Wankelmut became a global star almost overnight thanks to the release of his amazing ‘One Day/Reckoning Song’ remix. He’s maintained a steady flow of great releases and remixes, plus a packed tour schedule ever since. Last week he added Radio 1’s Essential Mix to his growing list of achievements, and soon he releases Wankelmoods 2 – the latest installment in his series of compilation mixes. With all that in mind, we thought he’d be a perfect candidate for Deep House London interview…
Firstly, can you tell us how you became a musician? Are you formally trained?
I started off by playing acoustic guitar and so knew all the basic chords. My musical background was mainly rock and indie stuff with some electronic artists here and there such as DJ Shadow or Massive Attack. It was not until I moved back to Berlin (where I was born) that I started getting more heavily involved in electronic music and bought two decks and a mixer – very basic set up.
Where does your name come from?
It is a phrase which is rather unknown outside of Germany, it is actually a way to describe Yin & Yang, black & white, up & down etc. Opposite alternatives that seem to fit my open minded character very well and also be found in the way that I DJ as I like to touch a lots of different kinds of electronic dance music.
Tell us about your hometown and how that influenced your musical tastes/direction?
I used to go to a lot of very small, underground parties and places in Berlin. Sometimes these places would stay open for a few days, the whole party vibe of freedom and letting loose influenced me heavily. Further on, a lot of underground DJs such as Acid Pauli, Nico Stojan or DJ Koze as well as clubs like Bar 25 and Kater Holzig really inspired me.
How did you get started with making electronic music?
As I mentioned before, I started off with a simple bedroom DJ setup. In 2011 I expanded it with Ableton Live to do edits and some other basic productions to beef up my DJ sets which I had started to play at small clubs in east Berlin. The legendary ‘One Day’ remix was created on that setup. After the big success of ‘One Day’ I started to involve engineers and proper studios to improve the quality of my music.
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Tell us about your first release? Which label, what was it called, what inspired it and how did it feel to finally have your music released to the world?
My first official release was the ‘One Day/Reckoning Song’ remix for Asaf Avidan which has sold 1.5 Million copies so far. I was introduced to the original song by a friend and did the remix using samples from the original. I started and finished it in one night back in late 2011, I uploaded it to Soundcloud and was completely overwhelmed by the feedback and the requests I got for it. Asaf Avidan’s label Sony Music then released it scoring 8 No. 1 single chart spots worldwide.
You’ve recorded an Essential Mix for Radio 1 – tell us about the mix and how it feels to be asked to do something so special. Did you feel nervous about making it?
It was a very big honour to do this. There are many Essential Mixes which are very important to me, for example Andrew Weatherall in 93, Daft Punk in 97 or recently Dixon’s mix. This is a mix which might follow you throughout your whole career as a DJ, so it needs to be good. I wanted to create a musical journey which entertains and also has a certain entertainment value. It was mixed live without any additionally editing.
What’s inspiring you at the moment? Which music/films/experiences are feeding into your music making process?
Musically I love the New York based band Bob Moses, which is really inspiring music that I think is made very well. Besides that, I love watching the new HBO TV series True Detective.
Where have you played recently that has really impressed you?
France is always very impressive because people go crazy! I also really enjoyed Dublin for the heavy party vibes and original rave spirit. Great experiences.
Is there one club or city that you always dream of playing in?
Not really. I have now played all the German festivals which was always the dream for me to do.
How was your recent experience in London?
Great! It was a very good location and fantastic crowd as always, London never disappoints me. With my MK remix on board, I have that one tool which is guaranteed to drive the club crazy, it’s really a unique experience to drop that tune to UK or Irish crowds.
Can you tell us about Wankelmoods 2?
The Wankelmoods series was created to sum up a Wankelmut DJ set. I include tracks which are essential in my DJ Sets and I mix them all together within 80 minutes. It’s like a regular statement release about my DJing and my vision of playing electronic music.
How do you spend your time when you’re not making music? Do you have much time for a personal life?
At the moment I am only in Berlin for about 3 days a week, so I have to use this time slot for lots of different things. So far, I have a pretty good balance between my private-life and DJ/Producer-life. I spend most of my private time with my girlfriend and close friends – just normal stuff really.
What do you family think about your career?
They love it.
What does the future hold for you, plans? Dreams? Ambitions?
I don’t really have any ambitions to make things bigger or more successful for myself and I honestly never ever dreamed that I would get as far as I have in electronic music by playing all over the world and releasing records. I will continue to work hard at being a good DJ and will endeavour to keep on entertaining people with good music, no matter if it’s 50 or 5000 people.
Any advice for people considering getting into making music?
Just be yourself.