relaxing and then it picks up enough to
keep you involved.. To me it is exactly what you want to be
listening to when the sun comes up.. Progressive and Melodic.. What
inspired this album?
The album is a representation of where my
taste for music is. I wanted to make an album that I could listen
to also. Also being a DJ, I sequenced the album in such a way
that it would take you on a journey into my soul while keeping your
interest peaked. I made 22 songs for the album, but only used the
13 that I thought would best fit the mood and journey I was trying to
achieve.
Is it true that you never used a sound engineer and that you
learned on your own how to remix all your tracks?
Yes this is true. I
have been in the music industry for a long time, and everything that I
do in the studio is self taught. Many times I wish that I could
sit in on someone else’s studio sessions to observe. I guess from
learning your won way is one of the reasons I have developed my own
style and sound.
To me Dance music is somewhat similar to Classical in the range of the
sounds and the emotional experience that it convey. Good tracks
can take you through a range of emotions and almost provide a visual
experience.. Sort of a Journey.. Do you agree and what is next on your
plate?
Yes that is very true. The nice thing about a lot of the trance
music is that there are not a lot of vocals, or very short lines and
ideas. This makes the music universal, able to reach past the
language barrier much like classical music does. I want to
continue evolving as an artist. My next album I want to challenge my
fans even more.
Now your from all over but mostly Miami and they have a great
scene down there. Who were your influences?
My influences come
from all over the world in my travels. I meet so many amazing
people who leave a lasting impression on me. That is what
inspires me. It is so incredible to go someplace like China or
Eastern Europe and people are dancing and interacting with me through
my music. The internet is really responsible for creating a
global dance music community.
You've collaborated with many artists on different tracks.. Can you
tell me about some of them and which artists you would still like to
work with?
My vision for the album was to work with some of the
talented artists that I have been inspired by and wanted to work with
for a long time. Singers like Anita Kelsey from London. She is
such a fantastic person, with such a beautiful aura about her.
Her voice has such a remarkable character to it. It was a pleasure to
work with her on 2 songs. Carrie Skipper is another singer from
England that I worked with. She is someone that I met through
good friends of mine “Above and Beyond”. We started making “Never
Be the Same” as a full on dance song, but the pure emotion that she
delivered with her vocal performance inspired me to create the song as
a synthesized journey. I also worked with Belgium producer
Airwave as well as Interstate, Departure and Gabriel & Dresden.
Josh & Dave (Gabriel & Dresden) have been good friends of mine
for a long time, and when creating this album, it was very important to
me to work with them. We both come from very similar backgrounds,
of slaving through the music industry for a long time before finally
getting our break.
In what ways would like to see the dance music scene progress ?
I see the scene growing globally because of the internet. My DJ
sets travel all over the world with the click of a button.
I know your going to be in NY at Spirit on Dec 2nd. Can you tell me
what other dates you've got planned?
In Dec I will be traveling to:
Seattle, Las Vegas, Budapest, a Christmas show in Amsterdam, and then
New Years Eve at “Together as One” in LA.
What are top 5 tracks or artists your playing right now or that you think are hot....?
I currently play a lot of tracks from Mathew Dekay, David West, Andrew
Bennett (Who I just signed to my label “Coldharbour”) and a producer
from the UK who is on fire at the moment, Niklas Harding.
Which are you feeling more right now DJing the circuit or producing and remixing in the studio and why?
I don’t think I could ever do one with out the other. They both feed
themselves. There is nothing like playing one of your tunes for
the first time at an event and watching the crowd. There is also
nothing like messing around with your synths for hours until you
finally stumble across the perfect sound for your mix.
Any new Remixes or tracks you've done for other artists coming out...?
I took some time off from remixing to finish my album, and since have
slowly taken on a few projects that I was really interested in.
Nalin & Kane- Open Your Eyes, Eluna- Severance and there is a remix
of an old Led Zeppelin tune that I am anxious about called “Babe I’m
gonna Leave”
Are you planning anything special for the Winter Music Conference in 2006?
Yes I have 2 very big events planned for WMC this year. We are putting the final touches on the deal.
Where do you see yourself in 10 years from now?
I love the music. I could see myself running a radio station 10
years from now. I really believe that radio has lost the “Theatre
of the mind” feeling that I grew up with. I think it would be a
great thrill for me to lead the wave in bringing a renaissance to radio.
See more of Markus at
www.markusschultz.com
www.globaldjbroadcast.com
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